Article: Vegan Restaurant Recommendations for Tokyo

Asakusa Shrine

On a recent trip to Tokyo, I had the chance to eat some great foods. While I was expecting several decent vegetarian options, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of vegan options, particularly in the Tokyo area. Many of the websites are in Japanese only, so I recommend using Google Chrome's integrated translate feature if you don't read the language. Also, some restaurants have menus in both English and Japanese, but you may want to check ahead of time to confirm.

Shinjuku Area:

• Saishoku Kenbi - A vegetarian restaurant with set lunches. See the menu here or click here for more information here at Happy Cow.
• Doughnut Plant- A small stall with bagels. Supposedly, they are all vegan (except the chocolate bagels). They also offer iced and hot coffee. Located by Shinjuku Station's South exit.
• Tubu Tubu Cafe - An all-vegan cafe designed to have very healthy food. They have two locations in the wider Shinjuku vicinity.
• Loving Hut - An all-vegan cafe with mock meats and other tasty options. 

Hanada Rosso's Burger

Harajuku and Shibuya:

• Pure Cafe (official site) - All vegan cafe with many healthy options. They also have a small store and some vegan desserts. Mainly serve sandwiches, soups, and salads. Click here for my full review.

• Hanada Rosso - Vegan restaurant with really tasty plates and a lovely atmosphere. Click here for my full review or click to see more information on Happy Cow.

• Brown Rice Cafe - A vegan cafe with an organic, macrobiotic feel. Has juices, teas, rice meals, etc. and a nice atmosphere. Located in an eco-friendly building.

• Nagi Shokudo - Another vegan restaurant in the vicinity. Cozy atmosphere and humble feel. Click here for more information on Happy Cow or here for the official site. Located in the Shibuya area.

Ueno and Ryogoku:

• Genmaikoso - A more expensive restaurant with meat and vegan options. Lunch tends to be more affordable. Very close to the Edo-Tokyo museum, which I highly recommend.

Tokyo:

• T's Tan Tan - Vegan ramen! Need I say more? Located inside Tokyo station. See this post for directions. Click here for my review.

Ghibli Museum in Mitaka

Mitaka:
Mitaka is a beautiful area near Tokyo. We visited for the wonderful Ghibli museum, which I highly recommend if you enjoy any of the films (just be sure to buy tickets in advance). Vegetarian options are a little more limited. I did find this place, however, but it was only open for lunch and we didn't get a chance to try it.

• Sarasya - Appears to be a health center with a small vegetarian-friendly cafe. May only be open for lunch. Click here for information on an alternative site.

Eating out in Japan can get expensive and sometimes eating at a vegetarian restaurant can be inconvenient due to odd hours or the location. Fortunately, there are almost always a few options nearby at the ubiquitous convenience stores! From nuts for snacking to a light meal of vegetable onigiri, convenience stores are often a great budget option. Just watch out for hidden fish and other non-vegan ingredients. For a list of ingredients to avoid at convenience stores, check out this post on Veg Out Tokyo.

If you do want to make it clear that you're a vegan in Japanese, I recommend saying more direct phrases such as "Sakana wo tabererenai" ("I can't eat fish") and "Niku wo tabererenai" ("I can't eat meat") as opposed to using the term "vegan," which seems less commonly understood, particularly outside of vegetarian restaurants. For more vegan language tips, check out this post on Veg Out Tokyo.

For more ideas, check out this post from Time Out Tokyo or visit Happy Cow.

Disclosure notice: Please verify any claims with the restaurants and/or stores, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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Restaurant Review: Tokyo's T's Tan Tan

I have loved pasta and noodles for as long as I can remember. Before I was vegetarian, I remember getting into instant ramen when it became popular at my middle school. When I heard that there was real, fresh ramen, I was intrigued. I didn't actually get ot try "real" ramen until my latest trip to Japan, when we were sure to visit an all-vegan ramen shop.

Pros:

• English menu
• Fast service
• Location close to trains
• Reasonable prices
• Tasty options

Cons:

• Can be a little tricky to find

Summary:
T's Tan Tan is located in the bustling Tokyo train station. I only heard of it through a wonderful post by VegOut Tokyo, which provides very helpful directions. To note, it is located inside a paid area of station, but we were able to get inside with our JR passes. The restaurant was crowded and busy, but we were still seated relatively quickly. The decor is simple yet pleasing, and the place is lit well enough to make you forget that there aren't any windows. The menu offers a few simple choices, mostly ramen with soy meat. I opted for the "less spicy" option, and it still had a bit of a kick. The noodles were really tasty, and the servings were quite large (I couldn't finish mime). Service was fast a simple, and we didn't feel rushed. Vegan ramen is almost impossible to find, and T's Tan Tan made one of my dreams a reality. If you're in Tokyo, especially visiting the Imperial Palace, this is worth a stop.

