Unaki: Kansai-Style Grilled Eel on Rice at the Counter

Unaki (うな希) grills live domestic eel to order in the Kansai jiyaki style. The eel goes straight over the heat with no steaming, and the origin (Ehime, Tokushima or Kochi) changes from day to day. The result is crackling skin over a soft interior, finished with a restrained, low-sugar tare that reviewers single out. It also costs far less than most eel specialists.

Nearly every review praises the contrast of crisp skin and fluffy flesh in the unaju, eel over rice in a lacquered box. Portions are generous, and even the standard size covers the rice completely. The kimosui, a clear eel-liver soup, comes with notably large livers, and regulars add kimoyaki, grilled liver skewers. Several reviewers call it the best eel they have eaten, and many mention the warm, polite service from the older women who run the floor.

The most common complaint is the wait. Turnover is slow, and some reviewers queued up to an hour outside with no shade. Some found the eel under-grilled, short on aroma or with a few small bones, and a minority thought it fatty or bland. Isolated reports mention a server using a phone while handling food, and brusque treatment when the eel sold out.

Between 2024 and 2026, reviewers paid around ¥2,600 for the standard unaju (three-fifths of an eel) and ¥3,900 for the jo (a whole eel). The smaller aburi unagi-meshi, seared eel on rice with a plain soup, cost about ¥1,500, and extra rice was ¥100. A typical lunch or dinner runs ¥3,000–3,999.

Reviewers find it outstanding value, and some call it almost too cheap for the quality and volume. Even the standard size leaves most diners full.

• Access: 5 minutes' walk north of JR Tachibana Station (about 250 m).
• Booking: no reservations. Walk in and queue, ideally before the 11:00 or 17:00 opening. Takeout can be reserved by phone. Around the summer eel day (doyo no ushi), it may be takeout-only.
• Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
• Children: one reviewer reports that children are not admitted, so families should check in advance.
• Seating: 9 counter seats, cramped, with no private rooms and no private hire. The toilet has a very low ceiling.
• Timing: eel is grilled to order. Allow 15–30 minutes after ordering, or up to an hour when takeout orders are backed up.
• Sell-outs: the eel sometimes sells out early.
• Drinks: a considered sake selection.
• Smoking: non-smoking.
• Parking: none.