Hwayang Sikdang, Yeosu: Grilled Sea Eel and Eel Soup

Today I’m sharing a restaurant I tried on my last trip to Yeosu: Hwayang Sikdang (화양식당), where I went for grilled sea eel.

This was my very first food stop after arriving in Yeosu. On the train, I kept going back and forth between gejang—marinated crab—and eel. Since it was still fairly early, more of a brunch hour, I decided to try Hwayang Sikdang first, thinking it might get busy later. The crab could wait until the day I headed home!

Opening hours and calling ahead The hours listed were 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., so this is an option for an early breakfast as well. I arrived around 11 a.m. I’d seen advice to call before visiting, apparently because the restaurant sometimes closes unexpectedly. I called ahead too, and would recommend doing the same. Parking There’s room for approximately three to four cars in front of the restaurant. No other customers were there when we arrived, so parking felt easy. At a busier time, you might need to use a public parking lot instead. If you’re driving, it’s worth keeping the limited spaces in mind.

The interior felt clean, though you could tell the place had been around for a while. To me, that slightly old-school feel only added to the anticipation. I was excited to order.

Our order: grilled eel (jangeo-gui) for two.

Before visiting, I’d read several reviews saying that a grilled eel order comes with a little eel soup, or jangeo-tang. If you want to try both the grilled eel and the soup, that’s the order I’d recommend.

The banchan—Korean side dishes—arrived first, followed by the grilled eel and then the soup. The side dishes alone made a great first impression. Whenever a restaurant serves this many little dishes, I like to try every one. These were all delicious: not too heavily seasoned and just right for my taste. They felt thoughtfully prepared, which made the meal even better.

Then came the dish I’d been looking forward to most: the grilled eel. It looked like there was one long strip per person, served over chives. The seasoning was delicious, especially eaten together with the chives underneath. From our seats, we could see the eel being grilled inside the kitchen. Watching it cook made the wait feel that much longer—in the best possible way.

My favorite bite was a perilla-leaf wrap filled with eel, chives, Cheongyang chili and garlic. Such a good combination. I didn’t notice any large bones while eating, though I did encounter small ones occasionally. Personally, I didn’t find them troublesome.

The hot eel soup was another highlight. I’d expected just a little eel in an accompanying soup, but there were roughly five or six pieces in ours. At KRW 20,000 per person for the meal, that felt like excellent value to me. The eel in the soup was wonderfully tender. The broth had a savory doenjang—fermented soybean paste—base with a touch of black pepper, and it wasn’t heavily seasoned either. I tend to prefer less salty food, so Hwayang Sikdang really suited my palate.

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Yeosu, I’d happily recommend Hwayang Sikdang. Yeosu’s marinated crab is delicious too, but if you have time, the grilled eel is well worth fitting into your trip. My pick would be the grilled eel order so you can enjoy the accompanying soup as well, rather than ordering only eel soup. If I visit Yeosu again, this is a place I’d like to return to. #YeosuRestaurants #YeosuLunch #KoreanSetMeal #YeosuEel #GrilledEel #EelSoup #YeosuTravel