Note: If you aren't going to Japan anytime soon, Dr. McDougall offers instant ramen that is pretty tasty for an instant food.

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance (Taste)
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product was sent to me free of charge by the manufacturer for review. No additional compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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Restaurant Review: Tokyo's Pure Cafe

After reading this glowing review of Pure Cafe on VegOut Tokyo, it was one of my top choices for restaurants to try in Japan. Located near the trendy Harajuku area, this stylish restaurant is all-vegan and shares a building with a hip Aveda salon. Read on for my full review of Pure Cafe.

Pros:

• Includes a small retail shop
• Deli case with pre-cut baked goods and handmade chocolate
• All vegan
• Very fresh, healthy options
• Utilizes some organic ingredients
• Set meals available

Cons:

• A full meal can get expensive (drink, set meal, dessert)

Summary:
I really enjoyed my visit to Pure Cafe. It is a very relaxing restaurant. It really feels like an oasis where you can sit and relax and eat very healthy, fresh food. While there are several vegetarian options in Tokyo, this vegan restaurant focuses more on grains and vegetables, not fake meats or "comfort" foods. They use some organic ingredients, which is also unusual in Japan (and more expensive to do than the U.S.). Their foods were tasty but also felt very wholesome. When I visited, I had been walking all day, and eating half of my meals at convenience stores (edamame and onigiri). Pure Cafe really filled me up and felt like a very satisfying and healthy way to recharge.

Two of my favorite items at Pure Cafe were the unfiltered apple juice and the chocolate bars in the cold case up front. The apple juice was excellent, and it had been hard to find that quality of juice other places. I had been in Japan about a week and was desperate for some chocolate when I discovered the chocolate bars at Pure Cafe. They were very rich and dark, with pure ingredients. I rationed it out over the next few days, savoring just a couple of bites per day.

Pure Cafe isn't too difficult to find, and is relatively close to many popular site in the Harajuku area. I was impressed by the quality of the food, and the prices, although high compared to the U.S., were very reasonable for Japan. It was refreshing to find the vegan shop as well, where I knew I eat anything they sold, even in the retail area. If you're in Tokyo, I highly recommend a visit to Pure Cafe.

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance (taste)
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product was sent to me free of charge by the manufacturer for review. No additional compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not sign up for our email list and get posts by email? Or if that's not your style, stay in the loop with an occasional newsletter instead.

Restaurant Review: Tokyo's Hanada Rosso

Veggie Plate

Of all the restaurants I visited in Tokyo, there was only one that I made a special effort to visit twice. This was Hanada Rosso, a wonderful vegan restaurant in the Harajuku area of Tokyo.

Pros:

• English menu
• Friendly, helpful staff
• Nice atmosphere and presentation
• Convenient location just a couple of minutes off of the main shopping street
• Fresh, tasty and all-vegan
• Relatively affordable for Japan
• Nice website (not always very common for Japanese restaurants)
  

Cons:

• A little hard to find initially

Summary:

Veggie Burger

Hanada Rosso won us over immediately, as they had an amazing veggie burger that we enjoyed two different ways: as a burger and on its own (in sauce and over spaghetti). Meals generally come in sets, so a complete meal is balanced, fresh and filling. I attempted to speak Japanese with the staff, and our servers were always extremely patient and helpful, even though I knew their English was likely far better than my Japanese. I learned a couple of new words from our waitress, and was very grateful for the help of the staff.

The restaurant was a bit difficult to locate initially, as it is easiest approached from the southeast but we were trying to access it from the northeast. Once found, however, it was quite easy to find for our second visit. I was happy to return for what I was sure would be another great vegan meal, and I was not disappointed. The quality of the food was great and it was relatively inexpensive compared to most of the other vegan, macrobiotic, and "health food" options in Tokyo. Another big plus for me was the English menu and friendly staff, which made our experience much more enjoyable.

Finally, it should be mentioned that there is a very nice website that even offers menus (in Japanese). I used Google Chrome to translate, and found a good deal of accurate information this way. Thanks for Happy Cow for tipping me off to this great restaurant, which I would never have known was just a few minutes away from the attractions of Harajuku.


Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance (Taste)
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: No compensation was accepted for this review and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the restaurant, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not sign up for our email list and get posts by email? Or if that's not your style, stay in the loop with an occasional newsletter instead.