Nami-myeon eel restaurant for a late lunch in Cheongju: Samhwa Susan
In short
Samhwa Susan is a self-serve Pungcheon eel restaurant on Daerim-ro in Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju. Arriving for a late lunch to avoid the afternoon rush, we ordered 1 kg of eel (weighed untrimmed) for 50,000 won, with the free clam soup and sushi rice that come with a first order, then pressed the rice by hand into eel sushi. The chive kimchi and pickled perilla leaves suit the unseasoned eel exactly, and wrapping each piece yourself is half the fun at Samhwa Susan.
Good to know
- Menu
- Eel 1 kg (weighed untrimmed) 50,000 won · single menu item
- Table setting fee
- 4,000 won per person
- Free with first order
- Clam soup and sushi rice
- Self-serve
- Self-serve bar; sushi rice and ramyeon are self-serve (staff grill the eel)
- Receipt review
- Free self-serve ramyeon
- Eel extract
- 50 packs — 100,000 won cash / 120,000 won card
- Address
- 1st floor, Self-Serve Pungcheon Eel, 269 Daerim-ro, Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk
- Parking
- Plenty of parking space
- Price reference
- ₩100,000 ≈ $74 · ₩120,000 ≈ $88.5 · ₩50,000 ≈ $37 (2026-09-23)
as written by the visitor on Sep 23, 2026
When people in Cheongju talk about good pungcheon eel (river eel) spots near Nami-myeon, Samhwa Susan comes up a lot.
Samhwa Susan is a self-serve pungcheon eel restaurant, and they say they use grade-1 eel from Gochang. I'm not sure if it's a small fish farm or just tanks, but since they run it themselves, they cut out distribution margins and labor costs, so you can enjoy 1kg of eel at a relatively easy-on-the-wallet price.
I heard afternoons can get crowded, so to enjoy it comfortably, I headed out for a late lunch.
Where is Samhwa Susan and how do you get there?
Samhwa Susan is on the 1st floor of the Self-Service Pungcheon Eel building at 269 Daerim-ro, Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. Buses run, but the spot is out of the way, so it's easier to come by car with navigation.
Coming from the Cheongju Express Bus Terminal along the ring road toward E-mart, you'll pass the district heating corporation — turn right there and keep going, and you'll hit a two-lane country road.
- 2.8km from Gagyeong Homeplus
- 2.4km from the district heating corporation
- 3.7km from Seokgok intersection
- 200m from Jungnim Kindergarten (across from Jungnim Kindergarten)
Outside the Samhwa Susan building
Coming from Jungnim Kindergarten, you can spot the entrance sign. Looks like they also do wholesale/retail.
The building's exterior shows its age. It really has that hidden-gem vibe.
Parking at Samhwa Susan
Plenty of parking space.
The self-serve bar and dining room
The self-serve bar.
Eel extract, 50 packs, ₩100,000 cash or ₩120,000 by card. If you need some, it might make a good Chuseok gift too.
From the name of the sign to the sushi rice and the ramyeon — everything's self-serve except the staff grilling the eel for you. I guess it's all part of the fun of making it yourself. Leave a receipt review and get self-serve ramyeon free.
Samhwa Susan menu and prices
Eel 1kg (untrimmed) is ₩50,000, plus a ₩4,000 per-person table setting fee. It's basically a single menu item. Clam soup and sushi rice come free with your first order.
What we ordered and the side dishes
The side dishes. I'll be forming the rice shown in the left photo into sushi. It's not the usual tangy sushi rice — it's lightly seasoned, more like the rice you'd find in gimbap (seaweed rice roll).
The chive kimchi was salty but nicely seasoned. Since the eel itself has no seasoning, eating it together gets the flavor just right. I basically finished the chives myself.
The clam soup was salty and a bit spicy, so eating it with the main dish, you don't notice the saltiness at all. Every seasoning here seems tuned to go with the eel.
The eel was really thick — meatier and chewier than what I've had elsewhere. No fishy or muddy smell, so I think it'd suit most tastes. Just my personal opinion though.
Eel being grilled. The staff member's skill in getting the outside crispy.
Making eel sushi by hand: how it tasted
Time to put the well-grilled eel on the sushi rice and give it a try.
Wrapped in lettuce with just the eel first
then tried with perilla leaf pickles too
Napa cabbage salad and shredded ginger.
On the sushi rice, I piled on white kimchi, chive salad, and perilla leaf pickles for one big mouthful. Nervous about spilling it.
This time my mouth was sore, so I just added perilla leaf pickles and napa cabbage salad. Where did it all go? Straight into my stomach.
So this is how they keep them. Really meaty and plenty of them. Maybe 'storage' is the right word for it.
Is Samhwa Susan worth a visit?
Samhwa Susan separates the eel and the table setting, which makes it easy to pick a menu that fits your group size and preference. With the self-serve bar, ample parking, and group seating, it seems like a good spot not just for family meals but also for Cheongju work dinners or gatherings.
Eel is a dish that really lets you enjoy that distinct charcoal-grilled savory flavor. Piling the golden-grilled eel onto sushi rice lets you enjoy it like eel sushi, so a single menu item can be tasted in several different ways — the eel-and-sushi combo adds a lot of fun to the meal.
The clam soup ordered alongside was a great broth pairing with the grilled eel — after the rich, savory main, the warm broth cleans up your palate nicely.
Samhwa Susan is good for anyone wanting a hearty meal centered on a simple, solid menu. The space is roomy enough for a group visit, and it's not far from downtown Cheongju, so it's worth a stop on the way back from a day trip.
Where it is
269 Daerim-ro, Nami-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea충청북도 청주시 서원구 남이면 대림로 269 셀프풍천장어
