Kyogoku Kaneyo

I like the taste of the unagi here. Charcoal grilled, plain and simple. Plenty of seats avaliable on a Saturday evening downstairs. The wonderful smell of charcoal lingers in the restaurant, I suspect from over more than a 100 years of grilling eel. Definitely pricey.

30 Dec 2024 There is nothing special about this place. Popular, maybe because of the history of this place. It said it has been over 100 years since the end of the Meiji era. The unagi taste just so so, Service is really bad. The waiter who serves our table looks like he has been forced to do the work 😂 For me, seating on the floor and eating is hard and uncomfortable. If you wanna try this place, request sitting on the first floor where the table is. The second floor is all sitting on the floor. And yes, this place is expensive compared to other unagi restaurants.

Came across this place as it’s relatively near hotel. Was told it’s Michelin bib. We ordered a medium size and added a chicken wing as sides. The taste is indeed on a lighter side and i added the pepper and soya to make it tastier.

I don’t recommend this eel restaurant. The taste is not bad but not match its price the roast eel tastes like salt candle and a little bit bitter. I would rather to have a sukiya eel set. I would like to suggest you to investigate your local restaurant evaluating app to check it before ordering

The place itself offers an authentic Kyoto experience. It’s a beautiful wooden 2-story building where you can see the eel being grilled through the front window. The service is fast and staff are friendly / welcoming. We went right at dinner reopening time around 5pm and were ushered to a table right away. As for the food: the eel itself seemed fresh and of good quality, yet its preparation didn’t much agree with our taste: the sauce was runny rather than the usually thick unagi sauce and the char was a bit too flavor-dominant. Yet overall consistency/tenderness was good. I would recommend the place for an authentic experience but wouldn’t go too heavy on the food.

Kyoto Kyogoku (京極かねよ) was a huge disappointment. I thought it was hard to go wrong with unagi don, especially from a century-old restaurant, but it completely failed to meet expectations. I ordered the largest “premium” portion, but the rice was overly watery and lacked the proper texture. The eel was over-grilled, with a strong bitter taste. Overall, it was not just disappointing but a complete letdown. If you're looking for a better unagi experience in Kyoto, I’d recommend Nezameya (祢ざめ家) or Unagi Hirokawa (うなぎ屋 廣川), both of which have a more consistent reputation and better quality.

Recommended for the house speciality, Eel & Egg. Pleasant but simple restaurant serving good traditional food.

Wow! The eel! Plain, no sauce, the best way. Omelette, eel on rice was also delectable. Highly recommended. I have to return when I am in Kyoto again.