A note on the words: unaju is grilled freshwater eel glazed with sweet-savory soy-based tare sauce and served over rice in a lacquered box. Nami, chu, jo and tokujo are standard tier names used at Japanese restaurants, here ranking the unaju portions by the quantity of eel provided. Kimosui is a clear soup containing the eel’s liver, often ordered alongside unaju.
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Funayo on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. I had something to do in Yoyogi-Uehara, and when I stepped out of the station it was scorching hot! Way too hot. Deciding to eat lunch first, I searched online and saw quite a few famous places packed in around here! Thinking that waiting in line would be annoying, I wandered around looking at a map and found an unagi (eel) restaurant called “Funayo”. Realizing there was an eel place in Yoyogi-Uehara too, I decided to head inside.
Stepping inside, the layout feels quite long and narrow, like half counter and half table seating. It feels like there might be one private-room-like space, but I did not look inside, so it might not be a private room at all.
Nami (standard) — 2,400 yen
Chu — 3,400 yen
Jo — 4,600 yen
Tokujo — 6,000 yen
The price changes depending on the amount of eel. Wondering what to do, in the end I chose the jo grade.
Well, after waiting a bit, the unaju (eel served over rice in a lacquered box) arrived. Looks great! Let’s pop open the lid.
Hmm, so this is one whole eel. Well, it is true that at other shops the tokujo comes with three fillets.
Taking a bite, the meat has quite a bit of chew. Rather than soft and fluffy, the skin is on the thicker side, so it is a firm, solid texture. The tare sauce is sharper and on the cleaner side. This style of sauce goes great with rice! Delicious. Personally, I think I prefer fluffy, tender eel. Perhaps because it was lunchtime, I did not really get that savory aroma from the grilling either. The kimosui (a clear broth with eel liver) cost extra so I did not order it this time, but having a soup bowl included might have been nicer.
Overall, at this price of 3,400 yen, I felt it might be a little on the expensive side.
So that was eel in Yoyogi-Uehara. For a local neighborhood eel shop, I think it falls into the tasty category. There was quite a good portion of rice, so when you feel like having eel once in a while, it might be a decent option. Still, without kimosui and with the eel feeling a bit small, considering the price I felt like I wanted just a little more.
Funayo (Unagi / Yoyogi-Uehara Station, Yoyogi-Hachiman Station, Yoyogi-Koen Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
