Minamisenju ``Obana'', which I introduced last time, is the best eel restaurant for me, but there are still other eel restaurants that I would like to introduce. Here I would like to list three of my favorite eel restaurants in Tokyo. At this time of year, everywhere is very crowded and it may be difficult to make reservations, but this would be helpful. Tokyo (Kanto) style eel is good, but Nagoya (Kansai) style hitsumabushi is also good.

It's summer. Since ancient times, eel has been eaten in the summer. Emperor Showa and the poet Mokichi Saito are said to have loved eel, so why not eat eel too?

Please read below to learn more about the deliciousness of Minamisenju ``Obana''.

➡Go to Minamisenju "Obana"'s delicious eel that makes you faint in agony

Last time I talked at length about the impact of ``Obana'' (bitter smile). This time, I would like to introduce ``Sumiyaki Unafuji'', which had a similar impact.

It was more than 30 years ago that I first ate eel in Nagoya. He was told about it by a colleague from the same city, and he visited a store called ``Ibabo'' many times every time he went out. He was young at that time, so he did the reckless thing of eating both eel bowl and hitsumabushi by himself (LOL). Unlike in the Kanto region, the eel is grilled at a high temperature rather than steamed. He thought it tasted great. As expected, it's more fragrant than the steamed version, and the skin has a nice crunchy texture.

This is what a friend of mine from Nagoya says, ``Nagoya people are stingy, so I never want to sing when I go out to eat.'' (Sorry, Nagoya people). If you look at the morning set served at a coffee shop, you might think so. That's why the first time you eat eel hitsumabushi, you eat it as is, the second time you eat it with condiments on top, and finally you eat it with condiments and dashi soup. Perhaps this is an expression of the spirit of enjoying one grain three times. Stingy...Isn't that a very good thing?

After eating at Iba Nobo several times, someone recommended that ``Atsuta Houraiken'' was even better, so I went there as well. At that level, even if there is a difference, it is a very small one. By the way, I have never been to ``Unafuji'' in Nagoya.

Now, it's ``Sumiyaki Unafuji Yurakucho Branch''.

It's probably a good time to be in Yurakucho, Tokyo, where you can experience the same excitement as in Nagoya. What surprised me was that even though it was quite a large box, it remained full for a long time. When customers leave, new customers appear, and there is no interruption. Moreover, the ``small eel bowl'' costs 3650 yen, and the regular ``eel bowl'' costs 5100 yen. Young people enjoy eating it. I thought Japan was very rich.

By the way, the business is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's also nice to be able to get in without waiting if you go outside of peak hours.

Both the grill and the sauce are wonderful.
Frankly speaking, it's ridiculously delicious.

While waiting for the eel, I ate ``Uzaku'' and ``Umaki.'' The ``Uzaku'' was delicious, but the problem was the ``Umaki''. At this restaurant, the ``umaki'' is served dipped in dashi stock, but I felt that the dashi stock overpowered the flavor of the tamagoyaki.

Now, the most important part is the eel. The restaurant uses only extra-large green eel, which it procures through its own route. It is said to be over 1000% larger than a regular eel. The eel is grilled over a charcoal grill at over XNUMX degrees, which locks in the flavor and fat of the eel all at once (as stated on the website).

That's true if you eat it. The outside is nicely browned and the inside is very soft. Moreover, the sauce is wonderful. To be honest, it's incredibly delicious. I couldn't help but let out a cheer. Following proper etiquette, I ate this first as is, then with wasabi and green onions, and finally with wasabi, green onions, and dashi stock. It's hard to rate the three different ways of eating. The black grilled liver, eaten between the eel, is also delicious. That's right, it has a sticky richness similar to foie gras.

“Special hitsumabushi with liver” is
The taste and quantity are amazing!

One thing to note. The author ordered the ``Special Hitsumabushi with Liver.'' When I ordered it, my girlfriend's older sister asked me, ``It's a large amount, is that okay?'' Perhaps the ``johitsumabushi with liver'' was just right. The special dish has two layers of eel, and is extremely rich in liver. You might have to be a huge eater to finish it all. ...But I was completely disappointed (lol).

But it definitely makes me hungry. My partner, a woman, took about a third of it home.

I think Unafuji's ability to handle large quantities of eel every day and finish each one to the same level is impressive. It's the kind of store you'll want to visit at least once a month.

Charcoal grill Unafuji Yurakucho store

XNUMX-XNUMX-XNUMX Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
03-6457-9688

Opening hours: 11: 00 to 22: 00
Closed holiday: irregular holiday

Small eel bowl 3650 yen (tax included)
Eel bowl 5100 yen (tax included)
Upper Unaju 5650 yen (tax included)
Upper hitsumabushi with liver (7210 yen) (tax included)
Special hitsumabushi with liver (9710 yen) (tax included)

*Please note that business days/hours and prices may change.

