Welcome! Let's get this started.
Finish logging in.
Kyoto branch of Ain Soph vegan restaurant from Tokyo, opened here in 2018. Features plant-based fusion cuisine. Sample dishes such as mushroom hayashi rice, taco rice, and green curry with brown rice. For dessert try matcha pancakes, creme brulee, vegan cheesecake, or ice cream soda. Lunchtime food is served till 4pm. Note that a minimum is required for card payment. Often closed for dinner various days of the week so check their Instagram for details or call in advance. Open Mon 11:30am-8:00pm, Tue 11:30am-3:00pm, Wed-Sun 11:30am-8:00pm. Last order is 1 hour before closing time. Irregular hours, please check website and Instagram.
-
Loading...
-
- Accepts credit cards
-
-
Last update on 27 Dec 2025 by saintlouisvegan
Update business info -
Added by MiyuMaemoto on 22 Mar 2018
-
-
538 Reviews
First Review by kat.ross
RemiOkamoto
Points +756
Very nice restaurant - Edit
I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant and friendly staff.
Read moreI ordered " Teriyaki don "and it was really tasty, i loved the vegan mayonnaise. My friend ordered Taco rice and it looked really tasty as well.
Guest
Mowsea
Points +104
A bit disappointed - Edit
The food was good but nothing to write home about. Even though I was full by the end of it I still felt like I was craving something else / not actually full. The menu also showed burgers with huge patties but when the food actually came out they were quite thin with only a smattering of fries. Again, since I ended up full (I think?) it’s fine that the patties were thin but it was unfortunate that the menu was so misleading. I was starving when I got there so I was honestly excited to eat anything they put in front of me but flavor-wise it was just a basic vegan burger I could make and eat at home, the only difference being eating here is much more expensive.
Read morePros: Tasted good, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Run-of-the-mill burger, Expensive, Menu misleading
Guest
SabrinaJaffe
Points +974
Best burger - Edit
We ordered two katsu burgers and one pancake dessert. The burger was probably my favorite burger ever and the pancakes were so good (especially the whipped cream and jam that comes with it). These 3 items cost us about 5000 yen total. They only allow you to be at your table for 90 minutes, but this was not an issue for us as we received all of our food well before the 90 minute time limit.
Read morePros: Delicious , All vegan , Desserts
Guest
Maurice_Harvey
Points +70
Maybe just a bad night? - Edit
First up: I really, really, really don't want to tip on this place because we all know how hard it is to get ANY vegan food in Japan. So full acknowledgement to Ain.Soph for making it accessible. I had a large group booking (8) for my birthday last week and had emailed a month in advance to lock in the reservation. Ain.Soph asked us to pick main dishes or journeys a couple of days ahead so they could prepare, which is completely fine for a small business. They were friendly and accommodating.
Read moreOverall: the food was fine. Okay. Honestly, if you're looking for the most magical vegan food in Tokyo save up and go to Faro. It serves omni too but it is AMAZING. Ain.Soph was just regular vegan food, nice pancakes but nothing to write home about.
My main issues with the evening were this:
1. Our booking was at 7pm. And it was my birthday, we were there to drink and eat and have a good time. At 8pm our server told us 'last drinks'. I had not been told in advance that there was an 8pm cut off time for drinks and it seemed kind of weird that we had a two-hour booking but weren't allowed to drink past 8?
2. Once the server got annoyed with us for wanting to order drinks (and there was some confusion with how many journeys we'd ordered, which I don't blame anybody for - just miscommunication I think) they basically wanted to get rid of us, plonking the pancakes down on the table when we'd only just started our mains. Nothing like staring at your melting dessert course right when we're eating karaage.
I was obviously bummed because I'd brought my omni mates there and it was my birthday, so I wanted everything to go seamlessly. Maybe they were overwhelmed by the big group, maybe they've got set rules on drinks that I missed but it made my heart a bit sad.
Guest
Cabeto
Points +390
Vegan heaven !! - Edit
Burgers, salads and pancakes were so good !!!! Everything is so flavorful and unique. A must if you’re in Kyoto. You can reserve online to be sure you get in. Staff speaks english. Enjoy !
