Unaharu — Restaurant in Kumamoto

This is a sweet little restaurant. They have 8 or so seats at the bar and a few private spaces for larger groups. It’s a stylish place, really well put together.

The two young women working there, one the owner and the other her assistant, were both really friendly and outgoing. They conversed in English well. There were also some Korean customers and they seemed to converse in that language also.

We had some sake, a delicious Ume plum cocktail, and two eel entrees. Everything was tasty. The eel was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside (well cooked). It wasn’t overly seasoned with sauce as some places tend to do. The eel was served with a small bowl of dashi, and a small plate of assorted pickles.

The restaurant is down a small ally on the left. Look for the red banner...

For everyone that never ate unagi before (like us), you HAVE TO come here! The staff is extremely welcoming and are pretty fluent in english ^^. They even gave my girlfriend a good recommendation. The food came quickly and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the unagi! The sauce is very pleasant, but leaves enough room for the eel itself to shine UwU

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan six times, from Sapporo to Kumamoto, and I must say this is by far the best eel I’ve had in Japan. Without a doubt, grilling it to the point of crispiness greatly enhances the experience of eating eel. If I return to Kumamoto in the future, I will...