Yeoksam eel rice bowl comparing Sang and Mini hitsumabushi: Unagiwa

Today I'm bringing you a review of Unagiwa in Yeoksam, where I had genuinely delicious hitsumabushi (eel over rice, eaten four ways)! Ever since I first tried hitsumabushi on a trip to Nagoya, I've been completely hooked haha... so whenever I hear about a good hitsumabushi spot, I make a point of checking it out. This time I heard there was a place in Yeoksam that tasted good enough to bring back my Nagoya memories, so I went to see for myself!

Unagiwa location, hours, and parking near Yeoksam Station

• 📍 Location: 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• 🕐 Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:00), closed Sat–Sun
• 🚗 Parking: valet available, ₩5,000 (2 hours)

Finding Unagiwa's entrance and where to leave the car

I took the subway that day, and it was only a 5-minute walk from Yeoksam Station, so it was easy to get to by public transport! Valet parking is available at ₩5,000 for 2 hours :) As soon as I arrived, the exterior already gave off a serious eel-specialist vibe lol. It really felt like the kind of place run by an eel master...😆

Inside Unagiwa: good for solo dining, meetings, or a date?

Once I stepped inside Unagiwa, it felt much more upscale and calm than the exterior suggested.

Following the hallway further in leads to the dining area, which was clean and spacious overall. It seemed like a great spot for solo dining as well as for meetings or dates :)

I especially loved how sunlight poured in through the Japanese-style windows, giving off the feeling of a leisurely daytime meal :) There were little Japanese-style props and decor details all over the place, so even for a short while, it really felt like I was eating in Japan! I had booked ahead, so I was shown straight to my seat :)

Unagiwa menu: unadon, shirayaki, and umaki

We ordered one Hitsumabushi Sang and one Hitsumabushi Mini! Besides hitsumabushi, there was quite a variety of menu items — unadon (eel rice bowl), of course, plus salt-grilled and sauce-grilled eel, and even umaki (eel rolled omelet)! I'm curious about the umaki too, so I'll definitely have to order it next time haha. And true to a proper Japanese eel restaurant, there was also a fairly wide selection of sake.

Hitsumabushi Sang: a whole eel in one bowl

The Hitsumabushi (Sang) size came out first! The 'Sang' size comes with an entire eel on the bowl, so just looking at it, the portion of eel was seriously generous!

The staff kindly explained exactly how to eat it. Apparently the whole point of hitsumabushi is to divide one bowl into four portions and enjoy each one a different way :)

• 1. Plain, with nothing added, to taste it as is!
• 2. With scallion and wasabi, for a clean finish!
• 3. Pour on ocha (tea) with seaweed flakes to make ochazuke!
• 4. With Unagiwa's special plum sauce (baeinyuk)!

The accompanying spread was also neat and tidy. Salad and basic side dishes came out first, along with gungchae (pickled mustard stem) and ginger to cut through the richness, plus seaweed flakes, scallion, wasabi, and ocha for garnishing. There was even miso soup, making for a clean, well-rounded meal overall!

A soft chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) came along with it too! One bite in, it was smooth and delicious, true to form — a nice light starter before digging into the hitsumabushi haha.

The visual of the plump, well-grilled hitsumabushi... The eel was clearly large and thick, generous enough that even guys could eat it and feel full! And on the first bite, it immediately brought back memories of the hitsumabushi I had in Nagoya...! I already love hitsumabushi in general, but the eel itself was so thick and tender that it paired perfectly with the rice :)

Is the Hitsumabushi Mini portion enough?

Next came the Hitsumabushi (Mini) size. The eel pieces were a bit smaller than in the Sang size, but that didn't mean there was any less eel at all!

If anything, there seemed to be even more eel than rice — the eel portion was seriously generous! So if you love eel, I think even the Mini size would leave you quite satisfied haha. As a woman, I felt the Mini was plenty filling on its own!

How to eat Unagiwa's hitsumabushi four ways

We tried the four methods the staff had explained to us :)

1. Plain, straight from the bowl

First, plain, with nothing added! Eating the well-seasoned eel together with warm rice was delicious from the very first bite... One bite in, it instantly brought back memories of the hitsumabushi I had in Nagoya! It really does seem like you should try hitsumabushi plain first, to taste the eel and rice on their own haha.

2. With scallion and wasabi

Second, scallion + wasabi. Since the eel is seasoned, it can start to feel a bit rich the more you eat, but the fragrance of scallion and the sharp kick of wasabi cut through that richness nicely! Personally, I really loved this one too!

3. As ochazuke with seaweed flakes

Third, ochazuke. I poured the accompanying ocha over the hitsumabushi, then added seaweed flakes and ate it together! Since the eel is quite richly seasoned, pouring on the tea softened that intense sauce flavor a bit, and with the broth, rice, seaweed, and eel all coming together, it was much heartier and tastier than I expected 🤤 Out of all four methods, ochazuke was my favorite!

4. With Unagiwa's special plum sauce

Fourth, Unagiwa's special plum sauce (baeinyuk). This let me enjoy the eel with a completely different combination of special sauce than the first three methods, so I could keep eating without getting tired of it right up to the end! The special sauce had a taste somewhat like plum-infused gochujang, giving it its own distinct charm compared to the other methods! Splitting the bowl into these four ways meant the flavor kept changing, so I could keep enjoying it deliciously all the way through haha.

Final verdict on Unagiwa's hitsumabushi

Unagiwa's eel was thick and tender enough to bring back memories of the hitsumabushi I had in Nagoya! Splitting one bowl into four eating methods meant the flavor kept changing even though it was the same hitsumabushi, so I could enjoy it right to the end without ever getting tired of it :) Of the four, the ochazuke with seaweed flakes was most to my taste, and the eel itself was delicious, so overall I was very satisfied 🤤 If you love eel and want a hearty meal in Yeoksam, this seems like a great place to visit! Next time I plan to come back and order the umaki I didn't get to try 🐹💛