"Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Ikebukuro Store" @ Higashi-Ikebukuro Station ~ We decided to investigate a "cheap eel" restaurant that emphasizes the low price of eel. The other day, we happened to discover the eel restaurant "Kawatsugi" of the eel wholesaler Mikawa Freshwater Group in Nagoya, and it was quite good. However, it was not a restaurant that emphasizes low prices like "Unadai". The eel business has seen many entries from izakaya operators during the pandemic, and eel prices fluctuate significantly, which may be why it is difficult to find information even when searching online. Today, we came across this "Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Ikebukuro Store" and decided to visit. The store is located at Higashi-Ikebukuro on the Yurakucho Line. I used to live near Zoshigaya years ago, so I am quite familiar with Higashi-Ikebukuro. The store is located in a commercial facility directly connected to the station after exiting the ticket gate and going up the stairs. The sign "Cheap Eel" is quite impressive. Let's go inside. It's a little before 1:00 PM, and about 60% of the seats inside the store are filled. Is this typical for Higashi-Ikebukuro, considering its location near the station? First, I went to the cashier machine to pay. This part is similar to "Unadai". There are no menus like those at eel specialty stores offering "Unazaku" or "Unamaki". *By the way, according to the store information on Google Maps, as of September 1st, "Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Ikebukuro Store" will stop selling "Chawanmushi", "Kimo-sui", and "Unazaku". Due to the discontinuation of Chawanmushi, the eel set meal with Chawanmushi will also be discontinued. Therefore, the prices of eel set meals will be revised as follows from September 1st. We appreciate your continued patronage. Special Unaju Set Meal: 3,200 yen → 3,100 yen Tokujou Unaju Set Meal: 2,700 yen → 2,600 yen Jou Unaju Set Meal: 2,000 yen → 1,900 yen Unatama-don Set Meal: 1,400 yen → 1,300 yen Unadon Set Meal: 1,300 yen → 1,200 yen We appreciate your continued patronage. It seems like they have specialized in meal demand due to their location near the station. Today, I will try the "Tokujou Unaju Set Meal" (tax included) for 2,600 yen. The waitress was very friendly. Although she said I could choose any seat, it was already a bit late, so when I tried to sit at the counter, I felt it was too narrow between two gentlemen with large luggage. Before I could say anything, she suggested that I could sit at a table instead. So, I decided to have my meal at a table for four. There are various signs on the table. I wonder if this is a directly managed eel shop or a processing plant. After a while, the "Tokujou Unaju Set Meal" (tax included) for 2,600 yen arrived. The eel seems to have been processed at a processing plant and then grilled. The side dishes include pickles, wasabi, green onions, and a soup with fu (wheat gluten). This is just my impression, but if it's domestically produced eel, I would like them to pay more attention to the wasabi, even if the selling price is higher. I also wish they had liver soup. I added extra sauce and sansho pepper. The sansho pepper is ground with a mill. The eel is plump and the skin is slightly crispy. It's a light eel. It's not bad, but it's not exceptional either. I think it's reasonably priced for domestically produced eel in Tokyo, but if they pay attention to the details other than the eel, it might give a sense of being more affordable. Perhaps this is what they mean by "cheap eel". Seiryu Unagi Tsukishima Ikebukuro Store 4-5-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Rise City Ikebukuro B101 Phone 03-3980-6100"

This is a restaurant where you can enjoy an eel bowl with a limit of 20 servings. Even if it's not limited to 20 servings, the prices are quite cheap. By signing up on LINE, I received a complimentary drink on my first visit. They use half an eel for the limited servings. I waited for about 10 minutes from placing my order. By the way, I wonder why there is a price difference between the eel bowl and the eel box?

Friday, August 11th, 14:15 visit during the Obon holiday, with a seating rate of about 70%. I remember seeing this restaurant featured on TV while changing channels, so I quickly bookmarked it without noting the name of the show. I mistakenly went to a different restaurant the other day, but it turned out to be a great find. The location is near Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Yurakucho Line, so it's quite a distance to walk from Ikebukuro, about one stop away. The restaurant is located behind the escalator, so it was a bit tricky to find while looking at the sign. Upon finally arriving at the entrance, I noticed a sign stating that they only accept cash today. The interior of the restaurant is still new and clean. I initially thought the menu would be impressive, but after reading some mixed reviews on the way, I decided to play it safe and ordered the cheapest eel bowl for 1300 yen, with an additional 200 yen for liver. When I tried to insert cash into the ticket machine, the staff kindly pointed out that the slot was actually located lower down. The dish arrived in about 10 minutes. The presentation and the dishes themselves looked new and nice. I tried the eel, which was tender and delicious in my opinion, making me think that maybe I could have tried the more expensive option. However, when I tried it with the rice, I noticed that the rice was dry and somewhat hard in many places. It was edible, but quite dehydrated and almost crunchy. The liver in the eel bowl had a slight unpleasant smell, so I think I would have preferred a regular soup. Also, the chawanmushi (savory egg custard) was a bit bland. The ground sansho pepper added a tingling sensation, but I expected it to be finer. Maybe the grinder was not working properly? Overall, the eel was good, so I might consider trying the more expensive option next time, especially since the staff's service was good.

