Solo eel rice bowl dinner in Magok: mentaiko hitsumabushi at Kikukawa

I had somewhere to be near Magok Station and was looking up what to eat when I found out there's an upscale Japanese restaurant inside One Grove. Japanese food sounded exactly right at that moment, so I booked a table and headed over!

Today I'm introducing Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove Branch, famous as a Magok One Grove eel rice bowl restaurant!

It's an upscale Japanese restaurant specializing in eel, so I went in with high expectations haha. It's known as one of the best Magok restaurants, especially for Japanese food!

Inside Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa One Grove: entrance and atmosphere

Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa has its entrance on the outside of Building A at One Grove. You can't walk in from inside One Grove — you have to go outside and enter separately, which might be a bit confusing for first-time visitors.

Still, the restaurant itself is huge, so it wasn't hard to find!

The moment I stepped in, I really felt that upscale Japanese restaurant vibe. Wood-tone interiors, plants placed here and there, and soft lighting all combined for a calm, refined atmosphere.

With so many offices nearby, it seemed to be popular for business meetings and group dinners. I was there to dine solo, so I quietly ate by myself in the middle of it all haha.

Kikukawa's private rooms seat 2 to 8 people

There are private rooms too, which looked really good for group gatherings. Rooms hold anywhere from 2 to a maximum of 8 people, so you can book according to your group size.

If you want to enjoy this Magok One Grove eel rice bowl spot comfortably in a room, I'd recommend reserving ahead!

Kikukawa One Grove menu and prices

You can order easily using the tablet at each table!

Course sets at Kikukawa

• Hitsumabushi ₩38,000
• Kizami hitsumabushi ₩30,000
• Yondaime Kikukawa Ilpum Unaju ₩48,000
• Mentaiko hitsumabushi ₩48,000
• Yondaime Kikukawa Ilpum hitsumabushi ₩50,000
• Mentaiko Ilpum hitsumabushi ₩60,000
• Kikukawa set ₩40,000
• Sashimi set ₩35,000
• Tempura set ₩33,000
• Kabayaki whole eel set ₩48,000
• Shirayaki whole eel set ₩48,000
• Kids' set ₩16,000

Eel rice bowls

• Unadon ₩33,000
• Unagi maguro-don ₩48,000
• Salmon ikura-don ₩38,000
• Uni maguro-don ₩55,000
• Uni ikura-don ₩55,000

Moriawase (assorted platters)

• Tuna moriawase (9 pieces) ₩40,000
• Tuna moriawase (27 pieces) ₩110,000
• Sashimi moriawase ₩30,000
• Tempura moriawase ₩25,000

A la carte and side dishes

• Kabayaki (single whole eel) ₩43,000
• Shirayaki (single whole eel) ₩43,000
• Uzaku ₩15,000
• Umaki (2 pieces) ₩8,000

Alongside the eel, there's a solid sashimi selection too, so you can enjoy a variety of upscale Japanese dishes.

Mentaiko hitsumabushi and bokbunja highball: what they taste like

Here's what I ordered!

• Mentaiko hitsumabushi
• Bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) highball

It came out pretty quickly after ordering!

When you lift the lid, it's a real reveal moment — the second I saw it, I thought it looked so upscale. I've eaten a lot of eel rice bowls around, and this one was easily the most refined-looking of them all!

The mentaiko hitsumabushi comes with instructions on how to eat it, so even first-timers can follow along and enjoy it properly. And since rice refills are free, you can eat as much as you like haha.

How to eat hitsumabushi three ways

Mentaiko hitsumabushi, served as a generous full spread! Hitsumabushi is a bit different from a regular eel rice bowl — the eel is finely chopped and placed over rice, meant to be eaten several different ways.

First, eat it plain to taste the eel and rice on their own. Next, add wasabi, scallion, and seaweed. Then pour in the dashi broth and eat it like ochazuke. At the end, finish it off however you liked best!

The generous mentaiko (marinated pollock roe) piled on top looked so appetizing haha.

Plus the side dishes, wasabi, scallion, and seaweed that came with it.

And the dashi broth for making ochazuke also comes along with it.

The eel quality was really excellent. Just as the atmosphere suggested, it had that proper upscale Japanese eel rice bowl feel. The sauce was applied well and the eel was grilled just right, pairing perfectly with the rice.

I love mentaiko, so I chose mentaiko hitsumabushi, and I really think it was the right call. I don't handle salty food that well, but it wasn't too salty and suited my taste perfectly haha.

First I tried it plain — eating the eel and mentaiko separately with rice was tasty too, but eating them together was really the best haha. Both the eel and mentaiko pieces were sizable, so it felt generous.

Next I tried it with wasabi, scallion, and seaweed. I really love wasabi, so I always make sure to have it with Japanese food. Eating it with wasabi and scallion together was the tastiest way haha. Each bite disappearing was almost a shame.

Then I tried adding the dashi broth to make ochazuke. You just add everything in and pour the broth over. The rice gets more moist and turns into something like ochazuke, and it really went down easily.

And of course, wasabi can't be missing from that either haha. For me, wasabi and scallion was the tastiest, and ochazuke came in second. So for my last bites, I stuck with those two styles haha.

The bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) highball

When the food is this good, it feels wrong not to have a drink haha. I was thinking about what light drink to get and noticed a bokbunja highball on the menu, so I gave it a try.

Sweet and tangy, it went really well with the eel rice bowl haha. So glad I ordered it!!

Eel takeout from the Kikukawa gift shop

On the way out after eating, there's a gift shop where you can buy eel to take home separately haha. It's nice that you can enjoy Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa's eel at home too, so grabbing some to go seems like a great idea haha~~

The service was excellent, and dining solo in such an upscale atmosphere made for a really pleasant end to the day!

Who should visit Kikukawa in Magok

• Anyone looking for a Magok One Grove eel rice bowl restaurant
• Anyone wanting to properly enjoy upscale Japanese food
• Anyone wanting a room for group gatherings
• Anyone looking for a group venue for work meetings or dinners
• Anyone searching for Magok restaurants, especially Magok Japanese restaurants
• Anyone looking for a Magok restaurant with private rooms

If any of these describe you, this eel restaurant with rooms — great for group business meetings and just as good for solo dining — is worth a visit. Try Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa Magok One Grove Branch!

Kikukawa One Grove hours, parking and address

• Location: 165 Gonghang-daero, Building A 1F, Units E101–102, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30–22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Amenities: group dining available, reservations, takeout
• Corkage available (fee)
• Parking: 1 hour free with ₩20,000–30,000 spend / 2 hours with ₩30,000–50,000 / 3 hours with ₩50,000–100,000 / 5 hours with ₩100,000+