Nagoya, Aichi, Japan｜Atsuta Horaiken Main Restaurant

Very good and unique experience. Though we reached during opening time for dinner, we had to wait for one hour. However, the waiting is well managed, and welcome was quite exquisite. The hitsumabushi (extra large) is sufficient for 2 people, along with a starter and sake. I enjoyed the service and ambiance.

This is the eel or hitsumabushi restaurant to try while in Nagoya! This restaurant is the one that trademarked the hitsumabushi or invented the 3 ways of eating eel. Plus, it is the main store! The main store actually has a shorter wait time than the one in Sakae location. When we went on a weekday dinner time, it was only 20 min wait. In addition, I think the decorations of the restaurant with a garden outside is much prettier than the one inside the mall. Service was great. Food was excellent. We tried the Maruya hotten (another popular hitsumabushi place) the night before and thought this one was far better. The garden is well decorated and very zen. Shoes had to be taken off in the restaurant for dinning. Overall, a very nice dinning experience. Highly recommend!!

An unexpected experience for us, our first time in Nagoya, and we found out Eel dishes is a local specialty, so we stumbled upon this nice restaurant. The Wait: We arrived around 15:45 and the line was long but the wait was short, I recommend arriving early as this restaurant is popular. The Food: We ordered the Hitsumabushi* (explanation of what this is will be below) it was served with toppings such as green onion, seaweed, wasabi(not the real wasabi) miso soup, and a Eel soup to pour inside the dish if desired. Also, directions on how to eat it. Drinks automatically come with warm matcha tea, though other drinks are available on the menu. Serving size for standard is more than enough for one person, though because we were unsure, we ordered the larger size, which had so much of everything we could barely finish eating. Overall, the Eel was very flavorful, savory, and unlike any other dish we've had. It is worth the visit! ひつまぶしは美味しいです。 レストランは訪れる価値があります。 *What is Hitsumabushi? The name "Hitsumabushi" is a combination of two words: "Hitsu" (櫃): This refers to the wooden containers or boxes called "ohitsu" (お櫃) used for storing and serving cooked rice. These containers help keep the rice warm and preserve its moisture. "Mabushi" (飯蒲焼 or まぶし): This is a local Nagoya dialect term meaning "to eat with enjoyment."