Shibato

Our lunch at Honke Shibato was truly amazing! To start, the restaurant is conveniently located in an area of Osaka where taxis and other methods of transportation are easily available. When you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by kind staff that will do their best to help you and will do their best to translate information into your preferred language. This continues for the entire dining experience as the staff continue to assist with ordering and more. As for the atmosphere of the restaurant, it should be noted that the dining environment is a more of a traditional itami style seating, but the food easily makes up for that should you believe that that may not be your preferred seating choice. The restaurant is very clean and the staff also take dust prevention measures such as requiring guests to take off their jacket before entering the restaurant to further prevent the spread of dust into the environment. Lastly for the food, every item on the menu is spectacular. We ate a variety of side dishes as well as the main eel rice box. All were very delicious and clearly displayed the special flavours of eel. My personal favourite was the Japanese egg omelette as well as the eel rice box. Overall, I highly recommend you trying this traditional Japanese eel restaurant as the entire experience is amazing!

The Unagi at Honke Shibato stood out for its crispy texture, but otherwise, it wasn’t very different from standard Unagi. The flavor, rice, condiments, and presentation were all good, but not remarkable enough to justify the high price. The service was fantastic, with attentive and professional staff, but overall, I felt my expectations weren’t fully met. It was a pleasant experience, but not one I’d rush to repeat.

Osaka Honke Shibatou A little while back, I had the pleasure of visiting the long-established "Honke Shibatou" in Osaka. Walking from the station around lunchtime, the delicious aroma was already in the air. Greeted with a pleasant welcome, I could tell I had come to a good place. This time, I ordered "Ohitsumabushi." There was also a recommendation for sake that pairs well with eel, but since I was in the middle of work, I had to resist. The description alone was tempting enough to make me want to drink. The eel was crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. The grilling was superb! If anyone says they want to try Kansai-style eel, I can confidently recommend this place. The aroma of soy sauce, the refined sweetness of mirin—it was so delicious that it made me feel like I could have another bowl. The landlady kindly shared with me the secrets of their delicate flavors. • The secret to the gentle taste is the use of "raw granulated sugar." • The mirin used is of such quality that it's drinkable. • Even the soy sauce is specially ordered from the Chubu region. The landlady visits the factory herself, and she can tell the quality just by the scent. Her enthusiasm in sharing made me want to have another serving. It was a wonderful establishment where the kind personality of the proprietors came through in the taste. Despite being a long-standing shop, they welcome you warmly, so why not head out for the best eel experience without any tension? 阪　本家　柴藤　様 少し前にはなりますが、大阪の老舗「本家柴藤」様にお邪魔しました。 駅から歩いていくとお昼すぎだったのもありいい匂いがしてきます。 気持ちのいい挨拶で迎えて頂き「いい店に来たんだな」と実感出来ます。 今回は「おひつまむし」を注文。うなぎに合う日本酒のご紹介もありましたが、仕事中なので流石に我慢。説明文が飲みたくさせます。 うなぎはパリっと焼かれているのにふわふわ。文句なしの焼き加減です。 お醤油の香り、みりんの上品な甘さ。優しいタレでもう一杯食べれそうな美味しさでした。 女将さんがお話してくださり色々な優しい味のひみつを教えてもらいました。 ・「生ザラメ」というお砂糖を使われているのが優しい味の秘密。 ・みりんは飲める程の品質の物を使用 ・お醤油も中部からお取り寄せ。工場にも足をはこばれているそうです。香りを嗅ぐだけで品質がわかってしまうそうです。 楽しそうにお話ししてくださるのでついもう一杯食べたくなりました。 優しいお人柄が味に出る素敵なお店でした。老舗ですが暖かく迎えてくださるので緊張せず、最高の鰻体験に出かけられてはいかがでしょうか？

Honke Shibato’s unagi is one of those “must-try-at-least-once” kinds of things, along the same vein as Kobe beef and ramen. Sure, you could probably get it anywhere in Japan but wouldn’t it be best to try it the way the pros make it? And with a 300-year-old legacy, you know Honke Shibato is one of the pros. It’s with this mindset that we ventured out to try them. We arrived early and didn’t have to wait at all. Three women warmly greeted us and made us feel at home right away. They shuffled us in and one of them escorted us up in an escalator into a warm room. Before we stepped in, she asked us to take off our shoes and we entered a cozy room with low-set tables. It reminded me of a traditional household I’d see in anime and whatnot. It was also the first time in our trip that we experienced anything like it. We ordered the Osaka-Mamushi set and a separate order of umaki. The waitress never left the room, despite the kitchen being somewhere else in the building, and was very attentive the entire time. While we did have to wait for a bit, she always kept us updated and made sure our cups of tea were never empty. Eventually, our food came and it was delicious! The eel in the Osaka-Mamushi set was crispy on the outside, and soft inside - something I’ve never experienced outside of this restaurant. You could tell that it was cooked with care (and potentially over a grill?). Although the sauce on top was thinner than most restaurants, it was not any less flavourful. The umaki was good as well but it paled in comparison to the Osaka-Mamushi set - mostly because you could barely taste the eel in it. Overall, it was a delicious meal and a terrific experience. That being said, it feels like another one of those things that you go to just the once to say that you’ve tried it. There’s a minimum ¥ amount that you must order (unfortunately, I don’t quite remember the amount at this point) and each item on the menu is quite pricey. While the unagi was very good and did have a characteristic that I haven’t found elsewhere (i.e. crispy outside, soft inside), that characteristic is also not that crucial to my enjoyment of the dish. Perhaps I’m just not an unagi connoisseur - I can appreciate the difference but I personally don’t feel like it warrants that steep of a price hike. Personally, I’m glad to have experienced it and would recommend you going for the experience. But if you are like me - not a unagi connoisseur - and looking for something more cost-effective, maybe try somewhere else...