Unafuji Yurakucho

Born in Nagoya, the homeland of hitsumabushi, Unafuji has long stood at the top of Japan’s unagi world. Founded in 1995, it quickly rose to national fame with its uncompromising approach to grilling — a bold Kansai-style jiyaki method using high-grade ao unagi (blue eel) grilled directly over charcoal without steaming. Now, Tokyo diners can finally experience that same intensity inside Hibiya’s Okuroji complex, beneath the brick arches of the JR tracks.

The space is large by Tokyo standards, with counter, table, and private rooms totaling over seventy seats. Because of the underground structure, cell phone signals fade, and the focus shifts naturally to the food. Orders arrive surprisingly fast — the kitchen keeps a steady rhythm of partial pre-grilling — yet the eel emerges with a perfect balance of textures: crisped skin that still holds moisture, and plump flesh that flakes apart without falling into dryness. The tare leans sweet, in the Nagoya style, but the charcoal depth keeps it from cloying.

The restaurant’s signature is the extra-large hitsumabushi, made from three full eels and weighing nearly two kilograms including rice. The portions are extravagant — roughly one kilogram of eel over 900 grams of rice — yet the experience never feels heavy. Each order comes with the classic accompaniments: kimosui soup with eel liver, pickles of nara-zuke and hakusai, chopped scallion, grated wasabi, and a strong bonito-forward dashi for the final pour. The liver itself can be slightly rustic in aroma, but the soup remains fragrant and restorative.

The recommended way to eat follows tradition: first as is, to taste the pure charred aroma; second with herbs and wasabi mixed in to temper the sweetness of the sauce; and finally with the hot dashi poured over to create a simple yet profound ochazuke. While some diners wish the broth were served later or in an iron pot to stay hot longer, the experience is nonetheless deeply satisfying — rich, comforting, and elemental.

What distinguishes Unafuji from other Tokyo eel houses is scale and conviction. Few restaurants still handle wild-caught ao unagi of this size, and even fewer cook them entirely over open flame. The result is an eel that captures both smoke and sweetness, muscle and fat, in perfect balance. Yes, the price is steep — 14,300 yen for the grand hitsumabushi — but it delivers exactly what its Nagoya legend promises: power, depth, and the pure pleasure of unagi in its most unrestrained form.