Yeoksam eel rice bowl for a late weekday lunch, Naver booking: Unagiwa

I made use of a weekday late lunch to go eat eel rice bowl. Hitsumabushi always makes me feel like I need to eat it properly, like it deserves a real meal moment. And today I think I got a really proper hitsumabushi experience — very satisfying.

Where is Unagiwa Yeoksam, and how does the valet parking work?

Unagiwa comes into view after about a 10-minute walk from Yeoksam Station Exit 7. Turn into the alley behind GS Art Center and you'll find it right away. For parking, search '25 Teheran-ro 27-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul' in your navigation — valet parking is available (₩5,000 for 2 hours).

Once you step through the big gate, it feels like the atmosphere shifts — as if you've just arrived in Japan.

Late weekday lunch at Unagiwa: atmosphere and Naver reservation

Inside, Unagiwa feels very clean and tidy. It's spacious and comfortable, giving a real sense of openness. That said, there can be a wait during lunch peak time, so I made a Naver reservation in advance before visiting. Japanese-style dolls and bamboo decor catch the eye. The small, cute props make you feel like you've taken a little trip to Japan.

Hitsumabushi vs unadon: what's the difference?

Here's the menu breakdown: hitsumabushi comes in Sang, Teuk, and Mini depending on the amount of eel. It looks like you can also get grilled eel in the evening! I was curious about the difference between hitsumabushi and unadon — both are eel rice bowls, but hitsumabushi steams the eel once while unadon steams it twice, giving it a slightly softer texture. So hitsumabushi has a bit of a crisp-outside-tender-inside feel, while unadon is apparently more uniformly soft..!

We ordered two Hitsumabushi Sang (whole-eel rice bowl) sets. We decided to each happily eat a whole eel to ourselves. It's said to be pungcheon eel raised at their own farm on Ganghwa Island, and it's certified antibiotic-free, which gives it some extra credibility..!

What comes with the Hitsumabushi Sang set at Unagiwa, and how to eat it

A beautifully colored hitsumabushi arrived. It comes with chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), salad, and soup. While serving, the staff explained how to eat it. Hitsumabushi is a specialty of Nagoya, and unlike unadon, you divide it into four portions and eat it in stages.

• Divide into four portions, and eat the first one plain to taste the eel itself
• For the second, add scallion and wasabi
• For the third, add perilla leaf and seaweed flakes and turn it into ochazuke (tea-poured rice)
• For the last, eat it however you liked best (planning ahead is allowed)

As a side, my favorite gungchae (stem lettuce) came out, and I asked what the red ketchup-looking thing next to it was — turns out it's bainiku sauce made from umeboshi (pickled plum). It's a plum sauce with a noticeable tartness. They said it's meant to be paired with the hitsumabushi when things start to feel greasy, to cleanse the palate.

Step one: the eel on its own

Being a well-behaved student, I dutifully divided it into four and tried it. The eel was grilled just right — crisp outside, tender inside, so delicious — and the sweet tare sauce soaked in just enough, giving it a salty-sweet balance.

Step two: scallion and wasabi

The second round was the scallion-and-wasabi combo. Personally, this was my favorite way to eat it! (I love wasabi.) Adding perilla leaf too made it even more delicious.

Step three: ochazuke with plum sauce

The third round was ochazuke. The green tea scent wasn't very strong, so I'm not totally sure it was green tea, but the combination of the soft eel texture with the warm tea broth was so good! I tried the plum sauce since they said it's for when the eel's richness starts to feel greasy, and it had an addictive flavor — I enjoyed it a lot. Usually with hitsumabushi I end up leaving a bit toward the end because it gets greasy, but this time I don't think I really felt that at all! Oh, and the rice is really generous in portion. I finished all the eel but had to leave some rice behind, haha.

Dessert: Japanese-style sikhye at Unagiwa

After we finished eating, they brought out Japanese-style sikhye (sweet rice drink) for dessert. I'm not totally sure how it differs from Korean sikhye, but it was a bit thicker, sweeter, and refreshingly cool.

Who is Unagiwa Yeoksam best for?

I remember spending about ₩100,000 on hitsumabushi back when I traveled to Japan — but honestly, I think I don't even need to travel for that anymore. If you're looking for a great eel rice bowl spot in Gangnam or a Yeoksam restaurant recommendation, Unagiwa is worth stopping by, especially when you have a special lunch appointment. Also worth noting: they give out matcha pudding if you leave a receipt review!