Kyogoku Kaneyo

I first ate here back in 2015 on a concierge’s tip, and it’s still one of my favorite Kyoto meals. Unagi over rice with that huge golden omelette on top — rich, filling, and surprisingly well priced for eel. Upstairs you slip off your shoes and sit on tatami (lean against the wall if you’re not used to it); downstairs is chairs and tables. Both have real charm, and you can watch the eels being grilled through the window outside, which is half the fun. A small note: eels are over-harvested and can’t be farmed, so this is a delicacy to savor in moderation.

My husband and I were really looking forward to this meal when we arrived in Kyoto and honestly we left..disappointed. We made a reservation on Tablelog for 3pm but when we arrived we were surprised to see that they were closing up already. They looked slightly annoyed that we came so late eventhough we had a reservation but luckily we got a seat. The set eels that we reserved ran out and only one was left which is unfortunate cause we got charged on Tablelog for it. As for the meal itself, it’s not bad. I was really looking forward to it because it’s such a famous restaurant but the eel was kind of..bland? And it was slightly dry and not as fatty and rich as I expected. So sad cause one of the main reasons we went to Kyoto is to try this. Maybe our expectations were too high? Overall, it was too expensive for what we got.

Honestly, the atmosphere, environment is good. can smell of unagi while walking down the alley. However, the meal taste wise didnt really lived up to all the hype and price. unagi was a bit bland and tasted burnt. for 3000 yen per person

I cannot recommend this place. The unagi was bland and had only a slight charcoal taste. For the price you are paying there are overwhelmingly other places nearby with better.

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.

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.

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.

The unagi here is grilled just right. Flavorful and meaty. We have been here twice and ordered the small unagi-don. It's plenty of food for us. There are larger sizes and other dishes, but this one is just right for us. Western (in a chair) seating is downstairs. Sitting cross-legged and on a pad is upstairs. We enjoyed and did both. Service is prompt and friendly.

For some years now, I have been longing to one time eat at this infamous unagi restaurant in Kyoto. Finally, the time had come and we finally savored the delicious unagi meal here at Kyogoko Kaneyo. And the experience surely did not disappoint. Not really conveyed in all the YouTube videos I have seen in the web is that Kyogoko Kaneyo is nestled just a stone throw away form Shinkyogoku shotengai. I guess you can say that Kyogoku Kaneyo is somewhat out of place form all the modern shopping around. But make no mistake, its rich history, prominent facade, and the amazing aroma whiffing around the street means business. We were still Stateside when I reserved our table here the Kaneyo. I opted reserving just as they opened in the afternoon. We were promptly seated with fantastic views of the outside garden. Inside screams Taisho-era decor and ambiance, exactly just like the outside. We went trait to business: I ordered their Kinishi-don (unagi bowl with egg) and the rest of my family ordered the same, except for my daughter which ordered their chicken. While I was at it, I also ordered their Liver eel soup as well. Presentation was excellent. You have your meal presented in lacquered bowl, with the tamago just slightly peek out. The egg itself was okay, nothing mind blowing but properly cooked. Hiding behind is was the beautiful, properly cooked unagi. Context: I love unagi, but the best I've had was from the US with the usual unagi (can we all agree this is just teriyaki sauce?) sauce I have grown accustomed. First time I tasted Kyogoku Kaneyo's none of that sweet teri sauce flavor is present at all. But rather, you can taste the smokey flavor of the charcoal, the fatty and moist deliciousness of the unagi, and the mild flavor of their shoyu sauce. The unagi has a very mild, rounded taste but the texture is out of this world. I guess that what you get when you source the best eel around. I had to recalibrate my taste buds since it was devoid of the sweet unagi sauce but make no mistake, Kyogoku Kaneyo is the best unagi I have ever tasted. The liver eel soup is unique, a little bit salty with the mild hint of liver flavor. And my daughter reported that their chicken was good, 4/5 stars good. Overall, we were thoroughly satisfied with our dinner. Also, Kyogoku Kaneyo gave me a proper lesson that a traditional and proper unagi bowl is not sweet, which I very much appreciate.

I knew this was a tourist trap but I decided to come anyways because I heard it was one of the most popular eel restaurants in Kyoto. It tastes how you expect it to taste, eel with a fluffy egg over rice. Nothing too special tasting to me, I feel like I've had better but I know eel prices in Japan run pretty high overall. I was here for the experience but that was about it.

Decent unagi-don here. A mini bowl comes with a piece of grilled unagi over rice and pickled vegetable. The charcoal aroma and window display was really attracted us to eat here. Smokey flavor on the unagi was really good with rice. Luckily, it was not glazed with sweet soy sauce so that I could enjoy the the eel's natural sweetness.

Been a local resident for 30 years and came here first time but very disappointed Value to the price is low Broiled the eel too soft and it's spongy texiture The sauce is not well molted and seasoned Rice is too sticky it's not blended with the sauce Notoyo at the Nishiki market is by far better than this place and it's only 5 min walk from this place

We got to experience their legendary eel bowls, and you won't be disappointed. The eggs were fluffy and the eels were delicious. The portion just enough to fill you up for good till your next meal.

4/13/2017 - Unagi Heaven Forget everything you think about Unagi from back in the states... This is delicious and amazingly! When you walk by the restaurant you can see them grilling the unagi over charcoal. Now step inside and be prepared to have your taste buds get blown away! Unagi is pretty much all you get here and that's OK because it's their specialty.

My high recommendation is " KINSHI-DONBURI" that is a grilled eel with rice covered with fried egg. it's so tasty. I usually oder it when I come to this restaurant.

Excellent unagi-don and very good tea on the side. The unagi-don is delicious with a scent of charcoal and a touch of soy sauce. Do not expect the dish to be sweet; it is not, which is good because then you can have a real taste of unagi without the sweetness overshadowing it. Expect the charcoal to get a little bit bitter in your mouth after a certain amount of unagi, though. I have to also mention that this place cooks rice really well. The eel is great; the rice makes the whole dish excellent. The tea (sencha, strong floral scent and a little bitter at the end, I guess it is from Mie but I was drunk then so I may be wrong) goes with unagi-don really well. Service is great like other places in Japan. There are Japanese and English menus. The prices are high, though. Expect to pay around ¥3,000+ per person. But look on the bright side, the prices do a pretty good job of controlling the influx of crowd on Friday night. So you can have unagi-don in a specialty restaurant without having to wait too long.

KANEYO i love unagi, so eating unagi in japan was something not to be missed. apparently, kaneyo is one of the most famous restaurants specializing in unagi, but i was highly disappointed. all i could taste from their unagi was smokey charcoal and bitterness. i prefer my unagi to be balanced with some sweetness. maybe my palate is too westernized... this was definitely our least favorite meal in japan.

In agreement with the other reviewer. Price is too high for the quality of the food. The menu doesn't really show prices for foreigners either and we got surprised by the bill. Oh well, should have done my research beforehand.

So my husband wanted to eat here because it was recommended in the lonely planet. I think... there may be a local menu because we seemed to have gotten a different one than the locals which had more choices. I could be wrong so double check. It was really expensive (and we don't mind spending money on high quality food) for what we got. The food was good, but not worth what we paid.

My husband and I stumbled upon this eel specialist randomly, and decided to give it a try. At first glance, it seemed pretty legit, and the abundance of locals eating inside confirmed our suspicions. I had the unagi-don, he had the set meal, and both were so reasonably priced and delicious. I loved the smoky charcoal flavor of the eel, and overall it was a really great casual dinner.