【Japan Travel】Introducing 5 Amazing Unadon Restaurants In Tokyo!

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Speaking of my favorite food, Unadon (grilled eel rice bowl) is definitely in the top three of the list.

This time, during my 12-day trip in Tokyo, I didn’t spend too much as I didn’t do much shopping . Even so, half of my spending are spent on, yap, Unadon!! LOL!! Which tells how much my love of it. Before I set off for Tokyo, I had already made up my mind, that I would like to eat Unadon as much as I want this time! — Since it has been for a while since last time I went to Japan, plus it would be a very long time for my next chance to come again, I set the goal in my mind.

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In 10 days, I visited 4 Unadon and + 1 Anago-don (Conger eel) restaurants, which is definitely the peek of frequency for eating Unadon so far in my life, and I couldn’t describe how well it felt– though there are still several restaurants on my Unadon pocket list to be visited –there are just way too many famous Unadon restaurants in Tokyo.

There aren’t many opportunities like this, so let me share these 5 restaurants with you:

My personal ranking for the 4 Unadon restaurants (Sakai is not included for it’s Anago-don), FYI:
Yatsumeya Nishimura Meguro> Unagi Aburi > Unagi Irokawa >Unagi Tsuruya.

I previously had shared the other two Unadon restaurants in Tokyo which I think are equally amazing :

• Unagi Aikawa 愛川 (Takadanobaba)
• Unagi Obana 尾花 (Minamisenju)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUDizNjhEv/

1. Aburi ittetsu《うなぎ 炙一徹》

◆ Tabelog(食べログ) Ranking：3.57/ Google Ranking：4.2

The small and low-profile facade of this Unadon restaurant– which located in Yurakucho, next to the railway bridge–  almost had me fail to find it.

Their lunch menu offers three sizes of Unadon (Manjyu): Ume, Take and Matsu (2200, 3000, 4000 JPY of each), and the biggest featured dish of the store is “Bando Taro (5900 JPY). This so-called “Bando Taro” refers to a specific species of eel developed by an eel breeding company in Chiba. The requirements for the breeding environment, temperature and feed are strict. Therefore, the tenderness and the tastiness of its meat are by no means worse than that of wild eel. The eels who enjoy at Aburi ittetsu are all delivered directly from the company at Chiba.

The dinner menu is basically the same with the lunch menu, except adding one dish “Hitsumabushi“(Unagi cooked in 3 ways); there are also many a la carte menu such as Unagi kushiyaki(BBQ), Unagi shiroyaki(grilled plain eel), etc.
[ Japanese Menu ]

It had just pass 11:30, I pulled open the wooden door and there weren’t other guests on the first floor yet.

The store is two-story and the 1st is a long and narrow space like a Izakaya (Japanese bistro). A man and a woman, middle-aged,  who seemed to be a couple were standing behind the bar, dressed in Japanese traditional clothes, which made the store even more homey vibes . As a chef, the man had the kind of Japanese Tatsujin (professionist) spirit, holding a reticent, and even a bit serious appearance when standing in front of the grill. The woman, on the contrary, was outgoing and hospitable, especially after knowing that I could speak Japanese, we had quite a nice chat. Both of them had their work to do, respectively. The wife was in charge of confirming the orders, while the husband was dedicated to cooking Unagi at the grill.

I sat at the “VIP seat” –the bar–, watching the chef soaking strings of Unagi into the Kabayaki sauce (certain soy sauce for Unadon) in a giant pot, and the meat was beautifully and thoroughly coated in shinny-caramel colour. Then, the chef quickly placed it on the hot grill, generating a loud “Psssss—!” sound as soon as the meat contacted the heated plate, bringing the amazing smell and the smoke floated up and then toward me. The Unagi gradually turned deeper under the heat of charcoal fire, and then dripped down the oil from the meat. This mouth-watering show vigorously stimulated my appetite, and making me to feel fortunate for ordering the largest serving of Unadon.

As they were busy preparing the Unadon for the guests upstairs, I peeked through the bar, anticipating my order with excitement. Finally, when the wife said “Omatase itashi mashita~~ (Excuse me to keep you waiting)” and then putting the rice box in front of me, I couldn’t wait to uncover the lid. Two piece of big, fat, finely grilled Unagi were lying in the box, they were so big that I could not even see the rice underneath. 

I didn’t order the most expensive and famous “Bando Taro” as the serving of Unagi is the same with Matsu. Also, I supposed the normal one should be good enough, thus ordering Matsu.

And, indeed, it turned out to be quite satisfying. Even though the Unagi wasn’t the fattest I’ve had, is soft and delicate, the smell was great enough to drive me hungry, and the taste was soft and delicate while not being too greasy. The sauce, comparing to “Nishimura” and “Irokawa” that I will mention later, was lighter and sweeter, which is suitable for people whose preference for flavor are lighter. However, if you prefer heavier tastes like I do, there was the sauce on the table, which you can add according to your personal flavor.

