Deluxe hitsumabushi with furikake and sansho pepper in Yeoksam: Chisot

Where is Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch and when is it open?

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is a filling, generous-portion Japanese restaurant in Gangnam's Yeoksam-dong, great for solo diners, known for its domestic japonica eel rice bowl. It sits between Yeoksam and Eonju stations, about a 7-minute walk from either, close to Cha Hospital near Eonju Station Exit 6. It's open daily 11:00–21:30 with a break time from 15:00–17:00, and closed on Sundays.

What the exterior and interior of Chisot Yeoksam look like

Chisot is famous near Yeoksam Station for its delicious eel rice bowl — a well-known hitsumabushi spot in Gangnam. I had business near the station and stopped in for a solo dinner, and honestly, I was very satisfied — hearty, delicious food 🤗

Chisot is an authentic Nagoya-style hitsumabushi specialist, known for its umami-rich signature tare sauce aged 72 hours. It's already a well-known lunch/dinner spot for office workers near Yeoksam Station, and I'd been wanting to visit for a while.

Besides the Gangnam-famous eel rice bowl hitsumabushi, they also serve domestic japonica eel soup, grilled eel, unagi bento and more.

Walking in with high expectations!

Inside, it feels just like being transported to an actual restaurant in Japan. Besides the 2-person tables, there's a table good for a 6-person group and bar seating perfect for solo dining near Yeoksam Station.

Chisot Yeoksam menu and prices

At Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch, hitsumabushi prices are ₩25,000 for mini, ₩37,000 for regular, and ₩48,000 for deluxe. There's also a wide range of Japanese dishes like sake-don and chashu-don, korokke, plus side dishes like salmon sashimi, chicken nanban, assorted oden nabe, and butter-grilled pollack roe, along with a good sake and drinks list — a solid solo-dining Japanese restaurant near Yeoksam Station.

How filling is the deluxe hitsumabushi?

Hitsumabushi Deluxe, ₩48,000

I was so starving and hungry that day haha, so I ordered the deluxe hitsumabushi, and as a result I ended up completely stuffed. If you're an adult woman who isn't super hungry, the regular size should be plenty — the mother and daughter at the next table each ordered the mini size.

Chisot, a Nagoya-style eel rice bowl spot, plates it beautifully: japonica freshwater eel rice bowl, chawanmushi (savory egg custard), clear soup, ochazuke, pickled peppers, red pickled ginger, and yakumi (nori flakes, scallion, wasabi).

Every table at this Yeoksam Station spot comes with barley tea, furikake and sansho powder ready before the meal, to sprinkle on however you like — and the furikake is seriously delicious!

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How to eat hitsumabushi at Chisot, step by step

Chisot's hitsumabushi comes with a rice paddle so you can divide the rice into 3-4 portions and eat it however you like. Before digging into the eel rice bowl near Yeoksam Station, try the soft chawanmushi first, and then dive into this Gangnam eel rice bowl hitsumabushi with its gorgeous-looking tare sauce 🤗 The fish-shaped rice paddle is super cute too.

Because it's domestic japonica eel, each piece is really plump — a solid solo-dining Japanese restaurant near Yeoksam Station.

The rice portion is standard, but you can add as much as you want yourself from the rice cooker. Add wasabi first and savor the eel rice bowl's original flavor.

Then I tried adding the yakumi, sprinkling on furikake, and pouring it over ochazuke.

The nutty flavor just bursts in your mouth, making this solo-dining Japanese spot near Yeoksam Station even more delicious. The ochazuke isn't too salty, with a subtle bonito flake aroma — and yes, it's refillable too.

The sansho powder has an exotic aroma, perfect to sprinkle in once things start feeling rich — totally refreshing!

I'd love to come back again with friends, a partner, or family to this Gangnam eel rice bowl favorite, Chisot. Next time I'll try the animal-label sake too.