Haemok, Nonhyeon: Hitsumabushi, Grilled Eel Laid in a Grid in a Bowl Marked 海木

Haemok Nonhyeon (해목 논현점) is the Nonhyeon-dong branch of Haemok, a chain that serves hitsumabushi (히츠마부시), Nagoya-style grilled eel cut into pieces over rice, in Gangnam, Seoul. A Polle reviewer, in a post shown as about a year old, says the chain became famous in Busan before it opened in Seoul.

The hitsumabushi bowl

In my July 2022 photos the grilled eel is cut into pieces and laid in a tight grid, each piece glazed dark brown, in a pale green ceramic bowl on a red-orange lacquer-style tray. Behind the bowl are a small octagonal dish with a lemon slice in dark liquid, a small bowl of sliced vegetables and a three-section lacquer-style box holding green and dark garnishes. I can't tell from the photos what the dark liquid or the garnishes are.

The side of the bowl carries the characters 海 and 木 on either side of a round emblem. Read in Korean, they sound like hae and mok, the same as the shop's name (해목).

How people eat hitsumabushi at Haemok

One Polle reviewer ate it three ways: plain, with the condiments (야꾸미, yakumi) and as ochazuke, which is rice with tea or broth poured over. Another says the staff explain the three ways and that the 특 version is one and a half eels. Opinions on the eel differ: one reviewer, shown as about eight months old, likes that it is not too sweet and has plump flesh, while another, shown as about a year old, noticed a faint earthy smell for the first time here but still enjoyed it.

Haemok Nonhyeon's prices, hours and waits

Haemok Nonhyeon's menu list on Polle, checked on November 14, 2026, shows hitsumabushi at ₩40,000, the 특 version at ₩59,000 and a children's eel bowl at ₩12,000. mom-mom, a family travel guide, lists Haemok Nonhyeon as open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 on weekdays only and last orders at 21:00. Polle reviewers report waits at meal times, even on weekdays, though one found no wait on a weekend evening around 7 pm. Polle and mom-mom both list valet parking, and mom-mom says weekday reservations start at four people.

How to order