Sumiyaki Unafuji Yurakucho Store — Restaurant in Tokyo

On a recent trip to Japan, my first actually outside the airport, I stumbled across a wonderful little place situated among scores of shops underneath the Shimbashi train station, adjacent to Ginza in Tokyo: Sumiyaki Unafuji Yūrakuchō. There are literally thousands of restaurants within a 1 mile radius of my hotel, many occupying upper floors of building in the area, so choosing a place has been an exercise in instinct, but I usually do well on that account. Out for one of my walks, I was looking at the different restaurants and shops below in the Shimbashi train station (in an underground mall called Hibiya Okuroji) and stumbled across a place which appeared, from the pictures, to feature unagi, or broiled fresh water eel. I have been surprised that a number of the sushi restaurants I have tried did not offer unagi, but instead its saltwater cousin, anago. Leave it to the Japanese to have specialty restaurants curated just on how to expertly prepare and present unagi! I mentally marked the place down as somewhere to walk by after it opened for dinner, as I could not read any of the signs or brochures, and Google Translate was of limited help in telling me some of the details I wanted, to include what the place was actually named! When I popped back over at 6:30 PM, the place was almost packed, and very energetic. The hostess told me that I would be limited to 90 minutes for eating, and I could see why, as they later had a number of people outside waiting for tables. Because I was solo, I was ushered to the back of the restaurant, which was actually larger than it appeared from the train station frontage. The seating area in the back is almost like a sushi bar, in that everyone is sitting close to one another, side-by-side facing the same direction. In this case, a very tastefully decorated and steep hill which was seemingly the well manicure below-grade section of the restaurant facing the street, but I think it was just made to appear that way. The tastefully design designed landscaping struck me as being very Japanese, and a great way to fit in another six or seven people in an area where space is clearly at a premium. If you are claustrophobic or tall, you might find sitting there to be odd, but it did not bother me at all. The menu, which awesomely had some short descriptions in English, offered a wide variety of different types of unagi, from the more familiar, unadon, the slightly pricier unajū, and what was (to me) the mysterious “Histumabushi,” which the menu described as “a classic specialty of Nagoya.” I decided to go for the premium histumabushi, which was presented in a beautiful dark wooden bowl. Some of the other menu choices were presented in lacquer bowls or boxes. Although some of the sets had conventional sushi, as an offering, I decided to stick to just the eel, and I am glad I did as my meal was plenty of food.

There were lots of tasty accompaniments with my meal to include freshly prepared Japanese zuke (pickles) brought right after I was seated, some hot green tea, some sort of mild cabbage, and a small pot of Dashi broth, in the event you wanted to take some spoons of the eel and rice, and immerse them in Dashi. After watching what some of the other Japanese customers did, I tried that, and it was an amazing taste combination: don’t pass up the opportunity to try it! There was also a small bowl of clear broth, clam soup, with what (I believe) were two decorative fish balls bobbing at the top. Delicate and quite tasty, that soup! The histumabushi was pre-chopped and resting on a bed of expertly prepared rice. You could really taste the charcoal grilling for which this place is known, and the flavor was much more delicate, smokey and rich than any eel I’ve had in the United States, including even at very high-end sushi restaurants in the US restaurants like Nobu.

Prices were reasonable, with my premium dinner set costing ¥5750, or $38 at the current exchange rate. I thought that given the quality of the dish, and the extremely generous portions, this was a very fair...

Sumiyaki Unafuji, nestled in the bustling district of Yūrakuchō, Tokyo, is a haven for those seeking the rich flavors of expertly prepared unagi (grilled eel). This charming restaurant specializes in sumiyaki, or charcoal grilling, a traditional Japanese cooking method that enhances the natural flavors of the eel while imparting a delightful smoky aroma. The unagi is skillfully grilled to perfection, achieving a delicate balance of crispy skin and tender, juicy flesh. Each dish is carefully prepared with a signature tare (sweet soy-based sauce) that accentuates the eel’s taste without overpowering its natural essence.

The menu offers classic unagi dishes such as unadon (grilled eel over rice) and unajū (eel served in a lacquered box with rice), providing a satisfying meal for every guest. The restaurant’s intimate setting, with its warm wooden interiors and welcoming atmosphere, creates an authentic dining experience that transports visitors to the heart of Japanese culinary tradition.

Popular among locals and travelers alike, Sumiyaki Unafuji is an ideal spot for those looking to indulge in a quintessential Japanese delicacy. Whether you’re a long-time fan of unagi or trying it for the first time, this Yūrakuchō gem promises a memorable and...

a great unagi (eel) bowl restaurant! i booked here since it was award in tabelog as unagi restaurant top 100. i came at lunch but i think there's no different on the set that they offer.

before going into the food, i'd like to callout the place first. it's located inside a tunnel. the tunnel was renovated so it's bright and modern. that's an interesting place to visit. the restaurant itself is quite spacious, but the design sticks with the tunnel architect that it's like eating in a cave!

we ordered 1 white eel bowl, and one usual one with the sauce, so 1 with and 1 without, and we can compare them. the plain one is great! can taste the natural flavour and texture that eel should have, it's a little muddy and earthy. i like the rawness of it. then the one with sauce is also good, it's not too heavily sauced to cover up all the flavour that eel should have. on top of both we can still smell the charcoal. both set came with wasabi and seaweed and there's a card to teach how to enjoy the bowl in 3 stage - solely the rice bow, 2nd with wasabi and seaweed, 3rd with added soup. but no matter how we think it's very tasty.

in addition we also ordered the eel liver. it's completed sauced and grilled very well. overall a very nice meal and i do...