There is a restaurant in Koishikawa, Bunkyo Ward, where you can enjoy the three-tasting-in-one method with steamed eel.

You can't get in here without a reservation. As summer approaches, the restaurant is fully booked day and night from the 4th or 5th to a week in advance. Despite being so prosperous, all of the employees are very kind. I felt great from the moment I called to make a reservation. Some of the long-established eel restaurants have been mistaken for some kind of hunk, but at Watabe, everyone works diligently and does their best to provide excellent service.

Every eel lover's dream is in front of the "Shirayaki + Kabayaki" double layer
Pork bone crackers with Miles in the background

The eel is grilled with sauce after receiving the order, so it takes over 30 minutes for it to come out. So, I kill time by cracking bone crackers and eating annoying food. Since ``Umaki'' is so huge, I was told that I couldn't do it alone, so I gave up. sad. The background music is all Miles' favorite songs, including Marvin Gaye. It's a good hobby!

When I go to an eel restaurant, I always want to eat both shirayaki and kabayaki. Therefore, what I ordered was a dream-like rice bowl with double shirayaki and kabayaki. It is called ``Enmaju'', and it is named after the nearby ``Konnyaku Enma''. Please take a look at the photos. With such a luxurious weight, just seeing it in front of me would make me scream ``wow'' (I actually screamed, in a low voice).

The condiments lined up on the small plate are elaborate: chopped seaweed, fried egg, small onion, wasabi, half-raw Japanese pepper, and rock salt. There are two types of Sansho powder: regular and strong-flavored. This probably reflects the restaurant's desire for customers to enjoy the eel to the fullest.

Both Shirayaki and Kabayaki are of the highest quality. The flesh is so fluffy and soft that it almost melts in your mouth. Both shirayaki and kabayaki are eaten with a little seasoning, or with rice sprinkled with powdered sansho, and occasionally tossed in a bowl with seasonings and dashi stock. This one leaves my mouth feeling refreshed and is really good. Since there are two kinds of eel, each eel is six times delicious, so it's quite busy going to the right and then to the left, but it's quite fun.

When I looked at the table next to me, I saw that they were eating ``sauteed eel liver with egg yolk'' before the eel rice bowl, and the person next to me was eating a course from noon. It seems like he's confident in a variety of single items, so he'd like to try that next time. By the way, you can request either shirayaki or kabayaki to be ``jiyaki'' without steaming.

Eel Watabe

1-9-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
03-3812-7448

Business hours: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-21:00
Closed: Wednesdays and Thursdays

Uzaku 1650 yen (tax included)
Umaki 2750 yen (tax included)
Unaju special 5500 yen (tax included)
Unaju (upper) 4400 yen (tax included)
Enmaju 8250 yen (tax included)

Whether it's pork cutlet or eel, the key is finding the best ingredients.

This restaurant serves ``Yokoyama-san's eel'' from Yasuto Shoten in Kagoshima Prefecture, ``Mori-no-unagi'' from Nishiawakura Village in Okayama Prefecture, ``Ishikawa-san's Eel'' from Ishikawa Suisan in Shizuoka Prefecture, and natural eel from Lake Biwa. That's it.

I can't help but feel the kindness of the owner as he offers it to me at a reasonable price. Nowadays, the price of eel is soaring, and a lunchtime ``service lunch eel bowl'' that comes with salad and soup costs 2200 yen. No wonder customers line up.

As I mentioned in the previous article, eel dishes are the culmination of techniques such as opening (splitting), skewering, steaming, and grilling. ``Unagi Hashimoto'' is one of the best restaurants in Tokyo. The best ingredients are cooked by the best hands. The degree of grilling varies depending on the amount of fat. The resulting kabayaki is so beautifully browned that it's almost a shame to touch it with chopsticks.

The rice is also amazing. After much research, they finally arrived at Koshihikari from Ishikawa Prefecture. I envy the office workers in the Yaesu area who frequent this store on a daily basis. I go there once a week!

Eel chopsticks book

1-5-10 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
(As of July 2023, temporarily operating at Izumiya Building 7F, 3-3-3 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
03-3271-8888

営業時間：（月～金）11：00～14：30、17：00～21：00／（土）11：30～15：00（第2と第４のみ営業）
Closed: Saturdays (except 2nd and XNUMXth), Sundays, public holidays, Doyo Ushi Day, year-end and New Year holidays, Obon holidays

Una heavy 3850 yen, low 4950 yen, 6600 yen (all tax included)
(Lunch only) Service lunch eel bowl 2200 yen (tax included)

What does "If you don't eat this, your life is ruined" mean?

When he hears something delicious, he rushes east and west to eat it all. Rumor has it that he might be the Brillat-Savarin of Reiwa, or even the return of Furukawa Roppa. Bassey is an editor with over 40 years of food-loving experience. A heart-wrenching gourmet essay.

Author profile

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.