Ansan eel restaurant with staff-taught grilling tips: Songnim Bok

On a day with cool autumn breezes, I was craving some hearty eel for a bit of body-boosting nutrition, you know? While looking for a good eel restaurant near Ansan City Hall, I found this place — apparently also famous as a Gojan-dong work dinner spot. The name itself sounds healthy: I visited 'Songnim Bok Jangeo Freshwater Eel All-You-Can-Eat.'

This place, known as an eel restaurant near Ansan City Hall, lets you enjoy both eel and pork belly all-you-can-eat, so I was already excited walking in.

How is Songnim Bok Jangeo for a Gojan-dong work dinner? Inside the restaurant

At the Songnim Bok Jangeo Ansan City Hall direct store, the tables were spaced generously apart, so I could eat comfortably. The ventilation was solid too, so I didn't have to worry about smelling like grilled meat all night. I thought it would work great for a family meal, a gathering with friends, or a Gojan-dong work dinner.

Menu lineup and tips for the self-serve bar

We ordered the all-you-can-eat adult set, the specialty at this eel restaurant near Ansan City Hall. Staff brought out the basic table setting, and you can help yourself to extra side dishes at the self-serve bar as much as you like. Near the entrance, there was a detailed guide on how to grill eel deliciously.

They also had baby chairs ready, which seems great for families visiting with kids.

Lettuce, perilla leaves, shredded ginger, pickled radish, kimchi, garlic, and more fresh vegetables and side dishes were all fully stocked. Taking only as much as you'll eat is probably the eco-friendly thing to do, right?

Looking at the menu board, besides the all-you-can-eat option there were also various meal menus like eel soup, yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), galbitang (short rib soup), buckwheat mak-guksu (cold buckwheat noodles), and spicy ramyeon. There was also a good variety of drinks and alcohol, and takeout was available too. 1kg trimmed down to 650g comes with 2 free sauces, which seems great for enjoying comfortably at home. The self-serve bar was kept impressively clean.

Even the basic side dishes that came with the table were all delicious.

How to grill eel properly, just as the Songnim Bok Jangeo staff explained

Here's the sequence Songnim Bok Jangeo taught us: grill fresh raw eel with the skin side down, cook both sides thoroughly, then trim off the fins. Finally, the fresh eel and pork belly went onto the grill.

Then cutting it into bite-sized pieces and grilling the cut surfaces until golden brown is apparently the tastiest way to enjoy it.

That sizzling sound was pure art. Watching the eel and pork belly turn golden brown had my salivary glands going into overdrive.

Eel and pork belly in turns: why it never felt too rich

I grilled the eel exactly as the staff instructed and took a bite — it really melted in my mouth. Crispy outside, moist inside, the texture was top notch.

The pickled perilla leaves and shredded ginger especially were a perfect match with the eel. They completely cut through the richness, so my chopsticks kept going back for more.

Dipped in the special sauce it was delicious, and wrapped in lettuce it was absolute honey too.

The pork belly was chewy and nutty, and alternating it with the eel meant I never got sick of either one — I just kept eating. I never knew the combo of eel and pork belly would be this good!

It felt like a proper body-boosting meal after a long time, which put me in an even better mood.

This kind of thoughtful attention to detail seems to make guests feel more at ease. I ate delicious eel and pork belly until I was stuffed, and it was a genuinely satisfying meal. If you're looking for an eel restaurant near Ansan City Hall or a Gojan-dong work dinner spot, I strongly recommend Songnim Bok Jangeo!