February 29, 2019 — New York has drastically increased its number of unagi-ya, or Japanese-style freshwater eel restaurants, of late—from zero to two.
Hachibei in Midtown East and Unagi in SoHo both specialize in traditional preparations of the slippery ray-finned fish. In Japan, eel is as prized as Kobe beef (and more endangered), but in New York—which is more accustomed to consuming the far less expensive anago (sea eel) in sushi—it’s relatively unknown, at least for now.
Japan is devouring the delicacy at an alarming rate. Nearly 75 percent of the world’s unagi is consumed in the country; 99 percent of that is industrially farmed from baby glass eels (anguilla Japonica). Conservationists warn that the species is overfished and could face a fate similar to that of bluefin tuna.