Gangnam eel restaurant for a mother-daughter date: Unagiwa

Charcoal-grilled eel rice bowl with no fishy smell at all, just a gentle smoky aroma! This is a Yeoksam eel rice bowl spot made with 100% domestic, antibiotic-free japonica eel.

Hitsumabushi eel rice bowl~ scoop up a hearty spoonful and it's instantly mouthwatering.

A Yeoksam Station shirayaki spot where you can taste the eel's own clean flavor.

"Unagiwa", a hitsumabushi eel rice bowl spot in Yeoksam with great atmosphere

My mom said she'd been craving eel rice bowl after a long while. Who am I to refuse~ blogger filial daughter to the rescue! So this is the story of our happy mother-daughter date at a great restaurant in Yeoksam.

Unagiwa's exterior and location

• 📍 71 Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / break time 15:00–17:00
• Closed every Saturday and Sunday (closed Sep 24–26 for Chuseok)
• ⭐️ Group reservations available, separate restrooms for men and women
• Free corkage available
• 🚗 Valet parking available (₩5,000 for 2 hours, then ₩1,000 per 30 minutes)
• 🏃🏻‍♀️ 8-minute walk from Yeoksam Station

Interior and seating

Traditional Japanese dolls stand out as part of the decor too!

On my way out after eating, I noticed the other diners had left and it was spotless, so I took another photo.

The waiting area inside has a nice atmosphere too, don't you think?!

*** You can comfortably dine solo here too!!

There are also several tables for six, so it looks like a good spot for a Yeoksam work dinner or lunch outing too.

The menu

The softest 3.5–4 chi eel, plus deep flavor from the authentic tare sauce!!

They say it's 100% domestic, antibiotic-free japonica eel they raise themselves and trust completely. Apparently they carefully select only the finest japonica eel, raised at their own farm in Ganghwado using eco-friendly, antibiotic-free (nationally certified) methods, for healthy eel with great texture.

The menu includes Japanese Nagoya-style hitsumabushi, unadon with a whole eel fillet on top, shirayaki set where you can taste the eel's own flavor, and various other side dishes too! There was quite a variety.

*** In the evening, you can also enjoy a leisurely meal of charcoal-grilled eel paired with sake, highballs and other drinks! I'd recommend it for a more formal occasion.

Review event info

Participate in the review event and get "matcha pudding" as a gift.

What we ordered

Hitsumabushi set (one eel rice bowl) ₩38,000 / Shirayaki set ₩38,000

It arrives as a neat, well-arranged spread.

Hitsumabushi set (one eel rice bowl)

Whoa~ the hearty eel rice bowl spread has arrived.

I eat the refreshing salad first.

Such a soft chawanmushi (steamed egg custard)! The shiitake mushroom aroma lingers in your mouth.

Seaweed, perilla leaf, chives, wasabi, gungchae greens, ginger, and a secret red sauce (more on this below).

Hot miso soup.

How to eat hitsumabushi in four ways

With hitsumabushi you really have to divide it into four portions. Eat the first savoring the seasoned sauce alone, the second with seaweed, chives, and wasabi mixed in, the third poured with hot broth as ochazuke, and the fourth however you enjoyed it most!

A spoonful of eel rice bowl with tender, moist meat and a hint of smoky char. No fishy taste at all, just the eel's rich, savory flavor with a well-balanced, slightly salty sauce soaked deep in — I kept reaching for more. Definitely a top eel rice bowl spot in Gangnam.

Mixing in wasabi with seaweed and chives brings a sharp kick that makes it taste even cleaner.

Made into ochazuke — the method the owner likes — it's clean and delicious~ (My mom's not a fan of this way~ it's delicious though, it's delicious though~ but it's my call, haha~)

Shirayaki set

Neither of us had tried shirayaki before, so my mom claimed it without hesitation. She loves trying new flavors~ she's the perfect dining companion for that.

It comes with a different set of sauces. Truffle salt, tare sauce, and a red sauce that's apparently made in-house from Unagiwa's own plums (umeboshi, called bainiku here) — a distinctive sauce that finishes things off with a nice tang.

With the shirayaki set, the rice comes separately as a bowl instead of served underneath the eel, and the portion is generous too.

The shirayaki set lets you taste the eel's rich, fatty flavor directly, in a clean, savory way.

Suddenly my mom held out a spoonful for me 😃 She'd been wondering how to eat the side ingredients~ so she mixed the chives, perilla leaf, wasabi and tare sauce all into the rice, topped it with a piece of eel, and showed me that eating it with the gungchae greens made it a whole different delicacy. Whatever works~ as long as it's delicious. My mom was very satisfied~ so proud 🩷

The red sauce~ made from plums, it has an unusually refreshing tang.

Wrap-up

If you want to taste the eel's own pure flavor, I'd recommend the shirayaki. A neat, upscale restaurant near Yeoksam Station that I'd recommend for gatherings, work dinners, or dates. A delicious Nagoya-style hitsumabushi spot, and a Yeoksam eel rice bowl restaurant with a whole eel fillet on top. 🌸 Made even better by how friendly the staff are.