Yeoksam eel restaurant: mini hitsumabushi and umaki omelet at Unagiwa

I got off work craving eel so badly, but it felt a bit too hot for grilled eel... so I thought, let's do a rice bowl instead! That's how I found this eel rice bowl spot near Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station. I couldn't believe a place like this existed near my office 😵‍💫 So here's the post, right away.

Where is Unagiwa, and its hours and parking

Unagiwa is a 5-minute walk from Yeoksam Station on Line 2, near GS Tower. It's open Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00), Naver Reservations are available, and parking is valet for ₩5,000 per 2 hours ✨

• 📌5-minute walk from Yeoksam Station (Line 2), near GS Tower
• ✔️Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• ✔️Naver Reservations available
• ✔️Parking: valet, ₩5,000 for 2 hours ✨

It's on the 2nd floor above Dallae Haejang — just head to the left side of the building.

Come this way and head up the stairs. Pretty from the entrance already.

There's bamboo décor right alongside too, and once you get inside the whole place is unified with wood interiors — you can really feel that they put just as much care into the outside as the inside 👍🏻

You get that Japan vibe 🇯🇵🇯🇵 right from the entrance — I thought, wow, this interior is so classy!

Inside Unagiwa: interior and seating

Unagiwa's interior is unified in wood, and the restroom is inside the restaurant. Tables are fairly plentiful, but by around 6-7pm all but two tables were full.

You see the restroom right as you walk in. I love that it's inside the restaurant ㅠㅠ The inside was pretty clean too.

✨✨The wood interior is really something to admire....✨✨ The path toward the eel...

I visited early, so I could take photos before anyone else showed up! Right after I finished snapping, seats started filling up fast... I got lucky 🫪 Yeoksam and Gangnam have great accessibility and tons of offices nearby, so it seems like a lot of people come for lunch or after work! Tables are plentiful, but by 6-7pm all but two were full ‼️

What we ordered: mini hitsumabushi and large 6-piece umaki

What we ordered at Unagiwa was the hitsumabushi (mini) and a large 6-piece uwaki (grilled eel egg roll). Sake and drinks to go with the meal are also well prepared.

We ordered the hitsumabushi (mini) and a large 6-piece uwaki (grilled eel egg roll). Sake and drinks to pair with the meal are also well prepared.

They're also running a receipt review event, so I gave that a try too haha, definitely recommend everyone grabs it 👍🏻

What comes with the hitsumabushi set and how to eat it

Unagiwa's hitsumabushi comes out as a full spread, and they explained that the red plum bainiku sauce is for when the dish feels rich or you want a change of pace. How to eat it is shown step by step on the kiosk.

After a short wait, the food arrived.

The moment we saw the eel rice bowl spread, everyone went wow~~~ nonstop. Generous portions and a really great overall setup. A table that makes you happy the second you see it ❤️ They gave us a quick rundown too — it's domestic eel, raised in an eco-friendly, antibiotic-free farm on Ganghwa Island, apparently quite the prized eel. ⭐️The red sauce is plum bainiku sauce — pair it in when the dish feels rich or you want a change⭐️ ❤️passed with flying colors❤️

There are several ways to enjoy hitsumabushi, and it's all kindly laid out on the kiosk — give it a look and try it out 👍🏻

Oh no!!! I was filming a video and dropped a piece ㅋㅋㅋㅋ the 3-second rule, quickly put it back... eel is precious...♥

Even the steamed egg custard with mushrooms was fluffy and delicious.

Finishing the eel rice bowl as ochazuke

And finally, my favorite — ochazuke!!!! Topping ochazuke with wasabi and seaweed flakes is my absolute favorite thing...✨✨❤️ No fine bones in the eel at all, no fishy taste, no dry texture whatsoever — it was truly, truly delicious o̴̶̷̥᷅⌓o̴̶̷᷄

How was the umaki eel omelet roll?

This one was also seriously delicious... the egg was somehow both sweet-ish and savory... soft and pillowy.. what even is this. Everyone who tried it said they went crazy for the egg ‼️‼️‼️

Japanese-style sikhye and matcha pudding

Once we'd nearly finished the meal, Unagiwa brought out a Japanese-style sikhye?? It felt completely different from Korean sikhye — much smoother and richer. Also delicious, and it cleanses your palate.

This is the 💚matcha pudding💚 from the review event. It's got a mochi-tofu-like feel, and the matcha isn't overpowering, so it was a great finishing dessert. Best pudding I've had so far ‼️‼️‼️ 🔥Definitely grab this when you go🔥

Who is Unagiwa best for: solo meals, groups or dates?

Unagiwa, this eel rice bowl spot in Yeoksam, works for solo dining, lunch or dinner meals, and group gatherings too. The atmosphere is so nice I'd recommend it for a date dinner as well. As someone who loves eel rice bowls, and since it's close to my office, I'm definitely planning to come back 💛 Gang-chu-chu.