Gwangsan eel restaurant where you choose your fish: Yuil Jangeo

While traveling in Gwangju, I looked for an eel place said to be well known in Gwangsan because I wanted a proper nourishing meal! I heard the eel comes pre-grilled, so you can cook it easily at the table, and that brought me to Yuil Jangeo (유일장어) 🥰 Once I visited, I could see why so many people come—the portion was generous and the price was reasonable too!

• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Parking: There is a large, spacious parking lot right in front, so it was easy to visit without worrying about parking!

A large building with plenty of seating

The first thing that surprised me when I arrived was the size of the building! The entire building is Yuil Jangeo, so the scale was seriously impressive!

The parking lot was large, and once inside, there were so many tables that it looked ideal for group diners too~

The tables were nicely spaced as well, so I thought it would suit a family meal, a meal with your parents, or a gathering with lots of people.

Choose your own eel, then receive it pre-grilled

Yuil Jangeo works a little differently from a typical eel restaurant. You look over the displayed eel, choose the one you want, and pay; then they bring it out after pre-grilling it!

It was fun choosing the eel myself, and because it arrives pre-grilled, there was no need to cook and prepare raw eel for a long time from the start—it was so convenient~

What we ordered and the prices

• Freshwater eel, 1,118g: ₩54,030
• Table setting: ₩4,000 × 3 people
• Nurungji (scorched-rice soup): ₩2,000 × 2 people
• Eel soup dessert: ₩5,900

How the pre-grilled freshwater eel tasted over charcoal

We ordered 1,118g of freshwater eel (₩54,030). As soon as it arrived, I was pleased by how generous the portion was!

We put the pre-grilled eel over charcoal to finish cooking it. Since it had already been pre-grilled, it only needed a little more time over the coals, which was really convenient!

In particular, laying the eel lengthwise across the charcoal grill meant it cooked in no time. The outside turned nicely golden and picked up a subtle charcoal aroma, while the inside stayed moist and tender.

One bite gave that distinctly nutty, clean flavor of eel, and it went down so softly the more I chewed!

The eel itself tasted great on its own, but a light dip in the sauce added more savory depth, which I loved~

Table setting and self-service bar

The table setting costs ₩4,000 per person and comes with a variety of side dishes that pair well with eel, including pickled radish wraps, wrap vegetables, and onions!

I especially liked that there was a self-service bar, so you can help yourself to as much of any side dish as you need.

Putting a piece of eel on a wrap vegetable with onions and sauce made the crisp vegetables and tender eel go so well together that I kept reaching for more~

Finishing with nurungji and eel soup

The nurungji was ₩2,000 and had a minimum order of two people.

The nutty, mild nurungji was such a good finishing dish after the eel~

We also ordered eel soup for dessert. It included a bowl of rice in the price, so it was easy to enjoy without feeling like an extra burden!

The eel soup had an appealing spicy, savory broth, and it gave us a different way to finish the meal from the grilled eel.

What I liked about Yuil Jangeo

• An eel-grilling specialist run directly by its fish farm
• A system that lets you choose your own eel before ordering
• Eel arrives pre-grilled for easy charcoal cooking
• Generous portions of eel at a relatively approachable price
• A self-service bar with freely available side dishes and sauces
• A spacious restaurant and parking lot that work well for family meals or group dining

More than anything, I loved that the eel portion was generous and that it came pre-grilled, making it so easy to enjoy!