Vegan
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Serves vegan dishes made from vegetables, seaweed, and kelp. Has tempura, udon, soups, and bento platters. Owner speaks some English, and there is a menu also in English. Closes after 12 sets are sold. Reported closed November 2022.
97 Reviews
First Review by Mattstoia
Venividivincent
Points +25
Stop searching, eat here. - Edit
I've created an account with this website just to review this fantastic restaurant. After over three years living in Japan, this place ranks in my top five experiences of all. The food is fantastic, and the owners' hospitality is great. While our food was cooking the owner took us on a tour of the temple just outside (for free). He doesn't speak much English but he has an iPad that he brings along so he can use google translated. It gets the job done. My brother, who was with me, eats meat, so he did the "Mrr, that's not real food, I'll just get a steak later" thing when we were ordering, but as soon as our food arrived he regretted not ordering anything. The owner kindly explain each dish we were being served (all delicious), and afterward we bought some of the homemade crafts for sale in the shop and took pictures all together. Fantastic overall experience. If you're in the area your really must check this place out.
Read morePros: Excellent food, Very kind staff, Free tour and history lesson
Cons: A little far from central kyoto
Guest
Nachopath
Points +58
Friendly owner, great food! - Edit
This place is an experience. The owner here loves to chat, so it's a great place to practice Japanese! He even took us on a quick tour of the temple just above the restaurant.
Read moreFood is authentic home-style Japanese. He will tell you to eat the tofu last due to the quality of the soy sauce!
Guest
anneceline
Points +17
Great vegan experience - Edit
We were lucky to find this small restaurant owned by a very friendly Japanese. He recommended that we try the bento box, which consisted of a dozen small dishes that he kindly explained to us using Google translate on his IPad :) Everything was vegan, yummy and very healthy ! Price is more than reasonable given the quantity and quality (2000 yen pro bento box).
Read moreGuest
juanpiranha
Points +35
impresionante!! - Edit
Un lugar único! El dueño nos llevo a recorrer el templo de al lado, nos mostró la vista de arashi yama que hay desde ahi arriba mientras nuestra comida se preparaba. Usaba un ipad para traducir lo que decía que eran todas explicaciones sobre la zona, el templo y la comida que nos sirvio! Que era riquisimaaa!! No dejen de ir si estan en la zona!
Read morePros: experiencia increible!
Guest
renhue
Points +21
FANTASTIC !!!!! - Edit
from the moment we entered the restaurant until we left, every single second made this a absolute fantastic experience. the owner greeted us friendly and after we ordered he asked if we wanted to see a close by 1300 year old temple, while his wife prepares the meal. so he took us to this ancient place, and told us stories about it. he shared them with such a passion, it was pure joy listening to him. once back we got our all vegan bento box which was just beyond perfect. every little dish is made with japanese products. i personally loved the different varietys of tofu and the Amazake drink we had, it comes with some ginger and tasted delicious. during the whole time my friend and i shared stories with the owner and he used his tablet to ask us things about home. he was so interested and laughed all the time, just great to see someone with such a passion for everything. we also asked to meet his wife, to personally thank and she was just like him... i can t really put into words how lucky i feel to have eaten there and met the two of them. please do the same if u are in the area and u wont regret a sibgle minute, i promise !!
Read moreGuest
Jensoper
Points +122
great vegan bento! - Edit
The owner is awesome, he took us on a tour of a temple while our food was being prepared. The husband and wife make everything from scratch. They even made the manju from local red beans and rice! The guy used an iPad to try and translate for us.
Read moreGuest
ChanceArnold
Points +305
Amazing Experience! - Edit
So my girlfriend and I were just walking on through Kyoto when we happened upon this cozy little place. The owner saw us reading the outside that said vegan in big letters and told us to come in. After we ordered the owner had quite a chuckle because of our choice of kudzmochi and took us next door to a temple to teach us about the bamboo filament and Thomas Edison as well as Hertz. Then showed us the Mitsu house as well! We got a couple side dishes and dessert and a lesson for very cheap and it was delicious!! Must stop for any vegan wanting traditional Japanese food made vegan!!
Read morePros: Homey, Friendly, Delicious
Cons: None!
Guest
bbg
Points +18
try to find something to eat in arashiyama? this is the one - Edit
my visit to this restaurant has been a great experience, while i was waiting for my meal to be sever, the owner 村上san offered me a quick tour to the nearby temple 法輪寺, which was amazing, and the lunch set are just as good as those over priced one, it was 1500 yen, and it's surprisingly good, would definitely visit again if i go to kyoto.
Read morePros: reasonable price, owner very friendly
Cons: non
Guest
NickHib
Points +15
Great food, lovely people - Edit
One of the highlights of our trip to Japan in August 2016. Run by an elderly couple who serve great vegan food.
Read moreGuest
Veganaut
Points +41
Very Good but AUTHENTIC - Edit
I capitalized the word "authentic" in the title to warn you of exactly that - the food you will get from this restaurant will be good but will be very very Japanese. Some Westerners may find it to be too exotic for their tastes.
