Yeoksam eel restaurant: whole vs half eel hitsumabushi at Unagiwa

Some days, instead of just filling your stomach, you want to pick one properly delicious dish and commit to it. That day I couldn't stop thinking about eel. I love it grilled on its own too, but hitsumabushi — eel eaten over rice in a whole different way — has its own charm, so I went looking for a place that does it right after a long while.

That place turned out to be Unagiwa in Yeoksam-dong. While searching for hitsumabushi around Gangnam, this one caught my eye — they offer both a full-size hitsumabushi with a whole eel and a mini version with half an eel, so you can pick based on how much you want to eat.

What I love most about hitsumabushi is the ritual: eat the eel and rice plain first, then add scallion, perilla leaf, and wasabi partway through, and finish by pouring broth over it like ochazuke. Unagiwa, a proper Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant with the visuals to match, — let me walk through it step by step.

Where is Unagiwa in Yeoksam-dong, and its hours and parking

Unagiwa is on the 2nd floor at 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open weekdays 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:00–17:00 and last order at 20:00; closed every Saturday and Sunday. Reservations go through Naver Reservation, and valet parking is ₩5,000.

The entrance already has that distinct Japanese-restaurant atmosphere. Walk up the stairs and a soft red light greets you.

Inside, wood-toned tables, a lattice-patterned interior, and a large light fixture come together for a well put-together look.

There's also a bamboo section with low seating on one side, keeping the whole space feeling calm.

What we ordered at Unagiwa and what it cost

Unagiwa's Hitsumabushi Set (whole eel) is ₩38,000, the Hitsumabushi Mini (half eel) is ₩26,000, and the assorted tempura is ₩30,000. We ordered the full Hitsumabushi Set, the Hitsumabushi Mini, and the assorted tempura.

Each table has a tablet for ordering, which made things easy, and there's even a step-by-step guide on the screen for how to eat hitsumabushi. First-timers can just follow along, so it's not intimidating at all.

How the whole-eel Hitsumabushi Set arrives at the table

The moment the set arrived, the visual grabbed me first. It wasn't just golden-brown — the surface had a proper smoky char with a glossy sheen.

With the full-size set in particular, the eel practically covers the entire bowl — pretty hearty just to look at, haha. When hunting for a Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant, portion size matters too, and the whole-eel option left nothing to be desired there.

The basic spread was solid as well. Salad, miso soup, soft steamed egg, and pickles all came alongside, plus separate seaweed flakes, perilla leaf, scallion, and wasabi to mix into the hitsumabushi. A small pot held the broth for the final ochazuke step.

Step one: eel and rice on their own

First, I divided the bowl into quarters :)

For the first bite, I ate the eel and rice with nothing added. The surface was lightly crisp and the inner flesh was extremely tender. The seasoning wasn't just sweet and sticky either — the eel's own savory flavor still came through, which I liked.

The slightly charred edges added a subtle depth that made it even better eaten with rice. The rice itself was seasoned just enough that the plain rice and the eel never felt separate — scoop up a big spoonful with eel on top and the combination alone was already satisfying.

Step two: scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes and wasabi

For the second round, I broke the eel up finer and mixed in scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes, and wasabi. Personally, this was my favorite style. Eel is a fatty fish, so after a few bites it can start to feel heavy, but the perilla and wasabi cut right through that and cleaned up the palate. Add the salty punch of the seaweed flakes, and it felt like a completely different dish from round one.

How the Hitsumabushi Mini (half eel) differs from the whole eel

The Hitsumabushi Mini comes with half an eel, which is just the right size for lighter eaters or anyone who wants to order other dishes alongside it. The thickness and grilling were identical to the full-size set, so really it just comes down to picking the amount, haha.

Final step: pouring broth over the rice for ochazuke

For the last stage, I topped the remaining rice with perilla leaf, seaweed flakes, and scallion, then poured warm broth over it to finish it off as ochazuke. When I first poured the broth in, I almost felt it was a shame to dilute everything — but once I tasted it, it was a completely different kind of appeal.

As the seasoning loosens into the broth, it turns savory and light, and the rice grains soften too, so even when I was already full, I kept eating. The last bowl felt like a gentle, easy way to close things out.

Assorted tempura at 30,000 won: how big is the plate?

The assorted tempura we ordered as a side turned out to be a bigger portion than expected.

Shrimp, eggplant, and a variety of vegetables all came out evenly, and the batter wasn't overly thick, so the ingredients' own flavors really came through. The shrimp was plump inside with a crisp coating, and the eggplant cooked moist and tender inside — I honestly loved it, haha.

Alternating a bite of tempura with a bite of eel topped with wasabi while working through the eel rice bowl was a great combo. Order it alongside and the table fills out a lot more too.

Who should visit Unagiwa, and when

Hitsumabushi can go wrong easily — too much sauce flavor, or a mushy texture that gets old fast — but Unagiwa clearly contrasts its smoky, grilled exterior against tender flesh underneath. Layer in the wasabi, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes, and broth one by one, and even a single eel ends up tasting like several different dishes, which I loved :)

If you're craving proper hitsumabushi in Yeoksam-dong, or looking for a clean, satisfying Gangnam eel rice bowl restaurant to take your parents to, Unagiwa is worth a visit.