Kabuto

Eels. Grilled. If you are bar and skewer hopping in Shinjuku's Omoide Yokocho alley you might come across this place at the intersection in the middle. It serves eel and that confusion can throw off many tourists who don't seem to understand when he exclaims loudly, "eel only" but between that and the sign on the wall... anyway. There js anothet kabuto of michelin mention, don't get it mixed up, this is the street food version but the guy here is the same guy as 4 years ago prepandemic and he's been here years before that. He can only manage a few words in english which is right since we're not in an English speaking country. The eels are fresh, the guy does everything nose to tail, and skewers, like with chicken in yakitori, come from different parts of the eel and you order which part you want. There is some kind of minimum order, easier is to just ask for a set menu, SETTO should do the trick. With that, they gave me 2x tail, 2x insides, 2x body, which is perfect for a stop. The tail has a slight fat layer and is wound around the skewer skilfully. The entrails also, treated just right. Body, crispy skin, just nice. The skill level is high, in a one man show, worth the stop. Oh and you can grab a beer, one choice to make and it is tall or short. In other reviews there seems to be suggestions of anger but take a look, the guy is squinting over coals all day for everyone and if he's just saying eel only it's because he wants to help you understand. Once that is clear, he is a more confident and happy. He won't be chatty, but he's just trying to do his job.

Super cool, local restaurant only serving Eel! Tried both the meat and the innards (he wasn’t able to explain exactly what it was) - both were yum!! (A bit pricey at around $4-5 a skewer)

This was a very unique and memorable experience. I had a couple hours to kill as I waited for a bus to Fuji, it was early in the afternoon so not many places were open, but I love yakitori and wanted to grab a bite in this area. I know, eel is not yakitori, but I love eel. The restaurant was packed with Japanese, the owner was hard at work, and the shop was old, dirty, and beautiful.

There were a couple seats open so I sat down, I wasn’t sure if the owner didn’t like to get his picture taken, but he felt very annoyed, as you can tell by his funny offended look in his picture.

It is my fault for not knowing Japanese, but luckily there was a friendly regular who helped me order a few skewers and a beer. The eel was fantastic: soft, crispy, umami. I tried to order some liver that I saw him grilling but was told no. I guess I should’ve read the reviews, or learned Japanese and ordered a set, but it was a spontaneous choice.

Anyways, it was memorable and delicious. Maybe I will learn Japanese and go back and try again.