An eel specialty restaurant founded in 1952, located along the Yuto Kaido road in Irino-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City.Kanerin Eel RestaurantThis restaurant serves eel grilled over binchotan charcoal and is one of the most popular eel restaurants in Hamamatsu.
When it comes to food in Hamamatsu, where we live, the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly eel. There are many eel specialty restaurants, and people have different preferences depending on how the eel is grilled, the taste of the sauce, and how the rice is cooked. However, if we were to speak from the perspective of my wife and me, based on our own subjective opinion and bias, the restaurant that takes the top spot in terms of overall balance—considering the restaurant's appearance, service, ingredients, taste, and cost performance—is "Kanerin Unagi-ten."
Originally located in Sugawara-cho, this establishment moved to Irino-cho in October 1977. After 39 years, due to seismic safety concerns, it underwent a major renovation, being rebuilt as a new structure. On June 23, 2016, it transformed into a charming establishment with a Japanese garden, and its tranquil Japanese-style space, despite facing the street, has been praised for its comfortable atmosphere, further solidifying its reputation as a renowned establishment.
This popular restaurant is often full during lunchtime, even on weekdays, so advance reservations are recommended.
The restaurant offers a tranquil atmosphere with a total of 61 seats, including counter seats surrounding a courtyard, table seats, private rooms, and tatami rooms. This time, we were seated at a table, allowing us to enjoy our meal at a leisurely pace while overlooking the courtyard.
On this day, I met someone on Facebook with whom I've been in contact for many years.Keishi SatoThis was my first time meeting with [Name], and we had a lunch meeting.
It was about eight years ago. When Mr. Sato was considering purchasing a Maserati Levante, we started communicating through a Maserati Facebook group that we were both members of. Around that time, we were posting articles about our trip to Bangkok, and Mr. Sato was also visiting Bangkok for an ice hockey game, so we hit it off over our shared interest. Since then, we have kept in regular contact. We both said, "Let's meet someday," but the opportunity never arose until now, when it finally happened and we were able to meet in person, something we had been longing for.
Ms. Sato is from Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture. After graduating from university, she worked in the servicer and restructuring support industries. Later, she made a full transition into the financial world and currently works as a department head at a foreign financial institution. As one of Japan's leading life planners and top salespeople, she provides consulting services primarily to business owners and high-net-worth individuals, practicing personalized planning tailored to each client.
In his private life, he belongs to an ice hockey club and a recreational baseball team, and has built a wide network of contacts throughout the country through his diverse hobbies such as watching baseball, horseback riding, and golf. Furthermore, he is the father of three sons, and his attitude of cherishing his family while enjoying life with friends was very impressive. He recently welcomed a male Maltipoo (Maltese x Toy Poodle) into his family about two years ago, so we had a great time talking about common experiences with dogs. Mr. Sato and my husband were born in the same year, so we were able to talk freely about values unique to people of the same generation, and we spent a time that felt so close that it was hard to believe it was our first meeting.
The menu has been redesigned from its previous simple version to a more user-friendly version with illustrations. There are four types of unaju (eel rice bowl): regular, medium, deluxe, and extra-deluxe. It takes about 20 minutes to cook, so you can enjoy conversation while you wait.
"Eel rice bowl (medium), with liver soup and pickles" 4,450 yen
This time, I ordered the well-balanced "Unaju (medium)". The finest eels, sourced according to the season, are quickly split open and grilled over binchotan charcoal until crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They are then dipped three times in a secret sauce that has been passed down and preserved since the grandfather's generation over the past 70 years, resulting in the best possible taste, color, and sheen. The eels are then served on top of piping hot rice cooked in a large pot, ensuring that the grains are fluffy to the core. Sprinkle some sansho pepper powder between the eel and rice and enjoy the aroma of the pepper that spreads in your mouth.
The eel was so tender it could be easily cut with chopsticks, and the sauce, unlike the overly sweet and salty sauces often found in rural areas, had a refined and well-balanced flavor. The bento box remained piping hot, steaming until the very last bite, making it irresistibly delicious. The eel liver soup, with its hint of eel liver, had an elegant flavor enhanced by the aroma of mitsuba (Japanese parsley), and the pickles, consisting of three kinds including shibazuke and takuan (pickled eggplant and pickled daikon radish), made for a highly satisfying meal.
To be honest, one of the reasons my husband and I recommend this place is the outstanding taste of their cooked rice. You can enjoy a unique balance of rice and eel here that you won't find anywhere else!
On the wall is a calligrapher from Hamamatsu.Kisui NakazawaThe artist's works are also on display, and their calligraphy, with its delicate curves, creates a calming atmosphere.
Since it's quite close to our home, whenever we want to eat eel in Hamamatsu, we always go to "Kanerin Eel RestaurantI'm glad that Ms. Sasaki liked it, as I recommended it. After the meal, I invited her to my home for a coffee break and some homemade sweets. Ms. Sato travels all over the country, so I look forward to seeing her again when she's in Hamamatsu.
Kanerin Eel Restaurant
Address: 731 Irino-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
TEL: 053-448-9335
Opening hours: 11:00 AM - 1:45 PM (last order), 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (last order)
Closed: Every Wednesday, and the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Parking lot: 30 spaces available
https://kanerin.net/
