A note on the words: unaju is grilled eel laid over rice in a lacquered box, and the grades run regular, jo and tokujo, meaning standard, upper and special. Tare is the sweet soy glaze brushed on during grilling; shirayaki is eel grilled plain with no tare at all. Narazuke are vegetables pickled in sake lees, and kimosui is the clear soup made with the eel’s liver. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Una Ichi Kurofune on AutoReserve (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want to eat something good today too. This is Hangover Meshi. This time, lunch in Roppongi. Wondering whether there were any new places, I had a look around and found that an unagi restaurant had just opened. It is called Una Ichi Kurofune. It opened on April 15, 2025, apparently, and I am helpless where eel is concerned, so off I went. The listing said it opened at 11:00, but when I got there that day it was 11:30. Half an hour out is painful. I will have to get that information corrected later.
So I killed some time, came back just before noon, and was first in line. Excellent.
Unaju, tokujo grade (3,500 yen)
Unaju, jo grade (2,700 yen)
Unaju, regular (1,900 yen)
Una-tori ju (1,300 yen)
The unaju runs from regular up to tokujo. The una-tori ju, with eel and yakitori together, is good value at 1,300 yen.
Even so, 3,500 yen for the tokujo may be on the cheap side. So the tokujo it is.
Right — unaju. After a wait, here it comes.
The unaju arrives.
The box is on the small side, perhaps. Open it up.
There. That is the stuff.
Unaju really is at its most beautiful when you cannot see the rice.
A lovely smell. One mouthful and — oh, a wonderfully toasty aroma. That is a character I have not met in eel before. Apparently they scent it with charcoal and straw. The flesh, rather than being fluffy, has a little spring to it. That toasty aroma works well here. The tare is very light. It is made by grilling eel bones and simmering them out, they say, and it tastes clean, light enough that you can taste the eel itself clearly. Sweetness and salt are both kept right down. There is tare on the table, so if it is not enough you can add more to your own taste.
So, I would be happier if the eel were a little plumper and softer, but
the aroma and the light tare, letting you taste the eel directly, make it interesting.
The garnishes are worth a mention: scallion and wasabi, which is unusual. The tare being light, eating it shirayaki-style with the scallion and wasabi works well too. Good. And the narazuke that comes with it was rich and very good. The soup was something like a shiitake clear soup, so if you want kimosui you evidently have to order it separately.
There is a good amount of rice as well, and I was full by the end. For 3,500 yen I am satisfied.
So, a new eel restaurant this time. Eel with that toasty aroma on it was very good. I imagine eel is being caught in better numbers lately, because new places keep opening. If a few more of them came in at prices that are easier to reach, that would be good news for those of us who love eel. I shall keep going out in search of good eel.
Una Ichi Kurofune (Unagi (eel) / Roppongi Station, Roppongi-itchome Station, Nogizaka Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.2
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
