The head chef here opened the restaurant after 17 years of training at the famous Gion restaurant "Matsuno". He may seem a bit eccentric, but he is fundamentally a dog-loving and very kind person (although a bit shy). Known for attracting discerning kabuki actors, this restaurant offers delicious eel dishes and casual Kyoto cuisine. Located in the heart of Gion, near the intersection of Hanamikoji and Shijo-dori, it is not a high-end establishment (no reservations required). Be careful when going as it's tucked away in a building. I highly recommend trying the "unamushi" (eel and rice) and the pumpkin croquettes. If you're from outside Kyoto, consider trying the course menu to experience the best ingredients available that day. Ending with an eel rice bowl is a delightful way to finish your meal here. I have known the head chef for 30 years, and since high school, I have witnessed his dedication to cooking, which adds to the sincerity and seriousness that enhances the restaurant's atmosphere and deliciousness.

Located on the first floor at the back of a building facing the main street, this eel restaurant offers delicious lunch eel bowls. The taste is light and the eel is grilled to perfection. You can enjoy your meal in a semi-private room, away from the hustle and bustle outside, making it a peaceful lunchtime experience in a different world.

I want to eat eel. On my way from Shijo Station to the hotel, I spotted an eel restaurant. The menu offered a daily lunch special and cloudy sake. The staff kindly answered my questions and I look forward to trying their grilled eel at night. A wonderful start to my Kyoto sightseeing trip.

Since it was a private room, I was able to relax! I had both grilled and broiled eel, and they were both so delicious and fluffy! Eating the broiled eel with wasabi was a perfect match... If you're unsure, I recommend trying both!

After finishing a memorial service at Chion-in Temple, I head to the restaurant. Although the restrictions on inbound travel have been significantly lifted, there are still few tourists in Kyoto. The restaurant is located in a prime spot, tucked away deep inside a building just across from Hanami Koji on Shijo Street. I had made a reservation, so I was led to a semi-private area behind the counter. I ordered the special eel rice bowl set as I had been craving eel, and also added the famous pumpkin croquette. I had to wait quite a while, but I didn't mind as I knew they were preparing the dishes carefully. I noticed a small frame on a shelf with the words "40th Anniversary" written on it. The restaurant had a very modern and stylish interior, so it was hard to believe it had been around for 40 years. It made me wonder if the owner had opened the first restaurant 40 years ago, or if the chef had been working for 40 years. It got me thinking about my own 42 years of work experience. When the eel rice bowl was served, it looked beautiful. And when I took a bite, it was truly a work of art. The outside was slightly crispy like a cream puff, while the inside was incredibly tender. The flavor was just right and paired perfectly with the rice. I love eel and have eaten it many times, but this was definitely one of the best I've had. Even my picky wife said it was delicious, so that's a true testament to its quality. The side dishes of pickles and fried vegetables were elegantly flavored. As for the famous pumpkin croquette, I was surprised by how rich and flavorful it was when I took a bite. Another customer at a nearby table had ordered a New Year's feast, so it must be delicious as well.

This restaurant is popular among celebrities and offers a variety of dishes with eel as the main ingredient. Since it was my second visit, I decided to try different dishes such as grilled eel, fried horse mackerel, grilled eel with chicken and green onions, sukiyaki croquettes, and dashimaki tamago. The location is great and the restaurant is easy to navigate. It was a pleasant dining experience.

