Edogawa Naramachi

Lovely old Japanese house on south end of Naramachi houses this well-known Nara restaurant famous for it's unagi dishes. We were not disappointed. Set meals including rice dish, pickles, and soup start at ¥1,800 per and are filling enough. Other choices include standard sashimi sets and sukiyaki sets. Lunch is quite crowded so either go early/late or expect some wait. Seatings include western style table/chair or Japanese low table/mats.

Japanese cuisine isn't just about the taste but also about the presentation and the style. Edogawa covers all the aspects to provide the ultimate experience of traditional Japanese cuisine by delivering a delicious unagi-focused menu with excellent presentation, service, and ambiance! Edogawa is a chain restaurant from Tokyo that specializes in unagi, but don't let the chain restaurant part scare you off. The Edo-period ambiance is so fitting to the old-town Naramachi vibe that you will feel right in place. Heck, the moment you walked in, you will be greeted by kimono-clad waitresses who will escort you to a tatami-covered room. You will take a double-take on the watch to check if you are still in the 2010s! The menu not only has unagi sets but also various Japanese dinner sets like sashimi and sushi. However, more choices of unagi sets are available as Edogawa is an unagi-focused restaurant after all. For those who are not too hungry or are trying out unagi for the first time, the mini unagi don (Grilled eel rice bowl) is highly recommended. Each dinner set comes in a large amount of food: -Salad with Japanese dressing -Small dish of Japanese pickles -Miso soup bowl -Steamed egg custard -Specialty dish (Unagi tamago for unagi sets) -Entrée Of course, each set comes in a hefty cost of 1500 yen or more, but the food was so good that I would have done for the second time! The unagi was definitely the best I had, and the Edo-period vibe definitely made the whole dining experience even better. I highly recommend eating a meal here if you are in Nara. --- tl;dr version: 1) Service and ambiance modeled after the Edo Period 2) Unagi-focused menu with plenty of other Japanese cuisine choices 3) Awesome unique dining experience for all Nara tourists