I had lunch at Atsuta Horaiken Honten (あつた蓬莱軒) before going to the live event. Although they have a branch near Atsuta Jingu, I chose the head shop because it was close to my hotel. I took a nap in my room while waiting. Atsuta Horaiken, a long-established eel restaurant, was founded during the Meiji period. The famous dish “hitsumabushi” originated here.
The head shop does not accept reservations in advance. A staff member stands at the entrance, so when you arrive, you need to give them your name and the number of people. They will tell you, “Please come back at hh:mm.” When I arrived around 11:30 a.m., the staff told me, “Come back at 1:30 p.m.” Yes, I had to wait for an hour and a half. So, I returned to my hotel and took a nap :p
This is the entrance.
The restaurant was founded in 1876. Although the building has been rebuilt, it still retains a historical atmosphere. The garden is beautiful, and the restaurant has about 160 seats.
I was seated upstairs in a traditional tatami room. Since I was dining alone, they placed me at the back of the room. It was quiet and relaxing.
Here is the menu. They offer English and Chinese menus as well. Atsuta Horaiken is famous for hitsumabushi, but they also serve unadon and tempura.
They also have a drink menu and some dishes that pair well with alcoholic beverages.
I originally intended to order grilled eel liver, but I found several dishes featuring eel liver. I chose kimowasa. It was my first time seeing this word, so I was curious. Kimowasa is boiled eel liver served with wasabi. I ate it with wasabi and soy sauce, like sashimi. It had no bitterness, a springy texture, and a refreshing taste. Although I only had beer this time, I’m sure it would pair perfectly with Japanese sake!
Other eel liver dishes include kimoponzu (liver with ponzu) and liver karaage. I want to try them next time!
Of course, the star of the show is hitsumabushi! It came with rice in an ohitsu (wooden container), condiments (nori, wasabi, green onions), soup stock, soup, and pickles. What a stunning set!
First, I served myself a simple portion.
The sauce had soaked into the rice, making it flavorful even without the eel. The eel, steamed in the ohitsu, was soft and tender. Absolutely delicious! Honestly, I thought I could eat eel anytime in Tokyo, so I wasn’t planning to try it in Nagoya. But Atsuta Horaiken’s hitsumabushi was exceptional. Totally worth it!
By the way, they explain how to eat hitsumabushi (I believe they have instructions in English and Chinese, too), so you don’t need to worry about how to enjoy it. Basically, hitsumabushi is rice with grilled eel. You can enjoy it however you like 🙂
For my second serving, I added some condiments and ate it the way they recommend. It brought a refreshing flavor.
For the third serving, I poured soup stock over the eel and rice, enjoying it like ochazuke. Yes, I think this is the best way to enjoy hitsumabushi! The soup stock for the ochazuke was absolutely delicious. Horaiken’s soup stock was perfect—I couldn’t resist drinking up every last drop!
In total, I had five bowls. For the fourth bowl, I added condiments again, and for the last one, I made it into ochazuke. I also upgraded my soup to kimosui (eel liver soup) for an extra charge. I got to enjoy plenty of eel liver!
About
Name Atsuta Horaiken Honten (あつた蓬莱軒 本店)
Open Lunch, Dinner
Reservation Available for kaiseki course only
Credit card Available
URL Website
Google Map
