Sindorim Seoul grilled eel: salt vs sauce with family, Meongteongguri

There are days when I suddenly crave the kkomjangeo (grilled eel) I had on a trip to Busan. I hadn't forgotten that chewy texture with the smoky char, and it just so happened Ella's daughter had it on her must-eat list too — kkomjangeo it was.

So after a long while, the three of us went out together for kkomjangeo.

Meongteongguri Kkomjangeo Makchang / Tue–Sun 16:00–24:00 / Closed Mondays

What's on the menu at Meongteongguri Kkomjangeo Makchang in Sindorim?

This time we visited Meongteongguri Kkomjangeo Makchang's Guro Sindorim branch. As the name suggests, kkomjangeo and makchang are the stars, but looking closer, they also have galbisal, jjukkumi, pre-grilled pork belly, pork skin, and charcoal-grilled chicken thigh — quite a variety of grilled options.

Great for a kkomjangeo craving, but also handy for families or groups with different tastes. This time Ella's family had a clear goal — kkomjangeo, the thing we'd been craving ever since our Busan trip! It was already on the picky eater's wish list, so ordering it was a no-brainer.

From kkomjangeo to a wide range of grilled dishes, this is a good one to recommend to anyone looking for a Korean BBQ spot in Guro.

A pojangmacha (street-food tent) vibe straight out of the '90s

Even the name feels nostalgic. Walking in, the atmosphere was totally different from the sleek, modern grill houses you see these days — more like stepping into a time machine. The interior evokes a '90s street food tent, and that cozy, unpretentious mood actually suited the kkomjangeo really well.

Sitting around a table grilling meat in a lively, buzzing room — if you're into that kind of atmosphere, this place will hit the spot.

Smoky charcoal flavor: pre-grilled kkomjangeo

Ella's family ordered salt-grilled kkomjangeo and sauced kkomjangeo. When you order, the kkomjangeo comes pre-charred, already infused with smoky flavor, so at the table you just need to finish it off a little more — very convenient.

Salt-grilled kkomjangeo

We tried the salt-grilled version first — clean and savory, quite appealing. The signature chewy texture of kkomjangeo was intact, and with a subtle smoky char added in, it brought back memories of the eel we had in Busan.

Sauced kkomjangeo

The sauced kkomjangeo had a completely different personality. The secret sauce soaked in well, bringing a big hit of umami, and with a touch of spicy sweetness, our chopsticks kept reaching for more. Personally, I'd recommend salt-grilled if you want something light, and sauced if you're craving something bolder. (Ella's family voted overwhelmingly for the sauced version!)

A perfect match for kkomjangeo: spicy, tangy bean sprout soup

There was one menu item that surprisingly won me over — the bean sprout soup.

The spicy, tangy bean sprout soup comes standard — and it's bottomless! While eating kkomjangeo, you start craving something spicy in broth form, and a hot spoonful of this soup cleaned the palate perfectly. Great addition for anyone who loves soup with their meat. (Ella's husband, a soup lover, was thoroughly satisfied, haha.)

Cold beer in an ice bucket

There was one fun bit of service here too — beer kept in an ice bucket. A big bucket packed with ice keeps the beer nice and cold, and that little touch fits the pojangmacha mood perfectly.

A bite of kkomjangeo with a cold sip of beer — that old-school street food feeling came right back.

A grilled eel spot for a family dinner out

It was a great day to revisit the kkomjangeo I'd been craving since Busan, this time somewhere close by. Best of all, this visit added a new item to my picky-eater daughter's must-eat list, haha, which made it even more meaningful. The three of us sat around the table again after a while, grilling kkomjangeo, sipping spicy soup and cold beer — proof that a meal out doesn't need to be fancy to be enjoyable.

Sleek, modern grill houses are great these days, but every once in a while, eating smoky kkomjangeo in a place with this '90s pojangmacha nostalgia is pretty nice too. If you like dishes grilled tableside like kkomjangeo and makchang, this is worth remembering as a Korean BBQ spot in Guro.

When you're craving the kkomjangeo you had in Busan, want a casual family meal out, or just want a bit of that old-school pojangmacha mood — this is a place worth stopping by.