Unatoto is a Japanese eel (unagi) rice restaurant in Singapore built around a simple motto: "Affordable, Fast and Tasty." The brand's mission is to take unagi — a dish with an expensive image — and make it accessible for everyone to enjoy, without cutting corners on quality.
At the heart of the menu is charcoal-grilled eel, cooked over Binchotan charcoal to enhance its fluffiness and fragrance, finished with a crispy coating and tender meat. Unatoto uses a carefully selected brewed soy sauce for its eel, balancing sugar and rice vinegar to build a rich, well-rounded tare, paired with rice specifically chosen from farmers around the country to suit an eel bowl.
Unatoto has two outlets in Singapore, at Guoco Tower and Novena Square, and has been featured by local food and lifestyle publications including Eatbook, Sethlui, The Ranting Panda, HungryGoWhere, Stomp/The Straits Times, Mothership and Daniel Food Diary.
Unagi has a reputation for being a special-occasion, expensive-feeling dish. Unatoto was built to change that perception in Singapore, with a straightforward motto guiding everything the restaurant does: "Affordable, Fast and Tasty." The idea is simple — take a Japanese eel rice dish that's been enjoyed in Japan for generations, and make it something people can order regularly rather than save for special occasions.
That doesn't mean cutting corners on how the eel is prepared. Unatoto grills its eel over charcoal, giving it a crispy exterior and tender meat that fills the restaurant with aroma. Specifically, the kitchen uses Binchotan charcoal, a type long associated with high-quality Japanese grilling, which the restaurant says enhances the eel's fluffiness and fragrance during cooking.
Beyond the grilling method, Unatoto pays close attention to two other components that make or break an eel rice dish: the sauce and the rice. The restaurant's tare sauce starts with a carefully selected brewed soy sauce chosen specifically to complement eel, then balances in sugar and other components before adding rice vinegar to tighten the overall flavour — the goal being a sauce with real depth rather than a one-note sweetness.
The rice gets similar attention. Unatoto sources rice specifically selected from farmers around the country, chosen for how well it holds up under an eel bowl and works with the sauce. Together, the charcoal-grilled eel, the tare, and the rice come together in dishes like the Unadon (eel rice bowl) and Unaju (eel served in a traditional box), with a Double Serving option for anyone wanting extra eel.
Unatoto also makes the case for eel as more than just a treat. The restaurant points to its nutritional value — eel is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and has notably higher levels of DHA and EPA compared to other seafood. According to Unatoto, eel may also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce the risk of arthritis, help prevent cardiovascular disease, and support healthy vision.
Unatoto operates two outlets in Singapore. The original is at Guoco Tower, 7 Wallich St, #B1-03, Singapore 078884, open Monday to Friday from 11am to 10pm and Saturday to Sunday from 11am to 9pm. The second outlet is at Novena Square, 238 Thomson Rd, #01-84, Velocity@Novena Square, Singapore 307683, open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 10pm and Sunday from 9am to 3pm — worth checking before a Sunday visit, since the hours differ noticeably from the rest of the week.
Both outlets take reservations through an online booking system, useful for anyone wanting to guarantee a table rather than walk in. Unatoto has also picked up coverage from a number of Singapore food and lifestyle sites, including Eatbook, Sethlui, The Ranting Panda, HungryGoWhere, Stomp/The Straits Times, Mothership and Daniel Food Diary, reflecting its position as one of the more talked-about affordable unagi options in the city.
For anyone curious about trying proper charcoal-grilled unagi without the usual price tag attached to the dish, Unatoto's pitch is direct: the same care that goes into a more expensive eel meal — Binchotan grilling, a purpose-built sauce, specially chosen rice — served fast, and priced to be an easy, regular choice rather than an occasional splurge.