Yeoksam eel rice bowl to beat the summer heat, 76,000 won: Unagiwa

What kind of restaurant is Unagiwa near Yeoksam Station?

Unagiwa is a well-known eel rice bowl restaurant near Yeoksam Station, located on the 2nd floor at 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's open weekdays 11:00–21:00, closed on weekends, and parking is available. It was so hot that I went looking for a hitsumabushi spot to recover some energy ,, ❤

The sign is small,

but seen from the front, the space is quite grand!

You can check the menu before going in

Let me show you the menu in more detail! The ones above are the mains, the set meals,

and the menus above are more like side dishes that pair nicely

Inside Unagiwa: hall atmosphere and seating

Unagiwa's 2nd-floor hall has an upscale, modern-simple feel, and lowering the ceiling blinds turns it into a private space. As soon as you walk in, the waiting area is the first thing you see, and it's decorated so prettily and thoughtfully that even the waiting time is memorable -

The dining hall itself had that same upscale, modern-simple vibe, with soft lighting that made the atmosphere really nice, and the plant view outside the window was romantic!

Seen like this it's an open space, but you can lower the blinds hanging from the ceiling to turn it into a private space. Absolutely perfect for entertaining important guests or dining with your parents as a family 👍🏻

They didn't skip the walls either — the interior details were fun to look around.

There was also a hanger rack for coats

This is the view from the hall, and the indirect lighting seemed to contribute a lot to that upscale atmosphere. Interior fully approved ,, ♥

There were also separate men's and women's restrooms inside the store, which was convenient haha

How to eat Unagiwa's hitsumabushi in four quarters

Once seated at Unagiwa, you get brewed tea and wet wipes, and the tablet at the table has a detailed guide on the proper way to eat hitsumabushi.

The tablet at each table had detailed instructions on the proper way to eat hitsumabushi! You divide the eel rice bowl into four parts and

• Eat it plain first
• Top it with wasabi and chopped scallions
• Eat it as ochazuke
• Top it with the special plum sauce

Eating it this way lets you try a variety of flavors and find your own style, which I really, really loved ❤

What comes with two Hitsumabushi Sang sets for 76,000 won

What we ordered was 2 Hitsumabushi Sets, ₩76,000. The Hitsumabushi Set comes with a whole eel on top!

This is the full spread. That's about ₩30,000-something per person, which is quite generous, right?

Just looking at the neatly plated eel made me think, I'm glad I came ,, ♥

I had high expectations and it exceeded them! You could tell how much care went into it from the fine, soft texture and the strong charcoal aroma — it smelled delicious even before tasting. The special sauce was mixed throughout the rice too, so eating it plain without any sauce was personally the most delicious to me. When the base flavor itself is this good, that's a sign of a properly made dish — the kind of taste that has you deciding to come back after just one bite ,,

The chawanmushi had a pudding-like texture with finely chopped mushrooms inside, satisfying both in flavor and texture

Chawanmushi, gungchae stem lettuce and the other side dishes

The seaweed flakes and perilla leaves on top are for when you make ochazuke — adding them takes the aroma and flavor to a whole new level ,, 👍🏻 The wasabi and scallion combo is meant to be scooped onto a spoonful of the rice bowl, and the red sauce is Unagiwa's special plum sauce! It has a refreshing tang, which is probably why they recommend it for the finish. And the gungchae (dried radish greens) and pickled ginger were a real highlight — the gungchae had a savory sesame oil aroma and was perfect as a side dish, and the pickled ginger comes tossed in seasoning too, great as a palate cleanser while eating the eel rice bowl. Nothing in the spread felt out of place — every combination was in harmony

This is the tea broth you pour over the rice later to make ochazuke!

The salad was refreshing too — cleaned my plate on that as well

How does the tea-broth ochazuke taste?

This was my first time trying Unagiwa's hitsumabushi ochazuke, so I scooped a small test portion onto my side plate to try it.

And wow.. it was so good. Since the eel itself is delicious, there was zero greasiness or awkward aftertaste — it just melted in my mouth

Definitely add the perilla leaves and seaweed flakes! There wasn't a hint of fishy smell or any bones, and since the ochazuke tea broth itself is a deeply flavorful stock simmered for a long time, it paired amazingly well

Final verdict on Unagiwa in Yeoksam

This feels like it'll be a repeat, repeat, repeat spot for me. If you're looking for a great restaurant in Gangnam, I confidently recommend this place! The store itself has an upscale atmosphere, and you can tell from the very first bite how much care goes into every single dish — it seems like it would suit all kinds of occasions, from family gatherings to business dinners 👍🏻