Doi Katsuman - Gion Yasaka — Restaurant in Kyoto

We had a fantastic meal at Doi Katsuman – Gion Yasaka, a charming little spot near Yasaka Shrine known for its expertly grilled skewers.

I had the liver, and a whole kabayaki of unagi — and each dish was outstanding. The skewers were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, grilled to perfection. The kabayaki — where the unagi (freshwater eel) is filleted, grilled, steamed, then grilled again with a sweet soy-based tare sauce — was rich, tender, and packed with flavor. An absolute highlight.

The food here is freshly prepared and grilled to order, so be prepared to wait a little, but it’s well worth it. Everything is done with care, and you can really taste it.

We also enjoyed pairing the meal with some sake, which brought out the deep umami notes in the grilled items beautifully. A lovely, low-key spot for a quality meal in Gion. Definitely...

I didn’t expect it was so good. We knew this grilled eel restaurant on a youtube channel from a Hong Kong KOL, when we got there at 6:30pm it was not full, it only has a few tables though. The waiting time of the meal is long, food only come after half an hour we ordered, we think it is because they grilled it using charcoal and it takes time. However when the food arrived we think it is all worth the wait. The eels are crispy outside, and soft, juicy and meaty inside, it smells so good. It was almost the best eels I have had in recent years. After the meal I saw there was a long queue outside the wagyu restaurant next to it, i think people show queue up outside this eel restaurant! Total delicious and highly...

This is an excellent unagi restaurant and we ordered an unagi set meal, a shirayaki eel, and an unagi omelet.

Both the grilled eel with sauce and the shirayaki (plain grilled eel) were incredibly rich and flavorful, with no muddy taste at all. The eel was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The unagi omelet was a delightful surprise — it had a strong egg flavor but didn’t overpower the natural taste of the eel.

The staff was very attentive. They noticed when our tea was half-finished and immediately offered to refill it with fresh, hot tea.

There were clear signs outside the restaurant advising customers to take photos of the food only, avoiding shots of the surroundings or...