Despite living in Asia for many years, I can't say I'm a fan of eel. But this was a classic for Nagoya, so I tried it, and WOW. It's amazingly good, with a soft buttery texture unlike any eel I ever had before, and a perfect combination of briny, smoked, and gently sweet flavors that was irresistible. They will give instructions on how to eat it like a local, and that is cute and does complement the fish well, but all that is just to flesh out the main experience, what matters is the eel itself. Amazing. Not cheap and not a huge portion, but well worth it. Will definitely make a point of getting more on any future visit.

Nice atmosphere and staffs. Very good taste👍

It's the best place to have Japanese anago with rice. Quite different than other places with burn crispy skin and soft anago meat One important thing to note is that the queue here is VERY long. We came early for dinner but still had to wait for 3HRs to get a table.

When in Japan, having the Hitsumabushi is a must! More so when you’re in Nagoya, where Hitsumabushi is said to have originated from. Swing by renowned Atsuta Houraiken established in 1873 after you visited Atsuta Jingu. The well-loved Hitsumabushi comes in two sizes from JPY4.40 for the small bowl. Grilled over binchozumi and brushed with the secret sauce, eat it like the local by splitting it into 4 portions.

It’s better have a booking. We had a booking at 11:30. There were so many people waiting at outside even if it’s hot weather. Quite quickly served. Nice amount of food as well

I am totally not a fan of EEL fish, so I ordered a chicken dishes, and my husband ordered an EEL fish set. My husband asked me if I wantto try a little bit, so I did, and guess what! This is the only one I don't dislike! In fact, I like the taste! Awesome food, this is the only word I can say. Must visit! But remember to make a reservation first before visiting Atsuta Shrine. Staff are friendly as well!

Our very first dinner in Nagoya was here as my local friend guide brought us here since we have a craving for unagi (eel). And we were told that the restaurant had a long history and a specialty store for the item and was very popular. The restaurant was nice and had a lovely ambience that reflected the Japanese rich culture. We arrived here slightly past 6pm and the restaurant had a queue formed already but we waited for about 10mins before being ushered to our table in a room. The servers were putting up in traditional kimono costumes. Indeed, traditional and rich in culture. As we just had our late lunch about an hour plus ago, we decided to order more side dishes than main course, except for the unagi rice set, which was a must-order. We ordered chicken kaarage and tempura, cooked in various ways and sauces. The layout and presentation of the dishes were amazing, very neat and orderly and of course nice! And true enough, the unagi was yummy, well marinated and cooked, very fragrant too. And if you are a unagi lover, you will surely fall in love with this dish. The other dishes were nice too, except that they were a little too salty (for me). They were special sauces for each dish and love the yuzhu one most, as the rest were also a little over salty. The green tea was thick and flavourful too! Service was good and staff were efficient in serving the food though they speak very little English (our friend guide helped us order the food). Although it cost more here than other restaurants, it's very worthwhile as the foods were nice and we all enjoyed and loved them!

Why did I taste Hatsumabushi so late? Having tasted Nagoya's famous eel-on-rice for the first time at the most famous place, is it a blessing or a curse? Divide the hatsumabushi into 4 portions, 1) eat it as it is, 2) mix it with wasabi and green onions, 3) roll it in tea, and 4) eat it as you like, and enjoy the 4 different ways of eating. feel it! They don't have a lot of variety, but they also have nihonsu that goes well with them. It's expensive, but it's worth it because both the quantity and quality are good. A must visit place. If I were to give it a Michelin, it would be two or more! And be reservation minimum 2 weeks ago!

This is the restaurant of my Nagoya trip that I have to try and not made me disappointed. The texture of eel if different from any restaurant that I have tried before. With “Hitsumabushi” style, you can taste the difference of eating. I was so lucky that on the day we went to restaurant has no waiting queue. And if someone in your trip can’t eat eel, the restaurant also provided chicken, pork and tempura as well.

Finally visited the legendary place for Unagi. Waited for over an hour but it’s worth it. Tried the famous “have unagi in four ways”. Portion was slightly smaller than the picture. The eel was cooked perfectly with the sauce that is well balanced for the dish. My favourite way to enjoy is probably adding a garnish of wasabi to it. The only issue might be that the eel was cut into really small pieces and I think they could have picked a better eel which might be more fatty to bring out the aroma while grilling the skin side.

