WHERE TO EAT The best Hitsumabushi in the world (according to food experts)

"The head branch of this hitsumabushi chain, in business since 1873, is revered for good reason. Patrons queue during the summer peak season for hitsumabushi."

"Best Hitsumabushi Restaurants in Nagoya You Can't Miss: Maruya Honten Meieki - Looking for great hitsumabushi around Nagoya station? Maruya Honten is the place to go."

"5 Places to Try the Famous Nagoya Dish Hitsumabushi: Shirakawa - While their unagi is of course delicious, Shirakawa is best known for the tea they use in the ochazuke portion of the hitsumabushi meal. This is not your normal Japanese green tea. Instead, it's made with a specially mild dashi that balances perfectly with the taste of the unagi, sauce, and glaze, all while exuding an intoxicating aroma. What's more, their prices are also quite reasonable."

"Nagoya-style unagi, known as hitsumabushi, is the speciality here, and it's about as good as you'll get in Tokyo. The eel is grilled without being steamed, meaning that the skin is crispy and appetizingly aromatic, and the servings are decidedly generous."

"The unagi at this Akasaka oldie is steamed before it is grilled, in the Kanto style, meaning that it's soft and fluffy, though retaining a subtle firmness. Try it with a little sansho pepper first, then with nori and the other seasonings on offer, and lastly as an ochazuke with the dashi poured over it. If the prices look a little steep, we’d recommend popping in at lunchtime, when you can try the hitsumabushi at a more affordable cost."

"Best Hitsumabushi Restaurants in Nagoya You Can't Miss: Unafuji - Their hitumabushi is a bit pricey, but truly the top quality. The rice is covered with plenty of thick and fluffy eel. They serve a seafood broth soup to pour over the eel and rice to change the flavor instead of the regular green tea soup."

"Best Hitsumabushi Restaurants in Nagoya You Can't Miss: Unatou - Unatou's hitsumabushi is the best value for money. The hitsumabushi is only 2200 yen but still tastes amazing. While tasting your thick eel with the sauce and condiments, you can enjoy the nice traditional atmosphere and interior decorations too."

"5 Places to Try the Famous Nagoya Dish Hitsumabushi: Hitsumabushi Bincho - As can be inferred from the title, this restaurant cooks its eel on a grill using bincho charcoal. The results have none of the usual fish smell of unagi but still manage to condense all of its wonderful flavor into every bite. The sauce, too, is made from high quality ingredients, including tamari soy sauce and specially selected mirin and sugar. Despite having so many things going for it, the highlight of the meal still remains the charcoal flavor of the unagi -- it will outdo anything you have tried before!"

"While most Nagoya hitsumabushi restaurants grill their eel Kansai-style, this restaurant uses the Kanto-style and steams the eel. Because of that, it's so soft and fluffy it can be cut with a wooden spoon. It's even called the "Soft Hitsumabushi" on the menu! If you want to try a hitsumabushi that's a little different than the rest, please visit this one."

"It's said that hitsumabushi originated in Nagoya during the Taisho era. One of those founding restaurants is this, Nishiki Sanchome Ibashou. Over the past 100 years, this restaurant has continued to keep the traditional tastes. For people that want to know and experience how people in Nagoya enjoyed their eel in the Taisho era, please stop by."