Update-date: Dec 12 2023
"The Midsummer Day of the Ox" is a day in the old Japanese calendar that marks the change of seasons. The custom of eating eel on "The Midsummer Day of the Ox" started in the Edo period to cheer people up who were said to be in poor health during this period. Here are some eel restaurants in Tokyo that are suitable for this occasion.
Unagi Charcoal-grilled Hitsumabushi Minokin Kanda Main Branch
Thick, meaty eel in Mino Jiyaki style to be served with Gifu sake
At Unagi Hitsumabushi Minokin Kanda Honten, located near Akihabara Station, you can taste "Mino Jiyaki" eel, which is grilled over charcoal using bincho charcoal. The grilled eel is soaked in our famous sauce, which is fragrant on the outside and plump on the inside, and served with our famous "Hitsumabushi". You can enjoy the eel in different ways by adding condiments and dashi broth to the dish.
The restaurant is filled with items related to Mino, such as papier-mâché made from Mino washi, a traditional craft of Mino City, Gifu, and Oribe-yaki tableware, which has its roots in the Mino kilns in eastern Gifu. The seating in the historical setting is mainly semi-private table seating where you can spend time in a relaxed atmosphere. A wide variety of Gifu sake is available.
Unagi Charcoal-grilled Hitsumabushi Minokin Kanda Main Branch
Open: Lunch 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (L.O 2:30 pm) / Dinner 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm (L.O 8:30 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 4,000 JPY
Access: 1 minute walk from Exit 4 of Suehirocho Station. 5 minutes walk from Exit 6 of Yushima Station. 7 minutes walk from Electric Town Exit of Akihabara Station
Address: 1F, VORT Suehirocho II, 6-14-3, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 4,000 JPY
Access: 1 minute walk from Exit 4 of Suehirocho Station. 5 minutes walk from Exit 6 of Yushima Station. 7 minutes walk from Electric Town Exit of Akihabara Station
Address: 1F, VORT Suehirocho II, 6-14-3, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Map
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Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Todai Akamon-mae Branch
Featuring a Kanto-style flavor. Taste plenty of eel at a reasonable price.
Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Todai Akamon-mae Branch, located near Tokyo University's Red Gate, is a Kanto-style eel restaurant that steams the eel once and then grills it. The "Unaju (eel bowl)" uses Nihon Unagi, which is twice the size of a regular-sized eel and is very satisfying yet reasonably priced. The restaurant is also known for its attention to quality ingredients, such as the use of special rice for the eel.
The interior of the restaurant, described as a popular eel restaurant, has a casual atmosphere. The first floor has table seating, and the second floor mainly has tables with bench seating on one side. Both floors have counter seating with a good view facing the windows, creating an open space in the long, narrow interior.
Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Todai Akamon-mae Branch
Open: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm (L.O. 7:30 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: -
Access: From Hongo-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Toei Subway Oedo Line, proceed along Hongo Street toward the University of Tokyo and walk for 4 minutes
Address: 5-25-18, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: None
Average price: -
Access: From Hongo-sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Toei Subway Oedo Line, proceed along Hongo Street toward the University of Tokyo and walk for 4 minutes
Address: 5-25-18, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Map
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Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Marronnier Gate Ginza 1 Location
Enjoy Nagoya's famous Hitsumabushi with "Ji-yaki" Kansai-style eels.
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Marronnier Gate Ginza 1 Location offers "Jiyaki" kansai-style eel, which is rare in the Kanto region, grilled slowly over charcoal without steaming. You can enjoy the crispy skin and fluffy inside of the eel dipped in the secret sweet and spicy sauce in Nagoya's specialty Hitsumabushi," which can be tasted in three different ways by adding condiments and soup stock.
Located on the 12th floor of Ginza Marronnier Gate, the restaurant offers a panoramic view of the Yurakucho cityscape outside its large windows. In addition to table seating where you can enjoy a panoramic view, the restaurant also has a calm, semi-private room that can accommodate up to 10 people. After enjoying a stroll through Ginza, this is a great place to visit when the night view is spectacular.
