Gwangju eel restaurant private rooms, tablet ordering: Yuil Jangeo

Today I visited Yuil Jangeo, an eel restaurant in Gwangsan, Gwangju.

Where is Yuil Jangeo, and what are its hours?

Yuil Jangeo is located at 343 Donggok-ro, 1st floor, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, and closed on September 25 for Chuseok.

Being such a popular eel spot in Gwangsan, it gets packed with customers, but there's no need to worry about parking — the lot is huge, so I could park comfortably before heading in 🚗💨

Private rooms at Yuil Jangeo for group meals and work dinners

Walking in, the hall was already full of customers, and not long after we arrived, a waitlist started forming. On top of that, Yuil Jangeo has private rooms, so it's perfect for gatherings or company dinners — and since eel is good for you and tastes great, it's something people of any age can enjoy. There's even galbi patties (tteokgalbi) on the menu, so it's a great pick if you're visiting with kids too 🙂

How ordering works at Yuil Jangeo, and what the eel costs

• 1. Pick your eel from the fish counter and pay at the register
• 2. Leave the paid eel there and move to your assigned seat
• 3. Pay for the table setup and any extra menu items when you leave

Can you see how the eel looks at the fish counter!? It's plump and fresh — the quality is amazing, and what's even more amazing is the price, which is a total thumbs-up 👍 Signature live freshwater eel, 1kg (600g fillet) — ₩29,000. A jaw-dropping price. Yuil Jangeo is a self-grill eel restaurant run directly by its own eel farm, and they say cutting out labor and middleman costs lets them sell freshwater eel at the lowest prices nationwide.

Private room seating and tablet ordering

We were assigned a room, and it was nice that the basic side dishes were already set up. Each table has a tablet PC, so you can look at photos of the menu and order directly, which was convenient.

The 4,000 won table charge and what's on the self-bar

The basic table charge is ₩4,000 for adults and ₩2,000 for elementary school kids, which covers charcoal and side dishes, and you also get access to the self-bar. The self-bar had a good variety — kimchi, garlic, chili peppers, onion, doenjang (soybean paste), pickled radish, and more — and best of all, the perilla leaves and lettuce for wrapping were really fresh and crisp 💚

There were also scissors, tongs, a ladle, pepper, sesame oil, spicy sauce, wasabi, and more available at the self-bar.

How the charcoal-grilled eel tastes, plus 5,900 won eel soup to finish

Wow… 🥹 Can you see how plump the eel is!? True to being a top eel spot in Gwangsan, the quality stood out from the start, and it was so chewy that no matter how much we ate, we never got tired of it. It was savory yet light, and my parents were thoroughly satisfied, raving that it was the best eel they'd ever eaten. Gwangju eel restaurant = Yuil Jangeo 👏👏👏

A staff member first placed the eel on the charcoal for us, and after that we grilled it ourselves 💗 Every bite drew out a sigh of satisfaction, and the eel was so good that I got curious about the eel soup too, so I ordered it right away.

True to form, Yuil Jangeo didn't let us down — the eel soup was so delicious I finished every last drop. I ordered it as a budget-friendly dessert, and at ₩5,900 with a generous portion and rice included, it was really satisfying 🫶 If you want to properly nourish your body, I'd definitely recommend getting both the grilled eel and the eel soup.

The eel was so delicious that every combination tasted amazing at Yuil Jangeo 🥹💛 I couldn't believe I hadn't known about this place until now. The staff were all kind too, and the ventilation was great, so I could eat happily and comfortably full all the way through.

Delivery and bojagi gift wrapping from Yuil Jangeo

Gwangju's beloved Yuil Jangeo also offers delivery and elegant bojagi (traditional wrapping cloth) gift-wrapping, so it would make a perfect Chuseok gift too 😍