Unagi is one of those dishes that’s pricey outside of Japan, and still pricey within Japan. If you want some Unagi in Tokyo, you can expect to pay at least ¥3,500 for a filling portion of (really good) Unaju. While that might not be too expensive if you’re already a big fan, budget-friendly places for Unagi are pretty hard to come by.
Unatoto is one of those rare places where you can actually enjoy Unagi at a very reasonable price. I’ve had my fill of premium quality Unagi the last time I was in Japan, so for this trip, I figured “Why not give a budget Unagi place a shot?” The lines here can get pretty long, so after an early morning rise, I made my way to Unatoto to see if it’s really worth the money. How Good is Unatoto Actually?
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📋 Ordering System 📋
Once you’re at the front of the store, you’ll be placing your orders over at the ticketing machine. Insert your bills and coins, and press the button of whatever dish you’d like to get (details below.)
Once you order everything you need, hand your tickets to the staff, and they’ll take you to your seats once it’s all set up.
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💬 What to Order? 💬
So, you’re at the ordering machine, what dish should you get? Well, it mostly depends on your budget and how hungry you are, but here’s my rough guide.
For the ultimate budget Unagi experience, go for their famed “Unadon” for ¥590. It’s a single medium-sized portion of Unagi on rice, so it’ll do if you’re just here to try it out. But for a meal that’s more “normal-sized,” go for their most popular dish – their “Double Unadon” for ¥1,100. (roughly 1/3rd of a whole Unagi)
Moving on to their Unaju selection – basically larger portions of Unagi served in a lacquered box – there’s the Unaju for ¥960. It should be roughly the same size as the Double Unadon, but with the tail side here. For 2/3rds of an eel, go for the Large Unaju for ¥1,580. After that, there’s the Extra Large Unaju for ¥1,800, but at this point, you’re really better off just grabbing the largest size available.
Speaking of, if you want to go all out and order a whole Unagi, there’s the Bikkuriju for ¥2,500. It’s ridiculously cheap, so definitely grab this if you want to go for a heavy meal.
Oh, the Double Unadon and Bikkuriju comes with one free refill of rice, should you need it. And if you need some extras after that (or if you ordered the other bowls,) refills are ¥110.
And that’s just their “Eel on Rice” offerings… For something with a bit more variety, you can order their Hitsumabushi or smaller Unagi bowls topped with grated yam, onsen egg, or nori. (Plus their different sides and combo options, so have a look!)
Now with that out of the way, here’s what my brother and I got today!
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🍱 Unadon (¥590) 🍱
The standard Unadon, Unatoto’s most famous dish – one that you can buy with just a single coin! (Well, you used to anyways, but the price is now up ¥90 from ¥590)
Full details on the flavor below, but it’s overall a very nice tasting bowl. The portion size is a little small (I only got this for the photo), hence why the Double Unadon is their most popular menu item. But in terms of value, you really can’t beat this price for Unagi.
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🍱 Bikkuriju (¥2,500) 🍱
Roughly translated to “Surprise Unaju,” Unatoto’s Bikkuriju features an Unaju topped with a whole eel. The flavors are identical to the other sizes, so getting this all comes down to how much you like your Unagi. If you’re like my brother here, then going for the Bikkuriju really is a no-brainer. Plus, where else can you find a whole Unaju for this price?
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🍱 Flavor Profile 🍱
Now for the technical stuff, what’s the Unagi here like? Unatoto prepares their Unagi Kanto style, so the eel is sliced along its back, grilled, steamed, and then grilled again with their sweet Tare sauce.
Compared to the Kansai style Unagi I had at Kyoto, the Unagi here takes on a much lighter profile, featuring a more tender and fluffy meat that flakes away quite easily. And since the sauce isn’t grilled for too long, it adds an overall bright flavor to the dish. (‘bright’ being relative, of course, since Unagi is quite a fatty fish.)
Unatoto also grills their Unagi over Binchotan charcoal, giving the eel a smoky flavor as the drippings fall onto the coals. You’ll also notice some char marks on the Unagi itself for a bit of added aroma.
My favorite bit about freshly prepared Unagi is the skin, so how is it here? Yeah, it’s crispy alright. Definitely not as crispy as the non-steamed Kansai Unagi, but crispy enough for me to be satisfied.
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🧂 Sauces and Spices 🧂
The Unagi dishes already come pre-sauced, so you could just eat them as is. But if you’d like to spice things up, you have a few different options here.
For some classic spices, sprinkle on some Shichimi chili powder for a bit of heat, or some Sansho Pepper for a mix of citrusy and tingly flavors (my personal favorite).
And for some sauce options, if you’d like more of that Unagi Tare sauce, you can find it here, as well as some Shoyu soy sauce – but that’s mostly for their sides.
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Unatoto actually? Let’s talk about the Unagi by itself first. Yeah, the place serves some pretty good Unagi! While being quite a heavy meal, the sweetness of the sauce and the fluffy texture of the eel itself balances the dish out to create quite the enjoyable experience.
Is it the best Unagi I’ve ever had? Probably not. But if you look at it from an affordability perspective, this is by far one of the best-value Unagi out there! (Or look at it this way – If you’re willing to sacrifice some points on flavor, Unatoto offers Unagi bowls at half the cost.)
So if you’re looking for a good Unagi place with some serious value-for-money, then definitely stop by Unatoto!
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
My visit to Unatoto today was at their Asakusa Store. The closest station is, well, Asakusa Station – specifically, the Tobu Railway side of the station.
If you’re arriving from the Tobu Line, head towards the Main Exit, and Unatoto is only a couple minute’s walk away. If you’re arriving from the Ginza Line, your closest exit is Exit 8 and just under 5 minutes of walking. And for the Asakusa Line, it’s the A5 Exit and a little over 5 minutes of walking.
Unatoto also has about 30 stores across Japan, so have a look at their stores to see if there’s one near your place.
Unatoto – Asakusa Store
🌏 Location 🌏
1 Chome-5-2 Hanakawado, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0033, Japan
🗺 Map 🗺
https://goo.gl/maps/Yq42Xratdvjbh7vE9?coh=178573&entry=tt
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
11 A.M. to 10 P.M. (Last Order – 9:30 P.M.)
💻 Website 💻
https://www.unatoto.com/
📖 Online Menu 📖
https://www.unatoto.com/menu/
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💬 Parting Words 💬
While researching where to go for some Unagi this trip, I was surprised to see how pricey the dishes are in Tokyo (Makes sense though, it’s quite labor-intensive + it’s Tokyo.) Thankfully, I came across Unatoto right as I was about to give up on the idea – so here we are. Speaking off the record here, the Unagi I had at Kyoto (Kyo Unawa) is much better than the one here. But if you ask me whether I want a ¥3,500 bowl of the best Unagi I ever had VS a ¥1,800 bowl of Unatoto’s Unagi for the same size? Unless it’s a special occasion, I’m going for Unatoto 9 times out of 10. (And use that extra money to go buy some other things!)
