Jungma-dong eel restaurant in Gwangyang, 1.2kg for 70,000 won: Deokeun

The weather is getting hot and I was feeling a bit run down, so I went looking for a proper grilled eel place to get some stamina back.

This time I visited Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch (더 큰 장어 광양점), a well-known spot in Jungma-dong, Gwangyang! It works like a butcher-shop restaurant: you see and pick antibiotic-free, 100% domestic japonica pungcheon eel at the 1st-floor market, then grill it over charcoal on the 2nd floor. I was very happy with both quality and value. I'll share my honest review plus tips worth knowing before you go!

Where is Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang, and how long is the weekday dinner wait?

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch is at 101 Hangman9-ro, Gwangyang-si (Jungma-dong), next to the Hotel Rakhui Gwangyang building. It's open daily 11:00–21:30, with last order at 20:30.

As you'd expect from a Jungma-dong favorite, it's close to the Jungma-dong bus terminal and Gwangyang Port, so it's very easy to reach.

Parking is what worries you most with family gatherings or group dinners, but this Gwangyang eel restaurant has a roomy pilotis space on the building's ground floor plus a nearby dedicated lot, so I got in with zero parking stress.

Deokeun Jangeo uses an entire standalone building, so you can spot it from far away!

You can see Yi Sun-sin Bridge right in front! It's perfect for a night-sea stroll after dinner...

Just inside the entrance you can register for an on-site waitlist and get KakaoTalk notifications while you wait. On weekend evenings or at peak times, I'd recommend registering at the entrance the moment you arrive! I went around 7pm on a weekday, and there were about 5 parties ahead of us. I think we waited 15–20 minutes!

Getting from the 1st-floor lobby to the 2nd-floor dining room is easy thanks to a modern elevator, so elderly family members with bad legs or families with kids don't have to worry about stairs.

Upstairs, the place was packed. The ceiling is high and every table has its own ventilation hood, so it was really pleasant, with no smoke or fishy smell.

There are also private rooms and large group seating, so I immediately understood why it's popular for Jungma-dong company dinners and family meals for occasions like 60th and 70th birthdays.

Next to the 2nd-floor entrance there are separate men's and women's restrooms, and they even have air conditioning, so they're comfortable! A dirty restaurant restroom ruins the mood, right?

How to order: pick your eel downstairs, grill it upstairs

It felt like a butcher-shop restaurant: you first buy prepared eel at the 1st-floor seafood market, then go up to the 2nd floor and pay a setup fee to dine.

Fresh eels caught today were neatly packed by weight in a clean refrigerated showcase! Seeing the freshness with my own eyes made me trust the place even more.

This is the thick 3-eel pack we picked! Plump and nicely colored~ It was about 1.2kg, around ₩70,000? You pay for the eel you choose first, at the 1st-floor counter.

Today's price was ₩35,640 per 1kg! Boneless is ₩5,940 per 100g. It's domestic eel and so cheap! About 1kg for two people is plenty, and you can eat until you're stuffed.

Carry your eel, get a table number, and head up to the 2nd-floor dining room by elevator or stairs. After you're seated and have enjoyed your grilled eel, you pay the setup fee and any extra meals or drinks on the 2nd floor as you leave.

💡 One more tip! The 1st-floor counter is running a Naver receipt review event. Write a receipt review and you get one cold ice cream per person at your table as a freebie, so be sure to grab it after your meal!

They sell a variety of takeaway eel dishes too!

We all know it's hard to grill raw eel at home, right? You can buy it on the 1st floor and take it away pre-grilled (chobeol, a first light grilling)! Enjoy the taste of pungcheon eel at home too~♡

What the 4,000 won setup fee covers: side dishes and self-serve bar

The setup fee at Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang is ₩4,000 per adult and ₩2,000 per elementary school child. You get strong charcoal heat plus a neat set of side dishes fitted onto a dedicated tray!

The basic sides include shredded ginger, the perfect partner for eel, plus green onion kimchi, myeongi greens or perilla leaf pickles, white kimchi, ssambu (pickled radish wraps), pickled onion, fresh lettuce and perilla leaves, garlic and ssamjang (dipping paste), all generously served. They come neatly divided into little bowls, so you really feel looked after.

If you run out of sides or sauces, you can help yourself to as much as you like at the big self-serve bar in the middle of the restaurant.

Lettuce, perilla leaves and peppers, of course, plus shredded ginger, garlic, a special teriyaki sauce and a spicy sauce, all generously stocked!

How charcoal-grilled japonica Pungcheon eel tastes

The tablet on each table shows a friendly "how to grill eel well" guide, so even beginners can grill without burning it! It was my first time grilling raw eel like this, so my heart was pounding...

I'll follow the tablet guide and grill this eel nicely!

Can you see it turning golden and juicy step by step? Even a beginner can grill it this beautifully!

This is the size of one eel! It's quite a lot~~~

Following the guide and grilling it standing up until golden, the faint charcoal aroma coated the surface and the flesh puffed up thick and golden.

I dipped a well-cooked piece lightly in the special teriyaki sauce, topped it with sharp shredded ginger and wrapped it in a perilla leaf... crispy outside, moist inside, and honestly a work of art! There was not a hint of fishy smell, just rich nuttiness filling my mouth, true to antibiotic-free 100% japonica pungcheon eel. Badly done eel can leave you chewing on bones, but this one was fluffy and plump, and the flavor was the real deal.

Verdict and tips for visiting Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang

Deokeun Jangeo Gwangyang Branch, a Jungma-dong favorite, serves quality domestic japonica freshwater eel at reasonable butcher-shop-restaurant prices. With a big parking area, an elevator, a tidy self-serve bar and comfortable rooms, it left me fully satisfied in every way as a stamina-food spot!

• At peak times, register on the on-site waitlist machine at the entrance first!
• When grilling, sprinkle the pink salt on the table and stand the eel up as the guide says, and it tastes twice as good.
• Write the 1st-floor receipt review and don't forget your free ice cream dessert!

If you're wondering where to take your parents, hold a family gathering or have a group dinner in Jungma-dong, I confidently and strongly recommend it. I'm planning to go back on Malbok (the last of the three hottest days of summer) to recharge!