Yeoksam eel restaurant with spicy plum sauce hitsumabushi: Unagiwa

I'm a pretty big fan of eel rice bowls, so whenever I travel to Japan I try to seek out good hitsumabushi spots. I even went all the way to Nagoya, the birthplace of hitsumabushi, just to try it there!

When I had hitsumabushi in Nagoya, the eel was so plump and delicious. I heard you could get proper Nagoya-style eel rice bowl in Seoul too, so I went to check out Unagiwa, a well-known spot in Yeoksam.

Unagiwa

Where is Unagiwa, and is there parking?

Unagiwa is an eel specialty restaurant on the 2nd floor of 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's pretty close to Yeoksam Station, and valet parking is available too, which made it quite convenient for setting up a meal in Gangnam.

What the dining room at Unagiwa feels like

Unagiwa's dining room was bigger and cleaner than I expected! When you think of an eel restaurant, you might picture something a bit old and worn, but Unagiwa was well put together overall, so it felt like a fine spot for a date or a gathering.

Above all, the staff were so kind, haha. They explained the menu well and looked after us attentively throughout the meal, so we could eat comfortably.

So apparently it's the kind of place people use for company dinners or lunches near Yeoksam Station, as well as dates and engagement party gatherings. Some people even come alone to treat themselves, haha.

What comes with the 38,000 won hitsumabushi set

What I ordered that day was Unagiwa's signature menu, the hitsumabushi set for ₩38,000 — a Japanese-style eel rice bowl topped with a whole eel. It comes with a whole antibiotic-free, charcoal-grilled eel, rice, garnishes, and ochazuke, so it's a filling meal on its own.

First I tried the chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) loaded with mushrooms.

There were plenty of mushrooms on top of the soft steamed egg, so the texture was great, and it came out warm, making it a nice light bite before the meal properly started. After the chawanmushi, I cleansed my palate with the salad, and then finally dug into the main event — the hitsumabushi :)

Domestic antibiotic-free eel, grilled over open flame

Unagiwa uses 100% domestic antibiotic-free Japonica eel, and the eel itself was soft with thick, meaty flesh.

It's grilled the authentic Nagoya way — brushed with tare sauce and charcoal-grilled — and eating it, I loved the subtle charcoal aroma that came through! The eel itself was savory and the sauce wasn't overly sweet, so I kept reaching for more with the rice 🥹 It was almost sad watching it disappear bite by bite…

The garnishes: seaweed, wasabi, scallion and perilla leaf

With hitsumabushi, you don't just eat the eel and rice plain — you get to add the accompanying garnishes to your liking. At Unagiwa, seaweed, wasabi, scallion, and perilla leaf all came out together, so it was fun mixing and matching. A piece of eel with a touch of wasabi and some scallion was delicious, and eel with rice and seaweed flakes was also amazing.

The spicy plum sauce was the surprise of the meal

And one thing that was a bit unusual was the plum sauce. Hitsumabushi is usually paired with Japanese-style tare sauce, but here it came with a slightly spicy plum sauce too, so you could enjoy it with a more Korean flavor profile.

The sweet-and-sour taste with a touch of spice helped cut through the richness of the eel. It felt like they kept the base authentically Japanese while also preparing a combination Korean diners would love — I really liked that touch.

Finishing the eel bowl as ochazuke

There are several ways to enjoy hitsumabushi, but for me the ochazuke at the end was still the best part!!! You set aside a portion of rice and eel, pour in the warm broth, and eat — the broth had a subtle bonito flake aroma that paired so well with the eel. Above all, I loved that the broth was served piping hot.

Eating the ochazuke with the warm broth poured over it warmed me up from the inside, and I genuinely felt like I was treating my body right. The savory, rich flavor of the eel combined with the bonito aroma, and with the warm broth and rice together, it just went down so smoothly. I love finishing hitsumabushi with ochazuke, and that day was no exception — I wrapped it up neatly with ochazuke at the end!

Which occasions Unagiwa suits best

Unagiwa's dining room is spacious and calm, so it would work well for a weekday lunch, an evening company dinner, or a gathering. I'd especially recommend it as a spot for engagement party get-togethers or dates.

If you want somewhere that's not too formal but also not too casual, this clean, tidy space and eel rice bowl is a great recommendation! The hitsumabushi comes with a whole eel, so it's filling enough for a proper meal, and in the evening, pairing the grilled eel with sake or a highball would be great too.

Highly recommended if you've been wanting to try Nagoya-style hitsumabushi without actually flying to Nagoya :)