Unagi no Kabayaki
Photo: Kossy@FINEDAYS from Akabane, Tokyo · CC BY 2.0

Tokyo's grilled freshwater eel: fillets steamed then grilled over charcoal, lacquered in sweet-savoury tare sauce, served over a bed of rice as unaju in a black lacquer box, eaten through summer to fight the heat.

Unagi has been a Tokyo staple since the Edo period, when 17th-century cookbooks first record kabayaki (split, skewered, grilled and lacquered). The Tokyo Edomae method (kanto-style) is to butterfly the eel from the back, par-cook by steaming, then grill, which gives a softer texture than the Osaka belly-cut version. By 1700 the dish was associated with Doyo no Ushi no Hi (the Day of the Ox in late July) thanks to scholar Hiraga Gennai's marketing campaign for eel shops. Long-running Tokyo specialists serve unagi over rice in graduated portions: ichinin-mae, ninin-mae, and the elaborate hitsumabushi where the diner eats first plain, then with garnishes, then as ochazuke.

1 editor pick for Unagi no Kabayaki in Tokyo, ranked by editorial score. All Tokyo signature dishes · Unagi no Kabayaki across every city.

Tsukiji Outer Market ★ 4.8

¥Market

Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo's Chuo ward is the food-stall labyrinth that survived after the wholesale auctions moved to Toyosu in 2018. Peak 07:00-11:00.

TipArrive by 07:30 for stalls before the tour groups; the tamagoyaki sticks at Yamacho are the canonical first bite.

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Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Unagi no Kabayaki makes more sense with someone from Tokyo explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

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