Best Unagi Restaurants In Japan! The Top 10 Unagi Restaurants You Must Try!

With a good smell and a sauce – Unagi (eels) is what you must love to try! Unagi has so many ways to eat including rice bowl topped with Unagi, and Hitsumabushi. In this article, I will introduce the best 10 Unagi restaurants in Japan. Just try travel all around Japan now!

Funaya

“Funaya”, located in downtown of Naniwa, has been in operations for more than 80 years now. Unagi here is imported from Aichi, Shizuoka, and Mie, and from those large producers of Unagi, they select the one which could offer the best Unagi in each season.

Cooking process here is quite unique with 2 ways from Kansai and Kanto – a eel would be filleted and opened to make it flat, and then steamed. Unagi offered by Funaya is so soft and the skin is crispy. For the traditional sauce, the owner has been visiting more than 10 soy sauce shops to use and it is completely original!

Kabuto

“Kabuto” is the most popular Unagi restaurant in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Surprisingly, you will have to wait for more than 6 months now when you make a booking, but its taste is of course guaranteed! They have a wide variety of menus from the soft to hard, or the ones using heart, fins, and livers etc.

“Natural Unagi and Farmed Unagi” is what the first time customer cannot order, and has been extremely popular among the regular customers. If you want to try beautiful Unagi in Ikebukuro, don’t forget “Kabuto”! This is where you can reach so easily when you visit Tokyo.

Shirakawa

“Shirakawa” has been loved by the locals for its beautiful Hitsumabushi. The soft meat and crispy skin of eels are well balanced. For more than a few decandes, they have been using the same, but traditional sauce.

Hitsumabushi here finishes with Chazuke – rice in green tea. With the traditional sauce and condiments, it tastes great! This recommended dish has 3 bowls of rice with eels, and has become extremely popular.

Kanerin

“Kanerin Unagi” – with a history of 60 years. If you love to see the beautiful and seasonal gardens right in front of you, try this place. The sauce which covers the surface of rice just keeps its beautiful taste, and eels would be cooked with charcoals. This is definitely what you must try once you are in Hamamatsu.

One of the popular menus here, Unaju, comes with the soup for 2,350-5,300 yen. If you choose the mini version, then it would be like 1,680 yen which is relatively affordable! “Unagi Aburi” with Ponzu dressing, pickled Unagi “Uzaku”, and eels covered with eggs “Umaki Tamago” are also recommended.

Miyoshi

One of the largest producers of Unagi is Kagoshima. And this Unagi restaurant “Unagi no Miyoshi”, established over 80 years ago, is located in the centre of Tenmonkan Kagoshima. Eels that they offer are said to be very high quality, and whoever loves Unagi would become a big fan of this restaurant!

One of the recommended menus here is “Unaju”, rice with eels. It comes with miso soup that an eel liver is contained. But if you prefer the rice that the sauce is well soaked, then order the rice bowl instead of Unaju. One of the Unagi restaurants you must visit in Kagoshima – “Miyoshi”. If you want to have some Unagi, just visit this restaurant!

Kamo

This extremely popular Unagi restaurant in Hamamatsu “Kamo” always has a queue so that it needs to be booked prior to your visit. Unagi here is cooked in a Kansai style which is grilled with charcoals. Unagi itself has a natural sweetness with a chewy and soft texture, and this has been loved not only by the locals, but also by the tourists.

“Nagayaki Gohan” which comes with Unagi, soup, rice, and pickled veges, and “Unaju” are also popular. If you have a chance to visit Hamamatsu, “Kamo”, said to be No.1 Unagi restaurant, is where you must try! You must try this out once in your life if you are an Unagi lover!

Wakamatsuya

One of the long established Unagi restaurants “Wakamatsuya” was opened in the Ansei period. Located in the town of Okinoha near the harbour, it is a great place to enjoy the views of Japanese old town. “Kabayaki”, steamed eels to be grilled with charcoals, is always amazing, but not only that, the one simply grilled goes well with sake too!

“Seiromushi Set Meal” costs around 2,215-2,865 yen, and “Kabayaki Set Meal” is for around 2,540-3,300 yen. And a huge room would accommodates up to 50 people so that you can come visit with a big group. If you are planning to visit Fukuoka, it is worth spending your some time at Wakamatsuya!

Ogakiku

A long established Unagi restaurant “Ogakiku”, opened over 200 years ago, proudly offers the traditional taste of Unagi. The building itself is designated as an important landscape architecture and is surrounded by the windows as to escape from heat and so that it is easier for air to go around. In regards to the taste of Unagi, it is great.

Unaju costs around 2,850-4,500 yen, Kabayaki for 2,450-4,050 yen, and Shirayaki for 3,100 yen. They all have a great reputation for its soft and chewy, but crispy eels with the traditional sauce. If you are interested in having a walk in Kawagoe where you can enjoy the traditional views of Japan, have some meal at Ogakiku!

Koyanagi

“Koyanagi” is a Unagi restaurant located near Asakusa Koukaido. Eels here are so soft and nice with the traditional sauce, and it is great with rice. It usually takes a while to get your Unagi when you make an order, but here at Koyanagi doesn’t make you wait too much! Don’t hesitate to visit even if you are all by yourself, there are some seats at the counter!

Unaju is one of the most popular menus here and costs around 2,916-3,456 yen. The restaurant, filled with the good smell of Unagi, is always so busy. If you are keen on trying Unagi in Asakusa, this is one of the options!

Surugaya

“Surugaya” in front of Mt.Narita, a restaurant specialising in Unagi, has been keeping its very own traditional sance for Unagi. One of the rare Unagi brands in Japan, “Kyosui Unagi”, could be tried here. Smell, taste, texture – they are all amazing! It has a mouth-melting texture.

The sauce, which is made in a traditional way by the professional chef, is something only the authentic Unagi restaurants could take care of. This is what you must try when you visit Mt.Narita!

Let’s Try The Best Unagi In Japan!

How was it? I have introduced the best 10 Unagi restaurants in Japan. All of them have been loved by the locals for so long – Eels are said to be one of the nutritious food, so you will be more energetic when you keep having it! If you go on a trip in Japan, enjoy the beautiful taste of Unagi.