Hamamatsuya(濱松屋)|Zhongshan District, Taipei City| Adhering to the spirit of ‘Hamamatsu’, a high-quality Japanese eel restaurant where orders are prepared fresh upon request! Recommended by the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in 2018.
Hamamatsuya (Recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2018) reminds us of our past travels in Kyushu, Japan, where we visited the century-old eel restaurant, Honkichi-ya, in Hakata Yanagawa. Seeing the prices on the menu left us wide-eyed; at that time, each portion of eel rice cost 4,600 Japanese yen, which was roughly equivalent to around NT$1,300 ! For us, who were accustomed to eel rice priced at only NT$300 to 500 dollars domestically, describing this eel rice as exorbitantly priced would not be an overstatement!!!
【111.9～first visit～】
Hamamatsuya —Recommended by the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in 2018 「必比登推介（Bib Gourmand）
Hamamatsuya Rrestaurant Information
Restaurant name：Hamamatsuya(濱松屋)
Restaurant address：No. 12, Lane 119, Linsen North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104
Contact number：02-25675705
Business hours：Every day 11:30–14:00；18:00–22:00
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PS：The service fee of ten percent is required.
Hamamatsuya restaurant is located in a lane off Linsen North Road in Zhongshan District. The eateries lining both sides predominantly consist of Japanese restaurants or izakayas. Walking here at night feels much like strolling through the alleyways of Kyoto in Japan. Perhaps just around the corner, one might anticipate encountering geishas! The tranquil and understated ambiance of this street bears a striking resemblance to the fleeting memories of Kyoto, immersing us, who haven’t traveled abroad in a long time, in its atmosphere.
《Personal tasting experience, provided for reference.》
*The content, menu, and prices introduced in the article may vary according to the season, so please refer to the offerings provided by the restaurant on-site.
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Restaurant decoration
The interior decoration exudes a minimalist Japanese style, with seating arrangements mainly consisting of semi-private booths surrounding the counter area. This layout ensures a high level of dining privacy, minimizing the impact from other tables’ diners. You can peacefully enjoy your eel feast! Judging from the space, there aren’t too many seats available, so it’s recommended for those interested in dining to call and make a reservation in advance for assurance.
The restaurant’s main feature is its live eel, freshly prepared upon ordering, ensuring instant cooking. The eels are kept in an aquarium right across the counter, all of them uniformly sized and lively. It’s said that these eels are of the highest grade, known as ‘4-hit’ eels, exported to Japan. Additionally, for those interested in having live eel, it’s recommended to make a reservation in advance to avoid missing out due to high demand on the day.
Hamamatsuya(濱松屋) menu
After seating us, the staff promptly presented us with a beautifully crafted menu booklet. It was filled with numerous Japanese characters, making us feel as if we were dining in a local restaurant in Japan. Thankfully, there were Chinese translations provided alongside, which made ordering stress-free
In addition to the signature eel dishes, there is also a wide variety of options available, including sashimi, sushi, tempura, pickled vegetables, soups, hot pot, teppanyaki, alcoholic beverages, and more. It’s quite extensive, making it a great choice not only for regular dining but also for late-night outings.
Furthermore, the first page of the menu booklet provides detailed instructions on the consumption procedure for the three ways to enjoy eel and grilled eel, imbuing the dining experience with a sense of ceremony. This allows consumers to immediately experience the ‘Hamamatsu-ya style’ eel flavor without having to travel to Japan.
“Matsu” Japanese-style eel rice.( 【松】日式鰻魚飯)（1000 New Taiwan Dollar）
Eel rice can be prepared in two styles: simply grilled or in the “sansei” three-way style. Before coming here, we searched online for information and felt that the three-way style was too Japanese for our taste, so we decided to opt for the more conservative Japanese-style grilled eel.
PS：Later on, I felt that this decision was wrong! I should have chosen the three-way option!
This Japanese eel rice set meal comes with a square-shaped bento box, along with three side dishes and eel liver soup. The large grilled eel completely covers the white rice underneath, making it very eye-catching!
As the dish was served, the aroma of grilled eel and the sweet soy sauce blended together, wafting tantalizing scents towards us, leaving us salivating. If it weren’t for taking photos, we would have eagerly devoured it right away.
The high-quality live eel is cooked at high temperatures and coated with our exclusive Japanese eel sauce, flown in from Japan to Taiwan. Sweet yet not overwhelming, the aroma permeates, and the eel’s flesh is delicate and tender, filled with abundant collagen. Its irresistibly tender texture makes it addictive from the very first bite.
While the unique flavor of live eel made me slightly uneasy when I first started eating, for Patrick Bear, it didn’t seem to faze him at all 😅. Instead, I found the eel to have quite a few small bones, which was a bit unexpected?
Concerned about choking, he took a small bite of eel and immediately handed it over to me to finish. Interestingly, our two companions seemed unaffected by the small bones! They simply shoveled the eel and rice into their mouths and devoured it in no time, leaving Paddi Bear quite impressed 🤣.
What appears to be ordinary white rice immediately becomes vibrant after being drizzled with sauce. The translucent rice grains, crystal clear and plump, offer a satisfyingly chewy texture, retaining their firmness. The portion size is quite substantial!
“The key to the deliciousness of this eel rice lies in its exclusive sauce, which plays a role akin to that of a musical score, harmonizing the connection between the eel and the white rice. Together, they perform a symphony of culinary delight in the mouth, soothing the souls of customers craving good food.”
The eggs used by the restaurant are fresh Lili eggs from Changhua’s Longchang Ranch, sourced from environmentally friendly chicken coops imported from Germany, ensuring quality assurance! The golden-hued tamagoyaki has a subtly sweet flavor, with layers of egg gently stacked, offering a dense yet firm texture. The rich egg aroma makes it exceptionally delicious.
In addition, there are two Japanese side dishes, with a well-balanced seasoning that’s not overly salty, making them a perfect complement to the slightly savory eel rice.
Finally, accompanying the meal is a bowl of eel liver soup. Despite its unassuming appearance, Patrick Bear barely had a chance to taste it before I finished it all 😂, highlighting its allure! The flavor of the broth is excellent, making it the perfect conclusion to the meal.
“Matsu” Japanese-style eel three-way with yam paste.( 【松】日式鰻魚三吃加山藥泥)（1030 New Taiwan Dollar）
This is the Japanese eel three-way ordered by my friend, also highly recommended by the Michelin Guide as the most ceremonial way of eating! In addition to the main dish of eel rice and Japanese side dishes, the set also includes a hot spring egg, condiments, and broth. Although priced the same as the eel rice mentioned earlier, it feels like an even better value for the money~ 😘
The meal has a specific order of consumption. Firstly, 1/4 of the eel rice is scooped into a small bowl, creating the basic eel rice bowl. Next, another 1/4 of the eel rice is placed into a small bowl and mixed with yam paste, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, shredded seaweed, and other ingredients before consumption. Then, 1/4 of the eel rice is mixed with the hot spring egg in a small bowl. Lastly, the remaining eel rice is combined with wasabi and poured into the homemade broth to transform into eel rice tea soup.
Although the set menu is called ‘three-way,’ when considering the basic eating method, it’s actually four ways. Initially, we also considered choosing this dish, but we’re not accustomed to having so many ingredients added to eel rice. After considering it, we decided to pass.
However, after my friend finished the meal, he praised it highly and gave it an extremely positive review. Additionally, due to the generous portion of eel rice, the four different eating methods added layers to the dish, preventing it from becoming too monotonous. Indeed, this arrangement has its merits, and I highly recommend everyone to choose this three-way version when dining.
American-style beef teppanyaki with rice and pickled vegetables.(美國和風牛肉陶板燒與白飯漬物)（460 New Taiwan Dollar）
In addition to the signature eel rice, another premium ingredient here is the purebred Black Wagyu beef from Osaka – Naniwa Black Wagyu! Even more exquisite than A5 Wagyu, it’s incredibly precious. For Paddi Bear, who isn’t particularly fond of eel, seeing this ingredient offered on the menu naturally brightened his eyes!!!
So, I decided to go for this dish directly. However, the staff informed me that they haven’t had any stock recently, so I had to settle for the American beef instead. Also, please note that rice is not included with the teppanyaki. If you want rice with your grilled meat, remember to order it separately!
The beef has a vibrant and beautiful color, and each slice is thick. Paired with mushrooms and tomatoes, it creates an atmosphere of pre-celebration for Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue~ 😆
After the dish is served, don’t rush to grill the beef. First, place the accompanying butter on the teppanyaki grill to melt evenly. Then, spread out the beef on the grill. The sizzling sound of beef on the teppanyaki grill fills the air, mingling with the aroma of beef and butter. Watching the beef gradually turn red and cook is quite therapeutic~
Placing the grilled beef slices on top of the separately ordered white rice turns it into a special beef bowl. The beef has an amazing texture! Initially, I thought the thicker slices of beef might be harder to chew when grilled, but surprisingly, they were tender and easy to eat. Plus, after being infused with butter, the texture became even more layered. Whether dipped in sauce or not, it was delicious either way. Taking a bite of both the meat and rice together, it’s just as tasty as everyone else’s eel rice!
Grilled eel liver.(香烤鰻魚肝)（150 New Taiwan Dollar）
Curious about the highly recommended eel liver by fellow diners, we decided to give it a try. After tasting it, we found the flavor to be quite unique! It was different from what we had imagined, with a subtle chewiness that wasn’t tough at all, resulting in a delightful texture. Moreover, paired with the sauce, the taste was excellent~
Tempura platter.(天婦羅拼盤)（350 New Taiwan Dollar）
With so many tempura options to choose from, unsure of what to select, we decided to go for this platter, which includes a variety of items, covering all bases. The ingredients are all very fresh, and the batter is crispy without being too thick, allowing the original flavors of the food to shine through, especially the shrimp! Dipped in some special sauce, it becomes incredibly delicious, making it perfect for sharing with friends during a casual gathering~
Japanese-style eel and egg roll.(日式鰻魚蛋捲)（380 New Taiwan Dollar）
This dish was also introduced on TV, and it looked very enticing! Without further ado, we decided to try it out. Rolled up in the style of tamagoyaki, the grilled eel provides double the satisfaction in terms of texture. For friends who love eel, this is a must-order and a must-try!
However, if you’ve already had some eel rice, I would suggest considering carefully. After all, the amount of eel in the eel rice here is quite substantial, so having this might feel a bit overwhelming. Of course, if you’re a big fan of this flavor, then there’s no need to hold back! 😉
Hamamatsuya, along with Hizenya, Jianmochiya Jianguo Store, and Eel Cuisine Kyotoya, is listed as one of Taipei’s top four eel specialty restaurants, each renowned for its unique flavors and loyal fanbase.
With its unique Hamamatsu style and the assurance of quality through live eel preparation, Hamamatsuya attracts gourmets from all over to indulge in its offerings. Its ceremonial dining experience has even earned it a recommendation from the Michelin Guide.
After finishing our meal, we truly felt Hamamatsuya was worth it. Although the prices are said to be the highest among the four, this visit for the four of us, including the service charge, came to a total of NT$4807 Dollars. We enjoyed our meal very much! But our hearts were bleeding at the checkout 😂. After dining here, we’re curious about the flavors of the other three as well. Looking forward to completing the puzzle of eel domination in the future~
After settling the bill, the restaurant ( Hamamatsuya ) generously gave us four NT$100 vouchers as an extra gift. It seems like a great deal, with every thousand spent earning a hundred back. However, since we don’t visit Taipei often, we felt it was a bit of a shame to receive them. So, we later passed them on to a friend, allowing them to bring their whole family to enjoy a meal together!
《Personal tasting experience, provided for reference.》
*The content, menu, and prices introduced in the article may vary according to the season, so please refer to the offerings provided by the restaurant on-site.
If quoting from the text, please remember to indicate the source or share the link for attribution. Unauthorized use of text or images will be pursued!
KKDAY、KLOOK、ezTravel 👈 free to use this link to book your room.
Hamamatsuya—Tasting experience.
Meals︰★★★★☆
Price︰★★★★
Portion size︰★★★★★
CP value︰★★★★☆
Likeability︰★★★★
Revisit︰★★★★
☆= half star；★= one star
(The meal refers to the contents of the dish & are you satisfied with the richness?)
