Japanese Gastronomy: Eel Lunch at Unagi No Hirota in Gotemba City!

Service: Shy but friendly and attentive
Equipment & facilities: Old-fashioned but very clean overall. Excellent washroom
Prices: slightly expensive (Japanese eels are not cheap in Japan!)
Strong points: Eels! Seafood and yakitori. All local! Good sake and shochu list.

Unagi no Hirota Restaurant is located within walking distance of the north exit of Gotemba JR Station on the second floor of a somewhat derelict building dating back to the bubble era.
Most of the shops in the building are closed but Unagi no Hirota has survived, a good indication of its quality!

The place is busy even on week days, half with tourists, half with locals, who choose a seat at the counter, around the square central table or on the tatami floor.

I would recommend lunch in particular when the prices are more reasonable as eels are increasingly becoming expensive at restaurants serving Japanese eels, not the cheap imported Chinese variety!

All the eels have been raised in Yoshida Cho, by the Suruga Bay in Central Shizuoka Prefecture for the last 40 years and are prepared form live fish on site, ensuring a safe traceability!

Dragon with a smaller appetite had ordered a “Ieyasu” set lunch!

For a closer view of the main dish!

As for me I ordered the “Nobunaga” lunch set which included an extra length of eel!

My eels!

Side vegetable dish for good balance!

I particularly appreciated the fact that the skin (underneath) was more grilled than greasy as in other establishments, making it not only to easier to eat but also far more tasty!
Moreover the eel was basted with the right amount of sauce, not hiding the taste of the eel but actually accentuating it!

Definitely above average. No wonder it had been recommended to us by the locals!

Unagi No Hirota/鰻のひろ田

〒412-0026　Shizuoka Prefecture, Gotemba City, Higashi tanaka, 870-1, Fashion Plaza, 2F
静岡県御殿場市東田中８７０−１ファッションプラザ 2F
Tel.: 0550-83-3114
Opening hours: 11:00~14:00, 17:00~20:00
Closed on Wednesdays
Credit cards: OK above 5,000 yen
Check their FACEBOOK SITE for more pictures and information!

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