Freshwater Eel Flavors: 11 Best Unagi Restaurants in Tokyo

Unagi, or Japanese freshwater eel, may not win beauty contests — its slimy and slithery appearance, with a dark, silvery hue, is far from glamorous — but it is one of Japan’s most prized fish. 

While not commonly used for sushi (unlike its saltwater counterpart, the anago conger eel), unagi shines when grilled over charcoal and glazed with a sweet tare sauce. This delicacy is especially popular during the summer as a special dish for “Doyo no Ushi no Hi,” rooted in the belief that consuming foods starting with the character “u” helps prevent summer fatigue.

Making unagi dishes is notoriously challenging, with its mastery demanding "three years to perfect the skewer, eight years for fileting and a lifetime to learn how to grill." 

From this foundational preparation, two primary styles emerge: Kanto-style, where the eel is split open from the back and steamed for a fluffy texture, and Kansai-style, where it is split from the belly and grilled directly.

This time-intensive process, plus dwindling eel supplies due to recent overfishing, means unagi isn’t the most budget-friendly dining option in Tokyo — so if you’re going to indulge in this delicacy, it’s worth seeking out the best. 

To help you find the top spots, we’ve curated a list of some of the finest unagi restaurants in Tokyo!

Unagi refers to the Japanese eel, commonly found in rivers and streams across East Asia. Known for its elongated body and smooth skin, unagi is distinct from its saltwater counterpart, anago, which has a lighter flavor and softer texture. The two are often confused, but unagi is preferred for grilling due to its rich, fatty content.

Unagi is most famously prepared as unagi kabayaki, where the eel is grilled over charcoal and glazed with a sweet soy-based sauce called tare. This preparation enhances its natural flavors and results in a beautifully caramelized exterior. 

Typically served on a bed of rice, unagi don (grilled eel rice bowl) is considered a special meal — something you don’t eat every day —  due to its price. 

Read more: The Complete Guide to Unagi

Craving the best unagi in Tokyo? Check out these top spots for delicious grilled eel.

Unagi always comes with a price tag, but Aoyama Grand Hotel’s Shikaku takes it to the next level with its high-dining approach. This unagi specialty store stands out not for its reservation volume or booking system, but for its exclusivity: it only serves unagi on weekends. 

The star dish is unaju — a grilled eel brushed with sauce and served over a bed of Japanese rice in a lacquerware box. The name is a portmanteau of unagi (eel) and jubako (lacquered box).

As evening falls, the atmosphere transforms at Shikaku, evolving into a full-service bar and restaurant. With moody lighting and a warm square bar — hence, the restaurant name, Shikaku — the space is enhanced by the inviting glow of open-flame charcoal. 

Located in one of Tokyo’s historic entertainment districts, Maruichi Fuji Akasaka, formerly known as Nyorosuke Akasaka, is an unagi restaurant with a longstanding reputation. Since its establishment along the bustling thoroughfare of Hitotsugi-dori, this eatery has garnered acclaim through word of mouth for its top-quality unagi. 

In contrast to the more common Kanto style, where the eel is first steamed to achieve a fluffier texture, Maruichi Fuji Akasaka adheres to the Kansai method — grilling the eel exclusively to achieve an irresistible crispiness.

The course menus showcase unagi in various styles, including the traditional kabayaki glazed with a sauce, the simple shirayaki, and even crispy senbei made from eel bones, but each dish represents Kansai.

In Azabu Juban, one of Tokyo’s bustling business districts, you’ll discover a particular unagi restaurant that sources its eel from far beyond the capital — specifically, from Isshiki Town in Nishio, one of the country’s premier farming regions. 

Recognized for its long-standing tradition of eel cultivation, the fish is raised in the pristine waters of the Yahagi River, flowing from the Gifu mountains. This clean water contributes to the restaurant’s eels, which are particularly free from any fishy odor.