This year, the dreaded "Midsummer Day of the Ox" on July 28th is approaching again...(||ﾟДﾟ)ﾋｨｨｨ! During this time, there is a lot of "eel harassment" from my MyRebi friends, abbreviated as "UnaHara"! I cannot sit back and watch this year's "backyard reviews" without taking action!! (#ﾟДﾟ)ｸﾜｯ!! So, I chose "Kabocha no Tane" from the eel restaurants I used to visit! ‹‹\(´ω` )/›› Due to the coronavirus pandemic, as of early July when I visited, they were operating the "lunch session" by appointment only! (bﾟv`*) If you plan to visit for lunch, reservations are a must! (=´∀｀) I, being directionally challenged as always, was guided by a friend familiar with Kyoto to go there! (bﾟv`*) The restaurant is located in the "Gion Ryogoku Building," which, as you can guess from the name, is the building of the main store of "Hara Ryogoku," famous for its black shichimi pepper! By the way, "Kabocha no Tane" has various dishes listed on their website and Tabelog, but they are currently only serving "eel dishes," as stated! d(ﾟε ﾟ；) ------------------------------------------------------------------ This time, I ordered: ⚫︎ Special Eel Bowl Set 3520 yen (tax included) (with small side dishes, soup, pickles) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 【Special Eel Bowl Set】 • Eel rice bowl (1 tail) • Simmered dried fish • Soup • Pickles...that was the lineup! ◆ Eel Rice Bowl ◆ Although the menu name is "eel bowl," the menu photo and actual dish are "eel over rice"!٩̋(๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑) The grilling method seems to be "Kanto style"! It was my first time trying Kanto style, and the meat and skin were quite tender compared to Kansai style! (bﾟv`*) When I tried it... The sauce is a lightly sweet and watery type. I prefer a sweeter sauce, so I felt it was a bit lacking, but there's nothing to be done about it! (^◇^;) Maybe due to the sauce on the rice or the quality of the rice, when I lifted it, the rice scattered from between the chopsticks. It was difficult to eat the eel and rice together, so I ended up eating "eel + a small amount of rice" in my mouth and then the scattered rice afterwards. If there was a spoon, it would have been easier to eat! (ﾉ∀︎＼*) I tried half without adding anything. For the remaining half, I added sansho pepper, but maybe I put too much? The eel's flavor was overshadowed by the sansho pepper, so it was tastier without anything added! (´ﾟдﾟ｀)ｱﾁｬ- "Kanto style." It was delicious in its own way, but... "I still prefer Kansai style!" I thought! (*´-`) ◆ Simmered Dried Fish ◆ It contained simmered daikon radish, red konjac, shiitake mushrooms, and fried tofu! (bﾟv`*) It was a delicious side dish with a rich flavor! (๑´ڡ`๑) ◆ Soup ◆ It contained silky tofu, asatsuki (?), and sudachi peel! It had a nice aroma of sudachi, but when I ate the peel last, it was bitter, and the taste lingered in my mouth! ◝︎(๑⁺д⁺๑)◞︎՞ ◆ Pickles ◆ It was a selection of pickled radish, konbu tsukudani, and lightly pickled Chinese cabbage! It was a delicious dish to cleanse the palate!٩̋(๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, with this, I have successfully completed my "Midsummer Day of the Ox" UnaHara countermeasures for 2021! ✌︎('ω'✌︎ ) After this, I will walk straight from "Kabocha no Tane" to our next destination, a "high-end chocolate specialty store"! (bﾟv`*) Thank you for the meal! ( ^人^ )

I was surprised by the storm of the ethnic migration state in Arashiyama, but... the true purpose of this Kyoto expedition, it is none other than the night illumination of the autumn leaves in the famous spots of the city center! I want to visit Kyoto during the autumn leaves season and see the night illumination at least once. This is the wish of many people from other prefectures, right? I want to arrive at Ginkakuji, where the illumination is beautiful, around 8 pm. Ideally, I would like to walk after dinner, so dining in the Gion area would be desirable. However, it is extremely difficult to make reservations at a restaurant in Gion that serves delicious food at a reasonable price and has a good atmosphere during this season! After being turned down by several places, I decided to try calling a restaurant called "Kabochanotane". The name is quite peculiar, isn't it? When I called, an elderly man answered and said, "Sure, you can make a reservation." It was so easy that I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about not even confirming my phone number. On the day of the visit, the reservation was indeed confirmed (Phew). The restaurant is located in a building near the intersection of Shijo Street leading to Yasaka Shrine and Hanamikoji. Despite being a super hotspot, the restaurant is hidden at the back of the building and hardly catches anyone's eye. Although there was a slight uneasiness as no Kansai-based reviewers had visited, there were rumors that Kabochanotane is often frequented by kabuki actors incognito. It seems that the rumors about being favored by kabuki actors who are connoisseurs of fine dining are true. The restaurant has counter seats and several semi-private table seats. Inside the restaurant, there are name tags of kabuki actors and posters of geisha, and it seems that the rumors about being favored by them are true. Since there were three of us today, we could order a variety of dishes. First, of course, we ordered bottled beer. The appetizer was kinpira with mashed ingredients. From the daily recommendations, we ordered the cold yellowtail yukke. The cold yellowtail is mixed with a sweet and savory sauce, chopped seaweed, sesame seeds, and green onions. The fatty yellowtail is delicious. Beer goes well with it. For a Kyoto-style side dish, we ordered a three kinds of obanzai platter. It consisted of simmered hijiki, fried tofu and vegetables, and Omi red konjac. All of them were delicious with a stable seasoning. Now, we will order the standard dishes of an eel restaurant. First, we ordered the unagi roll. It costs 1,200 yen. It is a very splendid size. Even if you eat it alone, it seems to be enough to fill you up. It is a high-quality unagi roll that is rolled very carefully. The seasoning is gentle, typical of Kyoto, but it is delicious. At this point, I felt like having some sake. We ordered the junmai ginjo sake "Koto" from Sasaki Sake Brewery, the family of the actor Kuranosuke Sasaki. It costs 600 yen. It is a very refined sake that is reasonably priced for drinking at a Kyoto restaurant. It goes well with the oily dishes at the eel restaurant. And of course, we cannot miss the grilled eel. We ordered the large size because there were three of us. It costs 4,500 yen. It is very tender and juicy. Although it is in Gion, it is prepared in a Kanto style. It is delicious when eaten with wasabi soy sauce or salt. I felt like having a second cup of sake, so we ordered the special junmai sake "Tokujirou" from Kyoto for 600 yen. It is a dry sake with a deep flavor. Lastly, we ordered the eel bowl! We ordered the medium size for 3,200 yen and the small size for 2,200 yen. Although it is listed as an eel bowl on the menu, it is served as an eel box. Even the regular size has plenty of eel. The sauce has a mild sweetness. Personally, I prefer it a bit sweeter, but it is still delicious. The total cost including tax was 16,800 yen. If you can have a party in Gion at an eel restaurant and spend around 5,000 yen per person at this time of year, it would be a great success. There was a poster of the popular geisha Kikutsuru on the wall. After dinner, we moved to Kiyomizu-dera. The autumn leaves reflected in the pond were fantastic.

