Eel restaurant at One Grove Mall, Magok: 4 refillable sides, Una Magok

With the heat wave dragging on, I wanted something to restore my energy, so I headed to Una Magok, a refined, upscale restaurant for authentic hitsumabushi near LG Arts Center in Magok. The number of people around Magok has clearly grown every weekend lately, and more of them are looking for restaurants near Seoul Botanic Park and One Grove Mall. With Seoul Botanic Park, One Grove and LG Arts Center all nearby, it's a good stop for a date or after a day out, and I'd recommend it if you're hunting for an eel restaurant in Magok.

Hours are daily 11:20–22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 21:00.

Una Magok location and parking

Una Magok is on the 1st floor of K-Square Mall, where many of the restaurants near LG Arts Center and One Grove Mall are clustered. You get 2 hours of free parking. Since this is a new town, the parking is roomy and easy, and it's close to Magok Station (Line 5) and Magongnaru Station (Line 9 and the Airport Railroad), so public transport works well too. It's also a convenient spot if you want a meal near Seoul Botanic Park or want to stroll the park afterward.

Una Magok has a classy exterior that really stands out. K-Square Mall, a good base for restaurants near One Grove Mall, sits across from One Grove. Una Magok is an eel specialist built around hitsumabushi, the traditional eel dish of Nagoya, Japan. It offers a premium eel dining experience, with the deep flavor of the eel and traditional cooking methods working together, so it's also a recommended spot for dates or dining out if you're looking near LG Arts Center or Seoul Botanic Park.

Charcoal-grilled eel visible from the entrance

As soon as you step inside Una Magok, you can see eel being grilled over charcoal. The grilling follows the traditional method too. Based on the cooking philosophy of Nagoya's jeongjong nigiri style, the eel is brushed with tare sauce (a sweet-savory soy glaze) again and again as it's carefully grilled, they say. This brings out the flavor of the eel as well as the depth of the tare, giving you a premium hitsumabushi.

Partitioned tables and rooms: the atmosphere

The interior of Una Magok feels upscale and calm overall. Each table seat has a partition, so you get more privacy while eating, and there's also a room-style area inside that suits gatherings or a quiet meal. It's recommended if you want a private-room restaurant in Magok, and for business meetings, company dinners, family gatherings and dates.

With such a calm, upscale atmosphere, it's a lovely place for a meal if you're looking near LG Arts Center or Seoul Botanic Park.

Una Magok menu

The signature dishes at Una Magok are hitsumabushi, meromabushi and tori mabushi, and they run various events as well. You can pick from three sizes (small, regular and special), so it's easy to order to your appetite, and there are set menus that include pollock roe, so you can mix it up to your taste.

Hitsumabushi ₩42,000

Two generous pieces of eel sit on top. True to an eel specialist, the fish is prepared so well that you can barely feel any small bones, and the texture was wonderfully soft. Una follows the traditional eel method, brushing on the tare sauce several times as it grills, so the sauce's deep flavor really comes through. The surface of the eel is lightly caramelized for a crisp bite while the inside stays moist and tender, and I loved that balance of outside and inside.

Tori mabushi ₩29,000

"Tori" means chicken, and this is another popular dish at Una Magok. It has a different charm from the hitsumabushi: the portion of chicken is generous, and the sauce and seasoning soak all the way through for great savory depth. The meat was very tender and easy to eat, and it's a dish that people who aren't big on eel can enjoy too.

Four side dishes and kiosk refills

You get four main side dishes: sweet potato mousse, seasoned mushrooms, acorn jelly (dotorimuk) and cucumber. All four were mild and clean-tasting, which made them great alongside the hitsumabushi. Every side dish can be refilled easily at a kiosk, and personally the sweet potato mousse was my favorite, so I refilled it once more.

Everything comes neatly arranged on one plate, which makes this a nice place to treat someone or to enjoy a date in Magok. Between the quality of the food and the upscale atmosphere, I think people will be very satisfied whether they're looking near LG Arts Center or Seoul Botanic Park, or want a place for a company dinner or a meal out.

On the left is the tori mabushi, on the right the hitsumabushi. Only the main dish differs; the side dishes are the same, so you just pick the main to suit your taste.

How to eat hitsumabushi, and ochazuke

Each table has instructions on how to enjoy the dishes, and the staff kindly explain once more when the food is served. You enjoy it first as a rice bowl with the provided toppings of perilla leaf, wasabi and green onion, then finish by pouring warm broth over it as ochazuke (rice in tea or broth), so you can taste one dish in several ways.

The hitsumabushi comes with broth for ochazuke. Spoon some rice and eel into a bowl, pour the tea broth over, and you get an ochazuke with a whole different charm.

The tori mabushi comes with a milky-white chicken broth. Put some grilled chicken and rice in a bowl and pour the broth over for a mild, tender ochazuke that was a clean way to finish the meal.

Dessert: green tea ice cream

When you finish your meal, dessert is served. Press the call button on the table kiosk and they bring you cool green tea ice cream. It's creamier than ordinary matcha ice cream, cleaned my palate after the meal, and was a refreshing way to end.

If you're looking for a restaurant near LG Arts Center, One Grove Mall or Seoul Botanic Park, I recommend Una Magok. Between the authentic Nagoya-style hitsumabushi, the elegant atmosphere and a clean, satisfying meal, it's a no-regrets choice for a special meal, a date or a gathering.