TAWA田和 한국어 Book
A full TAWA table: charcoal-grilled eel in a lacquer box, hitsumabushi, kaisendon, tuna and seasonal sashimi, uni maki, with sake and whisky

Grilled over charcoal,
the moment you order

TAWA is an eel restaurant right outside City Hall Station Exit 10, Seoul, specializing in unagi rice bowls and Nagoya-style hitsumabushi.

Book on Naver +82 2-318-5747
Skewered eel turning golden in the flames over a charcoal brazier

Great eel depends
on the fire, and
how it is grilled

Good eel matters, but at TAWA we started with the fire. We tracked down a charcoal brazier handmade by a craftsman in Japan, and every eel is grilled over that charcoal only after you order.

Crisp and savory outside,
moist inside.

You taste the eel itself together with a gentle smoke from the fire. We don't cut corners on ingredients, and we care about every step: the charcoal, the brazier and the grilling.

Eel grilling unglazed over white-hot charcoal
Grilled over charcoal first, before any glaze
18-second video, from the grill to the table (Korean captions)

Hitsumabushi:
one bowl, three ways

Hitsumabushi is a Nagoya specialty of grilled eel over rice, and our signature dish. Here is how to enjoy it.

  1. A bowl of hitsumabushi topped with charcoal-grilled eel

    As it is

    Start with the eel and rice just as they come.

  2. A three-part dish of wasabi and garnishes for hitsumabushi

    With garnishes

    Next, add nori, wasabi and the other garnishes.

  3. Warm broth being poured over eel and rice

    As ochazuke

    Finally, pour in the warm broth and finish it as ochazuke.

Easy seats,
quiet private rooms

A quick eel bowl at lunch, or an unhurried dinner of eel with sashimi, sake and wine. Guests come for family meals, dates, and team dinners near Seoul City Hall.

Long wooden counter facing the open kitchen window, with backlit wooden lattice
Counter seats facing the kitchen
Long table in a wood-paneled room with a sliding door
Private room
Cozy room with a wooden lattice window
Room with lattice window
Main hall with light oak tables and counter seats
Main hall
Sake and whisky beside eel bowls, kaisendon and sashimi

Corkage (BYOB)

You're welcome to bring your own bottle. There's no bottle limit, and wine glasses and chilling are included.

  • Wine, sake15,000 KRW per bottle
  • Whisky and spirits over 30% ABV30,000 KRW per bottle
  • Traditional Korean liquorFree
TAWA entrance: a white noren curtain with the logo over stepping stones and a stone lantern, with the 田和 TAWA sign on the left wall
Basement level 1 of the Hansan Building, look for the noren curtain

Find us

B1 #102, Hansan Building
115 Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

서울특별시 중구 서소문로 115, 한산빌딩 지하 1층 102호

Naver Map & booking +82 2-318-5747

Hours

Mon–Sat10:00 – 21:00
Break15:00 – 16:00
Last order20:20
SunClosed

On foot

Right outside City Hall Station (Seoul Subway Lines 1 & 2) Exit 10, on basement level 1 of the Hansan Building, next to the Korean Air building. An easy walk from Seoul City Hall and Deoksugung Palace.

Parking

  • Hansan Building parking: the first hour is free. After that, 2,000 KRW for the first 30 minutes, then 1,000 KRW per 10 minutes, up to 40,000 KRW a day.
  • From the main road (Exit 10 side), turn right just after Exit 10 and go straight; the entrance is on your left.
  • From the small road behind, come down and enter the car park to the left of Mammoth Coffee.
  • If you can't find us, just give us a call.