Hitsumabushi vs unagi maguro-don at Kikukawa, Magok, Seoul

A Magok One Grove restaurant recommendation: Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa

These days our family goes to Magok One Grove two or three times a month or more. The parking is great, there are tons of restaurants, and nursing rooms are scattered everywhere, so it's such a good spot for an outing with a baby.

Honestly, when you actually go to Magok One Grove you see so many families with babies that the whole place, restaurants included, has a very kid-friendly vibe!

Among all that, last weekend we went to an eel rice bowl restaurant. We'd been wanting to try Magok One Grove's < Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa > for a while, and finally made it!

Located on the corner of Building A's ground floor

For reference, Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa is on the 1st floor of Building A, right on the building's corner. Anyone who visits Magok One Grove often will probably recognize it right away.

Other shops are usually tucked inside, so they're not visible from outside the building, but this Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa is on the corner with windows, and the overall interior is really nice.

For reference, Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa is an eel rice bowl restaurant that started in Japan back in 1932, and it currently operates 4 branches in Korea.

Hours, reservations, parking

• Hours: 10:30 - 22:00
• Reservations available via Naver / Catch Table
• Up to 5 hours free parking depending on bill amount

The interior is well decorated, and the atmosphere is comfortable enough to eat alone! There's also a room in the back, and you can reserve it too.

Just a note that high chairs are available for kids.

The menu

So what's on the menu at Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa, and what does it cost?

First off, Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa is 'traditional Nagoya style,' offering authentic eel dishes all the way through course meals. They pay close attention from selecting and storing the eel, to grilling, sauce, and even the tableware. Very Japanese, haha.

The difference between unaju (eel rice bowl) and hitsumabushi

Quick tip before you order — remember that unaju and hitsumabushi are different! ✔️

Unaju is exactly what it sounds like: eel placed on top of rice, either whole or cut into large pieces, usually served in a deep lacquered box.

Hitsumabushi is a Nagoya specialty served in a wooden container called a hitsu, with the eel sliced more finely. Since it's eaten in four stages, it comes with wasabi, nori (dried seaweed) flakes, and either broth or green tea for ochazuke (tea-poured rice).

On the menu, 'unaju' listed is the eel rice bowl, and 'hitsumabushi' is written as such, so keep that in mind when ordering!

There's also sashimi, tempura, kids' set meals, and other à la carte dishes.

Besides eel, there's sashimi and seafood rice bowls, and in the evening there's a dinner set, so you can enjoy a variety of menu items.

+ When I visited in late August, unagi maguro don was also on the menu.

Lastly, just a note that unaju, hitsumabushi, and a whole grilled eel are all available for takeout.

For course-menu guests only, one bottle of corkage per table is free, and you can also get a 5% discount on meal menu items if you're a Magok One Grove tenant company.

An honest review

I liked that they had two kinds of water ready on the table too.

For reference, the two of us ordered unagi maguro don and hitsumabushi. As I mentioned earlier, even the plating is completely different~

How to eat hitsumabushi, in four steps

First, the authentic Nagoya-style hitsumabushi! Broth, wasabi, nori flakes, scallions, ochazuke broth, plus a serving bowl and paddle — the full setup, done properly.

For those trying hitsumabushi for the first time, there's a guide on how to eat it best.

• First, enjoy the eel's natural flavor as is
• Second, try it with toppings like wasabi, nori flakes, and scallions
• Finish it off as ochazuke

And of course, the most important thing here is the 'eel.' The eel itself was really, really delicious. My husband and I both love eel, so whenever we travel to Japan we always make sure to eat eel rice bowls, and this was genuinely just as good as what we've had in Japan — I got it, famous places really are famous for a reason.

How the unagi maguro don is served

Unagi maguro don is exactly what it sounds like — a rice bowl with both unagi (eel) and maguro (tuna). Unlike hitsumabushi, there's no separate serving bowl and no toppings. Instead, it comes with a cabbage salad.

While the hitsumabushi's eel was sliced more finely, the eel here is cut into larger pieces, which felt like it let the eel's natural flavor really come through!

And since tuna sashimi comes along with it, you get the advantage of enjoying both eel rice bowl and tuna rice bowl flavors in one bowl. Nori and wasabi are served too, so you can eat it however you like. I liked putting rice, tuna, and wasabi on the nori and eating it like a maki roll :)

It felt like such a genuinely delicious meal after a long time :) We've tried quite a few eel rice bowl restaurants in both Korea and Japan, and this one is truly delicious. If you love eel rice bowls, definitely check out this Magok One Grove restaurant.