Eel　Aoyagi｜Motomachi Kobe

I visited Aoyagi, an eel restaurant located on Motomachi Kitadori in Kobe. Motomachi is home to several renowned eel restaurants, and Aoyagi is one of them.

The restaurant is located along the road running east to west on the north side of Motomachi Shopping Street, across from the WINS B Building near Minato Motomachi.

If you walk from the Kobe Station side toward Sannomiya, you’ll see a large sign on the building, making it easy to find.

When I entered the restaurant and looked at the menu, I saw there were quite a few options—unadon, set meals, hitsumabushi, and more. Everything looked so delicious, it was hard to choose!

This time, I ordered the Unagi Don (grilled eel over rice) and Umaki (eel rolled in a Japanese omelet). After waiting about 10 minutes, the unagi don and clear soup were ready.

They provide extra sauce on the side, so if you prefer a richer flavor, you can add it to your liking. Since the sign out front mentions Kansai-style, I assume the eel is grilled without steaming. As expected from a renowned restaurant, the eel was wonderfully tender and absolutely delicious.

The eel was cut into smaller pieces, making it easy to eat—and before I knew it, I had finished the whole bowl.

The umaki I had ordered alongside was larger than I expected, with two generously sized pieces.

Since I ordered it along with the unagi don, I was a bit worried I might not be able to finish it—but that concern was completely unnecessary. It was so delicious, I polished it off with ease.

As expected, Motomachi has many great eel restaurants. This one’s definitely worth noting down as a place I’d like to visit again.