I wanted to eat eel on the day of the Ox in the summer at Matsuzakaya Ginza Naruto, so I went there today. They were serving eel from Aichi prefecture, and the most expensive option came with three pieces of eel on top. The rice portion was also generous, with a lot of food that I couldn't finish.

"Naruto" is a restaurant in Ginza Hacchome that serves blowfish and eel. I remember going there a few times when I was in Ginza. Recently, "Naruto" opened a store in the basement of Ueno Matsuzakaya for eat-in and take-out. The only option for eat-in is eel. The prices are quite high, with a small eel bowl costing 2,310 yen, a regular eel bowl costing 3,300 yen, and an eel set costing 4,290 yen. I decided to go with the regular eel bowl. The seating area has only 3 seats, and the other customers were elderly. It didn't take long for the food to arrive. The eel was not very thick, more on the crispy side. The sauce was quite strong and flavorful. I ate half of the eel as is, and sprinkled some Sansho pepper on the other half. The pickles included were not to my liking. Overall, the eel was tasty, but the price of 3,300 yen for a regular eel bowl seemed a bit high. They offered me a loyalty card at the end, but I declined, considering how expensive it was.

Ginza Naruto is a long-established restaurant known for its blowfish dishes, but at the eat-in space in Ueno Matsuya, you can enjoy domestically sourced eel. The eat-in space offers only eel dishes, with the highlight being the "Large Eel Rice Bowl" packed with plump eel. Located at Kuro Neko Tokyo, 3-29-5 Ueno, Taito-ku, at the basement floor of Matsuya Ueno store.

I went to Matsuya for lunch in between appointments. I had been craving eel, so I had a choice between the upscale dining area upstairs or this place. I chose this place because it seemed faster. I usually have to wait in line, but since it was before 11:30, I was able to get in right away. I ordered a small eel bowl, which came out quickly. When I opened the lid, I thought, "Wow, it's small!" but it's lunch and it's cheap, so it's fine. The sauce was a bit sweet, so I added extra sansho pepper to balance it out. The eel was thin, but I prefer it to be crispy rather than soft and fatty, so this was okay for me. The price also includes eel liver, which I don't like, and pickles, which I also don't like. I left the liver and pickles, but I enjoyed the eel and satisfied my craving. It's a good place for a quick solo lunch, but maybe not the best for enjoying a leisurely meal of delicious eel.

Naruto-san is a restaurant located in the food section of Matsuya at Ueno-Hirokoji Station, with only 5 seats available for dining. It is usually quite crowded, so there is often a wait. I always order the eel rice bowl. The tail is crispy and flavorful, while the belly is tender and the skin is crispy. The rice is firm, and when you take a bite, the eel melts in your mouth, leaving a lingering umami taste. The Sichuan pepper they serve is spicy and adds a nice kick. It is a high-quality pepper known as "budou." Even though the eel is delicious on its own, the pepper adds an extra layer of flavor that I enjoy. I also buy the pepper to use at home, especially on warm tofu. Naruto-san is a place frequented by elegant ladies and elderly couples, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The food was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

There is a takeout counter and an eat-in area at the donburi alley on the basement floor of Matsuzakaya Ueno store's Hoppetown. In the showcase, there were appetizing grilled eel lined up, and I purchased a reasonably priced small eel bento for dinner. Before eating, I warmed it up a bit in the microwave. When I opened the lid of the bento, the steam and the savory aroma of the eel whetted my appetite. The eel was cut into easy-to-eat pieces, and with each bite, the tenderness of the meat and the flavor of the sauce spread, making it very delicious. The rice was cooked perfectly and well coated with the sauce, making it very delicious. It was a reasonably priced and satisfying eel bento.

I went to the eel restaurant in the basement of Ueno Matsuya. This shop is famous for its blowfish in Ginza, and at Matsuya, they sell eel for takeout, with an eat-in space at the back. The interior of the shop has only about four counter seats. This time, I ordered the eel bowl (small) for 2750 yen. The eel bowl uses domestic eel, which is plump and the sauce is sweet, and it tasted really delicious when eaten with sansho pepper sprinkled on top. The liver dish also had a gentle flavor and was delicious. I went around 6 p.m. this time, and I think it's easy for even one person to casually enter. The price may feel a bit expensive, but considering that they use domestic eel, I thought it was reasonable. I would like to visit again if I have the chance.

There are only four seats so the waiting time is quite long. Even though they took our order in advance, it took a long time for the food to come out. The eel sauce was on the thicker side and delicious.

I had una-don for lunch. It came with liver and pickled vegetables, all for 3,300 yen which was great. The eel was steamed perfectly without any greasiness, and it was crispy and fluffy, very delicious. Also, the sansho pepper here has a strong flavor and is excellent. Thank you for the meal.

Today is the midsummer day of the ox, so I stopped by here in Ueno because I wanted to eat delicious eel. It's inside Matsuzakaya. The eel bento here is really delicious. You can heat it up in the microwave with the container. I enjoy the hot Unaju as it is. The sauce is also plentiful and delicious. The liver is also very tasty. I sprinkled a lot of sansho pepper and enjoyed it.

I had a delicious "unagi-don" at a little pricey but tasty restaurant located on the basement floor of Ueno Matsuzakaya with only 5 counter seats.

When I feel like eating eel, I come here. The prices are a bit high due to the ongoing price increase everywhere, but I like that I can easily stop by at the eat-in space in the department store basement.

