Established in 1540, Nezameya was named by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a preeminent daimyō, warrior, general, samurai, and politician of the Sengoku period. One day, after visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was looking for a place to rest but all the shops were not open early in the morning. Nezameya was the only shop that was open and Hideyoshi Toyotomi was very pleased. Toyotomi Hideyoshi named the shop “Nezameya” using the Chinese character “祢” (ne) from his wife’s name NeNe.
Located at the corner of the street leading up to Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nezameya welcomes visitors into the wooden house which was built during the Showa era, stepping into the 500 years old restaurant transports you back in time.
The art of grilling unagi has been passed down the generations, using the same techniques developed over 500 years ago. After deboning the eel, it is dipped in homemade tar sauce and grilled over hot fire. The staff is grilling unagi at the front of the restaurant, tempting passerby to go in and taste their delicious unagi.
The menu is hand-written with cut-out pictures. Those who don’t understand Japanese can refer to the English and Chinese menus found on their website.
The udon and eel set at the upper half of this photograph is Nishin Soba [1000 Yen], a bowl of buckwheat noodles in broth made of bonito, soy sauce kelp, served with with steamed dried herring. The freshly-grilled Unagi Kabayaki [seasonal price] is tender and juicy, a perfect match to the light soba noodles.
The plate of sushi at the lower half of the picture is Sanshumori [1300 Yen] where you get to try 3 kinds of assorted sushi. The piece with the white and grey fish on top is mackerel and the rolled sushi is futomaki. The orange-brown piece with sushi rice wrapped inside seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets called inari age is called inari.
If you are looking to try Nezamya’s famous unagi, you should get this Unagi Don Soup Set [2100 Yen]. The staff debones and grills the eels at the front of the shop with sweet tare and serves it on a bed of rice. The eel has absorbed the sweetness of the tare sauce, it literally melts in your mouth. The bowl of clear soup helps to clear your palate.
Nezameya
Address: 82 Fukakusainarionmae-cho , Fushimi ward , Kyoto
Telephone: 075–641-0802
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (last order 5.30pm)
Website: http://nezameya.com/eng/index.html
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