---
title: 'Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten, Tokyo: Grilled Eel in a Lacquer Box by Asakusa Station'
description: 'Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten in Tokyo: grilled eel in a lacquer box from my April 2018 visit, the 2018 menu, today''s hitsumabushi and booking notes.'
lang: en
canonical: https://quidafoodie.blog/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/
shop_name: Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten
shop_name_local: 浅草うな鐵 浅草駅前本店
address: 1-2-11 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo
address_local: 東京都台東区花川戸1-2-11
country: jp
hours: Open daily 11:00–21:00, with food last order at 20:00 and drinks at 20:30, according to Hot Pepper Gourmet (checked Nov 14, 2026).
closed: Hot Pepper Gourmet lists no regular closing day (checked Nov 14, 2026).
price: Hot Pepper Gourmet lists a budget from ¥4,000 and shirayaki at ¥4,100 including tax (menu updated Oct 20, 2026; checked Nov 14, 2026).
getting_there: About 15 seconds on foot from Exit 5 of Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, and close to Toei Asakusa and Tobu Asakusa stations, according to Hot Pepper Gourmet (checked Nov 14, 2026).
visited: 2018-04
details_checked: '2026-11-14'
region: Tokyo
---

# Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten, Tokyo: Grilled Eel in a Lacquer Box by Asakusa Station

![A rectangular black-and-red lacquer box of glazed grilled eel with charred streaks laid side by side over rice, beside a black bowl of clear soup with green leaves and a small brown piece, a small dish of pickles and a chopstick sleeve printed 浅草 うな鐵.](https://quidafoodie.blog/img/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten-04-1440.jpg)
*The lacquer box in April 2018, with clear soup and pickles.*

Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten (浅草うな鐵 浅草駅前本店) is an eel restaurant beside Asakusa Station in Tokyo, where in April 2018 I photographed *unaju*, grilled eel over rice in a lacquer box. The noren curtain at the door and the chopstick sleeve both carried the name 浅草うな鐵 with a circled U logo.

## Grilled eel in a lacquer box

In the cover photo, a rectangular black-and-red lacquer box holds pieces of glazed eel with charred streaks laid side by side over rice. Beside it are a black bowl of clear soup with green leaves and a small brown piece, and a small dish of pickles.

![Chopsticks lifting a thick piece of glazed grilled eel from the red lacquer box, with white flesh visible at the cut end and rice at the left edge.](https://quidafoodie.blog/img/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten-06-1440.jpg)
*A thick piece lifted with chopsticks.*

In the next photo, chopsticks lift a thick piece, and its cut end shows white flesh.

![Through a glass panel, a steel tray holds stacks of bamboo skewers threaded through gray-brown pieces that look like eel, with rolled bamboo mats on the left and a pot over a blue gas flame behind.](https://quidafoodie.blog/img/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten-02-1440.jpg)
*The kitchen seen through glass.*

Through a glass panel at the counter, a steel tray holds stacks of bamboo skewers threaded through gray-brown pieces that look like eel, with no dark glaze visible. Rolled bamboo mats lie beside the tray, and a pot sits over a blue gas flame.

## The menu, then and now

![A menu page from April 2018 with a large photo of glazed eel in a box and three smaller photos of a bowl and two boxes, a blue badge with the character 蒸 and a list of dishes with prices in kanji numerals, beside a cup of green tea.](https://quidafoodie.blog/img/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten-01-1200.jpg)
*The menu page in April 2018, with a blue steamed badge and prices.*

The Asakusa Unatetsu menu page I photographed in April 2018 listed, before tax, *unadon* (eel over rice in a bowl) at ¥2,290, marked as a limited item, then 竹重 (*take-ju*, the bamboo box) at ¥3,100, 松重 (*matsu-ju*, the pine box) at ¥3,710, a double box at ¥6,420 and a mini unaju set with liver soup and pickles at ¥2,430, each with its tax-included price printed beside it. A blue badge with the character 蒸 (steamed) sits beside a line reading 柔らかく蒸したずばり江戸前蒲焼, which means softly steamed, true Edomae-style kabayaki.

The menu section of Unatetsu's Hot Pepper Gourmet listing, updated on October 20, 2026, is the only source I could read for what the shop serves now. It features *shio-hitsumabushi*, eel grilled with seaweed salt and eaten three ways (plain, with condiments, then with dashi broth poured over), and an Edo-style Asakusa hitsumabushi. *Shirayaki*, unglazed grilled eel, is listed at ¥4,100 including tax.

## At the door

![The entrance in April 2018: a white three-panel noren curtain printed with a circled U and 浅草うな鐵, a wooden sign reading 営業中, a notice about outside food and drinks, and a wooden lattice door with people's legs visible through it.](https://quidafoodie.blog/img/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten/asakusa-unatetsu-ekimae-honten-08-1200.jpg)
*The entrance in April 2018.*

At the door in April 2018, a white three-panel noren curtain showed a circled U and 浅草うな鐵. A wooden sign beside it read 営業中 (open for business), and a notice said no outside food or drinks were allowed.

## Before you go

- Hot Pepper Gourmet shows online booking for Asakusa Unatetsu Ekimae Honten, and a reviewer in October 2026 who booked was seated by a window and says many of the guests seemed to be from abroad.
- English, Korean and Chinese menus are available, according to the listing.
- The listing says the shop accepts major cards and QR payments such as PayPay and Alipay, but not electronic money, and that there is no parking, only coin parking nearby.
- Asakusa Unatetsu also has a Kokusai-dori branch, listed separately on Hot Pepper Gourmet, so check that the address is 1-2-11 Hanakawado when you book.

## How to order

| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 塩ひつまぶしをひとつお願いします。 | Shio hitsumabushi o hitotsu onegaishimasu. | One shio-hitsumabushi, please. |
| 白焼をお願いします。 | Shirayaki o onegaishimasu. | The shirayaki (unglazed grilled eel), please. |
| 英語のメニューはありますか。 | Eigo no menyū wa arimasu ka. | Do you have an English menu? |

## Plan your visit

- Address: 1-2-11 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo / 東京都台東区花川戸1-2-11
- Hours: Open daily 11:00–21:00, with food last order at 20:00 and drinks at 20:30, according to Hot Pepper Gourmet (checked Nov 14, 2026).
- Closed: Hot Pepper Gourmet lists no regular closing day (checked Nov 14, 2026).
- Price: Hot Pepper Gourmet lists a budget from ¥4,000 and shirayaki at ¥4,100 including tax (menu updated Oct 20, 2026; checked Nov 14, 2026).
- Getting there: About 15 seconds on foot from Exit 5 of Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, and close to Toei Asakusa and Tobu Asakusa stations, according to Hot Pepper Gourmet (checked Nov 14, 2026).
- Map: [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%B5%85%E8%8D%89%E3%81%86%E3%81%AA%E9%90%B5%20%E6%B5%85%E8%8D%89%E9%A7%85%E5%89%8D%E6%9C%AC%E5%BA%97%20%E8%8A%B1%E5%B7%9D%E6%88%B8)
- Details checked: 2026-11-14

## Sources checked

- [Hot Pepper Gourmet — 浅草 うな鐵 浅草駅前本店 (listing, menu and reviews)](https://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ001036665/) — 2026-11-14