Hanabusa adheres to the Kansai grilling method known as jiyaki. This technique skips the steaming process commonly used in Kanto-style unagi preparation, opting instead for direct grilling over charcoal flames. 

This results in a beautifully crispy surface texture and a rich, smoky flavor, further enhanced by Hanabusa’s secret sauce — a carefully crafted blend of Mikawa mirin, tamari soy sauce and an aging process that adds depth. 

The sister branch of Hanabusa in Azabu Juban continues to operate under its original name, inheriting the Kansai-style method of grilling. 

Nyorosuke Roppongi excels in two distinct styles of unagi: kabayaki, where the eel is dipped in a sweet soy sauce marinade, and shirayaki, or white-grilled unagi. The shirayaki method involves grilling the eel over an open flame without any sauces or additives, allowing the natural flavors of the eel to shine through.

The course menu is entirely focused on unagi, beginning with an appetizer of eel bone crackers, followed by unique creations like umaki — an omelet rolled with unagi — and nikogori, a delicately prepared jellied eel.

When the 200-year-old Unagi Kappo Oedo relocated from Kuramae, a quaint and rustic area near Akihabara, to Nihonbashi, it brought with it its highly secretive soy sauce that keeps generations of patrons returning for more. The ingredients are simple — a standard mixture of mirin, soy sauce, and sugar — but the proportions are a closely guarded secret. 

To marinate the eel, the chefs immerse it completely in the sauce. This method is reminiscent of a perpetual stew, where a constantly boiling mixture has new ingredients added over time, gradually enhancing the flavor of the sauce. As each piece of eel is dipped in the sauce, it contributes to the flavor profile, so that the latest eel added is the most flavorful.

The grilled eel is served atop Yumegokochi rice from Yamagata Prefecture, creating a simple yet heartwarming dish presented in a box that embodies two centuries of culinary tradition.

The famous Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa rightfully started as an eel wholesaler in 1932, so it knows more than the typical unagi restaurants in Tokyo about what it takes to grow — and prepare — this delicacy. 

Perched on the 38th floor of the impressive Yebisu Garden Place Tower, the Ebisu branch is one of several successful locations in the Kanto region. The restaurant takes pride in its unique “tateba” storage facility, where eels are kept in a continuously flowing well water system, allowing them to be cleaned and prepared live on-site.

Each piece of unagi is lovingly butterflied before grilling, resulting in crisp, fragrant skin and tender, fatty meat, all enhanced by a "secret tare sauce" that has been preserved since the restaurant's inception. The thick unagi is roasted Kansai-style over binchotan charcoal. 

The menu features a Nagoya-style unagi kaiseki multicourse meal and a signature grilled eel kabayaki, served in heat-retaining earthenware crafted by renowned Shigaraki potters.

Find out more: 6 Best Kaiseki Restaurants in Tokyo

Chef Okada Yoshiaki spent over a year and a half convincing Kyosui suppliers of his capability to handle their prized product: unagi. Once he gained their trust, he opened Mejiro Zorome in 2018, specializing in the traditional Kanto-style preparation of the rare Kyosui unagi.

Unlike typical unagi, which is farm-raised in just one year, Kyosui unagi thrives in a stress-free, near-natural environment in Shizuoka Prefecture for over 18 months. To ensure maximum freshness, the eels are kept alive in tanks at the restaurant until moments before preparation.

The fresh, lean meat is perfectly suited to the traditional Kanto grilling technique. Chef Okada guts the eels from the back and steams them before grilling. His signature sauce is crafted from a blend of thick soy sauce, one-year-aged mirin and three-year-aged mirin, applied to the grilled eel at the final stage to enhance its delicate flavors.

All the while, guests seated around the central counter can enjoy premium sake from Chef Okada's curated selection while witnessing the master at work.

Forget traditional unagi — Unagi Tokitou elevates this ingredient to new gastronomic heights. The restaurant is helmed by an owner who honed his craft over 15 years at Nodaiwa, a historic 200-year-old eel restaurant in Azabu. Driven by a desire to expand his resume, he then ventured to France and immersed himself in European cuisine.

