Unagi Irokawa

Eel with sauce over rice is great, eel without sauce is less flavor. Eel livers is just ok. Staffs are polite and can speak English.

Quite an authentic eel unagi only shop selling this in old traditional looking building. We went there early in morning and queued for 30 minutes. There were not many spaces in the restaurant and only two workers were there to clean, serve and cook. Overall the unagi tasted natural and does have a fish taste that you would remember. I love eel so this is definitely mind blowing. Although is it worth the long wait? I might say no for this if it’s like an hour long queue.

I went here for lunch. I ordered 1. Unagi Set (4/5) The restaurant is quite small. The taste was okay. During weekend expect a long queue. I was lucky there is no line when i visit there because they almost closed for lunch. Staffs were friendly. Services were good. CONCLUSION = RECOMMENDED!!!

Queued for 1h on a Monday afternoon - we reached around 1230pm and we’re seated about 130pm. The restaurant has pretty few seats hence the long wait. The waitress was very friendly and welcoming though! I tried the regular unagi bowl while my husband had the large one. We both enjoyed the meal including the really delicious soup! However, we agreed that we expected a little more given the long wait. I’d probably say it’s worth queuing for up to half an hour but I’m not sure we’d be in line again for an hour in the future

Ordered the unagi set and unagi liver. Tastes good, and they are very generous with the eel portion. The plum from the ungai set tastes great too, a balanced mix of sweet and sour, with some wine. The unagi liver tastes a little bitter with the first bite but gradually grows on you. Very nice addition to the meal. Will definitely revisit this small local unagi eatery. A fine example of a shop that specialises in unagi, and does it expertly well.

OVERRATED Unagi lacked flavor, it wasn't very bad, but it felt like a typical unagi restaurant. Furthermore, the owner's attitude was poor; she left in a hurry while we were halfway through ordering, and when we tried to add more items later, it was rejected with a bad attitude. In conclusion, it's a tourist-oriented restaurant, not worth visiting.

Great hospitality. The owner can speak English and there’s English menu. No need to worry. Grilled unagi is really good. Love the smell and the taste. Maybe a bit pricy compared with other restaurants, but this is freshly made. I think it's worthwhile!!

This little restaurant has been around since 1861 - I'd attribute the perfect sauce to the time they've had perfecting it. We arrived on a Tuesday at 11:15AM and were fortunate to be numbers 10 and 11 in line (the shop seats 12). We happily shared a table with another duo. The restaurant is cramped but you don't think about it as your senses are distracted by the slightly sweet smell of sauce coming off the charcoal grill, the glisten off the unagi, and the flavour profile on your tongue.

I liked the Large Unagi Set We saw a line forming and had time to kill so we got in as well. Turns out this is a 162 year old legendary charcoal unagi restaurant I must say after it's all said and done, it's #goodeats but I wouldn't recommend to come here. This place fits 13 people and is only open from 11am-2pm. We waited an hour before we were seated and the line was equally long the entire time we waited. I will say this place does lose points for their tea. I can tell it's pretty low quality and wasn't steeped for very long. It's also not the best unagi I've ever had, even tho it is good, I think it's a bit too pricy for the wait and flavor.

A century-old place that serves everything unagi (fresh water eel) related, this place has a permanent line when they are open, even when they are on a side street with little foot traffic. They do sell out, as I witnessed them turning away an old lady, so don't take your chances and come early if you want your unajyu. When they are about to run out, they also don't let anyone order the large size, which is nice of them. They do have a simple English menu, and you will be able to study that while you are waiting in the back room, after you are no longer in the line outside. The space is really small, about 10 seats in total, and it is filled with the aroma of roast eel. They use the age-old method of roasting eel over charcoal, which gives the eel a little bit of crispyness and a little charcoal aroma. I only managed to get the unajyu (5th last person in line!!). The unagi was a bit more fishy than I'd like, but the grilling method was really superb. The texture was nice and non-slimey, which indicated a good amount of time on the grill. The meal also came with pickled veggies and clear soup, and there was sansho (ground pepper) on each table. The sansho was definitely a must (sprinkle it on!!!!), and it brought out the best in the unagi. To be honest, this is not the best unajyu I've had. However, it is definitely worth a visit if you have only had unajyu from crappy Japanese restaurants or from a vacuum-sealed package. There are so few places that dedicate solely to this under-appreciated fish.

my yelp japan review writing juices continue to flow............ this place is off the beaten path in asakusa, requiring a little navigational ability. do look out for the sign saying 色川 as their name irokawa does not feature anywhere at the shopfront. again, a queue outside would be a tell tale sign that you have found the right place. this is a tiny joint, so be prepared for a little squeeze. you might also need to sit cross legged on tatami mats if they so sit you at the low tables. for the non-japanese speaking customer, a simple english menu card will be presented to you with a choice of unaju large, 3500yen or unaju small, 2500yen. however, if you are accomplished enough in ordering in japanese, they do have other unagi related dishes. the ventilation here is minimal, so you will be intoxicated by the charcoal grilled unagi way before you even set eyes on the beauty that it becomes. a complex brown hue yet not overly basted. a nice natural texture giving way to a tantricly tender flesh beneath. sweet dreams are made of this................ for a century they have passed the charcoal and your patronage will ensure this tradition lives on.