Gion Uokezushi U

Kain Yi★★★★★★★★★★5.010 months ago

Really really hard to make a reservation because they only accept reservation by phone in Japanese. I ended up utilizing a paying service that helped me acquired this reservation. I don’t blame them because the seating is very limited and the owners aren’t fluent enough where they are comfortable with English. The food is good, and I’m saying this without any comparative bias with other eel restaurants in Kyoto. I’m not a foodie nor do I have sophisticated palate. I just judge based on what I think is bad and what taste better Authentic Japanese eel is good and it makes the stuff in the US taste like pure garage. Biggest difference is the there is no over usage of the sauce, and it’s there to help amplify the taste of the eel. Their grilled eel liver and salted eel is really really good.

Waang★★★★★★★★★★5.02 weeks ago

Excellent Unagi restaurant in the Gion area of Kyoto. Unagi was fluffy and tasty. Rice was really good too. Traditional Japan vibes. But the only downside was having to sit on a floor

Penny Sun★★★★★★★★★★5.08 months ago

Suggest to book a reservation one month in advance. Phone call reservation in Japanese ONLY. Interior decoration is very traditional with tasty food service. The sauce has just the right flavor, and you can also taste the soft, sweet and fragrant taste of the eel.

Kimberly★★★★★★★★★★4.0a year ago

Visited end of March 2025. Reservation process is a bit of a hassle- they only take Japanese language phone reservations, and only during business hours, when the line is frequently busy because… well it’s service time! We had to ask a friend to help reserve and felt really bad asking them to keep calling restaurant over and over. Hilariously, after we sat down it appears every customer inside the restaurant was a (Mandarin speaking) tourist. They even had an English menu. Atmosphere: there is one table on the first floor that is a western style table and chairs seating, everyone else must sit upstairs on the tatami floor. If your group has bad knees keep this in mind. Also not an ideal situation for a room filled with tourists wearing stinky socks from walking around all day. Idk, maybe they should give us those plastic shoes covers so people can cover up their stinky feet? Service: there is plenty of staff and they were attentive albeit a bit cold by Kansai standards. We didn’t feel that they were impolite, food and drink came quickly, but we didn’t feel rushed even if we finished eating and sat around a bit. Food: Was drawn to this place for their wooden bucket unagi rice, and it was indeed quite visually pleasing. Taste was average, a little bland for everyone at the table, but the sauce at the table tasted like straight soy sauce and less like unagi sauce? A couple of small bones were in the eel but nothing that you’d choke on. The rice wasn’t soggy though (low bar right? But that was a problem I had with an actual michelin starred unagi rice restaurant in Tokyo, they did lose their star the next year though). Some facts: this restaurant was last awarded a Michelin star in 2018, and as of 2025, is not mentioned anywhere in the Michelin guide (no bib or gourmand), if you are someone who chases Michelin starred restaurant, this ain’t it. The perfect unagi rice experience still eludes me. The search goes on.

Jess H★★★★★★★★★★3.06 months ago

with the complicated reservation steps, the place is old, that’s fine. The food is just ok with what it costs, they are requiring minimum spending, yet, minimum service, the waitress didn’t seem enjoy her work. Am I going here again? no.