Ansan City Hall eel buffet, all-sofa seats, no-burn grill: Songnim Bok

Today I'm reviewing Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store (송림복장어 민물장어 무한리필 안산시청직영점).

• Address: 33 Danggok-ro, Unit 201 and 202, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Hours: daily 11:20-22:00
• Parking: underground parking in the building (free)

How do you get to Songnim Bok's Ansan City Hall branch?

The restaurant is right in front of Ansan City Hall, so buses like the 123, 22 and 62 go there. The bus stop is right outside, so it's easy to reach. The subway station is actually a 15-minute walk away, so if you can take a bus, I'd recommend that instead!

The restaurant is in the shopping arcade next to Buildings 101 and 108 of the Hillstate Jungang apartments, and you can park in the underground garage of the same building.

Inside the building there's an escalator in the middle and an elevator beside it. Go up to the 2nd floor,

then turn left and it's at the end.

Weekday lunch or dinner: when is it less crowded?

I went at weekday lunchtime, and there were family groups there. It felt like dinner is busier, though. If you want a comfortable meal, I'd recommend going at lunch.

Is the restaurant big enough for a group dinner?

It was big enough that I could count more than 16 four-person tables. From the entrance, before going in, I figured the place wouldn't be large, but once inside it was really spacious. I'd highly recommend it for a company dinner.

Sofas everywhere instead of single chairs

My favorite part was that the seats are all sofas, not single chairs. Especially with kids or families, flimsy single chairs can be a bit dangerous, right? Songnim Bok's Ansan City Hall branch has no such worry, and I was happy about that.

How much is Songnim Bok's all-you-can-eat eel, and how does it taste?

At Songnim Bok you can have all-you-can-eat for ₩32,900 per person. At a typical eel place, even one portion each means two people easily top ₩100,000. And there are plenty of all-you-can-eat places with fishy eel, but compared with other branches, this eel has no red blood in it, so there was no fishy taste at all.

The owner recommended the eel soup (jangeo-tang) here. He said the flavor is so deep that once you try it you'll keep thinking about it... It's a place I'd like to bring my grandmother to someday. When I went, lots of families were there.

Our order for two: ₩68,800 in total

• Eel for 2: ₩59,800
• Table setting for 2: ₩6,000
• Rice: ₩1,000
• Soda: ₩2,000
• Total: ₩68,800

First, the side dishes come out. I really like eating the eel on lettuce with pickled ginger and pickled perilla leaves.

As you can see, the eel has no blood at all, so I could eat it without any fishy taste.

How does the self-bar work?

At Songnim Bok's Ansan City Hall branch you can keep fetching side dishes like lettuce and perilla leaves from the self-bar. Compared with other places, this branch doesn't put the self-bar in the walkway; they made a separate space for it and keep it neat. I loved that.

I felt that a restaurant run with this kind of small-detail care, serving eel with no fishy taste, makes for a really satisfying place to eat out.

A grill built so the eel doesn't burn

The second touch of the owner's good sense showed in the grill. Eel tastes best grilled slowly over low heat, not strong flame, but other branches use a cylindrical grill, so if you stop paying attention for a moment the eel burns.

But as you can see, the fire is in the middle and the edges let you set the meat aside, so I could eat to the end without burning anything.

My mom said this is the best of all the eel places she's been to, and even said she wants to bring her friends haha. I highly recommend it too!!

Restrooms and other facilities

Right as you step out of the restaurant, the restrooms are immediately on the left, separate for men and women.

Songnim Bok Ansan City Hall branch in a nutshell

• A great spot to come with friends or family
• Eel with no fishy taste at all
• Good service, like the self-bar

If you're looking for a good eel restaurant near Jungang Station or Gojan Station, I recommend Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat Ansan City Hall Direct Store.