I had an eel rice bowl. Before entering the restaurant, I was in the mood for a little luxury, so I was debating whether to get an eel bowl, but after seeing the size of the eel bowl that the previous customer ordered, I decided that it was enough. The eel was fragrant and plump. The sauce was lightly drizzled, and I added a little extra sauce from the bottle on the table to adjust it. In the past, there were times when I found the eel too salty because the sauce was too heavy, so being able to adjust it was a relief. Also, I realized that with a lighter sauce, you can taste the flavor of the eel better. It may be obvious, but I had never had eel with a light flavor before, so it was a new discovery! Being able to serve it with a light flavor may mean that they are using good quality eel without any fishy taste. The customers were mostly middle-aged people with a respectable appearance, eating their luxurious eel quickly and leaving promptly. I felt like I had become a bit more mature, like I had joined the ranks of the people of Edo, and I left the restaurant in a cheerful mood.

The year-end party became popular in the 1960s along with rapid economic growth. The closing dish often consisted of "unagi don" (eel rice bowl). I used to get excited when my father brought home an "unagi bento" (eel lunch box) as a gift for the family. Freshly made "unagi don" and "unagi bento" were delicious, but as seen with the creator of "unagi don," Imasuke Okubo, the taste changes over time. Nowadays, eel lunch boxes as party souvenirs are less common, with department store basement shops like "Ginza Naruto" taking on that role. "Ginza Naruto" won first place in a popularity vote for spring picnic lunch at Matsuzakaya Ueno store in April. This shows that many people still enjoy eel lunch boxes. "Ginza Naruto" offers a variety of eel dishes and fugu (blowfish) dishes for takeout. They also have an eat-in corner where you can enjoy "unagi don" and "unagi ju" (eel rice bowl and eel over rice). The cozy eat-in space is popular, with only five seats and often a line during lunchtime. I visited around 2 pm to avoid the crowd and quickly got a seat. The staff was polite, and I ordered the "unagi don" without hesitation. The kitchen area was spacious, and I could see the chefs working efficiently through a glass window. After a short wait, I was served a beautifully grilled eel in a sweet sauce, served with pickles and Nara-zuke. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the dish was delicious. I sprinkled some green pepper on the eel and rice, enhancing the flavor. The use of Arita grapes and Sansho pepper from Kishu added to the dish's quality. I enjoyed the meal so much that I forgot I was in a department store eat-in area. The thoughtful service towards eel-loving customers made me appreciate "Ginza Naruto" even more.

【Location】Located in the underground food section of Ueno Matsuya.【Store, Interior】It seems like you can also dine in. The main form of service is face-to-face sales.【Food】Eel. This year, the midsummer day of the Ox was on July 30th. Interestingly, it falls on the same day as the Sumida River Fireworks Festival. However, I usually watch the fireworks festival on TV Tokyo at home, so I bought an eel rice bowl and grilled eel to eat during that time. Ueno Matsuya itself was quite crowded, perhaps due to the fireworks festival or the midsummer day of the Ox. I brought the food home, warmed up the eel rice bowl in the microwave, and enjoyed it. As expected of summer eel, the taste is light rather than rich. The sauce itself is not too strong, so I finished it in no time. I enjoyed the grilled eel as a snack while watching the fireworks broadcast.【Drinks】I assume they are available for dine-in.【Service】Average. It was crowded. I hope this review can be helpful for your restaurant selection.

On a weekend night around 7:00 PM, I stopped by the deli corner in the basement of Matsuzakaya. There is a small eel restaurant with about 5 seats at a white wooden counter. I ordered an eel rice bowl for ¥3348 and waited a few minutes. The eel seemed to have only been warmed up as there was no charcoal scent. The light soy sauce was a bit lacking, so I added more from the bottles on the counter. The taste was not bad, but the fast food-like atmosphere made the price feel a bit expensive.

My father and I went out in the car and decided to have lunch on the way, so we headed to Ueno Matsuzakaya where there is a parking lot. Initially, we planned to use the restaurant floor on the top floor, but the new building that housed the restaurant floor is currently under demolition and reconstruction, so it no longer exists. We had no choice but to go to this shop with an eat-in corner in the basement of the department store. It was around 1 pm on a weekday, and there were only 5 seats in the eat-in corner, with no customers at that time, so we were able to enter without waiting. Three more people came in after we started our meal, but there was still no one waiting outside when we finished our meal. I'm not sure if it's always this empty or just happened to be that way. The menu only had two options: "unaju" and "unadon," with the eel being the same, only the amount of eel and rice differed. They didn't offer grilled eel liver or boiled eel, nor any drinks. Well, since it's an eat-in corner, I guess the idea is to "eat quickly and leave quickly." The food we ordered was served in just a few minutes. Considering the time, they probably just reheated the items from the takeout corner. This is understandable since it's an eat-in service. By the way, I remember waiting quite a while when I ordered eel at the restaurant floor in the new building, so I assume they prepare the food properly in the restaurant area. The taste of the eel itself was excellent. The prices are also reasonable compared to places like "Izuei" in the Ueno area. So, if you want to eat quickly and leave, this shop is suitable, but if you want to leisurely enjoy eel while sipping beer and nibbling on appetizers, then it's better to go to "Izuei." Lastly, when we entered the shop, wet tissues were available, but there were no paper napkins for after the meal. When I asked if they had tissues or something similar, an employee gave me a few rough pieces of paper that seemed to be for hand drying. Even though it's an eat-in service, I think they should provide paper napkins.