I visited the restaurant during the daytime. The tatami rooms were fully booked, but there were seats available at the counter, so I was able to enter without a reservation. It seems that all seats are non-smoking during lunchtime. The menu has changed, as there was no longer a choice of small, medium, or large unagi bowls. Instead, there was a choice between regular and premium. The regular was priced in the late 2000 yen range and served in a bowl, while the premium was in the 3000 yen range and served in a box. There were also several lunch set options featuring fried foods other than unagi. The takeout menu still offered small, medium, and large unagi bowls as before. Additionally, there seemed to be many evening-exclusive izakaya-style dishes. I chose the premium unagi bowl. The premium option had twice the amount of unagi compared to the regular, but the amount of rice did not increase much. It also came with three types of pickles, tofu and yuzu soup, and dried daikon radish. The dried daikon radish had a little bit of red konjac in it. The soup was piping hot and had a great flavor, although it was a bit disappointing that it didn't come with yuba. The unagi was a fluffy Kanto-style eel, which was delicious, but lacked a bit of smokiness. Sprinkling plenty of sansho pepper on top gave it a nice punch.

I had eel in Gion, but the regular place was unexpectedly closed, so I came here near Yasaka Shrine. The spacious restaurant has both counter and private rooms, and it was fully packed. The air was filled with a nice smoky smell. I had the premium eel rice bowl at the counter, which was cooked in the fluffy Tokyo style. The sauce was quite light, without any sweetness. It was quite a generous portion, but surprisingly light and not too satisfying. Thank you for the meal.

It's difficult to make reservations at markets and shops in Gion on Sundays because many are closed, making it hard to choose. However, I found a seemingly available restaurant and decided to visit. This place offers both Kanto-style eel and Kyoto-style obanzai. The dashi was gentle and delicious, and the Japanese sake went down smoothly, allowing me to enjoy eating and drinking. For those who haven't tried Kyoto cuisine before, this restaurant has a good variety of dishes. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I had heard that this restaurant was delicious, so I had been wanting to go for a while. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was cozy. The fluffy eel was amazing! It was steamed and baked in the Kansai style, easy to eat, and I definitely want to visit again. However, reservations are required!

On New Year's Eve during lunchtime, there were few restaurants open for business. Even the ones that were open had long lines and were fully booked. Feeling lost without a place to go, I wandered around Shijo Street and stumbled upon a unagi (eel) restaurant. With a casual attitude of "This place looks good, right?", I decided to give it a try. Upon further research, I found out that the head chef had trained for 17 years at a prestigious unagi restaurant called Gion Matsuno. The restaurant is even visited by Kabuki actors. I ordered the Special Unagi Donburi Set for 3,200 yen. The dish looked more like an unagi donburi than a donburi bowl. They used domestic eel and cooked it in the Kanto style. Although I occasionally encountered small bones, the eel had a soft and melt-in-your-mouth texture with a sauce that had just the right amount of sweetness and depth. I finished the dish without any leftovers. The portion size was just right for lunch, and it was a great value for enjoying unagi at this price. My friend ordered the Unagi Donburi, which also seemed like a sufficient amount if you're looking to try different dishes. Overall, even though we randomly stumbled upon this restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious the food was.

Anyway, the eel was fluffy and delicious!! I want to try the eel roll next time...

I made a reservation and went there, but the restaurant is located at the back of a building and a little hard to find. The interior has a casual dining atmosphere, and it seemed to be a popular place with customers coming in one after another. I ordered the cheapest small size eel bowl, and it was quite filling. The eel was tender and delicious. It's great to enjoy delicious eel in a relaxed atmosphere rather than focusing on the ambiance.

The landlady was kind and polite, and the cozy atmosphere was calming despite its small size.

Lunch starts at 12 o'clock. I had previously arrived around 11:30 and waited for 30 minutes, but this time I made a reservation and went. The interior of the restaurant was nicely divided into private rooms, with no doors but curtains, which is appreciated in these times. There were also counter seats available. Right after opening, it was a bit smoky and smelled, but it was quickly resolved. I had the classic eel rice bowl. They also had lunch sets without eel. Since there was no door and just curtains, the staff would come right away when called, and the service was polite. Eel rice bowls can be quite expensive these days, but I had it at a relatively reasonable price! It was delicious. The location is convenient for us, so we will visit again. Since customers started coming in right after opening, it's safer to make a reservation!

Thank you for the delicious meal.