Kanerin Unagi Restaurant is known not only for its delicious eel dishes but also for the warm hospitality of its staff. We were able to spend a relaxing time while gazing at the beautiful Japanese garden.

Just a 10-minute drive west of Hamamatsu Station.

You’ll find Kanerin Unagi Restaurant along Yuto Kaido, a street one block north of Prefectural Route 62.

The restaurant’s secret sauce, carefully replenished and preserved over generations, has a rich yet clean flavor that perfectly brings out the deliciousness of their grilled eel.

This time, we’re introducing Kanerin Unagi Restaurant, a popular spot that attracts many visitors from afar who come specifically for its exceptional flavor.

About Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

Founded 100 years ago, Kanerin Unagi Restaurant began as a traveling merchant dealing in seafood from Lake Hamana.

For the past 73 years, it has focused solely on eel, earning a reputation as a specialty eel restaurant that attracts fans from all over Japan.

In 2016, Kanerin Unagi Restaurant underwent a complete renovation, excluding the garden.

The restaurant is designed in a U-shape, offering views of the central courtyard from inside.

It’s a charming eel restaurant where you can enjoy your meal while taking in the meticulously maintained Japanese garden.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

The counter seats are separated by clear acrylic panels, allowing solo diners to enjoy their eel meal at their own pace in comfort and privacy.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

“We want our guests to enjoy the garden right in front of them as part of their dining experience,’”says Mr. Yutaro Hakamada, the fifth-generation owner.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

A beautifully green Japanese garden.

In spring, wisteria blooms, and Nomura maples—whose leaves turn fresh green in spring and vibrant red in autumn—add colorful accents throughout the seasons.

At Kanerin Unagi Restaurant, you can enjoy a luxurious moment, savoring eel dishes while taking in the beautiful garden views.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

The Secret Behind Kanerin Unagi Restaurant’s Deliciousness

The key to its flavor lies in the secret sauce, carefully replenished and preserved since the restaurant first opened.

This sauce is a traditional flavor carefully preserved by the fourth-generation owner and the fifth-generation owner, together with their skilled chefs.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

The eel sauce has been carefully replenished since the restaurant first opened.

With its rich yet clean flavor, it continues to captivate countless diners.

The eel is prepared in the Kanto style, lightly steamed first and then grilled over high-temperature charcoal.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

At Kanerin Unagi Restaurant, which values the texture of its eel, experienced chefs carefully prepare each dish to serve it at its very best.

“Since unaju is a simple dish, we pay careful attention to the final touches—grilling over charcoal to achieve the perfect balance of char and shine,” says Mr. Yutaro Hakamada, the fifth-generation owner.

Top Menu Item: Medium Unaju

This time, we enjoyed Kanerin Unagi Restaurant’s most popular menu item, the medium-sized unaju.

As the fifth-generation owner mentioned, the unaju offers a clean flavor within its rich sauce, making it delightfully easy to enjoy bite after bite.

The medium size contains one whole eel, yet it was easy to finish in no time.

During our visit, a fellow diner sitting next to us said, “The eel is of course delicious, but the white rice is absolutely amazing too.”

The unaju, made with Koshihikari rice from Toyama and the restaurant’s traditional sauce, was absolutely delicious.

At Kanerin Unagi Restaurant, many diners come from outside the prefecture, so the restaurant serves Shizuoka’s delicious tea, famous across Japan.

Floating on the surface of the tea are ‘moji,’ a sign of the high-quality tea leaves used.

Be sure to enjoy the subtly sweet and delicious tea as well.

Recommended à la Carte Dishes

At Kanerin Unagi Restaurant, there’s a great selection of à la carte dishes in addition to the unaju.

A recommended dish is the eel vinegar salad, called “Uzaku.”

This dish is filled with generous pieces of charcoal-grilled eel, cut into strips, and can be enjoyed together with the refreshing crunch of cucumber and myoga ginger.

This is the ‘Shirayaki,’ a dish that many diners order alongside their unaju.

Photo courtesy of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

The photo shows a full eel shirayaki, but the recently introduced ‘half shirayaki’ has also become popular.

The menu, illustrated by a talented artist, features hand-drawn images of the eel’s expressions and drinks, depicted with delicate details that make it easy to understand.

Be sure to check it out the next time you visit Kanerin Unagi Restaurant!

*Prices are as of October 2025.

Kanin Unagi Restaurant – Store Information

Address: 731 Irino-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu-shi

Phone: 053-448-9335

Hours: 11:00 AM – 1:45 PM [Last Order]
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM [Last Order]

Please note: Last orders may be earlier depending on the day’s crowd.

Closed: Every Wednesday, and the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month

Seating: 61 seats in total (4 tables for 2, 2 tables for 6, 1 sunken kotatsu table for 6, 7 counter seats, 2 semi-private rooms for 4, plus a tatami sunken kotatsu area)

Parking: 30 spaces available, including the lot in front of the restaurant and the second parking area.

Access:

by car: About a 10-minute drive from Hamamatsu Station

By Bus: 10 minutes from Hamamatsu Station; 2-minute walk from the Higashi-hikoo bus stop (Entetsu Bus)

Reservations: Available (Note: may not be possible on certain days or times).

A sign-up table is also available about 40 minutes before opening, separate from reserved seats.

Non-Smoking: All seats are non-smoking

Payment Methods: Cash / PayPay / VISA, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, Diners, and more

Official Website: https://kanerin.net/

A Message to Our Readers from Mr. Yutaro Hakamada, the Fifth-Generation Owner of Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

Our eel is prepared in the Kanto style, lightly steamed and then quickly grilled over charcoal to preserve its perfect texture.

Please enjoy our unaju, carefully finished with just the right balance of caramelization and glaze.

We truly hope it suits your taste.

We’re grateful to receive many kind words from our guests about the hospitality of our staff.

We’ll continue to welcome our guests with dishes that are both refined and satisfying, along with warm, attentive service.

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

This time, we introduced Kanerin Unagi Restaurant.

Kanerin Unagi Restaurant is known not only for its delicious eel dishes but also for the warm hospitality of its staff.

We were able to spend a relaxing time while gazing at the beautiful Japanese garden.

Be sure to visit Kanerin Unagi Restaurant and experience it for yourself!

Special Thanks to: Kanerin Unagi Restaurant

Photos Courtesy of: Kanerin Unagi Restaurant