Unagi Ryori Atsumi: Charcoal-Grilled Lake Hamana Eel

Unagi Ryori Atsumi (うなぎ料理 あつみ) has been run by the same family since 1907 and is now in its fifth generation. It uses only live eel from nearby Lake Hamana, killed and grilled over charcoal to order. The style is Kanto: the eel is split down the back, steamed, then grilled, which leaves the flesh soft enough to cut with chopsticks. The tare is topped up from a century-old base and is drier and less sweet than most. Unusually, the sauce-free shirayaki is also served over rice, as shiro-don and shiro-jū. It has been named to the Tabelog Unagi 100 five times, most recently in 2026.

Nearly every reviewer praises the fluffy, melting eel and its clean taste, with no muddiness, and several call it the best they have had. The shirayaki is singled out again and again, eaten with wasabi, ginger, leek and yuzu-kosho. Regulars also recommend the double-layered unadon, with eel both on top of and inside the rice, the kimo-yaki (grilled liver), the pickles and the free rice refill. Staff are consistently described as cheerful and attentive.

The criticisms are mostly about timing. Without a pre-order, expect 40–60 minutes between ordering and eating. At peak times, refills of water and rice can be slow. Some diners find the rice portions too large or the sauce salty. One returning regular feels the grilling has become softer and lost its crisp skin, and one diner noticed a slight muddiness.

Lunch and dinner both typically cost ¥5,000–6,000 per person, plus extras. Between 2024 and 2026, reviewers paid around ¥4,700 for unadon, ¥6,000 for unajū (one eel), ¥7,500 for jō-jū (1.5 eels) and ¥8,500 for tokujō-jū (two eels). Shirayaki cost about ¥4,000–4,500, shiro-don ¥6,100 and kimo-yaki ¥1,200, and liver soup was a ¥150 supplement. A couple ordering shirayaki and sake spent about ¥20,000. Prices have risen and some call it pricey, but most reviewers judge it fully worth it for live local eel and generous portions.

• Getting there: about 5 minutes' walk from the North Exit of JR Hamamatsu Station, and 178 m from Shin-Hamamatsu Station.
• Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
• Booking: a booking is not required, but it is recommended. Without one, same-day numbered tickets are handed out from 10:00 and 17:00, and you return at your assigned time. Bookings are taken only by phone (053-455-1460) during opening hours, never through apps or booking sites, and the line is often busy. Order your dish when you book to skip the long wait. Guests who cannot wait easily, such as wheelchair users, pregnant guests and parents with babies, are given priority for bookings.
• Hours: service hours are short, and the eel can sell out, sometimes by noon.
• Seating: 35 seats, with three tables and six four-person tatami tables. The 8-person private room is reserved for guests who need privacy, such as public figures. The whole restaurant cannot be booked for private use.
• Families and access: children and strollers are welcome (contact the restaurant in advance), and it is wheelchair accessible. It is non-smoking.
• Parking: none on site. Partner lots such as Matsubishi Parking accept a ¥300 coupon, given per ¥10,000 spent for groups or per ¥5,000 for solo diners.
• Language: there is an English menu with photos, and staff have a portable translator. Staff have held suitcases for travellers until their table time. Take-out is available.