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Delicious!

5 Posted on 04 / 28 / 2013

I ate here twice for lunch whilst staying in Japan in March 2013. I found the location was very convenient for shopping in Ginza and the staff were very helpful and welcoming. I found it very easily following the map on the Ain Soph website, which I printed off. It was on a main road and you go in the side door (not up the exterior staircase). Both visits, I sat upstairs in the same seat! It was quite busy both times.

I went on a Sunday for lunch and had a set meal, which was salad to start, followed by tomato soup, rice and some chargrilled veggies which were cold. I also had a tea and selection of desserts. The salad was lovely - it came in a tall glass with some crudités on top. You were given a dip, made of vegan melted cheese (which I had never had before, and I was licking the bowl clean it was so good!), and a dressing. The soup made a nice change from miso, and the rice was nice but the vegetables were nothing special. The tea was full of flowers and was quite sweet and flavoursome, and the desserts were delicious - a piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream.

I then went back for lunch on a weekday and the same lunch offers were not available. I had the salad, which I thoroughly enjoyed again, followed by a Hayashi Rice plate, which was a tomato based stew - very delicious! I had a small sweet, of matcha cake and tea.

The restaurant had a very calm feel and was spotlessly clean. Being on the top floor meant service was a tiny bit slower, as the waitresses didn't see when you finished, but I was in no hurry and it was still fast by Western standards.

They have a small selection of cakes and donuts to take out. I didn't try any, but the donuts looked a bit dry.

It was quite expensive, but probably not for this part of Tokyo, and it was all fresh and healthy and very filling.

Pros: Great location, Friendly and helpful staff, Delicious food!
Cons: Expensive

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Address Is On The Website

5 Posted on 04 / 17 / 2013

http://ain-soph.jp/access.html

4 - 12 - 1 Ginza, Chou-ku, Tokyo

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Ain Soph: a lucky find in Tokyo's Ginza district

5 Posted on 01 / 26 / 2013

I was in Tokyo for work--for a week. I've been before, and it's always very difficult to find vegetarian food. I don't speak Japanese, so I had a Japanese colleague write out for me what I can and cannot eat. I found Ain Soph on the happycow website--but the first time I went, alone, the map on the website took me to the wrong location. I had my hotel call and find out exactly where the restaurant is (in Japanese), and make a reservation for me and 3 colleagues. And the food was incredible! It might not be so special in the UK, but I travel a lot in Asia, and high quality vegan food is close to impossible to find. It isn't cheap--but nothing in Japan is. I will be back in Japan later this year, and I certainly will go back. One mystery: Ain (pronounced as in "ain't") Soph means "no end" or "without end" in Hebrew (and may also refer to god). What is the connection here? No one at the restaurant spoke English so I couldn't ask! I recommend this restaurant highly--but have someone call and make a reservation.

Pros: great food
Cons: hard to find

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Ain Soph!

5 Posted on 12 / 05 / 2012

Rustic interior, very cute restaurant. Don't walk up the stairs to get in; you have to walk through the front door. There was this idiot couple that walked up the stairs in front of all the diners (ahem, it was us).

We ordered the vegan omelet, fried soy meat, Japanese rice with vegetables, and the tomato mushroom dish. All were delicious! The staff was very friendly and helpful. The chocolate dessert with ice cream was also yum, as were the drinks!

They take credit cards!
Updated from previous review on Tuesday December 04, 2012

Pros: Vegan, Delicious, Staff
Cons: Smallish portions, Expensive

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Life Saver

5 Posted on 11 / 09 / 2012

I am not 100% vegan but it is the only way I can safely eat in Japan due to a severe shellfish allergy. This is the perfect place to go for those that have that as a worry.Fortunately, the food is fantastic. I had a great experience both times. I ordered the meat nuggets, brown rice with a stewed tomato mushroom sauce and a small salad. I especially loved the dressing. I should add that I am not as inclined to consider the cost/value of the meal. I was full, it tasted delicious to me, I was happy.I feel like I've had my fair share of quality vegan food in Los Angeles so my point of reference is strong.

Pros: good flavors, wonderful staff, sexy neighborhood

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Nowhere near the bang for the buck I had expected

3 Posted on 09 / 24 / 2012

Came here for lunch with high expectations, but was left disappointed. The location was great, very easy to find. The setting and atmosphere was lovely and relaxing. However, the food just didn't match up to the hefty price tag.

