Songdo Lighthouse Market: Grilled Eel and Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse
If you’re in Busan, you must try grilled eel.
In Busan, it’s not hard to find ‘eel’ and ‘sea eel’.
While many prefer the freshwater eel from Pungcheon in Jeolla Province, Busan is famous for its grilled conger eel cooked over straw fire in Gijang.
You can easily find eel grilling restaurants by the seaside.
Near Songdo Beach in Busan, there’s a market called the Lighthouse Market.
It’s not as famous as some might think, even among locals. However, for those who know its ambiance and atmosphere, it’s a must-visit place for grilled eel that you won’t forget.
In reality, it’s called the Lighthouse Market because there’s a fantastic place for grilled eel right by the seaside here.
Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse
On Google Maps, Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse is incorrectly marked in the middle of the road.
However, it’s actually located on the corner towards the seaside, making it easy to find.
Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse
Menu: Sea Eel, Conger Eel
Prices: (Small) 60,000 won / (Medium) 75,000 won / (Large) 90,000 won / (Extra Large) 120,000 won
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
You can discover charming Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse on the corner.
There’s only one table on the rooftop, boasting a magnificent view of the sea, making it quite difficult to secure a spot.
If you manage to get a seat on the rooftop, you can enjoy a private yet breathtaking view while savoring the grilled eel.
Otherwise, you can also enjoy grilled eel from the food cart below.
Currently, a wall has been built towards the sea, obstructing the view, but the atmosphere is still as good as on the rooftop.
We arrived early in the evening, and the food cart was almost full already.
We managed to squeeze into a seat and ordered the eel.
The charcoal fire was robust.
It’s not the same charcoal used previously; they light up new charcoal for each guest.
There’s a certain charm and nostalgia to charcoal fire, different from charcoal.
I belong to the generation that used charcoal for heating in the winter.
I know well the power of a single piece of charcoal on a cold winter day.
Though there’s only one menu, grilled eel, the side dishes were plentiful.
The fresh and flavorful scallion salad was particularly delicious.
Paired with the eel, the aroma of sesame oil and scallions filled the mouth, lingering before disappearing.
The seafood pancake(called ‘Jeon’ in Korean) was crispy and moist.
I finished it all by myself.
The seasoning enhanced the flavor of the eel.
Seeing many people in Busan drinking pink-colored Jinro reminded me of the past.
It’s Jinro Zero Sugar, labeled in pink.
It looked very charming with the pink label on the bottle.
They said it’s rare to get Jinro with a pink label, so I considered it a precious drink.
We, a group of five, ordered the extra large eel.
As soon as we placed our order, they caught the eel from the tank and swiftly prepared it for us.
Though the inside of the food cart gives the photos a reddish tint, you can see the actual eel on the charcoal fire, showing its pure white flesh.
Authentic sea eel tastes much better when grilled on charcoal like this, rather than being prepared in a fancy restaurant setting.
Originally, grilled sea eel or conger eel was a dish enjoyed by sailors after a hard day’s work of navigating the rough waves of the Busan sea.
That’s why it’s best enjoyed grilled over charcoal or straw fire.
At Grandma’s House by the Lighthouse, you grill the eel yourself, but occasionally, the owner walks around and grills some pieces for you.
His movements were swift and precise.
Perhaps because he grilled it, the eel tasted even better than if we had grilled it ourselves.
They kindly taught us how to eat it.
They recommended eating it with white kimchi and pickled ginger, or with scallion salad.
When it feels greasy, they suggested eating it with cucumber.
I personally liked it with white kimchi, pickled ginger, and scallion salad.
I grabbed the eel at a speed that would make your hand invisible.
Conger eel vs. Freshwater eel
Conger eel refers to eels living in the sea, meaning sea eels.
On the other hand, freshwater eel refers to freshwater eels.
Freshwater eels only go to the sea for spawning, while Conger eels continue to live in the sea.
Freshwater eels, which are freshwater eels, succeeded in breeding for the first time in 1966 in Kimhae.
Now, most freshwater eels are often farmed.
However, it is still impossible to farm Conger eels because the secret of how they spawn and hatch into eels has not been revealed.
Therefore, Conger eels can only be caught in the wild.
When comparing the prices of wild freshwater eels and wild sea eels,
wild freshwater eels are much more expensive.
Whether it’s from the sea or freshwater, it depends on the preference of the person consuming it.
Personally, I prefer sea eels because freshwater eels seem to have a slightly fishy smell, so they need to be heavily seasoned.
Therefore, for enjoying the true taste of eels, sea eels are better for me.
Pungcheon eels, famous for freshwater eels,
got their name from the locals calling the Jujeon-cheon(River) flowing in Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, “Pungcheon,” although it is now reclaimed.
In the past, this area used to have much more tidal flats than it does now, and before freshwater eels spent 7 to 9 years in freshwater and were lured to the Pacific Ocean for spawning, they stayed in this area where seawater and freshwater merged a lot.
When seawater enters twice a day as the tide at Jujeon-cheon(River, Pungcheon River),
it is said that wild eels enter with seawater and wind, so the name “Pungcheon eel” is derived using the characters 風 (풍/Pung : wind) and 川 (천/Cheon : river).
While eating Busan Conger eels,
I sorted out conger eels, and freshwater eels alone.
Being able to recognize and eat eels like this is probably because I was born and raised in Busan and can somewhat distinguish fish species.
After eating all the eels, I came out of the food stall and tapped my stomach firmly while looking at the sea.
There, far away, I could see Yongdusan Park’s Yongdusan Tower.
It’s now called Busan Tower.
At Grandma’s Restaurant, there are only two menu items.
Conger eels or Sea eels
It’s a place that truly competes with just one eel.
When you think of wild sea eels,
the price is definitely not expensive, but it’s not cheap either.
Our group of five ordered a special large one and barely managed to finish it.
Considering the cost of alcohol, it’s a price where you can receive ‘Juri’ for 30,000 won per person.
Since we didn’t bring a car,
we took the bus in front of the lighthouse grandma’s restaurant.
The bus stop is called Lighthouse Market.
Lighthouse Market
It’s quite cute.