Read moreGuest
Esor
Points +555
Good food - Edit
We came around 2 pm for lunch and waited for about 20 minutes to be seated with only one person in front of us in the queue, so I'd say calculate about 10 minute wait per person/group in front of you in the queue. The waitress was extremely friendly and apologetic about the wait, so I don't know if they were just short on staff that day. Food came fast though. We had the teriyaki fried "chicken", which was really good and the taco rice, which was alright but nothing special. The raspberry cream sodas were also really good.
Read moreGuest
HeatherHarrower
Points +501
Incredible! Must visit - Edit
Cutest little restaurant! I had the best vegan burger I've ever eaten!! The pancakes and brulee were insane too. So happy that I went out of my way to come here.
Read morePros: All vegan, Near cool shopping alleys
Guest
mod_blah
Points +24
Delicious Burger - Edit
Got one of their burgers and fries. It was really good and filling. All items on the menu are vegan. It’s a smaller restaurant and has a quaint esthetic.
Read moreGuest
Auje
Points +46
Amazing Desert - Edit
I don’t eat many deserts but the Matcha Pancake had to be one of the best I have ever eaten. The food was very good though tended to lean more salty than I would like. Worth the trip if you are in Kyoto.
Read morePros: Desert, Aesthetic, Staff
Cons: Food A Bit Salty (Only Tried Two Options)
Guest
tessssaa
Points +64
Must go in Kyoto or Tokyo! - Edit
Vegan options are slim in Japan but I was very impressed with the food. Although it wasn’t Japanese food, it was still delicious!!
Read moreGuest
fastertori
Points +80
This place kept me alive - Edit
I lived in Japan for 3 years, and in one of the suburbs of Kyoto (out in Shiga Pref) for my last 2 years.
Read moreVegan food, ESPECIALLY during COVID, was so hard to find. Thankfully this place kept on going and kept me full! I loved eating there when visiting Kyoto on weekends. The “chicken” burger is my favorite dish in the menu- so, so good. Highly recommended! And there is so much shopping to do before and after you go there.
Pros: ALL VEGAN!!! YUMMY
Cons: May have to wait if it’s super busy.
Guest
Evrinomi
Points +736
Amazing burgers and even more amazing desserts! - Edit
The soy cutlet burger and cheese burger were so good. You can rarely find vegan crème brûlée and it tasted so amazing. Everything from the whipped cream to the pancakes were so good.
Read moreGuest
Nattata
Points +365
They definitely need to hire more staff... - Edit
I feel bad giving them only 3 stars but honestly this place felt like a bit of a disaster. I think I heard having trouble hiring staff so maybe not their fault per se but...
Read moreI got there 10 minutes or so after opening for lunch as a solo diner with no reservation. They sat me at a large table where another couple already was, which I said was fine. I suppose I was lucky because after that I watched them turn away dozens of people who didn't have reservations. The service was extremely slow, it took absolute ages to get my food. And the food was good, but probably not worth the trouble.
Pros: Food is pretty good, English menus
Cons: Very long waits , Unlikely to get in without a reservation
Guest
AllicatAlli
Points +49
Meh - Edit
The Spanish omelette was very bland and the main flavour came from the tomato sauce drizzled on top. The karage was one of my least favourite mock meats I have ever tried. Ever. It was very spongey with a weird peanut aftertaste, probably from the oil. However, it's a cute, all vegan restaurant so I would still suggest going, just with average expectations for the food quality.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-04-22
Guest
HugoIan
Points +838
Very tasty food - Edit
It is a lovely place with really good food. There was no pancakes so I will need to come back again, it looks like the top dish
Read morePros: All vegan, Tasty
Cons: Expensive , Hard to have a spot
Guest
ArchieAnderson
Points +24
Long wait time but worth the wait! - Edit
Make a reservation! I made a reservation and we got our food about an hour after that reservation. So quite a long wait time but the food was SO good. Got the chicken patty burger which was so freakin good. And then the matcha pancakes. Delicious food kind staff. Definitely check it out, eat a little snack before you go maybe.
