Yeoksam eel rice bowl restaurant with free corkage: Unagiwa

I was craving something nourishing and upscale, so I went hunting for a good eel rice bowl place near Yeoksam Station.

What sets this place apart from others:

• 🌊Uses japonica eel raised eco-friendly, antibiotic-free at their own private farm
• ✔️A rice bowl served with a whole eel
• ✔️Free corkage
• ✔️Calm, upscale interior
• ✔️Neat, attentive service
• ✔️Easy access near the subway station

All of that made me want to check it out.

Where is Unagiwa, and what are its hours?

Unagiwa is on the 2nd floor at 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, a 3-minute walk from Exit 7 or 8 of Yeoksam Station. It's open Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00, closed Saturdays and Sundays.

• 🕰️Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / closed Sat, Sun
• 📍Reservations and group bookings available
• Waiting area and parking in front of the restaurant
• Directions: a 3-minute walk from Exit 7 or 8 of Yeoksam Station

Unagiwa's calm, upscale Japanese interior

Everyone else inside Unagiwa was on a date. I was the last customer left, so I snapped a photo of the space before heading out.

It was clean and modern through and through — felt like I'd found the right Japanese restaurant. A great space for conversation too. 😚

Unagiwa's eel bowl menu and free corkage policy

One of Unagiwa's biggest perks, I think, is the free corkage. They carry a wide range of alcohol too, and it's still free corkage — 😙

Eel rice bowls are such a premium dish that I figured the price was just what it was, but then—

• ⭐️Naver receipt review event⭐️
• 1. Shio konbu squid, 1 piece per person
• 2. Matcha pudding, 1 per person
• 3. Umeboshi ade, 1 glass
• 4. Ebisu draft beer, 1 glass, free

With free corkage on top of all that, the total price didn't feel like a burden at all.

What two people ordered at Unagiwa, and the side dishes served

• Large hitsumabushi ₩38,000
• Large ichino unadon ₩38,000
• Soju ₩5,000

A neat Japanese spread arrived in a round wooden bowl called an ohitsu. Basics included a salad, a pudding-textured steamed egg custard, and side dishes to eat with rice.

Ichino unadon: a whole grilled eel over rice

First, the ichino unadon. A whole eel served on top makes for a fun bowl to look at before you even eat.

Scissors came with it, so I could cut it to whatever size I liked.

It tastes the same as a regular unadon, but I ordered the ichino because I have a fond memory of the thrill of getting a whole eel like this on a trip to Japan — it made the eating so much more fun. And sure enough, the look of it alone made the taste even better.

The sweet, deep tare sauce had soaked into the eel so well that I didn't even need any side dishes — just the eel and rice alone was delicious.

Topping it with a bit of mild ginger and a touch of wasabi was my favorite way to eat it...

Which naturally calls for a drink on the side

I loved that they gave us nice, heavy glasses. Had some weight to them, and the clink when we toasted sounded premium too.

How Unagiwa serves hitsumabushi, and how to eat it in four steps

And then my friend's dish. The bowl (hitsu) came with eel sliced into neat pieces, plus a personal teacup, a small kettle of dashi broth, an assortment of garnishes (chives, ginger, seaweed flakes, wasabi), and a tidy soup and side dishes rounding out a neat solo table setting.

What is hitsumabushi? Apparently it's a signature local dish from Nagoya — charcoal-grilled eel rice bowl cooked over binchotan charcoal until golden, served in a large wooden bowl as a neat, formal Japanese meal.

The owner explained the eating method: divide it into four portions with a rice paddle — ① enjoy it plain first, ② mix it with chives, seaweed flakes and wasabi, ③ pour dashi broth over it for ochazuke, ④ then repeat whichever way you liked best.

My friend raved about how good the ochazuke version was.

Is Unagiwa worth 38,000 won? Final verdict

💛 Final thoughts 💛 From the warm, neat feel of the space to the excellent quality of the properly grilled eel with the sauce soaked all the way through and its rich, deep flavor, there was nothing to complain about in this meal.

It was the perfect hearty dinner treat to give myself! The staff's kindness and how clean the restaurant was go without saying —

If you're looking to recharge with a proper eel rice bowl near Yeoksam Station, Unagiwa is a choice that really won't let you down! I'd love to go back!