Yeoksam eel rice bowl for a friend's visit home from Canada: Unagiwa

My friend, who's studying in Canada, came back to Korea for the first time in six months this break 😭 Since it had been so long, I asked what she wanted to eat the most now that she was home, and she said eel rice bowl — apparently there's no proper eel rice bowl spot in Canada and she'd been craving it so badly, haha.

So today!! We went to Unagiwa, the one and only place I think of when it comes to eel rice bowl in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam!!

Where is Unagiwa Yeoksam?

Unagiwa Yeoksam branch is a hitsumabushi restaurant at 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's the first place that comes to mind when you're looking for eel rice bowl near Yeoksam Station or Gangnam Station.

Inside Unagiwa: dining room and seating

The moment you walk in, you feel the upscale vibe — the calm, tidy white tone made it perfect for a quiet meal and conversation!! The tables are spaced generously too, so there's no cramped feeling at all, making it ideal for an important meeting or a date course haha.

What comes on the hitsumabushi tray

We ordered the signature hitsumabushi. It arrives neatly plated as an individual tray set, and it looks upscale and pampering at a glance — perfect for a work dinner near Yeoksam Station 👍🏿

When we opened the lid, glossy eel was packed densely on top. Doesn't it look amazing just from the photo...? The clean, sweet-and-savory aroma of the eel rice bowl hit us before we even took a bite!! It really confirmed that Unagiwa is THE eel rice bowl spot in Gangnam. The staff explained each item on the menu too, so genuinely kind 👼🏿

Three ways to eat hitsumabushi at Unagiwa

Unagiwa's hitsumabushi comes with guidance for three ways to eat it, so we tried all three combinations.

First, we scooped just the eel and rice plain to taste the original flavor. Second, we topped it with the scallion, wasabi and gim (seaweed flakes) that came alongside — personally, the combination with a touch of wasabi was the cleanest and I kept going back for more.

Don't forget the side dishes that came along the way, haha. The steamed egg custard was so soft and savory, basically pudding itself, ugh.

Finally, we poured hot tea broth over it to make ochazuke — it warmed us from the inside and went down smoothly, a great clean finish. My friend from Canada, who'd wanted this dish the most, said it was rich yet clean and was so satisfied. I've been a bit worn out from job hunting lately too, but the eel rice bowl fully recharged me 🔋 No wonder this Gangnam spot is so popular, haha.

✨ Final verdict on Unagiwa ✨

Unagiwa in Yeoksam let us taste the deep, natural flavor of eel that's rich but never greasy!! I could immediately understand why it's known as the eel rice bowl spot in Gangnam.

The soft texture, which was the biggest strength I noticed, was honestly 100 times better than the eel rice bowl I had in Japan!! Naturally, a full 5 out of 5, and 100% intent to return ✌🏿

There's one downside to trying Unagiwa's eel in Yeoksam — you'll think of it every single time you eat eel rice bowl afterward... be careful...? If you're near Yeoksam Station or Gangnam Station looking for a clean, rich eel rice bowl in an upscale setting, I highly recommend Unagiwa Yeoksam branch 👍🏿