Watabe
This Michelin Bib Gourmand unagi restaurant serves up delectable Kanto-style freshwater eel dishes in a historic Tokyo ward.
Restaurant Details
In Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, where literary figures like Natsume Soseki called home, Watabe has distinguished itself with its innovative eel dishes, even snagging itself a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for excellence at reasonable prices. Originally established in 1948 as a fish wholesaler, its third-generation owners reinvented Watabe as an unagi restaurant in 2004.
Eels are sourced from Aichi Prefecture. Rather than directly grill them in the Kansai school of cooking, the eels are cooked Kanto-style: first steamed for fluffiness, and then grilled for a crispy exterior. Watabe’s pride and joy lie in its tare (sauce), homemade based on a recipe used in-house for over 70 years. Their course menu features seasonal sashimi and eel cooked in the shirayaki style.
Along with classic unadon (eel over rice in a round bowl) and homemade foie gras terrine with kabayaki (eel coated in sauce and grilled), Watabe also offers a signature “Enmaju” set, named after the god of death in Buddhist mythology, closely associated with the nearby Genkakuji Temple. The set consists of servings of both kabayaki and shirayaki (eel grilled without sauce) and eel liver soup in honor of Enma.
Walking distance from Tokyo Dome — or a short jaunt by public transport for those less inclined to walk — Watabe has counter and table dining, as well as a private room furnished with sunken kotatsu seating: perfect for guests seeking warmth and a good meal when the weather gets colder.
Michelin Guide:
2018 - Bib Gourmand
Watabe Access Info
Watabe is a 5-minute walk from Korakuen Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.
Watabe Phone Number
Watabe Business Days
Watabe Address
1-chome-9-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 112-0002, Japan
Watabe 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
Over 14 million residents call Tokyo home. Functioning as Japan's economic and cultural center, it's no surprise the metropolis often appears at the top of travelers' bucket lists. Here, you can find everything from traditional tea houses to futuristic skyscrapers.
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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 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.
COURSE MENUNyorosuke Roppongi
At Nyorosuke, you can experience authentic Kansai-style charcoal grilled eel dishes such as grilled eel skewers, unaju and unagi-don. Unlike most Tokyo-style eel restaurants, the eel here is not steamed—meaning it’s bursting full of flavor!