明神下 神田川 (Tokyo)

Last time when we were in Tokyo, we visited the best Unagi restaurant called 尾花. The Unagi served at 尾花 is pretty fatty and is extremely soft such that it melts in your mouth. There are very little bones inside of the Unagi. I particularly liked the smooth skin of the Unagi. It is cooked on a charcoal grill for about 40 minutes, and so there is a slight charcoal taste to it which adds to the overall aroma. In our minds, this is a restaurant in Tokyo that we would like to revisit the most. Unfortunately, when we got to 尾花, we found out that the restaurant is closed for business for a few days due to a personal reason. We were so disappointed that we came all the way to this restaurant in the suburbs only to find out that it is closed. Luckily, we have done a lot of research on the internet and travel books and came up with a plan B. We decided to try a famous Unagi restaurant near 秋葉原 called 明神下 神田川. This restaurant was opened in 1805, more than 200 years ago. This restaurant is inside of a traditional Japanese style house. After taking off our shoes at the entrance, we were led to a private room with a unique Japanese setting, tatami style with a big table in the middle. The atmosphere is so tranquil like getting ready to go to bed. After being seated in our own private room, we knew we are in for a special dining experience.

The most popular dish is obviously the うな重 (Unadon), which is Unagi served on top of rice. We ordered a big size and a medium size to try. Since the Unagi is cooked-to-order, we had to wait about 30 minutes for it. The Unagi is cooked on a charcoal grill and so it is very soft. It has a mild soy sauce taste. The Unagi in Japan is so fresh that it does not need a strong sweet sauce. However, it does not have the charcoal taste like what we got at 尾花 and has more bones. It is still very delicious, but perhaps our expectation was set too high. The décor and service are simply impeccable. After we paid the bill, we saw two waitresses immediately went ahead of us to help us get our shoes. They were so polite that they both bowed to us and said thank you. We were given the royalty treatment, and this is the kind of customer service that you can only get in Japan.

HOKAT Rating:
94/100

Address:
東京都千代田区外神田2-5-11
03-3251-5031
Mon-Sat 11:30～14:00, 17:00～20:00