Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant with a 12-person private room

I've eaten quite a bit of eel rice bowl around Gangnam, and honestly Unagiwa was the best I've had so far — here's my weekday evening review! Trying hitsumabushi and unadon side by side, even though they're both eel rice bowls, the texture and seasoning were different enough that it's easy to pick based on preference. It comes out as a clean single set, and there's even a private room, so it works well for a Gangnam date, a lunch, or a coworker dinner.

Where is Unagiwa, and what is the Yeoksam eel restaurant like inside?

Unagiwa is a Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant a 3-minute walk from Yeoksam Station Exit 7, and it's a place especially popular with Gangnam office workers. It's on the 2nd floor of the building, so you go up on the left side when facing the entrance.

From the entrance to the interior, Unagiwa Yeoksam feels clean and calm overall!

During lunch it's a popular spot for nearby office workers' meals and team dinners, and there's also a separate private room that seats up to 12 people. If you're looking for a quiet place to eat with a group, it's a solid choice for a Gangnam or Yeoksam company dinner!

Unagiwa menu prices: hitsumabushi vs unadon, what's the difference?

• Hitsumabushi set (whole eel rice bowl) ₩38,000
• Hitsumabushi mini ₩26,000
• Unadon set ₩38,000

The basic set composition is the same for both, but the way the eel is cooked differs. Hitsumabushi is steamed once, so the eel's texture is a bit more intact, giving it a slightly chewy bite! Unadon, on the other hand, is steamed twice, so it's much softer, and the eel itself had a bit more seasoning soaked in.

What comes with the 38,000-won hitsumabushi set at Unagiwa

Unagiwa's signature menus are the hitsumabushi and unadon sets, each with a whole eel! Another difference is that hitsumabushi comes with broth so you can finish it as ochazuke (rice soaked in tea/broth) at the end. A whole eel is laid neatly over the rice, and it comes out as one clean set along with sides like salad and steamed egg.

Since the eel is grilled over an open flame, there's a faint smoky char on the surface, and the inside isn't overly mushy, which makes it taste great.

Personally, I prefer eel with a bit of texture left over eel that's overly soft, so between the two, hitsumabushi was more to my taste.

It's also nice to eat the salad or steamed egg in between, so it doesn't feel like eating just one thing over and over — the spread is quite substantial.

The steamed egg especially has that soft, Japanese-style pudding-like texture, and the shiitake mushroom on top goes really well with it!

Broth was also served, along with seaweed, chives, and various side dishes to pair with the rice.

How to finish the eel bowl as ochazuke (rice in tea broth)

At first, I ate the eel with rice plain, and then poured the broth over it for ochazuke — also a real treat. Being able to change up how you eat the same bowl of eel rice is the biggest advantage of hitsumabushi!

The softer twice-steamed unadon set, 38,000 won

This time, the unadon set at ₩38,000. The basic composition is the same as hitsumabushi, so I focused the photos mainly on the eel.

Because it's steamed twice, the fish is definitely much softer than the hitsumabushi. The seasoning also seems to have soaked in a bit deeper, so if you like your eel moist and well-seasoned, I'd personally recommend the unadon!

Is Unagiwa in Yeoksam worth it for a group dinner?

• Price: ₩38,000 for a whole eel, same price for both hitsumabushi and unadon sets
• Menu: hitsumabushi for the chewier texture and ochazuke, unadon for the softer texture and slightly stronger seasoning
• Atmosphere: from dates to coworker dinners, a clean setting with a private room for up to 12 people, making it a good choice for gatherings or important meals!