Seongsu eel buffet with friends, 3,000-won table charge: Songnim Bok

It had been a while since I got to have a proper body-boosting meal with friends, so we headed to Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu Branch, which has been word-of-mouth famous as an eel all-you-can-eat spot in Seongsu 😊

The storefront had a big, clean sign that was easy to spot from a distance. It looked a cut above other all-you-can-eat places in Seongsu, so my expectations were really high!

Inside Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu: what the restaurant looks like

Stepping inside, the spacious, comfortable interior really stood out 🪑🍃 The tables were spaced far enough apart that you could eat comfortably without worrying about other guests. The whole place was kept spotless, no greasy residue anywhere, so my first impression was great. The owner and staff greeted us warmly the moment we walked in, and it honestly felt like being treated like VIPs.

How much is it? 29,900 won plus a 3,000-won table charge

The all-you-can-eat at Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu is 29,900 won for adults plus a 3,000-won table charge per person, and it covers unlimited eel, pork belly and chicken neck. We took our seats and looked over the menu slowly 📜👀 Our whole reason for coming was obviously the eel all-you-can-eat course in Seongsu, so even though other menu items caught our eye, we ordered the signature eel course without hesitation. There was also a solid lineup of side dishes to enjoy alongside the eel, so waiting for the food to arrive was genuinely exciting.

They gave us bokbunja (black raspberry) wine as a service to celebrate the restaurant's opening! Eel and bokbunja wine together... it's just perfect!

Side dishes and what is on the self-serve bar

Once we ordered, the basic side dishes were quickly set out 🥗 Fresh lettuce and perilla leaves, along with shredded ginger — a must with eel — chive salad, white kimchi, and a sweet special sauce were all neatly laid out. I loved that there was a well-stocked self-serve bar where you could grab more anytime without feeling awkward about it. Just tasting the basic side dishes already had a rich, savory flavor, and it made me even more excited for the main course.

Over on one side of the restaurant was this clean, hygienically managed self-serve bar 🥗 It was neatly stocked with shredded ginger, kimchi, pickled onion, perilla leaf pickle, garlic, chili, and ssamjang. Being able to freely grab more of any side dish or sauce without feeling self-conscious about it made the whole system so comfortable and great 👍

The freshwater eel at Songnim Bok Jangeo

At the self-serve bar, the main ingredient — eel — was piled up high, which drew an instant gasp 🐟✨ You could freely take as much of the neatly prepped, fresh eel as you wanted! Even though it was all-you-can-eat, the eel was thick and full of flesh, which made me fall for both the owner's generosity and the quality all over again.

Pork belly from the self-serve bar

Beyond eel, you could also freely grab meat from the self-serve bar 🥩 There was thick, rosy pork belly ready to go, looking delicious. Grilling some pork belly alongside the eel to switch things up made for a combination that exceeded expectations.

Chicken neck from the self-serve bar

Next to the pork belly, there was plenty of chewy, appealing chicken neck ready to go too 🐓 Being able to take as much as you wanted and grill it over charcoal meant we got to enjoy eel, pork belly, and chicken neck all at once — such a fun combination! Thanks to the self-serve bar where you could freely take whatever you liked, we got to enjoy a truly filling, stuffed-to-bursting meal 😊

The owner grills the first round and controls the heat

The owner personally brought out and grilled the first round, cooking the eel together with the pork belly and chicken neck included in the all-you-can-eat course 🥩 The eel had no fishy smell at all and looked really fresh, so my mouth was watering even before it hit the grill!

The moment it hit the grill, there was a sizzle and a savory smell that hit your nose — honestly hard to resist >_< You could see with your own eyes how it turned golden brown, crisp outside and moist inside. The owner came by to check the heat and kindly showed us how to grill it best, so we managed to get it perfectly golden without burning anything.

Drinking bokbunja wine while eating eel is just the truth, isn't it. Maybe because it was a free service, the sweet, chilled bokbunja wine went down so smoothly, mixing beautifully with the savory eel. Thanks to this thoughtful touch, our mood lifted even more and the meal became even happier.

How the eel, chicken neck and pork belly tasted

We tried a bite of the golden-grilled chicken neck right away! 🐓 The chewy texture was so good, and the savory flavor burst in my mouth. Eating a bite of chicken neck after the eel started to feel a bit rich was the perfect palate cleanser, and the combination was spot on 👌

Ah... the pork belly..!

Once it was cooked enough, they cut it into bite-sized pieces, and just looking at the cross-section, you could tell how thick and meaty it was ✂️😋 I picked up a piece of the golden-grilled eel and dipped it in just the special sauce first. The moment it hit my mouth, a savory flavor spread throughout with absolutely no fishy taste, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture was pure art. It made me think this really is the number-one all-you-can-eat spot in Seongsu.

I picked up a well-cooked, thick piece of eel and dipped it in the special sauce 😋 The sweet and salty sauce clung to the savory eel flesh, with zero fishy taste, crisp outside and moist inside, just melting away — truly artful! Thanks to Songnim Bok Jangeo Seongsu's special sauce, the savory flavor doubled and my chopsticks kept going back for more 👍

This time I put a bit of garlic and ssamjang on a well-grilled piece of pork belly and took a bite 🥩🧄 The juices burst out and mixed with the sharp garlic aroma — I was surprised the pork belly quality was this good even at an eel specialty restaurant! If you come to this eel all-you-can-eat spot in Seongsu, you'll be fully satisfied enjoying not just eel but a variety of meats too ✨

This time I made a proper wrap and enjoyed a full mouthful — a thick piece of eel on a perilla leaf, wrapped up. The combination was amazing.

Is the refilled eel as good as the first round?

We finished off the first round in no time and immediately asked for a refill — and the refilled eel was just as thick and fresh as what came out the first time, which really impressed me 🔄👍 Ah, such a happy meal.. If you're in Seongsu, Songnim Bok Jangeo is a must.