The other day, I had a reason to be around Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. Since I was there, I decided to look for something delicious nearby—and came across a famous grilled eel (unagi) restaurant called Inakaan.
I had just recently eaten hitsumabushi at Atsuta Houraiken in Nagoya, but when it comes to good food, you have to seize the moment!
So off I went to try it.
Inakaan — a long-standing unagi restaurant just 5 minutes from Kokura Station
The exterior shows its long history and feels quite refined.
It’s about a 5-minute walk from JR Kokura Station.
Inside the restaurant. The service was also very attentive.
Once seated, they brought out the menu, tea, a wet towel, and for some reason—a newspaper.
There was a certificate on the menu indicating the rice used.
It said they used brand new Koshihikari rice from Ishikawa Prefecture, tested for cesium.
Here’s the main menu.
Of course, I had to go for the Unajū (grilled eel over rice in a lacquer box). I ordered the “Take” size for 3,100 yen.
There was also a separate menu for wild-caught eel. As expected, it was a notch pricier.
Crispy outside, fluffy inside—unajū done perfectly
It’s here! This is their unajū.
Opening the lacquer box lid…
It’s eel! Glorious eel!
Perfectly grilled with a savory aroma from the sauce—it really gets your appetite going.
Of course, it came with kimosui (clear soup with eel liver).
Time to dig in!
Up until now, most eel I’ve had was soft inside and out, but here it’s crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Absolutely delicious!
Apparently the wild-caught eel is even better
Reading some reviews later, I found out that the wild-caught eel here is on a whole other level.
It’s a bit pricier, but next time I’ll definitely try it.
If you’re around Kokura Station and want to splurge a little on something truly tasty, this place is highly recommended.
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