A note on the words: unaju is grilled eel laid over rice in a lacquered box, offered here in both plump, tender Kanto style and crisp Kansai style, with tokujo denoting the top tier and jo the standard grade. Unagi kushi are skewers of various cuts of eel; hire refers to the fin skewers served here as an otoshi appetizer, kasuzuke is eel marinated in sake lees, and yamakake features eel topped with finely minced mountain yam and wasabi. Tare is the rich sweet-savory soy glaze brushed onto the eel during grilling.
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Unagi Senmonten Aikawa on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Suddenly craving unagi (eel), I started looking around, and it turns out you can book on Tabelog even an hour before reservation time without trouble, ha. At 10:00 AM, I found an opening for lunch at 11:00 AM the same day at “Unagi Senmonten Aikawa” and decided to go. Wondering with some hesitation whether an hour ahead might be pushing it, the system seemed to accept it, so I sprinted to Takadanobaba Station!
On the way, a phone call came from the restaurant, and for a moment I worried that perhaps booking on such short notice hadn’t worked out after all.
As it turned out, they wanted to know my order in advance, so I asked what they had on the spot and placed the order right then and there.
If anything, it seems to be closer from Nishi-waseda Station than from Takadanobaba Station.
Unaju jo, Kanto style — 4,100 yen
Unaju jo, Kansai style — 4,210 yen
Unaju tokujo, Kanto style — 4,700 yen
Unaju tokujo, Kanto style — 4,810 yen
Unaju one and a half eels, Kanto style — 6,150 yen
Unaju one and a half eels, Kanto style — 6,260 yen
Unaju one and a half eels, side-by-side tasting — 6,260 yen
Quite unusual! A shop where you can choose between Kanto style and Kansai style.
Since two of us visited this time, we decided to order one tokujo Kanto style and one Kansai style, and share a piece of each.
Another standout feature is the wide selection of unagi kushi (eel skewers)!
For someone who likes a drink, this is irresistible! Taking advantage of the visit, we ordered the three-skewer omakase (the chef’s choice) to share half and half.
Because the shop had called right after booking to take my order, it didn’t look like we would wait long, but apparently if you walk in without a reservation, they only begin cooking from that point, taking about 40 minutes. I suppose you pass the time with unagi skewers and drinks while you wait!
First up was the hire (fin). An eel-fin skewer, which they say serves as the otoshi (the small dish that comes with your first drink), ha.
Man, this is great. I ended up ordering a beer without thinking, and with a rather dark, rich tare glaze, it goes wonderfully with alcohol.
And here is the first of the three unagi skewers.
It is kasuzuke (marinated in sake lees), but tasting it, it feels just like saikyo-zuke (marinated in sweet white miso)! Rather than an eel sensation, it gives off a strong impression of white fish saikyo-zuke! This too goes great with drinks.
The second unagi skewer is yamakake.
Topped with finely minced mountain yam and wasabi, you dip it in soy sauce to eat.
I had no idea you could eat it this way. My first time. Refreshing and delicious. Having so many appetizer-style skewers must be a real signature of this shop. Rather than coming just to eat unaju, it felt like coming to drink over eel.
Before long, the unaju arrived! Having reserved in advance, we didn’t have to wait very long.
Off comes the lid!
Ooh! It looks delicious.
Being Kansai style, perhaps they grill it crisp without steaming? The firm richness of the fat and the crisp texture are delicious.
The tare glaze is quite rich and dark. That savory aroma goes so well with drinks. A truly delicious unaju!
And here is the Kanto style. Grilled up plump, the eel is soft and melt-in-the-mouth.
It pairs wonderfully with rice. The tare clings firmly to this one as well, and it’s delicious. Since the side-by-side tasting requires ordering at least one and a half eels, going with two people, ordering one of each and sharing a piece each felt like a very solid plan.
All told, it was fantastic unagi! Both the crisp, fragrant Kansai style and the plump, fatty Kanto style were exceptionally delicious in combination with the savory, somewhat sharp tare glaze. It makes total sense why this place is so popular. You can book even at the last minute an hour beforehand, ha, so if the mood strikes, why not give it a try? Next time I want to come back and conquer all the skewers. A great shop.
Unagi Senmonten Aikawa (Unagi / Takadanobaba Station, Nishi-waseda Station, Omokagebashi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.6
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
