Unagi Obana — Restaurant in Tokyo

I've only ever had unagi in the US and nowhere else in Japan so take this review with a grain of salt. I came here based on a mark weins video and decided to spend about half my day traveling , queuing and eating lunch.

Based on the reviews, I arrived at around 9:30 on Wednesday and was super early. Easily the first person in line. Seating is limited to the first 15 people or so, and around 10:30 more people started showing up. They do not take reservations or large parties. If you have a large group like five or six people I recommend you get here at 9-930 am so you are all together, otherwise you may have to wait until afternoon service .

They have a pretty methodical way of ordering and queing. It's first come first serve and around 10 to 1030 an employee comes out and takes your name and place in line. She comes out periodically every fifteen minutes or so and does this to get the names of others in queue as well. You are grouped by party members. There were some people who were part of a group that came in late but they were able to get in to the first service even though they weren't queuing up. That's kind of unfair to me. The whole party should be present in the queue to make it fair to everyone, especially if they are waiting for two hours or more.

Closer to opening they come out and ask you what kind of eel you would like. There's three or four choices I believe and I went with the classic grilled eel in their sauce. When the doors open you walk inside and take off your shoes and are handed a little flag that lets you keep track of your shoes. You enter in the order you queue and they have tables now instead of floor cushions. They then serve you tea. I took this chance to go to the bathroom because after waiting in line for two hours I needed it. It was a really nice and clean and modern bathroom. They have wooden sandals that you wear when entering the restrooms.

You only get one chance to order food and once your order is in it can't be altered. My friend wanted to order yakitori after we finished our meal but we were not allowed too. We could keep ordering drinks but once the food ticket is in thats that. Kind of a bummer to be honest since we wanted to try more food.

In retrospect, I honestly thought it was just above average and probably not worth the wait, especially with how the ordering and queing is. Again, I've only had eel once in Japan and my prior experience is based on unagi don dishes in sushi places in the US , so I'm not familiar with the different types of eel or unagi dishes that actually exist in Japan. The service was decent and if you can overlook the way they do things in regards to ordering and queing, then you'll enjoy this place. The service was decent and if you can overlook the way they do things in regards to ordering and queing, then you'll...

Details for Foreigners (a bit tricky). Exceptional Unagi with soft texture and great services. Highly recommended by my Japanese Friend.

Directions: I took the Hibiya Line to Minami-Senju station and head towards south exit. Once you are out of the exit: Turn right , walk to traffic light (do not go up the bridge which is on your left). Cross small road ahead, cross again to your left fo the opposite side of road Turn left (Google map will ask you to Turn right) and walk down street (building on your right, road on your left). You will pass by a Worship statue named (吉展地藏尊）before the zebra crossing. At the zebra crossing, turn left and walk straight about 1 min and you are at your destination!

Instructions: Opening time 11:30am. I reached 10:50, already second seating. After me, another 6 pax and lunch queue is full. Suggest to come at 10:30am. The lady will ask you for number of pax and wait. 11:25am, everyone starts to go inside and once 1st batch is full, lady will ask you to wait at the bamboo seats beside the entrance. Lady will come and ask you for your Unagi (only) order in Japanese menu. The first one the list is the eel box, 2 prices (medium $5600 large $6300). Second one is eel with sauce only and Third is steam eel. I can’t recall the rest. The other orders are made when you are seated. The lady asked us if we want English menu once inside. I waited until 12:30pm to be seated. Server will come with English menu and take order. Hot green tea is provided in the meal. I recommend you order Yakitori and Omelette to start with as the eel will take a while. Toilet is located at the right corner of the shop when you enter. Once you finished, take the number tag given to you and exit. When you wear your shoes, the cashier is beside.

Food 5/5. Excellent soft Unagi with skin easily peeled off. The rice on the eel set is not too sweet, just nice.

The steam eel with wasabi and soy sauce is out of the world! My favourite! The yakitori (comes in a pair) is juicy and tender! As for the omelette, its good but not the highlight.

The liver soup is a clear broth. Nice but I don’t like the texture and taste of the liver.

Service 5/5: It started drizzle and the lady attention to details amazes me. First, she brought out insect repellent (scented) and placed 3 at various bamboo seats . Second, she offered 2 couple who sat outdoor umbrellas. Third, the drizzle stop and it was sunshine, she brought out fans in a bucket and place outside the door for us to fan! Amazing!

Price 3/5: JPY17,2xx Expensive but worth it. Ordered the rice box (large), steam eel, small bowl of rice (Gohan), omelette, yakitori and eel...

Well deserving of their Michelin ⭐️, this place excels in their food and service. They’re known for eel, which is the only entree on the menu. A few other side dishes are available to choose from, with the egg omelette and the chicken skewers being my favorite. A liver soup was recommended by the waitress, but it was really hot outside and I couldn’t handle hot soup.

We arrived a few minutes before 10AM on a Saturday morning, and were the 7th in line. At 10AM, one of their staff came out and took down our party size and name, and then she let us inside the courtyard and took our order. It was 90+ that day, and the heat was unbearable, but luckily they have shaded seatings where we waited until they opened. Around 10:32AM, they placed a sign outside the front stating they were done accepting guests. I counted around 30ish people.

The door opened at 11:30AM, and they let in a round of 15 people. The second round started about an hour later, or however quickly the food was served and the guests would eat. I suggest coming at 10AM and seating during the first round. The people who came 10 minutes after we did had to wait for the second round.

The drinks and appetizers arrived shortly after seating. A short moment later, the omelette and skewers were served, and they were delicious. The eel with rice was the best I’ve ever eaten. If not for the bones, it wouldn’t even need chewing. I highly recommend the eel here, it was so good.

The staff were friendly, and they spoke a little English, enough for us to order the menu and ask for directions to the restroom.

Important points to note, this place is cash only. You’ll have to remove your shoes upon entering, so leave your holey...