Unagi rice bowl set for 3,500 yen + change to liver suction for 200 yen. A restaurant that opened in Ikebukuro this year. Located in a building directly connected to Higashi-Ikebukuro Station. The system is to decide what to eat and purchase it from a vending machine when entering the store. The interior of the store is clean and the tables are spacious. The eel is delicious, the rice is delicious, but the sauce is a bit stingy. However, it's okay, this eel dish here is good enough for me in the future.

This is a review of my visit to a new branch of Kiyosuru Unagi Tsukishima in Higashi-Ikebukuro during the weekend lunchtime. I was able to enter the restaurant right away, but after me, customers had to wait outside. I ordered the Hitsumabushi (unagi on rice) with less rice through the ticket machine at the entrance, and after about 10 minutes of waiting, the dish was served. While many customers were enjoying the huge Hitsumabushi with a whole eel, I was impressed by the large bento box. The Hitsumabushi cost 1700 yen including tax, which was a good value for the generous amount of eel. The eel was firm and had very few bones, and the taste was to my liking compared to another eel restaurant I had visited before. The sauce was not too sweet, and additional sauce was available on the table, which was a nice touch. There were also chopped green onions and wasabi, allowing me to enjoy the eel in various ways with or without sansho pepper. The staff were very friendly and provided excellent service. The only downside I felt was the difficulty in using the ticket machine, as it was hard to see all the menu items on one screen and the response was slow, causing some frustration. I felt bad for making the customers behind me wait while I was struggling with the machine. With the positive impression of the eel itself, I may come back again. Thank you for the meal.

Visit: Saturday 14:00 No reservation, no wait Seating: Table seating, baby strollers allowed A new popular eel restaurant located in the basement of Higashi-Ikebukuro Rise. The system allows you to make payment through a touch panel before entering. It's like fast eel, but it pleasantly surprises you. They cultivate Japanese eels in China, but there is no muddy smell, the eel is thick and tender, and the sauce is subtly elegant in the Kanto style. The grilling is not done over charcoal, so it may depend on personal preference, but the quality exceeds the price by far. It's surprising that they can achieve this level of quality with eels from foreign farms and a central kitchen operation. Compared to the increasing trend of fast eel restaurants offering European eels from China at low prices or eel for takeout to cook at home, this place delivers a more delicious experience and satisfies your eel cravings fully. The Hitsumabushi (eel over rice) and highball were great.

I had dinner at this newly opened restaurant. The eel was thick and very fluffy, and delicious. In addition to the eel, the restaurant's specialty is the rice. It was said to be rice selected by a long-established rice shop in Kyoto that goes well with eel, but the rice on this day was unsatisfactory. I wondered if they intentionally cooked it firm, but it wasn't a cooking method that appreciated the taste of the rice, which was disappointing. My companion's rice still had a core, which felt like a waste of the eel. Maybe they made a mistake in the cooking method because they're newly opened? The eel was delicious, so I would like to try it again next time. Thank you for the meal.

Opened on June 30th, 23 years. I went on the first day. The opening special was a gift of a 1-gō bottle of Dassai 45 to the first 100 people. The store is located underground. I encountered a male staff member handing out flyers at the escalator. Me: "Do you grill the eel over charcoal or gas?" Staff: "We use an oven." Me: "Huh? An oven???" Staff: "We process it in a central kitchen, vacuum-pack it, and then heat it in the oven at the store." Me: "..." At the store, there was a touch panel ticket machine at the entrance. A female staff member was assisting nearby. It was written by hand that only cash was accepted today. I was recommended by the staff to order the "Ultimate Eel Rice Set for 3300 yen." On the next screen, they asked about the "amount of rice" and changing the "liver soup for an additional 200 yen." Even though it's the Ultimate Eel Rice Set, isn't the liver soup included by default? The amount of rice is 250g for regular, and for an extra 200 yen, you get 300g for a large serving. Isn't it a bit much to pay 200 yen more for just 50g extra? I managed to get the Dassai. They said I could drink it on the spot, so I enjoyed it without hesitation. I had tried Dassai once a long time ago and it was like "hmm," so I had been avoiding it since then, but the Daiginjo I drank this time was delicious. Knowing that one cup of good sake wouldn't be enough, I added another cup for a fee. When I verbally ordered from the staff, they asked me to buy a ticket from the ticket machine. Hmm. Oh, it costs 1700 yen. I didn't know that. I could have just eaten a bowl of eel rice. Maybe I should stop. The Ultimate Eel Rice Set arrived 10 minutes later. The rice was thinly spread at 15mm? The rice itself had no sauce on it at all. There was no extra sauce on the table either. The eel, which they said was 240g, was equivalent to one eel. There were no marks from skewering. The thickness was normal. The aroma was weak. The skin was soft. Even if it's vacuum-packed, if you sear it over direct flame, it would become a bit crispy. I had some expectations because I checked the website. They emphasized their dedication to eel, grilling, sauce, and rice. Moreover, they claimed their prices were half that of other stores! There may be differences in individual eels, but the method itself is no different from Yoshinoya, Matsuya, Yayoiken, Ootoya, Nakau, etc. Next, I plan to try "Matsuya's Triple Eel Rice Bowl for 2180 yen" and "Yayoiken's Special Ultimate Eel Rice Set for 1900 yen," so I will compare them. Taste is important, but the overall satisfaction, including price, is crucial!

