Binchotan charcoal plus a century-old sauce – a must-visit Kyoto eel rice restaurant in travel guides

▲ Century-old restaurant “Kyogoku Kaneyo”’s eel rice bowl.

Text and photos byJeff, who keeps a Basan monster

I’ve always had a soft spot for Japanese eel rice, especially the highly recommended Hiroshige eel rice in Kyoto. This was my third trip to Kyoto, but since my itinerary didn’t include Arashiyama and going out of the way would take too much time, I had to give it up reluctantly. However, one morning after strolling through Nishiki Market and pondering what to have for lunch, I checked travel guides and Google, only to discover a nearby century-old eel rice restaurant called “Kyogoku Kaneyo.” Since it was right around the corner, I couldn’t pass up the chance to try it.

Kyogoku Kaneyo is located behind Shin-Kyogoku Street, closer to Sanjo Street. Established during the Taisho era, it’s a century-old shop. The exterior has a classic old-world charm, with a large glass window where you can watch the chefs grilling the eel. Many of the interior decorations also have a historical feel. This century-old shop uses binchotan charcoal to grill the eel, and the sauce brushed on the eel is a unique, secret recipe passed down for a hundred years. During World War II, when the shop caught fire, the first thing the owners saved was the sauce.


▲ A historic wooden storefront.


▲ You can see the chefs grilling the eel from outside.


▲ Binchotan charcoal is used for grilling the eel.


▲ The counter inside the shop.

To be honest, eel rice in Japan isn’t cheap. At Kyogoku Kaneyo, a small bowl of eel rice costs 2,100 yen, medium is 2,600 yen, and large is 3,600 yen. The popular tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet) eel rice bowl is similarly priced. This time, Jeff ordered the medium eel rice bowl, while his friend opted for the tamagoyaki eel rice bowl. Probably because it’s grilled to order, there was a bit of a wait, and the aroma of the grilled eel wafting through the air was almost torture.

When the eel rice bowl arrived, the eel was perfectly grilled, looking absolutely mouthwatering with an incredibly enticing aroma. The tamagoyaki eel rice bowl was even more surprising – a large, thick slice of omelet completely covered the rice. At first glance, it looked like a plain omelet rice bowl, though the portion of eel inside was slightly smaller than usual.


▲ The eel was perfectly grilled.


▲ The omelet completely covering the bowl.


▲ The grilled eel beneath the thick omelet.


▲ The thickness of the omelet.

As for the taste, the sauce seemed a bit mild, but the eel was lightly charred yet tender and delicious, with a rich aroma. The only downside was that there seemed to be quite a few bones, contrary to what some said about there being none at all. The tamagoyaki was also tasty, with a balanced sweetness, though just eating that huge slice of omelet probably filled you up halfway.

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Address: 456 Matsugaecho, Higashi-iru, Shin-Kyogoku-dori, Chukyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Phone: 075-221-0669
Business hours: 11:30–21:00