✒︎ Restaurant Info

Unagi Aburi Ittetsu《うなぎ 炙一徹》

• Address：1−2−8, Aya-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
• Access：
• 1️⃣JR Yurakusho St.：Hibiya Exit, 5 mins walking.
• 2️⃣Tokyo metro Marunouchi Line：Ginza St, C1 Exit , 3 mins walking.
• 3️⃣Tokyo metro Hibiya or Chiyoda Line：Hibiya St., A4 or A5 Exit , 3 mins walking; A11 Exit , 4 mins walking.
• Tel：０３−３５０１−２５５０（Accept Reservation）
• Opening Hour：11:30-14:00；17:00-21:00（L.O. 20:00）『Closed on every Sun; Weekends druing Oct~June are closed』
• Official Web／Web on TABELOG

2. Unagi Yatsumeya Nishimura Meguro《八ツ目や にしむら 目黑店》

◆ Tabelog(食べログ) Ranking：3.75/ Google Ranking：4.4

“Nishimura” first founded in 1960. Sauce is the most important key to grilled Unagi. “Nishimura” carefully selected their sources for making the sauce, and the recipe is of course a high-class secret. Over the past 60 years, the Unadon made with their exclusive sauce has seized the heart and stomach of many Unadon lovers.

There are 3 sizes of Unadon at “Nishimura”, Chyu (medium), Jyo (big), and Tokujyo(extra big) (3350, 3900, 5800 JPY for each at lunch,  it seems to be a bit more expensive at dinner).

In addition to the Unadon we are familiar with –which is Kabayaki Unagi, soy sauce grilled–, the Shiroyaki Unagi (plain grilled eel) and the Kimo-yaki (grilled eel liver) are also very popular. Many guests here will order kimo-yaki first, and wait for their Unadon at ease.

Moreover, what is special here is that if you order the Tokujyo, you can choose Kabayaki and Shiroyaki for one each, trying two kinds of grilled Unagi at the same time. 

Above is my “Tokujyo” Unadon, kabayaki and shiroyaki Unagi one each. Served with wasabi, yuzi pepper salt.

I started with the shiroyaki. Originally, I was kind of worried that it would be as tasteless as “Unaji Tsuruya” (the 4th restaurant of this article). While I was completely amazed! Unexpectedly, the quality of the fish and the delicateness and aroma of the fat could be strongly brought out and highlighted through only little salt, which is as tasty as the kabayaki one. It was my first time to try a shiroyaki unagi and it seemed to open up a whole new world in front of me, realizing that it could be so amazing as well!

But of course, the kabayaki one did not disappoint me either. The wonderful sauce accompanying the great unagi, along with chewy rice, I could still recall the amazing taste even now.

✒︎ Restaurant info

Yatsumeya Nishimura Meguro 八ツ目や にしむら 目黑店

• Add：3-13-10 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-0064
• Access：Tokyu Meguro Line, Fudomae St., 8 mins walk.
• Tel：03-3713- 6548（Accept Reservation）
• Opening Hour：11:00-14:00； 16:30-19:00（Dinner: Resevation guests only）Closed on every Wed.
• Web／TABELOG Web

3. Unagi Irokawa《うなぎ 色川》

◆ Tabelog(食べログ) Ranking：3.76/ Google Ranking：4.2

Travelers who love Unadon that visit Tokyo must have heard of the famous “Irokawa”, which located in Asakusa. I had been admiring it for a long time, but hadn’t got a chance to give it a try as for bad timing or not in my planned route. Finally, everything –the route, the date, the timing– was perfect this day, so I rushed to the store right before it opened in case of selling out. 

“Irokawa” is probably one of Tokyo’s most popular Unadon restaurants known to foreign tourists. More than half of the guests in the store that day were foreigners. The store also offer an English menu, and the middle-aged female staff could even speak in simple English! This showed how high was the proportion of foreign guests.

As I recalled, when I visited here a few years ago –I was told that Unadon was sold out that time–, there were a man and a woman behind the bar. But this time, I only saw two women, including the one mentioned above, and the other one is an elderly lady who the was the chef. It was the first time I had seen a woman in charge of Unagi grilling task, which is very rare in Japan.

There are 2 sizes of Unadon, normal and large (3,500, 4,800 JPY).

To be honest, I was quite disappointing right after I opened the rice box.
It was not bad, I have to say. It still holds its reputation after all, and many people are still willing to line up for it. But if comparing to other Tokyo’s Unadon restaurants, especially after I had visited “Nishimura”(the previous restaurant), “Irokawa” seems to be so ordinary. The sauce was sweet, and the Unagi was nothing special, leaving no impression on me.

I think I can take time to the lineup, like the aforementioned , and “Asakusa-shaped Qianchuan”, which is very close to Szechuan, make me even more like it.

In general, my personal suggestion for “Irokawa” is that, unless you happen to go pass by , and it happens to be open, no one is waiting in line, not sold-out yet,  and you happen to be very hungry and not feel like walking to another Unadon store– otherwise, I would rather save my time for the ones I’ve mentioned earlier, such as “Aikawa“, “Obana“, “Nishimura”, “Aburi ittetsu”, or “Asakusa Komagata Maekawa”, the one that is near to “Irokawa”, would be better than “Irokawa”, I think.

