Osaka Unagi Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone

Osaka has its own take on unagi, distinct from the Kanto style most visitors associate with Tokyo. The eel is often grilled directly without steaming first, a method locals call gabayaki, producing a chewier texture than the famously soft Tokyo version. Two of the restaurants on this list have been doing it the same way for over a hundred years, and every restaurant here takes reservations by phone only.

A quick note: restaurant policies change. If any of these spots now appear on Tabelog with an online reservation option, book it there. If not, Rapym can make the call for you in Japanese.

Unagi Nishihara

Tanimachi-4-chome, Chuo-ku

Five minutes from Tanimachi-4-chome Station, run by an owner who trained for seventeen years in Hamanako, Shizuoka before returning to his hometown of Osaka to open this restaurant. Despite the Kansai location, Nishihara serves Kanto-style unagi, steaming the eel after grilling for a softer texture, and uses an unusual technique called koichi where the head and tail are grilled separately rather than together on one skewer. Selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi list in 2024, with a score of 3.72 across 659 reviews. Nine seats, five at the counter and four at tables. Cash only. Closed Mondays and the second Tuesday of each month.

Phone reservations only. Reviews suggest calling between 10am and 10:30am for the best chance of getting through.

Phone: +81-6-6926-4478 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Unajiro

Minami-Morimachi, Kita-ku

Four minutes from Osaka Tenmangu Station, near Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street. Unajiro opened in 2009 and grills in the gabayaki style, direct flame without steaming, which gives the eel its signature char and bite. The restaurant deliberately limits itself to two reservations at lunch and two at dinner each day, a small-batch approach that keeps quality consistent but means booking ahead matters. Tabelog score of 3.71 across 538 reviews. Sixteen seats. Eel runs out some days before closing time, especially Sundays when dinner service doesn't run at all. Closed Mondays and the first Tuesday of each month.

Phone reservations only, with only four total time slots available per day.

Phone: +81-6-6356-2239 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Unagi no Uoi Honten

Sekime-Takadono, Asahi-ku

Five minutes from Sekime-Kodo Station, in a standalone wooden building that dates back to 1867. Uoi Honten has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi list in 2024 and carries a score of 3.65 across 1,142 reviews, the most reviewed restaurant on this list by a wide margin. Seventy-one seats across counter, table, and a second-floor tatami room, with the tatami room carrying a 10 percent service charge. The restaurant doesn't take in-house dining reservations on Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays from June through August, including Obon, due to seasonal demand. Free parking for 22 cars.

Phone reservations only, except for the summer weekend restriction noted above.

Phone: +81-6-6953-3707 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Yoshitora

Sakaisuji-Hommachi, Chuo-ku

Ten minutes from Sakaisuji-Hommachi Station, in a hidden, standalone building that's easy to miss despite the restaurant's history. Yoshitora opened in 1924 and has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi list four times, in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2024. Tabelog score of 3.61 across 494 reviews. What sets Yoshitora apart from most Osaka unagi restaurants is its steaming method, unusual for the region, combined with a policy of leaving the small bones in rather than removing them, a detail that surprises some reviewers and delights others. Forty seats, private rooms available. Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, open weekdays only.

Phone reservations only, weekdays only.

Phone: +81-6-6226-0220 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym (weekdays only)

Honke Shibato

Kitahama, Chuo-ku

Five minutes from Kitahama Station, an Osaka institution serving gabayaki-style grilled eel for generations. Tabelog score of 3.59 across 440 reviews. Fifty seats, smoke-free. One detail sets Shibato apart from the others on this list. Reservations are accepted starting from a single diner, which is unusual for an unagi restaurant of this caliber. Lunch reservations only secure priority seating rather than a guaranteed table, while dinner reservations require specifying the course in advance. A dress code asks guests to avoid strong perfume or scented fabric softener. Closed Mondays and Sundays.

Phone reservations only, available from a single guest.

Phone: +81-6-6231-4810 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

How to Book Any of These

Every restaurant on this list takes reservations by phone, in Japanese. Yoshitora is open weekdays only, and Uoi Honten restricts in-house dining reservations on summer weekends, so check those details before calling. For the rest, calling during afternoon hours between 2pm and 5pm tends to work best.

If you speak Japanese, you can call directly. If you don't, Rapym can make the call for you. You give Rapym the restaurant name, phone number, your preferred date, time, and party size. Rapym calls in natural Japanese, handles the full conversation, and confirms the reservation in your name. Current success rate on completed calls is over 90 percent.

Rapym makes restaurant reservations in Japan on your behalf, in Japanese, by phone, for any restaurant. Try it here

Also in this series: Why Tokyo's best restaurants only take phone calls Every Way to Book a Phone-Only Restaurant in Japan, Honestly Reviewed Osaka Teppanyaki Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Osaka Okonomiyaki Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Osaka Kushikatsu Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone