Gion Unagi Kawato — Restaurant in Kyoto

If you’re visiting Kyoto for the first time, 祇園 鰻 川藤 is a good-try spot, located at 京都市東山区祇園町南側572-27, just a 3-5 minute walk from 祇園四條站. Though the location is a bit tricky to find, tucked away in a charming alley near Hanamikoji Street, the effort is well worth it.

The interior is beautifully traditional Japanese style, originally an old ryokan, offering an authentic Kyoto atmosphere with private rooms and a cozy, elegant vibe—perfect for travelers seeking a genuine cultural dining experience.

We ordered the UNA-JUU grilled eel (half portion) and the grilled eel with seasoning. The grilled eel is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside, and the seasoning allows you to enjoy the eel in three delightful ways. I especially loved adding Japanese black pepper which adds a fragrant, savory depth that enhances the eel’s rich flavor exquisitely.

Reservations are a must, as the seats are limited. The quality of the eel and the overall experience easily justify the price range of around JPY 6,000-7,999.

Recommended for anyone wanting to savor Kyoto-style eel in a serene,...

Went here with high hopes and left extremely disappointed. Although the food tasted pretty good, it felt like it could've been better for the price point.

However, what was even worse was the service and cleanliness. My girlfriend went to use the restroom and she promptly returned because there was no toilet paper and the toilet seat was covered in urine. We told the waitress and she went to replace the toilet paper, however she didn't do anything about the urine on the toilet seat, water all over the ground, or communal hand towel that was soaked through.

Afterwards, when it was time to pay we waited for 15 minutes with our dishes out, while our waitress was in the back. Eventually we saw someone else get up to request the check who had also been waiting a long time. After this, the waitress went into the back again instead of coming to help us, so we also had to get up and get her attention from the back.

Understand that this place is still new and figuring things out, however at such a high price point, the quality control needs to be...

We had the steamed eel back in Tokyo, so we decided to try the roasted eel here as it was recommended by a friend. We were not disappointed.

When you entered, first thing they have you do is to take off your shoes.

We ordered three of the full eel box set meal. The eels were tasty and well prepared. The staffs were friendly.

If you want to use the restroom, you have to change into the slippers they provided.

*A little incident happened. While the staff placed the food in front of me, the tray was placed a little too far. So i tried to moved it closer but that toppled the hot soup when the tray moved, and it was poured all over my legs. They were able to replace the soup and brough a lot of paper towels to help me pat dry my legs. Luckily I didn't get burn.

So the lesson here is, ask the staff to move the tray if it was too far from you. Don't do...