Tamai

銀座駅から徒歩3分、交詢ビルの4階にある「銀座 玉ゐ」を訪問しました。 自宅からタクシーで10分、グルメインフルエンサーの妻と一緒にランチ利用です。 本店は日本橋にあり、昭和28年の日本家屋を改装した趣ある店構えが特徴ですが、銀座店は都会的な落ち着きと清潔感ある空間で、買い物の合間にも立ち寄りやすい印象です。創業者は元寿司職人の玉井康裕氏、現在は株式会社バレンタインブルーコーポレーション代表の藤井健氏が運営。国内外に複数の系列店を展開しており、店舗ごとに特色が異なります。 この日は「穴子ちらし（特上）」と「箱めし（中箱）」をシェア。ちらしは厚めにカットされた天然穴子と季節野菜が彩りよく盛り...付けられ、酢飯とのバランスも秀逸でした。箱めしは「煮上げ」と「焼き上げ」の合いのせを選び、焼きは香ばしく、煮はふわっとした仕上がり。最後に出汁茶漬けにして食べることで、味の変化が楽しめる構成になっており、まさにひつまぶしのような体験です。 天然穴子にこだわり、注文ごとに火入れする職人の技術にも感動しました。ミシュランガイド東京では「ビブグルマン」に4年連続で掲載されたというのも納得です。 ランチタイムは混雑しますが、予約が可能で並ばずに入店できました。静かで丁寧な接客も含めて、観光や記念日ランチにぴったりの一軒です。銀座で“うなぎではない美味しさ”を体験したい方におすすめです。 Located just a 3-minute walk from Ginza Station, “Ginza Tamai” sits on the 4th floor of the elegant Kojun Building. I visited for lunch with my wife, a gourmet influencer, arriving by taxi from our home in central Tokyo. The restaurant is a branch of the original Nihonbashi Tamai, which was founded by Yasuhiko Tamai, a former sushi chef. The Ginza branch is now managed by Mr. Ken Fujii, CEO of Valentine Blue Corporation. Tamai operates multiple locations across Japan and overseas, including in Tokyo, Yokohama, Narita Airport, and even Taipei. While each location varies slightly in menu and ambiance, all share a deep dedication to traditional Japanese eel (anago) cuisine. What sets Tamai apart is its exclusive use of natural anago (saltwater eel) sourced from Japan’s coastal waters. Each order is prepared to perfection with your choice of two cooking styles: “ni-age” (simmered until soft and fluffy) or “yaki-age” (grilled for a smoky, crispy finish). Seasonal ingredients and meticulous plating elevate the experience beyond just a typical grilled fish dish. On this visit, we shared the “Special Anago Chirashi” and the “Medium Hakomeshi” lunch sets. The chirashi was visually stunning, featuring thick slices of tender anago atop vinegared rice, beautifully garnished with colorful seasonal vegetables. Every bite was delicate yet flavorful, perfectly balanced between sweet and savory. The hakomeshi, served in a traditional wooden box, came with both grilled and simmered eel. The contrast in textures made for an engaging dining experience: one piece rich and smoky, the other soft and juicy. The highlight was the final stage—transforming the remaining rice and anago into a warm ochazuke (tea-rice) using a light dashi broth and assorted condiments like green onion, yuzu, and wasabi. It’s a nod to the famous hitsumabushi style from Nagoya, but with Tokyo finesse. What truly impressed me was the consistency of quality and the mastery in cooking. Tamai has earned a place in the Tokyo Michelin Guide’s “Bib Gourmand” category for four consecutive years—an honor well deserved. The restaurant is intimate yet modern, with tasteful lighting and a calm, adult-friendly atmosphere. While lines can form during lunch hours, online reservations are available and highly recommended. Service was polite and attentive without being intrusive. If you’re looking for a refined Japanese meal that highlights the lesser-known anago rather than the more common unagi (freshwater eel), Ginza Tamai is a must-visit. It’s perfect for travelers, food lovers, or anyone seeking an elegant Tokyo dining experience beyond sushi and tempura.

Visited June 2025

Comfortable stylish restaurant. Perfectly presented and delicious anago. This central Ginza branch is a must for unagi/anago lovers. And jazz. What’s not to like?

Visited November 2019

We stumbled onto this gem of a restaurant when the tonkatsu restaurant we were searching for was closed. And boy, are we glad we chose to take a chance. This had the most sublime grilled anago meal. Now a firm "must visit" whenever I am in Tokyo. The fact that it's on the 4th floor of the Kojun Buil...ding, where Barneys is located, in the middle of Ginza, means it is easier to get to.

Visited July 2017