Matsuya to Launch Store-Limited 'Grilled Eel Bowl' at 736 Locations Nationwide on August 25
Matsuya will begin offering the store-limited ‘Grilled Eel Bowl’ starting 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25. It is listed on Matsuya’s official store-limited menu page, covering 736 stores nationwide. The Grilled Eel Bowl had been sold as a regular menu item since June 23 but was delisted on August 11 — now, 14 days later, a menu of the same name returns, this time limited to select stores. The same day at 10:00 a.m. also brings the store-limited ‘Seared Rib Finger Bowl’ (70 stores) and the regular-menu ‘Pork & Kimchi Set Meal’.
List of Grilled Eel Bowl Locations
| Menu Item | Number of Stores | Store List |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled Eel Bowl | 736 stores nationwide | Store List |
Matsuya currently operates roughly 1,210 stores, so the 736-store rollout covers about 60% of all locations. When the list first went up, only 716 stores across 35 prefectures actually appeared in the store finder; 20 more stores were later added, bringing the total in line with the official announcement of 736 stores across 36 prefectures. Compared with other store-limited menu items currently on offer — the runner-up being ‘Mini Cold Udon’ at 632 stores — the Grilled Eel Bowl’s 736 stores represent the widest rollout yet.
From Regular Menu to Store-Limited: The Same Name Returns
The Grilled Eel Bowl had been sold at all stores as a 980-yen regular menu item since June 23, and was delisted all at once on August 11 alongside other eel-related items such as the Eel Combo Beef Bowl and the Fluffy Egg Grilled Eel Bowl. It was a summer staple timed to the Day of the Ox season, and was also offered as the 980-yen Grilled Eel Bowl on the Day of the Ox itself, July 26.
The regular-menu version and this store-limited version are listed as separate menu items, and the official listings give no indication of whether they represent a continuation of the same product. Still, two weeks after the summer Grilled Eel Bowl disappeared from all stores, a Grilled Eel Bowl of the same name is once again appearing on shelves — this time at a select group of stores.
Priced at 980 Yen with Miso Soup; Eel Combo Beef Bowl on the Same Page
The announcement image on the store-limited page features both the Grilled Eel Bowl and the Eel Combo Beef Bowl. The Grilled Eel Bowl is priced at 980 yen, described as coming with a “specially made miso soup,” while the Eel Combo Beef Bowl is 1,180 yen, also served with miso soup. Both come with a small packet of Sansho Pepper, and a note states that miso soup is not included for takeout orders.
In the image, three pieces of glossy, sauce-glazed kabayaki-style eel sit side by side atop a bowl of white rice. Below it, the Eel Combo Beef Bowl layers kabayaki-style eel over a Beef Bowl simmered with onion, letting diners enjoy eel and beef in a single dish. The 980-yen Grilled Eel Bowl carries the same price it had when it was sold as a regular menu item.
Covering 36 Prefectures, with Tokyo Leading at 289 Stores
Breaking down the 736 stores by prefecture, Tokyo has the most with 289 stores, accounting for roughly 40% of the total. Coverage is concentrated in the greater Kanto and Kinki metropolitan areas, and in Kyushu only Fukuoka Prefecture is included. Aomori Prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku, and Shimane Prefecture in the Chugoku region are also excluded.
- Hokkaido & Tohoku: Hokkaido 7, Miyagi Prefecture 9, Iwate Prefecture 3, Akita Prefecture 2, Fukushima Prefecture 3, Yamagata Prefecture 1
- Kanto: Tokyo 289, Kanagawa Prefecture 88, Saitama Prefecture 59, Chiba Prefecture 43, Ibaraki Prefecture 9, Gunma Prefecture 4, Tochigi Prefecture 1
- Chubu: Aichi Prefecture 28, Shizuoka Prefecture 9, Niigata Prefecture 6, Nagano Prefecture 5, Yamanashi Prefecture 3, Mie Prefecture 3, Gifu Prefecture 2, Fukui Prefecture 2, Toyama Prefecture 1, Ishikawa Prefecture 1
- Kinki: Osaka Prefecture 74, Hyogo Prefecture 30, Kyoto Prefecture 13, Shiga Prefecture 3, Wakayama Prefecture 3, Nara Prefecture 1
- Chugoku & Shikoku: Hiroshima Prefecture 9, Kagawa Prefecture 3, Ehime Prefecture 3, Okayama Prefecture 2, Tokushima Prefecture 2, Yamaguchi Prefecture 1
- Kyushu: Fukuoka Prefecture 14
The 10 prefectures excluded are Aomori, Shimane, Kochi, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa. In Kyushu, every prefecture except Fukuoka is excluded.
Of the 736 participating stores, 67 are co-located with My Curry Shokudo and 8 with Matsunoya; the Grilled Eel Bowl is included without distinction at these co-located stores as well.
Editor's Note
Having graduated from the regular menu, the Grilled Eel Bowl is back — this time only at select stores. Better check the list to see if your nearest Matsuya made the cut.