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Marronnier Gate Ginza 1 Location
Open: Dinner 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm) Lunch 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 4-minute walk from Exit C6 of Ginza Station on Ginza Line / 3-minute walk from the Central Exit of Yurakucho Station
Address: 12F, MARRONNIER GATE, 2-2-14, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 4-minute walk from Exit C6 of Ginza Station on Ginza Line / 3-minute walk from the Central Exit of Yurakucho Station
Address: 12F, MARRONNIER GATE, 2-2-14, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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Unagi Fujita Shirokanedai Branch
The taste and technique of Hamamatsu's long-established restaurant are also available in Tokyo. Enjoy the pride of local eels from Lake Hamana.
Unagi Fujita Shirokanedai is located along Platinum Street in Shirokanedai, where ginkgo trees line the street. It is the only restaurant in Tokyo directly operated by a long-established eel restaurant headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, the birthplace of eel cultivation. The eel is grilled over charcoal with an elegant, sweet sauce, which is "Hamamatsu style". We recommend you taste the standard "Unaju".
The restaurant is decorated with Kumiko work, a traditional woodworking technique said to date back 1,400 years, and is equipped with counter seats overlooking the grill and private rooms for a more relaxed atmosphere. The elegant Japanese-style space allows you to spend some relaxing time. The sake selection, including Shizuoka's locally brewed sake and domestic wines, is also noteworthy.
Unagi Fujita Shirokanedai Branch
Open: [Tuesday-Sunday, National Holidays, Day Before National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - (L.O. 2:00 pm) / Dinner 5:00 pm - (L.O. 9:00 pm)
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from Exit 1 of Shirokanedai Station on Tokyo Metro Namboku Line or Municipal Subway Mita Line.
Address: 3F, IGAX Bldg., 4-19-21, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from Exit 1 of Shirokanedai Station on Tokyo Metro Namboku Line or Municipal Subway Mita Line.
Address: 3F, IGAX Bldg., 4-19-21, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo Map
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Iriya Kishimojin-monzen Nodaya
The supreme eel, Kyosui," is served with their techniques.
Nodaya is located in front of Shingenji Temple, also known as Iriya Kishimojin, a temple known for its blessings for raising children. Nodaya is a long-established eel restaurant that has continued to transmit the secret technique known as the Nodaya style for more than 150 years. The eel is grilled to perfection, with a fragrant skin and a fluffy interior. Enjoy the best eel, such as "Kyosui," which is said to be a phantom eel, with unaju and other delicacies.
The first floor of the main building has chic Japanese modern table seating, and the second floor has lounge-style table seating with a different atmosphere. In addition, there is also table seating in a tasteful detached house. It takes about 40 minutes from the time an order is received to the time the eel is grilled. If you sip a glass of local sake with an original menu of eel, the time will fly by in no time.
Iriya Kishimojin-monzen Nodaya
Open: [Tuesday-Sunday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:00 pm) / Dinner 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm (L.O. 8:00 pm) *Closed for lunch and dinner when sold out.
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Access: 30 seconds walk from Exit 2 of Iriya Station on Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. 5 minutes walk from South Exit of Uguisudani Station on JR Lines.
Address: 2-3-1, Shitaya, Taitou-ku, Tokyo Map
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Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 8,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Access: 30 seconds walk from Exit 2 of Iriya Station on Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. 5 minutes walk from South Exit of Uguisudani Station on JR Lines.
Address: 2-3-1, Shitaya, Taitou-ku, Tokyo Map
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Unamaro
Unamaro serves a fusion of Korean cuisine with mainly Hitsumabushi, a dish that features broiled eel (a very familiar food in Japan) cut up and then sprinkled on rice in a box. Guests can casually eat eel, and the restaurant also has a rich lineup of izakaya menus besides that. The Broiled Eel and Korean Cuisine Combination Bowl is absolutely addictive. They have a lineup of menu items that many guests from Japan and overseas can enjoy.
Unamaro
Open: [Monday - Saturday, National Holidays, Day Before National Holidays] Lunch 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:00 pm) / Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY
Access: 3-minute walk from the south gate Karasumori Exit of JR Shimbashi Station / 7-minute walk from Shimbashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Toei Asakusa Line / 6-minute walk from Exit A1 of Uchisaiwaicho Station on the Toei Mita Line
Address: 1F, Daiichi Daikou Bldg., 3-15-1, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY
Access: 3-minute walk from the south gate Karasumori Exit of JR Shimbashi Station / 7-minute walk from Shimbashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Toei Asakusa Line / 6-minute walk from Exit A1 of Uchisaiwaicho Station on the Toei Mita Line
Address: 1F, Daiichi Daikou Bldg., 3-15-1, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Map
Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.
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