Skip to content
Quida 日本語

NagoyaVisited February 2019 Views –

Unatou Nagoya Main Branch, Nagoya: Hitsumabushi Eel Served in a Red Lacquer Tub

A round red lacquer container filled with pieces of glazed grilled eel with dark scorch marks, some cut ends showing pale flesh, with part of a white bowl at the left edge and a dish of yellow pickles at the top.
The tub of hitsumabushi in February 2019.
How to order Address & map

Unatou Nagoya Main Branch (うな東 名古屋本店) is an eel restaurant in Fukuzumi-cho, Nakagawa Ward, Nagoya, where in February 2019 I photographed hitsumabushi, chopped grilled eel over rice that is shared out of a lacquer tub and eaten in stages. Unatou's website gives the address as 9-22 Fukuzumi-cho and says Unatou was founded in 1969.

Hitsumabushi in a red lacquer tub

In the cover photo, pieces of glazed grilled eel with dark scorch marks fill a round red lacquer container, and some cut ends show pale flesh.

A black paddle lifting a scoop of rice and eel pieces with shreds of seaweed from the red container, with an empty white bowl with a navy rim on the left, a dish of yellow pickles, a dish of chopped green onion and a black bowl of clear soup behind.
A paddle lifting a scoop of rice and eel.

In the next photo, a black paddle lifts a scoop of rice and eel with shreds of seaweed mixed in, and the rice has an orange tint. Beside it are an empty white bowl, a dish of yellow pickles, a dish of chopped green onion and a black bowl of clear soup.

A small white bowl with a navy rim holding orange-tinted rice with eel pieces, shreds of seaweed and sliced green onion, with chopsticks lifting a bite, beside the red container.
A bite of rice and eel in a small bowl.
A cream-colored pot pouring pale amber broth over rice and eel pieces in a small white bowl with a navy rim, with a dish of yellow pickles and a dish of sliced green onion behind.
Pale broth poured over the rice and eel.

In two more photos, a small bowl of rice and eel is topped with sliced green onion, and a cream-colored pot pours pale amber broth over rice and eel. Unatou's Hot Pepper Gourmet listing suggests taking a first bite of eel and rice as they are, then adding dashi and condiments to taste.

Rolled omelet and what looks like a fried bone

A blue-and-white plate with a rolled omelet that shows a brown filling at the cut end, a pink stalk that looks pickled and a leafy garnish, with a long jointed golden-brown stick across it that looks like a fried bone, and a chopstick sleeve printed うな東 at the top left.
A rolled omelet and a long jointed stick.

The chopstick sleeve at the top left of the photo carries the name うな東 in brush lettering. On the plate are a rolled omelet with what looks like a brown filling at its cut end, a pink stalk that looks pickled, and a long, jointed, golden-brown stick that looks like a fried eel backbone. Unatou's website lists umaki, an eel-filled rolled omelet, but I can't tell from the photo whether this was umaki.

What the shop says about its eel

Unatou's website says it checks eel from several suppliers every day, sometimes returns it unbought, and is prepared to close for the day when there is no good eel. Unatou's Hot Pepper Gourmet listing says the sauce has been topped up since the shop opened. A Hot Pepper Gourmet reviewer who visited on November 1, 2026 says Unatou's eel is larger than at other shops, but the rice portion is a fixed amount that may feel small to men.

Before you go

  • Unatou Nagoya Main Branch's website lists 14 parking spaces, and Hot Pepper Gourmet lists 70 seats, including counter seats, tables, tatami seating and private rooms.
  • Hot Pepper Gourmet's cancellation rule for Unatou charges ¥2,500 for a seat-only booking cancelled from 11:00 on the day of the visit, and the full course price for a course booking.
  • Savor Japan, which names the shop 中川本店 (Nakagawa Main Branch) at the same address, lists an English menu and English-speaking staff.
  • Unatou has a sister shop called Munagi in Sakae, according to Hot Pepper Gourmet, so check that you are booking the Fukuzumi-cho shop.

How to order

Show this to the staff

特上ひつまぶしをひとつお願いします。

Tokujō hitsumabushi o hitotsu onegaishimasu.

One premium hitsumabushi (1.5 eels), please.

肝のせはできますか。

Kimo-nose wa dekimasu ka.

Is the grilled liver topping available?

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?

日本語で読む

Sources checked