They offered three lunch sets: (1) JPY1800 for a small salad, choice of soup/rice/pasta dish and dessert of the day with coffee/tea, (2) JPY2800 for a salad, soup, pizza, dessert with coffee/tea, or (3) JPY3800 for a salad, soup, plate of veggie meat nuggets/wrap/Spanish tortilla, dessert with coffee/tea. I decided to splurge and went for the third option.

Served in a tall glass, the salad tasted fresh... and that was about it. The tomato soup was nice but was gone in a few spoonfuls. From here I waited for a good half hour for the main course, hoping that it would have more to offer, but it didn't. On the plate there were literally three teensy bite-sized nuggets, a small wrap cut in half with only salad greens and a piece of avocado in it and a palm-sized Spanish tortilla. The miserly portions aside, the food was mediocre at best. The nuggets were alright; the wrap was, well... just a wrap; the tortilla was essentially a tofu quiche with bits of potatoes inside smeared with a touch of ketchup. It was very bland and could really use some spices. The dessert dish was exquisitely presented and featured some fruits, a tiny scoop of ice cream and a bite-sized cake square which I couldn't figure out what kind it was as it was tasteless.

Staff spoke little English but was very friendly. There were only a few of them that had to keep running up and down the different floors, so service was rather slow and we had to wait a lot. In hindsight, my meal might have turned out better if I had ordered the JPY1800 set instead; the one I got was a total letdown and definitely not worth it.

Pros: location, atmosphere
Cons: meh food, overpriced, slow service

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Heavenly Food and Relaxing Atmosphere

5 Posted on 12 / 12 / 2011

The best vegan meal I've had by far. The staff speaks very little English, but the menu has some English description and pictures, and luckily I was there with a Japanese companion. They have set menu items, and seasonal items prepared with the best ingredients for the season.
We had the special seasonal Happy Halloween meal that consisted of six courses each of which used kabocha pumpkin as an ingredient: (1) a potato-pumkin salad appetizer with a grape vinegar drink, (2) a curried pumpkin pâté with fresh green salad, (3) a tofu Spanish omelet with pumpkin, (4) a tomato soup, (5) black tortilla wraps with pumpkin puree, and (6) a pumpkin cake with soy whip cream. Every single menu item was incredibly delicious. The grape vinegar was sweet and very easy to drink. The pâté was really well spiced, and the omelet was amazingly creamy and smooth. The black tortilla wraps were my favorite - like a heavenly explosion in my mouth!
The staff was very nice and friendly. Before leaving we spent a little time talking to them and ended up getting a piece of banana walnut cake to go.
This small vegan restaurant offers a variety of dishes and a cozy calm atmosphere much needed in the busy Tokyo. I am looking forward to going there again before leaving Japan.

Pros: Delicious food, Friendly staff, Creative recipes

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ain soph cafe

3 Posted on 11 / 03 / 2011

After reading all the good reviews I had high expectation of this place. We had tofu omelet and for desert we had brownie. The place looks nice but it is too big considering how few people work there so we had to wait a lot before ordering and for the food.

Pros: Nice place
Cons: Long wait

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Woderful food and service

5 Posted on 10 / 17 / 2010

We enjoyed a wonderful mean at Cafe Ain Soph this evening. It is located next to the huge construction site for the new Tokyo kabuki theater in Ginza, an easy walk from any of the near by hotels or the Ginza or higashi-Ginza subway stations.

As noted elsewhere, there is no English menu but there is one with sketches. And one of the wait staff turned out to have excellent English speaking skills and helped us make our choices. We shared an order of vegan wheat tortilla (humus, avocado, greens and olive oil-based salsa) and roasted seasonal vegetables followed by a lovely vegan kiwi tart. Reasonably priced and carefully prepared, this is a great option if you are staying anywhere hear the Ginza Chiyoda or Minato wards).

Pros: Excellent food , Great location, Good value
Cons: No English menu

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Excellent cafe, close to Ginza sights

5 Posted on 09 / 30 / 2010

One of the best veggie meals we had in Japan when we were on holiday. It was easy to find and close to the touristy Ginza, ideal for lunch if you are sightseeing. The meals were displayed outside, we had one of each - the noodle dish and I had the rice set meal which were freshly cooked, reasonably priced and really tasty. Portion size was good and they had forks and chopsticks depending on your preference. Went with a Japanese friend who did the ordering for us, but other westerners arrived and were able to order easily - I think they had an english menu. The cafe is on 2 floors, a small downstairs (about 8 seats) and another 10 seats upstairs). I would highly recommend eating here.

Pros: Excellent food, Good value, Good location