A note on the words: unagi is freshwater eel, and unaju is that eel glazed with tare, a sweet soy sauce, and laid over rice in a lacquered box. Ao-unagi, literally blue eel, is the grade this shop is known for. There are two schools of cooking it: the Kanto way steams the eel before the final grilling, which is what Goemon-mushi means here, while jiyaki, the Nagoya way, grills it straight through without steaming. Kimoyaki is the liver grilled on a skewer, otoshi is the small appetizer an izakaya brings unbidden and charges you for, and shinko means the pickles. Kameido Tenjin is a shrine known for its wisteria. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Book a table at Hachibee on AutoReserve (English)
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time Kinshicho — or is it Kameido? — an eel restaurant called Hachibee, just short of Kameido Tenjin shrine. Ao-unagi appears to be what they are known for, and the sign says as much: we have ao-unagi!!^^ Standing in front of the place, the toasty scent of grilling eel drifts over… I am getting hungry!
Ao-unagi is said to be the finest grade of Japanese eel.
Ao-unagi is a rare thing, about one in ten of the catch.
Ao-unagi unaju (230 g): 5,830 yen
Futomono ao-unagi unaju (300 g): 7,480 yen
This is presumably the sort of place that butchers and grills after you order.
You can book a course, but since we wanted to choose the kind of eel on the day, we booked a table only.
I made the futomono ao-unaju the centerpiece and settled in to wait patiently, eating snacks.
Incidentally, you can choose how the eel is cooked: Goemon-mushi, or the Nagoya style of jiyaki.
Well — it has to be the Goemon-mushi!
Lemon sour!
The otoshi is a simmered dish.
There appeared to be branded eels on that day as well. The ao-unagi will do for now, but having a choice like this makes it fun: next time I shall try a different one, or taste them side by side.
When you come to eat eel, the pickles are not to be missed! Lightly pickled, with the crispness left in.
Octopus in vinegar. Good.
When the grilled liver arrives, the sense that the eel may be close builds nicely lol Delicious!
At last, the eel arrives!!!!
Whoa! That looks wonderful!!!
A lovely scent drifting right up. It looks superb.
The futomono lives up to its name. It is so large that it overlaps itself in the box lol It looks marvelous as well.
One mouthful and — yes. Good. Plenty of fat under the skin, and flesh that is wonderfully soft. A rare branded eel indeed.
Having it Goemon-mushi, the Kanto way, steamed before grilling, makes that soft flesh softer and plumper still, and it is excellent. The tare is not too sweet, more crisp than sugary, and it lets the flavor of the eel stand up! Yes, that is good. The fat is clean and easy to eat.
Worth coming all the way to Kameido for!
And this is the standard ao-unagi unaju. That would satisfy anyone perfectly well. Adjusting the box so that none of the rice shows is a thoughtful touch! Seeing bare rice would be dispiriting!
Eel is best when they butcher it and finish it after you order! The waiting is part of the experience! They did warn me it would take a while if I had not booked a course. But there are plenty of snacks, so I did not mind at all! You can eat a range of branded eels here, and the only trouble is that Kinshicho is a little far^^ I shall come again if the chance arises.
Hachibee (Unagi (Eel) / Kameido Station, Kinshicho Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