Read morePros: All vegan, Filling , Delicious
Cons: Long wait time
Guest
ClaireBoyle
Points +189
Yummy good - Edit
The pancakes are so yummy & the burger was good. Sadly we traveled far to come at night and they seem to not be open at night at the moment.
Read morePros: Vegan, Lots of seating
Cons: Closed when says should be open, Long wait for pancakes but hand prepared
Guest
SaraSeylani
Points +451
Yummy - Edit
I had the teriyaki chkn rice bowl, cream soda, and the matcha pancakes. All were delicious especially the pancakes! The rice bowl didnt blow me away but was still nice. A bit pricy but worth it
Read morePros: Great options, Delicious
Cons: Bit expensive
Guest
jadeeeeechen
Points +283
服務態度有提升的空間 - Edit
3月29日下午12點45分，跟朋友電話預約後才過去，搞了好久店員才找到我們的預約紀錄。終於坐下點餐。等了半小時左右才吃上飯，而且不是只有我們兩人在等，廚房動作不夠快，二樓整層的客人（5桌）都在等餐。
Read more昨天晚上六點過去，店裏完全沒客人，服務人員聽到我沒預約，臉板板地直接說我們不接待直接過來的客人。
Updated from previous review on 2023-04-01
Pros: 甜點好吃, 餐點還行，70分吧
Cons: 整體服務態度讓人不太舒服
Guest
veoh1989
Points +132
Pancakes - Edit
The pancakes are heavenly! Highly recommend!
Read moreGuest
medereiziger
Points +169
Delicious food, atrocious service - Edit
Everything we had was tasty, but you will sit forever waiting for your order to be taken, and then dishes will trickle out slowly and one at a time regardless of party size. I've heard the desserts are wonderful but we gave up waiting for anyone to come back to the table.
Read moreGuest
teaisfortia
Points +323
Best pancakes in the world - Edit
We got the matcha pancakes, soy teriyaki chicken bowl, and the chocolate banana parfait. Everything was insanely good! Note they only were taking people with reservations so we had to make one and come back a second time.
Read moreGuest
Emlhr
Points +178
Pancakes lived up to the hype - Edit
The pancakes are epic! So fluffy, the fruit is fresh too and I loved the cream, it’s not at all coconutty so maybe soy? The rum and raisin ice cream is heavy on the rum flavour, which I loved! But if it’s not your cup of tea can swap for vanilla ice cream.
Read moreGuest
jollieduck
Points +3296
Delightful food - Edit
Make a reservation if you hope to go here, it’s small and it fills up quickly. Super tasty and wonderfully presented food. I had the Japanese fried (soy) chicken and the Spanish (tofu) omelette plus the pancakes which they were having a special on. The fluffy pancakes came with a thick whipped cream that melts in your mouth, fruit, and a dollop of ice cream. To die for.
Read moreGuest
luke111
Points +51
Amazing food but staff overburdened - Edit
Ain Soph in Kyoto is an amazing place to eat vegan food. The portions are kind of small but they are tasting delicious and are really unique. A reservation or an early turn up is advisable because the restaurant is booked out really fast. The staff was really friendly and welcoming but unfortunately completely overburdened with the orders when we were there. We waited almost an hour for our dessert and then we’ve been informed that it’s sold out as most of the food on the menu. That was a really sad experience because we liked the restaurant a lot. Hopefully they work on their staffing.
Read moreGuest
ErikvH.
Points +1694
Try the ice cream - Edit
Not as sophisticated as the Ain Soph. branches in Tokyo, but Ain Soph. Journey is probably still one of the best plant-based restaurant in Kyoto. Plenty of choices from Western style burgers to more traditional rice bowls. Definitely try the ice cream for desert.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-03-10
Pros: All vegan, Friendly staff, Good price
Guest
Gnattus
Points +457
Good vibes - Edit
Nice atmosphere and tasty food. The green curry was mild but flavourful. Definitely hit the spot.
Read moreGuest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 0 times.