Yeoksam eel restaurant reachable by car, mini hitsumabushi: Unagiwa

I was out in Gangnam and decided it was finally time to try eel rice bowl, something I'd been curious about for a while. Looking around near Yeoksam Station, I ended up at Unagiwa.

It was my first time trying hitsumabushi, so I was curious about the taste, but I was also torn on whether to order the sang (regular) or mini size. My husband and I each ordered one to try them side by side, and the portion difference turned out to be bigger than expected — hopefully this helps if you're deciding on size!

Where is Unagiwa, and can you drive there and park?

Unagiwa is near Yeoksam Station, so it's a solid option if you're looking for somewhere to eat around Gangnam or Yeoksam.

We drove over, and there was a small parking space in front of the restaurant that fits about one car, so we parked there. If that's taken, you can use the valet booth at 25 Teheran-ro 27-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — ₩5,000 for 2 hours, then ₩1,000 per 30 minutes after that. Worth keeping in mind if you're driving to this Yeoksam eel rice bowl restaurant.

Walking in, the interior was cleaner and more upscale than I expected, which was a nice surprise. It felt like the kind of place office workers around Gangnam and Yeoksam would like to visit. At the next tables, in fact, there were three people who looked like they'd stopped by for dinner after work, and another three who seemed to be there for a job interview follow-up (cheongmo) meal!

Unagiwa's opening hours and closing days

Unagiwa is open weekdays 11:00 AM–9:00 PM, with a break time from 3–5 PM and last order at 8:00 PM. It's closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so weekdays are the only option. For Yeoksam office workers, it works well for lunch or dinner after work, though for dinner it's worth checking the last order time before heading over.

Hitsumabushi or unadon? Unagiwa's menu explained

They also had grilled eel dishes, but since we'd come specifically for eel rice bowl, we ordered one hitsumabushi sang and one hitsumabushi mini. The sang comes with a whole eel, the mini with half.

There were two bowl types: hitsumabushi and unadon. Hitsumabushi is grilled in the traditional Nagoya style, while unadon is steamed once more for a softer texture.

Hitsumabushi sang vs mini: how much eel do you actually get?

When the food arrived, the eel was piled generously on top of the rice, and it looked genuinely mouthwatering. This is the hitsumabushi sang with a whole eel. It came with chawanmushi, salad, and doenjang soup, making for a nicely complete spread.

This is the hitsumabushi mini with half an eel. Just looking at it, the difference seemed huge, and I wondered if I'd ordered too little — but once I started eating, the portion was plenty. Meanwhile the sang was so much food that my husband said he was completely stuffed by the end.

If you're on the fence about size, I'd recommend choosing based on how much you usually eat. My husband said the sang left him way too full, while the mini was just right for me. If you don't normally eat a big meal, the mini is more than enough.

How to eat Unagiwa's hitsumabushi in four steps, and how it tastes

Chawanmushi and salad came out first, and the salad was refreshing enough before the meal to really wake up my appetite. A staff member also walked us through how to eat hitsumabushi step by step.

First, divide the bowl into four to taste the eel on its own. I tried eel with rice alone, and then with perilla leaf too. The eel's texture was really soft, and personally I loved the sweet sauce drizzled over the rice.

Next, add wasabi and chopped scallions. I've always liked eating beef with wasabi, so eel with wasabi and scallions suited my taste too. Honestly, this was my favorite way to eat it.

After that, pour over the ochazuke (green tea broth) and eat it with the seaweed. This was the biggest surprise for me — I'd assumed pouring ochazuke over an eel rice bowl would dilute the flavor, but it actually went really well together. Being able to enjoy one bowl in several different ways also kept it from getting boring until the last bite.

Finally, there's a red umeboshi (pickled plum) sauce meant to cut through any richness. But honestly, I never felt like it was too rich the whole way through! It was just delicious.

Who Unagiwa suits best

This was my first time trying hitsumabushi, and I was satisfied from the eel's soft texture to the sweet sauce. If you're craving eel around Yeoksam or Gangnam, or looking for a slightly special lunch option, this eel rice bowl restaurant in Yeoksam is worth a visit.

If portion size is what's holding you back, especially for women, I think the mini is a great choice!