Tokyo Unagi Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone

Unagi is one of Japan's most technically demanding dishes. The eel is filleted, skewered, grilled, steamed, and grilled again, a process that takes years to master and can take thirty minutes or more from order to table. The best unagi restaurants in Tokyo have been refining this process for decades. They also tend to have no online reservation system.

This is part three of our series on Tokyo restaurants that are only bookable by phone.

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.

Unazen

Honjo Azumabashi, Sumida

A short walk from Tokyo Skytree, Unazen has been open since 1980 and has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi restaurants every year since 2018. The setup is intimate: twenty-two seats across counter, table, and tatami seating in a traditional downtown space. When you order, the chef filletes a live eel on the spot and begins the full Edo-style preparation process, beginning with white grilling, then steaming, then the final kabayaki. Waiting thirty minutes or more is part of the experience.

Cash only. Weekday lunch reservations available by phone, though summers may be fully booked. Weekend reservations are not accepted. Closed Mondays and Thursdays. Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday for lunch only, Saturday and Sunday until 3pm.

Phone: 03-3624-0475 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Unagiya

Higashi Nagasaki, Nerima

A neighborhood unagi restaurant that has earned a reputation well beyond its location. Unagiya has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi list and has over a thousand reviews from regulars who return specifically for the fluffy, Kanto-style unaju. The eel is steamed before grilling in the classic Edo tradition, producing a texture that is soft throughout rather than crisp at the surface. The restaurant is perhaps most known internationally as the place favored by Honda Soichiro, the founder of Honda, who reportedly ate here exclusively. That kind of loyalty tends to mean something. Closed Thursdays and Fridays.

Phone reservations only.

Phone: 03-3953-0049 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Hatsu Ogawa

Asakusa, Taito-ku

Five minutes from Asakusa Station, tucked into a quiet corner away from the main tourist streets. Hatsu Ogawa has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Unagi four years running. Fourteen seats across table, raised floor, and a traditional Japanese room. The service runs on a tight schedule: lunch from noon to 1:30pm, dinner from 5pm to 7:30pm. Reservations are required at least ten days in advance. Cash only. Closed Wednesdays.

The hours are short, the seats are few, and the food is worth planning around.

Phone reservations only.

Phone: 03-3844-2723 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

How to Book Any of These

Every restaurant on this list takes reservations by phone, in Japanese. If you speak Japanese, calling during afternoon hours between 2pm and 5pm tends to work best. 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 the restaurant 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 Tokyo Yakiniku Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Tokyo Monjayaki Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone