Short answer
Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, most often served as kabayaki, where the split fillet is grilled and brushed with a sweet soy glaze. It is richer and firmer than anago, the saltwater eel, and is served over rice, in a lacquer box or in a chazuke.
Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, and on a menu it almost always means eel that has been split, grilled over heat and brushed with a sweet soy glaze. This guide to unagi explains the species, the grilling method called kabayaki, how unagi differs from anago and the common ways it reaches the table.
What is unagi?
Unagi is the Japanese freshwater eel, Anguilla japonica, eaten in Japan for centuries and now popular in Japanese restaurants and cafes around the world. The word is used for the animal and for the cooked dish.
Eels are long, slim, scaleless fish that live in rivers and lakes as adults and spawn at sea. Most unagi eaten today is farmed, but farms raise their stock from tiny wild-caught young eels, which is why supply and price are always a topic. The flesh is rich, with a lot of natural fat, so it suits strong seasoning and rice.
How is unagi prepared and grilled?
Unagi is prepared by splitting the eel open, removing the backbone, cutting it into fillets and grilling it with a glaze. The most common name for this style is kabayaki.
The steps differ by region, and cooks argue about which is better:
- Kanto style (Tokyo): the eel is split along the back, cut into pieces, grilled plain, steamed to soften, then grilled again with glaze.
- Kansai style (Osaka): the eel is split along the belly and grilled directly without steaming, which gives a crisper skin and a chewier bite.
- In both styles the fillet is dipped or brushed with tare several times while it grills, so the glaze caramelises into a dark, glossy coat.
Eel is always served cooked. Fresh eel blood contains a protein that is harmful raw, so grilling or steaming is not optional.
What is in the glaze on unagi?
The glaze on unagi is called tare, a thick, sweet and salty sauce made from soy sauce and sugar and simmered until it reduces. It is brushed on repeatedly during grilling.
Many unagi restaurants keep their tare going for a long time, topping it up with fresh ingredients and the juices from the eel itself, so the flavour deepens. Home cooks usually make a quick version with soy sauce, sugar and a little dashi or water. The finished glaze should coat a spoon and shine on the fish. A sprinkle of sansho pepper, a Japanese citrus-scented pepper, is a traditional finishing touch for many diners.
Unagi vs anago: what is the difference?
Unagi is a freshwater eel with firm, fatty flesh, while anago is a saltwater conger eel with a softer, lighter texture and a milder taste. Both are sold grilled, and both appear in Japanese cooking.
| Unagi | Anago | |
|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Freshwater, farmed from young wild eels | Saltwater, usually caught at sea |
| Texture | Firm, dense, rich | Soft, fluffy, delicate |
| Flavour | Strong and fatty | Light and mild |
| Typical use | Kabayaki over rice, in eel boxes, in chazuke | Sushi, tempura, simmered |
| Season in Japan | Traditionally summer | Traditionally summer |
Sushi counters often use anago on nigiri and unagi in rolls or as a topping on rice dishes, so the names appear side by side on many Japanese menus.
How is unagi served?
Unagi is served over rice, in a lacquered box, in a roll, or in a hot rice dish with soup poured over it. The glazed fillet is almost always paired with plain rice, which soaks up the sauce.
- Unadon: a bowl of rice topped with glazed unagi.
- Unaju: the same dish served in a stacked lacquer box, traditionally a little more formal.
- Hitsumabushi: an Aichi region dish where chopped unagi on rice is eaten three ways, plain, with condiments and as a soup dish with broth.
- Unagi roll and unagi nigiri at sushi counters.
- Unagi chazuke: grilled eel on rice with a clear soup or tea poured over the top.
Sides often include a clear soup, pickles and a little sansho pepper.
Why do people eat unagi in summer?
Many people in Japan eat unagi in midsummer, around a date called Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the day of the ox, which falls in July. The habit is a well-known tradition and many shops advertise it each year.
The common story is that eel was recommended as a hearty meal for the hot season, and clever marketing in the Edo period helped fix the custom. Historians debate the details, so it is safest to describe it as a tradition rather than a fact about nutrition. Eel is eaten all year round now.
Is unagi sustainable?
Unagi is a species of concern. The Japanese eel is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and farms still need wild-caught glass eels because eels are not bred commercially at scale. Prices, availability and sourcing rules change often.
If sourcing matters to you, look for sellers who explain where their eel comes from, and treat unagi as an occasional dish. Frozen packs sold in grocers often show the producing country on the label.
Which dish at Eight Ounce Café uses unagi?
The Unagi Chazuke is the unagi dish recorded for Eight Ounce Café, a Japanese-inspired cafe at 2/10 Fitzgerald Avenue in Springwood, Brisbane. The recorded description is a whole grilled eel on furikake rice, with tempura perilla and enoki and a clear savoury soup.
Chazuke is rice with a hot liquid poured over it, so this dish takes the grilled eel in a different direction from the usual eel bowl. The menu in this guide is compiled from public listings, reviews and social posts, not from an official menu, and no price is recorded. Check the menu page for what is listed, then confirm availability on the cafe’s Instagram or by phone, because the opening hours and stock can change and items can sell out. The cafe is walk-in only.
How do you eat unagi at home?
To eat unagi at home, buy a vacuum-packed grilled fillet, warm it gently and slice it over hot rice. Frozen glazed fillets from Asian grocers are the usual shortcut because grilling a whole eel at home is difficult.
- Thaw the pack in the fridge, or follow the label.
- Warm the fillet skin side up under a grill or in a covered pan with a splash of water for a few minutes.
- Brush on a little extra glaze from the pack.
- Slice the fillet and lay it over rice, adding pickles and sansho pepper if you have it.
Pair the dish with a green salad and a clear soup, and avoid reheating in a microwave for too long because the fish can turn rubbery.
Common questions
Is unagi always cooked?
Yes. Unagi is cooked before it is eaten, usually grilled, and the fresh blood of eels is not safe raw. Restaurants and cafes serve it as grilled fillets, never as raw slices like some other fish.
What does unagi taste like?
Grilled unagi tastes rich and gently sweet, with a smoky edge from the grill and a soft, fatty texture. The glaze adds a salty and sweet soy flavour. People often compare the texture to tender, oily white fish.
What is the sauce on unagi called?
The glaze is called tare. It is a reduced mix built on soy sauce and sugar, and the pan juices from earlier batches are often added. Each shop keeps its own recipe, and the exact mix is rarely shared.
Can you buy frozen unagi at home?
Yes. Many Asian grocers sell vacuum-packed grilled, glazed unagi fillets frozen. They only need reheating under a grill or in a pan, then slicing over rice. Check the pack for the sauce ingredients.
Why is unagi sometimes expensive?
Eel farming depends on young wild-caught eels, supply is limited and the Japanese eel is a species of conservation concern. Preparation is also skilled work, which keeps the price of good unagi higher than most fish.
For the address, opening hours and menu, see Eight Ounce Café in Springwood.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Eight Ounce Café itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.