I went on the first day of the new opening. The interior of the restaurant is very clean, as expected. The eel is large and offers good value for the price, which is great. In these times, getting an eel dish for 2,100 yen feels like a good deal. However, personally, I prefer eel that is grilled over charcoal for a more fragrant taste, which was lacking here. Also, not related to the eel, but there is a QR code for adding the shop on LINE inside the restaurant, but the signal was so poor inside that I had to go outside to do it.

Cost performance is good, no waiting time typical of eel restaurants. A fast eel restaurant. It's nice to visit this kind of place once in a while. The taste is not bad. Special eel rice bowl set meal (¥3,300).

Visited a budget-friendly eel restaurant. Ordered the premium dish, 3 pieces for 2700 yen. The eel was fluffy but had many small bones. The sansho pepper on the table didn't have a strong aroma or numbing sensation.

I was drawn to the visually appealing appearance of the Gyoku Unaju restaurant and decided to go there. It seems like they just opened in June. On this day, I wasn't very hungry, so my friend and I decided to share one serving of Gyoku Unaju. We also ordered eel bone senbei, bottled beer, and lemon shochu highball x2. You have to purchase your meal ticket from the machine first, and currently, they only accept cash. Additionally, if you want to order more drinks, you need to buy tickets separately. We ordered two shochu highballs. The Gyoku Unaju comes in a special long container, and opening the lid was quite exciting. The presentation was as impressive as expected. The eel is heated in a vacuum pack using a hot water bath. There was something black and sticky on the rice, so I carefully removed it with chopsticks before eating. The eel was delicious, not as fluffy as Sukiya's, but more firm and substantial. The charcoal aroma and grill marks added to the experience. The sauce was lighter and more delicious than Sukiya's. The biggest downside of this restaurant is the lack of appetizers and alcohol options. It's strictly a place for enjoying Gyoku Unaju. If you're in the area, it's like a step up from Sukiya. The large container means the rice cools down quickly, but the sauce helps maintain the flavor. I might opt for a smaller container next time with a single eel piece inside.

I went to this restaurant for the first time after seeing it on TV. I had a high expectation but overall it was mediocre. - They only accept cash. - Beer is expensive and comes in small quantities. - Bad reception for TV, feels lonely when dining alone. - The eel tasted like the ones you can buy at a supermarket. - Not enough sansho pepper, makes your hands tired. It seems like a fast-food type of eel restaurant, but I couldn't help but feel the intentions of the management. Haha

Delicious

First visit at Gokuan Chazuke Set Meal for ¥3,300.

I had no idea it was the midsummer day of the Ox. On my way back from Sunshine City, I saw a long line at a new store that was featured on TV for its domestic eel. I thought I'd give it a try, but it turned out they were only offering bento boxes today. I ended up getting a special eel bento box and when I opened it at home, the eel was thick and juicy, melting in my mouth. It was a satisfying lunch, and considering the quality, the price of 2700 yen was quite reasonable. If you're interested, give it a try!

I went to buy a bento on my way home because a new store opened near my workplace. I was surprised to find out that they only accept cash. I bought a special eel bento and a premium eel bento this time. I was also surprised that the soup was sold separately. When I handed the voucher to the staff, I was told it would take 15 minutes, but I received the bento in just 10 minutes. It seemed like they just reheated the eel that was already cooked. When I reheated it at home and opened it, I found that the eel had a nice crispy texture. They included extra sauce and a wet towel, but no sansho pepper or disposable chopsticks (they didn't even ask if I needed them when they gave me the bento). The taste was not bad, but it lacked the fatty richness of eel. Furthermore, the container had a raised bottom, so there was very little rice. My mother, who doesn't eat much rice, also felt dissatisfied with the small portions of eel and rice. I would have been much better off buying something more satisfying from a department store instead.