Izuei Main Branch
A historic unagi restaurant serving a secret 300-year-old sauce recipe, offering authentic Japanese eel dishes and a traditional dining experience.
Highlights
Must-see attractions
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Best Time
Blue hour photography, calmer galleries
Izuei Main Branch
Highlights
Must-see attractions
A historic unagi restaurant serving a secret 300-year-old sauce recipe, offering authentic Japanese eel dishes and a traditional dining experience.
Arrive Early
Beat the crowds by arriving before opening, especially for weekday lunches, to minimize wait times.
Consider Non-Eel Options
If eel isn't to your preference, the restaurant offers other delicious dishes with lightly flavored sides.
Quick Facts
Cuisine
Unagi, Japanese
Price
$$$
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences
Centuries-Old Eel Sauce
Experience an authentic flavor from a secret soy sauce & miso recipe, unchanged for over 300 years. Rich umami, no sugar!
Perfectly Grilled Unagi
Enjoy soft, fatty, tender eel prepared using traditional Kanto-style cooking techniques for rich, savory flavors.
Traditional Japanese Ambiance
Dine in a meticulously laid out and decorated restaurant, offering a traditional atmosphere with a stately building.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Menu
Most Popular Items
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Arrive Early
Beat the crowds by arriving before opening, especially for weekday lunches, to minimize wait times.
Consider Non-Eel Options
If eel isn't to your preference, the restaurant offers other delicious dishes with lightly flavored sides.
Ask for English Menu
Don't hesitate to request an English menu to better understand the offerings and choose your meal.
Portion Size Options
Choose from various eel portion sizes to suit your appetite, from smaller to larger servings.
Tips
from all over the internet
Arrive Early
Beat the crowds by arriving before opening, especially for weekday lunches, to minimize wait times.
Consider Non-Eel Options
If eel isn't to your preference, the restaurant offers other delicious dishes with lightly flavored sides.
Ask for English Menu
Don't hesitate to request an English menu to better understand the offerings and choose your meal.
Portion Size Options
Choose from various eel portion sizes to suit your appetite, from smaller to larger servings.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Izuei Main Branch is celebrated for its traditional unagi dishes and centuries-old secret sauce recipe, offering a rich umami flavor. While many praise the soft, tender eel and the restaurant's classic ambiance, some diners find the seasoning weak or the price steep for the portion size. Service can be a mixed experience, with some reporting friendly staff and others noting a less welcoming front manager.
"That's a really traditional sea eel restaurant, and we're so enjoying our lunch👍🏿 Although we had a bit waiting for the sea eel rice, like 20 minutes for fresh made. We hadn't made a reservation, so we had to wait around 10 minutes to arrange a table, a window-side table♥️
My set lunch was yummy, tasty, and great, and I loved their design of the Benton box!
The sea eel was perfectly grilled, very softy, and juicy, but the source was not that rich like the other restaurant."
mif Lam
"Queue around 15minutes for lunch.
I have high expectations of this store, but it failed my expectations on the unagi.
The unagi is tasteless, I hardly use the word tasteless to describe unagi, but the seasoning of unagi is so weak that I never experience before.
Somehow the side dish is quite fine."
Xue Yuhai
"They have non-eel options if your party can’t have eel! :) delicious himeju— not too salty, lightly flavored. The side dishes with the himeju were great!!! You may not enjoy the eel if you like stronger flavoring. Pretty good service!
We came 10 minutes before opening on a weekday lunch and could get in as soon as we opened. Line wasn’t too long, but as we ate the line grew a bit. The line never seemed more than 5 parties, and seemed to move quick."
Yeesoo Chae
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
Izuei is famous for its secret sauce recipe, unchanged for over 300 years, which imparts a rich umami flavor to the perfectly grilled, soft, and tender eel.
Yes, Izuei offers non-eel options for those who prefer different flavors or have dietary restrictions.
Reservations are typically available only for course menus, with limited slots per day. It's often recommended to arrive early.
Arriving early, especially before opening, is advised to avoid long queues during peak lunch hours.
Yes, an English menu is available. Staff can assist you in understanding the offerings.
The restaurant is considered upscale, with unagi set lunches and courses being quite pricey, some exceeding 5,000 yen.
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Featured in these publications
6 Best Unagi Restaurants in Tokyo
Izuei is the restaurant to visit if you want to experience a flavor that has been passed down for centuries. Their secret sauce recipe has remained unchanged for over 300 years, creating a rich umami taste despite using zero sugar, just pure soy sauce and miso. Combined with centuries of knowledge on how to cook unagi perfectly the Kanto way, you’re in for a real treat.
11 Top Eel Rice Restaurants in Tokyo 2025 travel notes and guides
Izuei (Main Store) is located across the Shinobazu Pond at Ueon Park. This is an eel and rice specialty store that has been around for 260 years. The restaurant is meticulously laid out and decorated, showing care towards your dining experience everywhere.
10 Best Dinner Restaurants in Ueno 2025
With roots tracing back to the Edo period, Izuei is a well-established unagi restaurant. The unagi (eel) comes from Mikawa Isshiki, particularly the premium “Mikawa Mansaku,” raised in a near-natural environment.
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