Yeoksam eel restaurant with tablet ordering and uni don: Unagiwa

With the weather cooling down, I went out craving something hearty and restorative 🤤 I happened to have plans near Yeoksam and stumbled on an eel rice bowl place that looked so good I walked straight in haha. Today I'm introducing 'Unagiwa,' a neat, upscale eel-specialty Japanese restaurant near Yeoksam Station 🍱✨

Where is Unagiwa, and what are its hours?

Unagiwa is on the 2nd floor at 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, near Yeoksam Station. It's open Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00, with a break from 15:00–17:00, last order at 20:00, and closed Saturdays and Sundays.

From the entrance — lanterns, clean wood interior — it already gave off that upscale, atmospheric Japanese restaurant vibe 👀 Being near Yeoksam Station, it seemed perfect for office lunches, gatherings, or taking someone out for a proper meal!

Inside Unagiwa: atmosphere and seating

Inside, Unagiwa was really clean and cozy. Warm wood tones plus calm lighting made for a comfortable dining atmosphere, and the seats were spacious with generous gaps between tables — loved that!

Unagiwa's menu and how tablet ordering works

At Unagiwa you can order conveniently through the tablet installed at each table. Curious what the difference would be since both are eel rice bowls, we ordered the signature '(large) hitsumabushi' and '(large) uni don' 🤤

What comes with the (large) hitsumabushi set

And finally, the main event, the (large) hitsumabushi set...!! 🍱 The neatly arranged tray came generously loaded — the main eel rice bowl, soft chawanmushi (savory egg custard) and salad, plus side dishes. The chawanmushi had mushroom bits inside for a nice crunch, and it was perfect for gently warming up the stomach before the meal 🥣

A large ceramic bowl came packed with golden-grilled eel — no bones at all, crispy outside, moist inside, sauce soaked all the way through 🫧

Hitsumabushi vs. unagi don: what's the difference?

The menu description said the unagi don is steamed one more time for extra softness, but honestly, bite for bite, I didn't feel a huge difference in texture..! What actually felt different was the size of the eel and the way you eat it!!

• Unagi don: the eel comes in big, plump chunks, so you get the full flavor of the meaty eel
• Hitsumabushi: the eel is cut into bite-sized pieces, so it's great for mixing in wasabi or scallion, or rolling into ochazuke

If you want to enjoy the eel's big, hearty texture on its own, go for unagi don; if you want to mix it up in different combinations and finish with ochazuke, I'd recommend hitsumabushi haha.

Four ways to eat hitsumabushi at Unagiwa

The Unagiwa tablet screen had a helpful guide, 'How to enjoy hitsumabushi even more,' so I followed it step by step 💡

1. Taste the eel plain

Divide it into quarters with the paddle to taste the rice and eel's original clean flavor! First, I moved 1/4 with the paddle onto a small plate.

I scooped a spoonful with rice and took a bite — there was zero fishy taste, and the sauce wasn't overly sweet, so it stayed craveable bite after bite 🥹

Adding a bit of the crunchy, tangy side dish that came with it brought even more texture and made it taste even better.

2. Mix in scallion and wasabi

A sharp kick doubles the umami! 🥬🌶️ Second, I mixed the eel and rice with scallion and wasabi — the sharp wasabi aroma and crunchy scallion doubled the flavor!! Personally, this combo was so clean and totally my style ㅠ🥹😋

3. Pour tea over it for ochazuke

Add seaweed flakes and scallion, pour warm broth over for a clean finish! 🍶 Third, sprinkle in seaweed flakes and scallion, then pour warm ocha (broth) over for ochazuke!

The savory broth soaked into every grain of rice, warming me right up, and it went down so gently and smoothly.. total comfort-food vibes(?). The sweet-salty eel sauce melted subtly into the broth for just the right seasoning!!

4. Add the house bainiku (plum sauce)

The fourth and final combo is topping it with a bit of the red special bainiku (plum sauce) served alongside! The sweet-tart plum sauce cut through the eel's richness cleanly, letting me enjoy a totally different flavor down to the last bite.

Dessert: Unagiwa's matcha pudding

After the meal, the matcha pudding dessert I received as part of the review event was seriously so, so good... 🥹 Chewy outside, moist and soft inside like a premium pudding, topped with a rich, bittersweet matcha sauce — the perfect ending! Dessert nailed it too, absolutely the best ㅠㅠ

From a hearty, restorative meal to a top-notch dessert, Yeoksam's 'Unagiwa' delivered it all in one neat spread! Highly recommend it if you're looking for proper hitsumabushi eel rice bowls around Gangnam/Yeoksam 🤎