Okuniya Manbei
Visit this specialty unagi restaurant, housed in a charmingly renovated machiya (townhouse), for Kansai-style grilled eel in Kyoto.
Restaurant Details
As the sole item on the menu, Okuniya Manbei’s reputation lives and dies by the quality of its unagi (freshwater eel). Grilled in the Kansai kabayaki style (butterflied and roasted, never steamed), the exterior of the unagi is crisp while the center remains tender. Slathered with a sweet glaze, Okuniya Manbei’s signature dish is served with a side of freshly-steamed rice and various pickles.
Made to order in specialized earthenware pots, guests will have to wait up to thirty minutes for their steamed rice. A little patience is required in the reservation department as well; with limited quantities of domestic unagi available and only twelve counter seats, booking ahead is necessary.
After tasting the unagi and rice separately, guests have the option of enjoying them in the form of ochazuke. Simply mix them together and add hot green tea for a stomach-warming end to the meal.
Okuniya Manbei Phone Number
Okuniya Manbei Business Days
Okuniya Manbei Address
Kikuyacho, Nishikikoji Noboru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, 604-8127, Japan
Okuniya Manbei Cancellation Policy
Cancel your reservation at least 2 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Restaurant location
Featuring beautiful landscapes from mountain to sea, Kyoto Prefecture conveys traditional Japanese culture through its architecture and gardens, art and artisanal crafts, and delicious local cuisine made from regional produce.
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10 meals
COURSE MENUToshima Manryo Ichigetsuan
Enjoy traditionally-prepared unagi dishes in this Odawara restaurant, housed in a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Toshima Manryo Ichigetsuan uses exclusively blue-backed “ao-unagi” eels, said to account for only 10 percent of mature eels.
COURSE MENUSumiyaki Unafuji Daimaru Kyoto Bettei
At Unafuji, only the best quality blue eels are used, chosen for their high fat content and creamy livers. These are then cooked over a blue-hot charcoal flame to seal in their natural flavor, then coated generously with Unafuji’s secret sauce.
COURSE MENUMARUICHI FUJI AKASAKA (formerly Nyorosuke Akasaka)
Rather than steam the eel first in Kanto style, this famed Akasaka unagi specialist upholds Kansai tradition by going straight into grilling the eel for a crispier, crunchier texture.
COURSE MENUAzabujuban Hanabusa
This Tokyo restaurant sources its eels from unagi farmers in Isshiki Town, who have raised them in an all-natural environment for over 100 years. The unagi are then coated in a secret sauce, before being grilled Kansai-style over a charcoal flame.