Houraiken

Let's start with Nagoya's three signature dishes: miso pork cutlet, unagi (eel rice), and teba-zai (chicken wings). Today's unagi rice! The most famous and delicious unagi rice restaurants are Maruya Main Store (Meitetsu Branch) and Horaiken (Jingu Branch). For the best taste, be sure to visit either of these main branches. I went to Maruya Main Store on the ninth floor of Meitetsu Department Store. The three ways to enjoy unagi rice also originated in Nagoya! The first way is to eat it with rice, savoring the aroma of the charcoal-grilled eel. The second way is to add wasabi, shredded nori, chopped green onions, and other seasonings to the rice. The third way is to turn the unagi rice into traditional chazuke (rice in tea), pouring hot broth over the rice and stirring. Each way has its own unique flavors, and each one is incredibly delicious! I really regret not ordering the 1.5-person portion because the one-person portion wasn't enough for me [tears]

There are certainly better unagi rice restaurants in Nagoya, but the overall experience was definitely better here. There's a bit of a wait, but we went really early, so the wait was less than 20 minutes. Japanese-style, you must remove your shoes and cross your legs (or kneel properly) while eating. It's definitely worth a try, if not for the food, then for the experience.

Horaiken (main branch) is located at 503 Godocho, Atsuta-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 456-0043. They're famous for their signature eel rice, which is served in three ways. I ordered the standard version for 3900 yen. First, I tried the eel plain with rice, then with green onions, seaweed, and wasabi, and finally with the chazucchini. I personally thought the first and second versions were also very delicious!

When you come to Nagoya, you must try the eel rice - Horaiken. 📍Detailed address: Penglaixuan has many branches, and we chose the one on the upper floor of Dasongbanwu in the center of the most famous commercial street. If you take the subway, the most convenient way is to get off at Yabacho station and walk for 2 minutes to reach Matsuzakaya. In fact, when we arrived at Penglaixuan it was already past lunch time, but there was still a long queue. I asked the salesperson and he said it would take about 1.5 hours to wait. What should I do? Do you want to wait? It was raining so hard outside and I didn't bring an umbrella. Besides, since I was already here, it would be a shame not to take the Shinkansen, which is so expensive to come to Nagoya. So, let's line up. We let my brother line up alone. There was a hall at the entrance which was a waiting area for people in line. We sat down one by one. My mom and I went downstairs to go shopping, and we actually had to wait for 1.5 hours before we were seated to eat. I also bought a skirt during this shopping trip. Look at the queue. First, register your number, decide how many people will be dining, and then start queuing. And it's not just foreigners, many Japanese people also line up here to eat eel rice. 📌Tips: There are Chinese, English, and Japanese menus here, which clearly indicate how to eat eel in three ways. Most people ordered the three-course meal, and the dishes were served quickly and in order. 💰Average consumption per person: Normal is 3600 yen/person, large portion is 5500 yen/person. My brother ordered a large portion, while mommy and I ordered normal. There are also some chicken rice set meals, sashimi set meals, tempura set meals, etc. on the menu, but they are not within our consideration, because 3,600 yen converted into RMB is more than 200 yuan per person for a serving of eel rice, which is not cheap. In fact, one serving of eel rice per person can be finished quickly. The hall is spacious, with plenty of space between seats, so conversations can be private. 💗Recommendation reason: Three ways to eat include: One way to eat, original flavor. Second serving, add condiments. The third way to eat is rice soaked in tea. I like the second way of eating it the most, which is a mixture of mustard + seaweed + green onion, and it is not easy to get sick of it. The eel was indeed very tasty, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, melts in your mouth, and has a smoky charcoal-grilled aroma. The portion was also quite large, and the rice underneath was plump and crystal clear, plus mustard + seaweed + green onions = the second way of eating, which I think is the most delicious. In addition, the salesperson will bring you hot towels before your meal and will continue to pour you tea to relieve your greasiness. I don’t understand what those two oval things are in the bowl of soup, but it doesn’t taste good. The soup is rather light, perhaps because the eel rice itself is quite rich, so the soup is rather light. This is the last kind of meal I tried, rice soaked in soup. Personally, I think it’s just average. I still prefer the second kind with the aroma of chopped green onions.

The plump eel, grilled over charcoal and served with a slightly sweet homemade sauce, looks so mouth-watering. After the restaurant opened, we were seated one table at a time. Most people ordered the three-course set menu. The dishes were served quickly, and I was surprised that other tables also finished their meals quickly. There were quite a few Japanese people, not just tourists. This is a popular online restaurant.