Share
Save
Photos

Watabe

Detail
Share
Save
Photos
Summary
Restaurant Details
Location
For each guest that dines at this restaurant, byFood will donate 10 meals
Location
Cuisine
Unagi / Anago (Eel)
Average cost
Lunch: ¥5,000 - ¥10,000
Dinner: ¥5,000 - ¥10,000

This Michelin Bib Gourmand unagi restaurant serves up delectable Kanto-style freshwater eel dishes in a historic Tokyo ward.

Restaurant Details

In Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward, where literary figures like Natsume Soseki called home, Watabe has distinguished itself with its innovative eel dishes, even snagging itself a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for excellence at reasonable prices. Originally established in 1948 as a fish wholesaler, its third-generation owners reinvented Watabe as an unagi restaurant in 2004.


Eels are sourced from Aichi Prefecture. Rather than directly grill them in the Kansai school of cooking, the eels are cooked Kanto-style: first steamed for fluffiness, and then grilled for a crispy exterior. Watabe’s pride and joy lie in its tare (sauce), homemade based on a recipe used in-house for over 70 years. Their course menu features seasonal sashimi and eel cooked in the shirayaki style.


Along with classic unadon (eel over rice in a round bowl) and homemade foie gras terrine with kabayaki (eel coated in sauce and grilled), Watabe also offers a signature “Enmaju” set, named after the god of death in Buddhist mythology, closely associated with the nearby Genkakuji Temple. The set consists of servings of both kabayaki and shirayaki (eel grilled without sauce) and eel liver soup in honor of Enma.


Walking distance from Tokyo Dome — or a short jaunt by public transport for those less inclined to walk — Watabe has counter and table dining, as well as a private room furnished with sunken kotatsu seating: perfect for guests seeking warmth and a good meal when the weather gets colder.


Michelin Guide:

2018 - Bib Gourmand

Watabe Access Info

  • Watabe is a 5-minute walk from Korakuen Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.

Watabe Phone Number

03-3812-7448

Watabe Business Days

Sunday
11:30 AM
02:30 PM
-
05:00 PM
09:30 PM
Monday
11:30 AM
02:30 PM
-
05:00 PM
09:30 PM
Tuesday
11:30 AM
02:30 PM
-
05:00 PM
09:30 PM
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
11:30 AM
02:30 PM
-
05:00 PM
09:30 PM
Saturday
11:30 AM
02:30 PM
-
05:00 PM
09:30 PM

Watabe Address

1-chome-9-14 Koishikawa, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 112-0002, Japan

Watabe Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 2 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.

Read more

Restaurant location

Over 14 million residents call Tokyo home. Functioning as Japan's economic and cultural center, it's no surprise the metropolis often appears at the top of travelers' bucket lists. Here, you can find everything from traditional tea houses to futuristic skyscrapers.

Get Directions

We strive to be as accurate as possible and keep up with the changing landscape of Japan’s food and travel industries. If you spot any inaccuracies, please send a report.

Reserve This Restaurant
Select at least 1 guest
Select Guest
Select at least 1 guest
Adult
0
Child
0
Clear
Apply
Date
Select Date
December
2024
Su
Mo
Tu
We
Th
Fr
Sa
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
Time
Select Time
Time
¥2,000
reservation fee per guest*
Request Reservation
Free cancellation (2 days notice)
*Fee for reservation service only. This fee DOES NOT include any food, beverages, or services at the restaurant.
*Confirmation sent within seven business days.
*The reservation service charge will only apply if the reservation request is successful. If the restaurant cancels the reservation, 100% of the service charge will be refunded.
For each guest that dines at this restaurant, byFood will donate
10 meals
You may also be interested in these restaurants
COURSE MENU
KANAGAWA

Toshima Manryo Ichigetsuan

Enjoy traditionally-prepared unagi dishes in this Odawara restaurant, housed in a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Toshima Manryo Ichigetsuan uses exclusively blue-backed “ao-unagi” eels, said to account for only 10 percent of mature eels.

Dinner: ¥11,000-19,000
COURSE MENU
TOKYO

MARUICHI FUJI AKASAKA (formerly Nyorosuke Akasaka)

Rather than steam the eel first in Kanto style, this famed Akasaka unagi specialist upholds Kansai tradition by going straight into grilling the eel for a crispier, crunchier texture.

Dinner: ¥5,000-15,000
COURSE MENU
TOKYO

Azabujuban Hanabusa

This Tokyo restaurant sources its eels from unagi farmers in Isshiki Town, who have raised them in an all-natural environment for over 100 years. The unagi are then coated in a secret sauce, before being grilled Kansai-style over a charcoal flame.

Lunch: ¥12,000-25,000
Dinner: ¥12,000-25,000
COURSE MENU
TOKYO

Nyorosuke Roppongi

At Nyorosuke, you can experience authentic Kansai-style charcoal grilled eel dishes such as grilled eel skewers, unaju and unagi-don. Unlike most Tokyo-style eel restaurants, the eel here is not steamed—meaning it’s bursting full of flavor!

Dinner: ¥10,000-12,000