✒︎ Restaurant Info

Unagi Irokawa《うなぎ 色川》

• Add：Kaminarimon 2-6-11, Taito-ku, Tokyo
• Access：
• 1️⃣Toei Subways Asakusa Line, Asakusa St, A1 Exit, 1 min walk.
• 2️⃣Tokyo metro Ginza or Toubu Isesaki Line, Asakusa St, 3 mins walk.
• 3️⃣Tokyo metro  Taharamachi St, 5 mins walk.
• Tel：03-3844-1187（No reservation）
• Opening Hour：11:30-14:00 『Closed Randomly』
• TABELOG Web

4. Unagi Tsuruya《うなぎ つるや》

◆ Tabelog(食べログ) Ranking：3.68/ Google Ranking：4.0

Leaving Tokyo, now we are here at my favorite place: Kamakura.

I had been to Kamakura twice, but wouldn’t have thought of going for Unadon here. Having this opportunity for “Tsuruya” was because I read a Japanese novel “Tsubaki Bunguten（ツバキ文具店) “, in which the background was set in Kamakura. Therefore, we visited the restaurants that appeared in the story. “Tsuruya” is the place where the heroine and her grandmother chose to have celebrations in her childhood.

“Tsuruya” is located at the next stop of Enoden Railway Kamakura Station– Wadazuka Station. Founded in 1929, it is said to be the favorite Unadon store of Nobel Prize winner Kawabata Yasunari.

Compared to the other Unadon stores, “Thsuruya” has a variety of options on their menu. They offered 5 sizes of Unadon (2376, 2970, 3564, 4158, 4752 JPY each), other kinds of meals included tendon, katsudon, etc,. [Menu]

The most special one mentioned in the novel was “Double-layered Unadon”. As its name implies, it was a combination of rice, eel, rice, and eel. When finish eating the first layer, there is the second layer underneath, so that not only could it keep the heat and also brought me a feeling of surprise.

The color of sautéed Unagi was fairly appealing, the taste was unexpectedly insipid, however. It was even more tasteless than the Shiroyaki I had at “Nishimura”.  Though the fish was very soft and tender, I tasted no smell of scent of it, as if I were having a stuffy nose and losing my taste. What was more disappointing was that I ordered the “Double-layered” one, and it was the first time that the Unadon seemed to be too much for me. 

By the way, there were several groups of people without making a reservation coming in while we were dining, and all of them were turned downed as the seats were fully booked. So, make sure to make a reservation before visiting “Tsuruya”.

✒︎ Restaurant Info

Unagi Tsuruya《うなぎ つるや》

• Add：Yuhigahama, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture 3-3-27
• Access：
• 1️⃣JR Yokosuka Line, Kamakuta St, West exit, 10 mins walk.
• 2️⃣Enoden, Wadazuka St, 2 mins walk.
• Tel：0467-22-0727（Accept Reservation）
• Opening Hour：11:30- 19:00『Closed on every Tue』
• TABELOG Web

5. Sakai 《左可井》

◆ Tabelog(食べログ) Ranking：3.58/ Google Ranking：4.2

The last one to introduce is not a Unadon restaurant, but a close family of Unagi – the Anago, which is the conger eel.

“Sakai” is also located in Kamakura, and as well as one mentioned in the novel “Tsubaki Bunguten”. While this restaurant is more remote, its location is on the way from Kamakura Hachimangu Shrine to Hokokuji Temple. It takes about half an hour to walk from Kamakura Station, or you can take the bus to the alley right in front of the store.

You can taste two most popular dishes of the restaurant, Anagodon and Tamago-yaki (Japnanese fried egg) in this set. Tamago-yaki is also a recommended dish for many visitors here, and many of them bring it back as a souvenir. The restaurant also offer other kinds of menus, including Japanese noodle, sushi, sauteed tuna don and so on.

The fish in store are delivered directly from the Tokyo Bay every morning. The grilled anago simmered in sauce was so tempting. Unagi was much expensive than Anago, after all, therefore, anagodon is also one of my favorite dish. I did not quite agree with the saying that “Anago are completely uncomparable with Unagi.” as I did not have had such chance to taste unadon nad anagodon in almost one day like this. Therefore, I used to think that anago was yummy as well!

It wasn’t until this moment on this day did I have a deep realization– the appearance and taste of this anago were both one of the best I’ve ever had – fresh, soft, and moderately flavored. While after eating so many extraordinary Unadon during the previous days, I could clearly tell how different are these two. In particular, the good smell and and delicate taste brought by the unagi is what anago totally cannot compare, and this realization suddenly made me kind of lose my appetite.

Tamago-yaki was either quite ordinary, nothing amazed me.

✒︎ Restaurant Info

Sakai 左可井

• Add：2-1-31 Jyomyoji, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
• Access：Take the bus at Kamakura St. heading for『Kanazawa Hakkei (金沢八景)』或『 Highland (ハイランド)』, and get off at『Sugimoto Kannon St.(杉本観音)』.
• Tel：04-6724-7759（Accept reservation）
• Opening Hour：11：30－15：00（L.O. 14:30）『Closed on every Tues／1st & 3rd Wed of every month』
• TABELOG Web

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