izuei honten 伊豆栄本店, the 270 year old Unagi Specialist in Tokyo

I have been reminiscing some of the outstanding Jap cuisine I've eaten during my past Japan trips and I feel that this Unagi (grilled eel) restaurant needs special mentioning. This Unagi specialist has been selling grilled eels (鰻割烹) since mid-Edo period till now, it is a Must Eat place for Unagi lovers!

izuei honten 伊豆栄本店 is located just across the street from Ueno Park's Shinobazu Pond 不忍池. The restaurant can be accessed by several ways, we took a short 5mins walk from the JR Ueno Okachimachi station 御徒町駅. At Exit A3, just walk straight till you see the main road Shinobazu Dori and then turn left. The 7 storey building has a prominent illuminated signage.

The traditional looking entrance with enticing Set meals food replicas on display.

Lotsa traditional Jap crafts and toys on display along the corridor leading up to the dining room. 

The restaurant has several kinds of dining rooms catered for both business and casual diners. Waiting staffs are all dressed in proper traditional kimono.

We asked for the English menu. The simple menu, has pictures of the set meals and its prices clearly stated, but no detail description of ingredients used in the meals.

I had the Princess Box (Himejyu 姫重) 3,675円 that consists of an Unagi Bowl, Assorted Appetizers, Pickles and Eel Liver soup. The set is beautifully presented in a two-tier container...so pretty.

The top tier contains the assorted appetizers. Everything was freshly made, handcrafted and nicely arranged in a visually pleasing manner. All the items tasted as good as its looks too. At the bottom tier, the Signature Unagi Bowl (Unajyu うな重), two huge slices of freshly grilled eel on top of Japanese steamed rice, glazed with special homemade sauce. The unagi was super soft and tender with aromatic charred exterior, and the sauce was amazing...thumbs up!

Hubby's Prince Box (Tonojyu 殿重) 6,300円 (it was 3675円 when we visited in 2008!). This set has a jumbo sized Unagi bowl with double layers of unagi and rice, served with pickles and soup.

The serving of the double layer Unagi bowl was really huge, good enough for 2-3pax to share! Hubby only managed to finished the yummy unagi but not all the rice. The eel liver soup was forgettable though.

When you're done, bring this to the cashier for payment.

The 270 year old Unagi Specialist lives up to its reputation. The food was exceptional and the service was impeccable. Prices are steep though, so this place is Strictly for Unagi Lovers.


izuei honten 伊豆栄本店
110-0005 東京都台東区上野2-12-22
Opens Daily 11:00-21:30

Tel: 03-3831-0954, 03-3831-8906
Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g063800/

Directions
ＪＲ 上野駅 しのばず口 徒歩5分 (5mins walk from Ueno station)
ＪＲ 御徒町駅 北口 徒歩5分 (5mins walk from Ueno Okachimachi station)
地下鉄銀座線 上野広小路駅 浅草方面出口 徒歩3分
京成線 上野駅 徒歩3分
都営大江戸線 上野御徒町駅 徒歩3分
地下鉄千代田線 湯島駅 徒歩5分