Hitsumabushi is a Nagoya food staple that you should not miss out when you visit the city! This is eel served exquisitely in a Having watched videos online about the restaurant prior to our trip, we already knew to go there early before their 11:30AM lunch service started. When we got there at 10AM though there was already a short line in front of the doors. At around 11AM, a handful of us at the start of the line got ushered into an airconditioned waiting room. We were able to view the menu from there to decide what we'd order (the servers will readily provide you with an English menu if you ask). At this point, if you are not familiar with how hitsumabushi is served and eaten, I suggest you watch videos of it online. My partner and I each ordered the regular serving of Hitsumabushi set. The eel was cooked perfectly with the corresponding condiments blending alongside it. We didn't order any drinks as the matcha tea served complimented our meal already. The meal is definitely on the more costly side compared to other Nagoya food attractions but every yen and minute waiting in line was worth it! Highly suggest making a point to visit!

Amazing unagi rice, everyone should try it.

Love the eel three ways. It brings different variations to accentuate the eel's flavor from various angles.

I have had unagi many times and this is by far the best

Very nice unagi with rice. You can try 3 different styles of eating. 1st divide into 4 quarters than eat wi63 different styles. 1 eat original. 2 eat with spring onions, Wasabi and seaweed. 3 add the same garnish as no. 2 and add hot soup. The last quarter you can eat with your favorite style. The unagi is different from those selling at supermarket the outer part is grilled till a bit crispy

The highlight of the day One of the best Eel they served This store located next to the Shine We are very fortunate to wait only less than 15 minutes (as normally you MUST make reservation or queue up for more than one hour) This is a chain restaurant where they have few branch in Nagoya In considerate the quality of the Eel, the prices they charged are reasonable, very tasty The BBQ Eel is specialty in Japan, while Nagoya has slightly different way to cook it, they serve also the Eel bone and kidney, Yummy ! Highly recommend, even you never try the Eel

Food quality gone down hill compare to previous (2015) visit, rather disappointed. The soup with the eel set is tasteless, almost just water. Previously, it had light refreshing flavour and was tasty. Eel layers seen to have also reduced. Food containers look tired and worn. Service is still good.

It's quite pricey but delicious. So if you are not too hungry, a regular size hitsu-mabushi is big enough to be shared between two people. An extra size hitsu-mabushi should be enough to be shared between two hungry people, in my opinion. I waited about 45~50min to be seated. There is a waiting room inside.

One of my favorite dishes is Unagi Don, and will have one whenever I can make the window. This place does offer the best tasting Unagi Don,, intense favor/aroma, cripy on the outside yet tender on the inside. Do make the time to wait on this very popular restaurant. We registered for the time, visited Atsuta Jing, then came back for lunch

Hitsumabushi tastes very good, kind of different than other unagi dishes you might eat in Japan (more smoky, BBQ-like quality to it). This location is also close to the Atsuta Shrine which is convenient because you can go there while you wait for your table. I will say though; I'm not sure if the dish matched its hefty price tag. It is about 70% rice. As part of a trip to Nagoya, though, I think you couldnt do much better than visit this popular restaurant

5 stars review for sure! Hitsumabushi being a signature dish in Nagoya has made it's mark and coming to this restaurant was the highlight of our trip. Opens at 1130 to 2pm for its first seating and we were lined up T 10AM being 3rd in line. Once we got ushered in, everything was very organized from the waiting area where we take a look at them menu to being seated and served. They were all very attentive and kept refilling our tea. The Grilled Eel arrived fresh and warm, a wooden bowl with charred unagi strips covered on top a bed of steamed Japanese rice is heavenly! 3 ways to enjoy- basically on its own it's already tasty, add in green onions with strips of nori and you get refreshing taste and lastly with everything in then pour the soup on top for a filling meal you'd surprisingly enjoy too. Me and my partner are not big spenders normally but for this specialty dish, it was worth it. Definitely an experience you wouldn't want to miss, make sure it's your list! :)