Read moreMy girlfriend and I visited because we were in Arashiyama and tried eating at the Tenryu-ji temple, but it was booked full for the day. Despondent, we looked around on Happy Cow for an alternative and found this. Just over the bridge, it is in a refreshingly quiet part of the city. The sitting area is small like most restaurants in Japan, with various Japanese paintings and artifacts decorating the walls. The elderly couple who run the place, as otherwise mentioned, are kind but do not speak English. They were very helpful with the menu, mainly pointing to the "lunch special" and suggesting we get that. This is the veggie bento that is referred to in the Happy Cow listing description. It comes with most or all of the things you see in the pictures listed here. The food is well prepared and arrives quickly, but as I said in the title be warned it is exceptional authentic! I only knew what about 2/3s of the dishes were, and many of the flavors were unfamiliar or offensive to the tongue. There were several types of tofu, including fried, dipped in horseradish sauce, and one which was cold and crumbly. We had a vew slices of veggies, some fermented soy crumbles, a star shaped serving of sticky rice, sea weed salad, and a whole bunch of other stuff I couldn't identify. One was a gelatinous blob which had no flavor and a rather unsatisfying texture. To wash it all down we were served a warm concoction which another patron told us was a seaweed tea.
Overall I'm glad we went, if you are looking for authentic and reasonably costed vegan Japanese then this is the place for you. That being said to my Western taste buds it wasn't very satisfying, and indeed repulsive at times, and the portions were too meager to fill my stomach. We ended up get hungry again only a few hours later. Despite all of that I will give this restaurant four stars for its speed, cost, presentation, kindness, and willingness to put up with foreigners puzzling over their food :).
Pros: Cost, Authentic, All Vegan
Cons: Authentic, Small Portions, Japanese only menu
Guest
thyagara
Points +13
Most amazing vegan Japanese meal! - Edit
My husband, 5 year old daughter and I travelled to Arashiyama to see the bamboo garden. Since we are strict vegetarians, we were looking for lunch and came upon this place through Happy Cow. I can vouch that my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the food. It was VERY reasonable, super high quality and we got a real sampling of a beautiful, colorful, nutritious, well balanced and most importantly super tasty vegan Japanese meal. Easily the best we had in our 15 day trip in Japan! The place is 10 minute walk from the station. Go here and you wont be disappointed!
Read morePros: Excellent Vegan food, Good Value
Guest
LindseyElizabeth
Points +865
Very excellent vegan/vegetarian food! - Edit
Arashiyama-kan was well worth the stop, and was one of our highlights in Arashiyama. The couple who own the restaurant are very friendly. I can speak some Japanese so was able to have a long conversation with the gentleman owner, he is extremely knowledgable about local sites and loves teaching about amazing Japanese historical facts and famous places, I learned a lot from him. The food is really delicious (some of the best I've tried from all over Japan!), we had the vegan bento box which was obviously made with love. The gentleman told me they use local organic ingredients and it was evident that the quality is really high. We had amazake and sweet matcha after our food and both were delicious. We bought some of the owner lady's handmade things (made out of paper or recycled kimonos) to take home as lovely souvenirs. Going to this restaurant was a fantastic experience all around, we'd recommend it to anyone!
Read morePros: very friendly owners, delicious, fresh & local food at a decent price, great opportunity to buy one of a kind gifts
Guest
Nancy Cadet
Points +1149
Wonderful bento, delicious vegan lunch - Edit
Definitely the place to eat in Arashiyama! We had a tasty and generous vegan bento, and a fun time with our hosts, chatting in Japanese & English (there is an English menu) . While the lunch prep was underway, the proprietor showed us the temple entrance nearby. Handmade items of recycled kimono fabric , are sold too: wallets, bags, key holders . To my surprise , the gracious & friendly chef made them too. Dishes included cold tofu , pickles , veg tempura, okara burger, spinach, Koya tofu, rice, natto & more. Interesting desserts, macha tea and other drinks and main dishes are on the menu --maybe for dinner?
Read moreLocation: on same street as Horin-Ji temple. From tram or train station, walk across the Togetsu-Kyo bridge , past a sweet shop at the foot of the bridge & the Arashi Guest House. The restaurant is on the ground floor of a brick building , with "Vegetable cooking" sign in the window.
Lunch was 2000 yen--worth it for the home-cooked, pure vegan goodness. It's a short walk from the main tourist area, and much quieter .
Updated from previous review on 2016-10-21
Pros: Great vegan meal, Tranquil setting, away from tourist crowds, Friendly hosts
Guest
chenzagury
Points +16
very nice food and amazing host - Edit
I had a vegan bento. was very nice. while we were waiting for the food the host took us to a close by temple with a nice view. amazing experience!!
Read moreCons: None
Guest
EmiliaWeg
Points +97
a wonderful experience! - Edit
a small lovely place nearby arashiyama bridge. the owner treated us like we're his friends and not just guests. while his wife was preparing the most amazing bento boxes for us he took us on a walk to the nearby temple, even though he speaks hardly any English he was a great guide and we had so much fun! the food is all local and tofu prepared by his wife was probably the best we ever had. this place is definitely a must go if you're in the area!
Read morePros: exceptionally friendly staff, excellent food for a reasonable price
Guest
Mattstoia
Points +21
Delicious, simple veg near Arashiyama - Edit
Stumbled across this small restaurant on an afternoon trip to Arashiyama. Actually I'd just pulled out my phone to search happycow, looked up, and happened to see this place! Glad I did - the food here was delicious, light and felt authentically Japanese. The real draw for me though was the couple who ran the restaurant. They didn't speak English but they were all smiles and even taught me some japanese :) The husband was watching me like the whole time to make sure I was enjoying the food, but he was so nice it was charming instead of awkward haha
Read morePerfect lunch for a day of sightseeing. Try the bento box!
Guest
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