Gwangju Donggok eel restaurant, unlimited veggie bar: Yuil Jangeo

How did everyone's summer go? This year was so... I can't even put it into words, just hot and humid, hot and humid, on repeat ^.^.. With all those brutally hot days stacking up, my body just felt like it was melting. So! I finally made it back to a favorite spot in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju — here's my repeat visit record for Yuil Jangeo ~.~

Where is Yuil Jangeo and what kind of eel restaurant is it?

Yuil Jangeo is an eel specialty restaurant located near Pyeongdong ~ Donggok in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. It's run directly by its own eel farm, and being a self-grill eel place, that takes a lot of the price burden off.

Eel is often intimidating price-wise, but by cutting out the middlemen and labor costs, they sell it at close to farm-gate prices — so whether you're coming as a couple, a family, or a group, eating out here doesn't feel like a splurge. Good stuff!

How do you order at Yuil Jangeo?

At Yuil Jangeo, once you're shown to your table, you first go pick your own eel. Then the eel you chose comes back pre-grilled and delicious, along with the table setup.

Lunch rush waits and private rooms

Thanks to the pretty spacious dining room, even during lunch peak hours you don't have to wait long to be seated! There's also a private room section off to one side, which can fit anywhere from 6 up to 30 people — highly recommended for company dinners or family gatherings ~.~

Eel prices and the table setting fee

Yuil Jangeo's eel prices are genuinely cheap! Just keep in mind there's a separate per-person table setting fee when you dine in — worth noting ~

Maybe because it's run directly by the eel farm, the prices are almost unbelievable every time I go... They told me that by cutting out the entire middle distribution process, the difference compared to a typical eel restaurant is bound to be noticeable. And through it all, the eel quality never falls short. Maybe that's why the place is always so, so packed!!!

Is the self-serve bar really unlimited?

Yuil Jangeo's self-serve bar has a wide variety of side dishes and unlimited vegetables. It genuinely feels like you're getting more than what you paid for in the table fee! It was lunchtime and the place was packed, yet the staff kept checking the self-serve bar in real time, refilling and refilling and refilling.

Eating it with pickled onion is so good... Raw onion and sauces were all unlimited refill, which I loved!!

Especially with how expensive vegetables are these days, having them unlimited refill like this ~.~

What's on the Yuil Jangeo menu?

Going by Yuil Jangeo's menu, 1 kg of live freshwater eel is sold based on about 600 g of cleaned fillet after prep! There are also full meal options like eel course sets and eel soup, so whether you want charcoal-grilled eel or a full course, you can order without any pressure ~.~

How does the charcoal-grilled eel taste?

Every table at Yuil Jangeo is set up for charcoal grilling, so whether you're there for a meal or grilled eel, you get seated right away with no waiting! And eel really does need charcoal to bring out that nutty flavor with real smoky char.. haha. It's just a completely different experience from grilling it at home ~.~

The lunch special eel soup

When I visited Yuil Jangeo at lunchtime, I found out there's a separate lunch special eel soup alongside the grilled eel! Nice that you can try it at a discounted price.

I strongly recommend pairing your meal with the eel soup.. Yuil Jangeo's eel soup is my official stamp of approval for a Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju favorite ^.^