Upon returning to Japan, he blended these two influences to create Unagi Tokitou, where unagi is the star of a French-inspired dining experience. Classic eel, sourced from an eel farm in Aichi Prefecture, and rice dishes are given new shades of flavor. 

One standout dish is eel stewed in red wine, a unique twist that replaces the venison or beef typically found in such preparations.

Wine and sake pairings can be added for an extra fee, or ordered by the glass.

Unagi Hashimoto was established in 1835, and the restaurant’s space and recipe have remained unchanged, even after securing a Michelin Star in 2017 and a Bib Gourmand award the following year.

Today, sixth-generation owner Hashimoto Shinji personally visits suppliers to select freshwater eels based on their age. He emphasizes that eels over a year old boast a crunchy texture and rich umami flavor. 

The eels are then tenderized, grilled to perfection and generously coated in a secret sauce that has been passed down through the generations. 

In addition to the classic unaju (eel served over rice), Hashimoto’s signature umaki — Japanese-style rolled omelets filled with eel — has become a particular favorite among diners.

Find out more: Taste the Best of Tokyo: 20 Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo

If Steve Jobs was a fan of Sushi Iwa in the sushi scene, then in the realm of unagi, the late founder of Honda, Honda Soichiro, found his go-to spot at Unagiya in Tokyo.

Unagiya is an unagi specialty restaurant in Tokyo known for its reasonable prices. For its Kansai-style grilled eel, Unagiya prepares the unagi by slicing the eel along the belly and grilling. This technique results in a perfect harmony of textures — crisp on the outside yet tender and moist on the inside.

Guests can choose from various grades of its signature dish, each offering a distinct culinary experience at different price points: sho (pine), chiku (bamboo), bai (plum) and the ever-popular toku (special). 

For those seeking the finest, there’s even a grade above toku, known as toku-jo (more than special), which was famously favored by Honda during his visits.

Komagata Maekawa started as a fish wholesaler in the Bunsei period, with a name chosen to reflect its proximity to the Sumida River. Over time, it transformed into an unagi specialty store nestled in the heart of Asakusa, dedicated to preserving the legacy of Tokyo-style unagi.

Maekawa’s delicate eels are sourced from the Tone River, one of Japan’s Three Great Rivers, renowned for the purity of its waters. They are then grilled and glazed with the restaurant’s secret sauce, crafted from a recipe that has been perfected over more than two centuries. This legendary soy sauce and mirin elixir elevates the eel’s natural flavor to new heights.

Most guests dive straight into the classic unaju — grilled eel filets resting atop fluffy rice — but popular among locals is the uzaku, a refreshing grilled eel salad.

Kanto-style involves splitting the eel from the back steaming the eel before grilling, resulting in a fluffier texture. In contrast, Kansai-style guts the eel, skips the steaming process and grills the eel directly, resulting in a crispier skin.

Unagi kabayaki is a popular preparation where the eel is grilled and brushed with tare sauce, enhancing its rich flavors. It's typically served on a bed of rice.

Unagi can be enjoyed year-round, but it is especially popular during the summer, particularly on "Doyo no Ushi no Hi," a day dedicated to consuming eel to combat summer fatigue.

Unagi is a freshwater eel, known for its rich flavor and fatty texture, while anago is a saltwater eel, typically lighter in flavor and softer in texture, making it more suitable for sushi.

Kabayaki is unagi that is grilled and brushed with tare sauce, while shirayaki is grilled unagi served without sauce and seasoned with only salt, allowing the natural flavor of the eel to shine through.

Unagi is costly due to the time-intensive training and preparation process, dwindling eel populations from overfishing, and the high demand for this delicacy, particularly during the summer.

Yes, unagi is a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins A and E, making it a nutritious choice when enjoyed in moderation.