• 5
• Fantastic, friendly, homestyle

Down a side street near the Araiyakushimae Station (take the Seibu-Shinjuku line from Takadanababa Station, South exit, left, walk along - the map is accurate. I walked from Nakano Station, as that was near the place I was staying, but that might be a bit far for some) this place is a welcome relief if you're missing the style of homely, healthy vegan food readily available in most large Western cities. If you are Australian, think Newtown/Glebe in Sydney, Fitzroy in Melbourne, and you won't be far off. The space feels homely and is clean and spacious and well lit - 4 bench seats, one table for 4 and three for 2 with lots of space in-between makes this larger than many of the local eateries. Access is better than most, with a fairly gentle sloped step up from the street and space between tables to manoeuvre. Decor involves wooden tables, crocheted coasters, nice plants and an antinuclear banner. The proprietor/chef, Hiro, speaks good English and is friendly and happy to walk you through the fairly brief Japanese-only menu. Options include Indian style curries (one or two types), vegan pizza, felafel pockets, a japanese-style vegan set and a special. I was hungry, so chose the two curry option (root vegetable and a split chickpea and eggplant curry), which comes with brown rice and a generous fresh and delicious salad, with two tiny bonus felafels. Everything tasted freshly cooked and although there was nothing startlingly original about the food, it was prepared with care and attention and good ingredients. Excellent. Highly recommended for anyone craving this style of vegan food, which seems hard to find in Tokyo, and the whole place is friendly and charming and welcoming. This deserves to be very popular.