Gwangsan eel grill, pre-cut eel, Family Month gift sets: Yuil Jangeo

Yuil Jangeo (유일장어) is my go-to place lately. I end up here whenever there's a family or group gathering and we need some stamina food. Gwangju has gotten lots of direct-sale eel shops these days, so eating eel at a reasonable price is easy. What a time to be alive!

Where is Yuil Jangeo, and what are the hours and parking?

Yuil Jangeo is at 343 Donggok-ro, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, 1st floor. Come from Songjeong Station toward Pyeongdong Industrial Complex, in the direction of Naju, so it's easy to reach by car.

It opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., with last order at 8:30 p.m.

There's a very big parking lot, so it's perfect for group meetups and company dinners. There are a few spots right in front of the shop too, and I almost parked there, but the lot inside was so roomy that parking was totally easy!

What are the interior and rooms like?

The inside is clean and spacious. Each table has a number: pick your eel, pay, then sit at the table with your number.

There are also separate rooms at the back. Call ahead to reserve one for group meetups or family events in Gwangju.

How do you order at Yuil Jangeo? The eel comes pre-cut and pre-grilled

It's a prepay system: choose your eel at the counter and pay, and they pre-grill it and bring it to your table. The first time I went to an eel place, I had no idea how many kilos we should eat for how many people, but here the eel is divided into portions for 2 to 4 people, so choosing is easy.

They start pre-grilling as soon as you pay, and what's really great about Yuil Jangeo is ⭐️that it comes already cut into bite-size pieces and pre-grilled⭐️. I've been to other direct-sale eel shops where you have to cut the eel yourself, and I burned the eel while cutting, got hot and got worn out. Here you just grill it lightly, so easy!

Family Month eel gift sets

For May's Family Month (Gajeong-ui Dal) or a parent's birthday, Yuil Jangeo has eel gift sets split into Sets A, B and C, good as a filial gift. They come packed with pre-grilled eel, sauce, ginger and myeongi namul (pickled wild greens), which is a thoughtful touch.

What's the basic table setting and setting fee?

The table setting fee is ₩4,000 per adult and ₩2,000 per elementary school child. Even the basic spread is generous: kimchi, onion, plus vegetable radish wraps (mussam), pickled perilla leaves and cold cucumber soup.

The basic spread was being set up right away!

At the self-bar you can get more side dishes, vegetables and extra sauces. Take only what you need so nothing gets wasted!

Receipt review event

Yuil Jangeo is running a receipt review event right now. Ask staff for the interim bill receipt, tap the receipt review verification, attach a food photo and write the review including "Gwangju eel restaurant" (광주 장어 맛집), and you get eel tteokgalbi (eel patty) as a free extra!

Salad lovers, go to the self-bar, grab the fresh sauce and salad, and eat it before the eel, haha.

How to grill the eel well

Yuil Jangeo only handles domestic freshwater eel. Just put the pre-grilled eel, cut into evenly sized bite pieces, straight onto the charcoal. It cooks fast so there's no long wait. Love it.

❤️‍🔥How to grill eel well❤️‍🔥

• As soon as the eel arrives, stand it on its side to grill. A must
• When it's cooked to a certain point, stand it on the other side to flip it
• This way the skin turns golden and the inside stays moist

How did the grilled eel taste?

First I wrapped a piece in lettuce and perilla leaf and took a bite. The eel's signature savoriness and the charcoal aroma come together, so Yuil Jangeo is a satisfying meal every time I come.

The eel goes great with ginger, but it pairs well with onion too. Crispy outside and moist inside, exactly right. You can eat your fill of pricey eel at a kind price, so I vouch for it as a good-value spot for a Gwangju family gathering!

Dessert: nurungji instead of eel soup

For dessert I debated between eel soup and nurungji (scorched rice soup), and finished neatly with nurungji. When you eat rice, a few more side dishes come out as a second round, and I was surprised how full they were. The nurungji was really tasty too.

How can you pay? Gwangsan Sarang vouchers and Sangsaeng card accepted

You can pay easily with Gwangsan Sarang gift vouchers, and the Sangsaeng card works too. Good good. They say they don't accept cash, which is actually more convenient!

For coffee, the left one is bitter coffee and the right one is sweet coffee, both prepared with the older crowd in mind, so I finished with a nice coffee too.

Yuil Jangeo is past Pyeongdong from Songjeong Station in Gwangju, in Bongnyong-dong, so it's not far by car from Gwangju Songjeong Station. Highly recommended for treating parents or meeting friends❗️