Nagoya, Aichi, Japan｜Atsuta Houraiken Matsuzakaya Branch

Atsuta houraiken is highly rated in well known japanese food guide (tabelog) , we chose matsuzakaya ‘s branch and arrived at around 10.30 am . Not to our surprise , there were. already 8 queues ahead of us waiting for the shop to open at 11 am We ordered Hitsumabushi set (large) enough for 2 people , it is as good as it can be , right amount of burnt aroma ,sweetness and crispy texture of unagi’s skin The staff also recommend Unagi’s liver as appetizer , it taste sweet without a fishy odor , and Unagi’s spine which taste simple salt and crispy Unagi omelette is also highly recommended it is sweet and soft overall we love it ,rate 9.5 / 10

The unagi was grilled really nicely and crispy. Though it was on the expensive side. We came about 20-30 mins before the opening time and the queue was really long.

This place is really popular and amongst the best restaurants in Nagoya for this special dish called hitsumabushi. Had to wait for 1 hour and 20 mins, even though I came on a Monday for lunch. Luckily it’s in a shopping mall, so you can walk around to kill the time. Is it worth the long wait? Imho it is. The grilled eel is really good and served quite fast. Is it really worth the hype? Yes and no. For the freshness of the eel yes, but I do believe there are plenty of other restaurants serving the same quality - probably cheaper too.