Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada

Restaurant Details

There's a saying in Japan about mastering the kabayaki, or the grilled eel: it takes three years to learn to skewer the fish, eight years to split it and a lifetime to grill it.

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada has been perfecting them for three generations.

The restaurant, established in 1946, rose among the ashes of Nihonbashi, which was temporarily reduced into ruins following World War II. Though a familiar story — a postwar restaurant in one of Edo's oldest and most revered gourmet districts — it's a narrative the third-generation owner shares with pride. The restaurant's name, borrowed from the first owner's hometown of Isesaki City in Gunma Prefecture and the Ise Grand Shrine, carries a sense of good fortune.

The unagi course at Isesada never overcomplicates the eye, but its preparation is a meticulous process in the kitchen. Live domestic eels are carefully chosen by craftsmen. The restaurant follows the Kanto-style kabayaki method, influenced by the region's samurai culture that avoids slitting the fish along the belly as it symbolizes seppuku. Instead, chefs choose to cut from the back (se-biraki). The process begins with skewering the eel, followed by "white-grilling" — grilling without seasoning — steaming, and finishing with hon-yaki — grilling with the sauce.

The secret sauce brushed on the eel, used since the restaurant's inception, imparts a refreshing taste with subtle sweetness and a lingering aftertaste. It is also drizzled over Koshihikari "phantom rice" from Nagano Prefecture, which is noted to have that perfect sweetness and stickiness and is cooked on a traditional kamado stove.

At the wooden counter seats, guests can watch the eel being grilled by the third-generation owner himself before their eyes. Private rooms with sunken kotatsu tables exude a traditional Japanese ambiance. Closing in on its century milestone, the restaurant proudly remains a relic of Edo, backed by generations of technique and trust.

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Remarks

• Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.

• The restaurant reserves the right to refuse reservations to guests who have excessive dietary restrictions, particularly those of fish or vegetables.

• The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

• The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.

• The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Business Days

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Address

1-chome-5-17 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Access Info

• Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada is a 1-minute walk from Mitsukoshimae Station through Exit A1) or a 2-minute walk from the same station through Exit A4. It is also a 4-minute walk from Shin-Nihombashi Station on the Sobu Line or a 4-minute walk from Nihombashi Station on the Tozai Line.

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Phone Number

Unagi Kaiseki Nihonbashi Isesada Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 48 hours before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.