Utsuke — Restaurant in Tokyo

I was very excited for this place after seeing the long lines at lunchtime and its high ratings online. Unfortunately, it turn out to be the worst dining experience I’ve ever had in Tokyo.

I made online reservations in advance to celebrate my parents’ birthday. When we arrived, we got seated to counter seats on the first floor with the staff explaining the second floor is full. So we asked to have two tables combined instead of counter seats and they told us we can go ahead and do so by ourselves. I understand the restaurant can be understaffed but I was shocked to experience this level of service in Tokyo (I’m native Japanese and this is not standard).

The food was good. The unagi was crispy on the outside which is a unique Kansai style preparation. Ordered tempura and shumai which were good too but took so long that we were left waiting after finishing eel.

I initially tried to give the restaurant the benefit of doubt, assuming the seating situation was an isolated issue. However during our meal, we noticed other customers getting seated for second floor for the same day reservation. When I went to the second floor for bathroom, there was also an empty table for four. When we let them know there was an empty table, they just said “oh there was?” and no apologies or whatsoever. Additionally, they didn’t take any dirty plates back or serve tea unless explicitly asked either.

Really disappointed and disheartened from the beginning to the very end. Wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone and regret choosing this restaurant for a...

I decided to check out this eel restaurant with rave reviews that offers affordable Japanese unagi don. They serve unagi in various regional styles, including the popular kabayaki, which features eel over rice in a lovely lacquerware bowl. I had hitsumabushi before, but it's been a while, so I was excited to order it again and try it in three different ways: enjoying it as-is, mixing it with green onions, nori, and wasabi, or having it with broth!

When my hitsumabushi arrived, it looked stunning in a large ceramic bowl with a warmer underneath. Unfortunately, there was no candle, so it was a bit lukewarm. The presentation was impressive, but the eel was a tad over-grilled, which made it overly crispy and gave the bottom a slightly bitter taste.

Overall, it was an interesting experience that offered some takeaways. While it didn't completely meet my expectations for quality, I appreciate the value for the price and look forward to exploring other options that may be even...

I really enjoy visiting the local restaurants that are meant for locals. The downside of course is that it's hard to understand what to order and how to eat. Eventually I picked a small portion of eel the waiter pointed to in the menu: ״Hotsumabushi Plum״ It was 2,250 JPY with a bowl of eel and rice, some sides and broth. From what I understood, the right way to eat it was first to try only the eel and rice, then try it with the seaweed/green onions and spice, and then try it with the broth. Frankly, I regret taking the small portion - every bite of the eel was heavenly. So crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, packed with flavor and a sweet sauce to complement it. The hint of charcoal barbecue really tied it together. I absolutely loved the broth as well. I would recommend having the full portion (I think it's around 4,000 JPY.) Worth it. I arrived 12 pm sharp on a Saturday and did not wait...