Lacto
Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine
European
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Small cafe in a residential area near the temples. Has a Japanese Temple food set (shojin ryori, labelled as "monk's diet") which comes with rice, vegetable tempura, stewed yuba, yuba sashimi and a soup. Yuba (soy sheets) is a Nikko specialty and this is one of the few places you can get a vegetarian version. Other vegetarian options include stir fry spaghetti with vegetables and vegetable sandwich. Open Mon-Sun 10:30am-4:00pm, 6:00pm-9:30pm. Irregular rest days.
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Last update on 05 Aug 2017 by Guest
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Added by LaiNamKhim on 05 Aug 2017
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16 Reviews
First Review by LaiNamKhim
marukochan
Points +421
lovely cafe run by an elderly lady - Edit
Owner was clear about what was vegetarian and made good recommendations
Read morePros: Food was absolute delicious , Owner was friendly and kind
Guest
Subbu-san
Points +70
Delicious food - Edit
Monk food was delicious However the miso soup was not vegetarian. So we had to skip it.
Read moreVegetables pilav & Vegetable noodles was very delicious
Pros: Tempura, Pilav , Fried vegetables Noodles
Cons: Miso soup was fish based so couldn’t have it
Guest
RosieArnfield
Points +48
Wonderful 'Monk's' set menu - Edit
Lots of vege/vegan options including a set meal with lots of side dishes. They also have pizza and pizza toast for fussy kids!
Read moreGuest
Prady
Points +265
Great meal - Edit
Fantastic shojin ryori meal. Everything was fresh and absolutely delicious. I did double check to make sure nothing had hidden meat in it (dashi or eggs in batter etc) due to the reviews I read. They said everything in this was completely meat and dairy free. I guess they changed it?
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-02-26
Guest
Chiko
Points +40
Tasty Yuba set - Edit
We enjoyed a delicious vegan set meal based around yuba, a soy product produced from heating soy milk and removing the solids that form on the surface. It’s a delicacy the region is known for. Everything was delicious, including the vegetable tempura. The miso soup was the only thing that still had fish stock in it. Everything else was simmered in a vegan stock, due to the number of requests for vegan food (according to the owner). Enjoy!
Read morePros: You can enjoy the local yuba in several dishes., It’s a reasonable price., There’s a nice atmosphere in the cafe.
Cons: It would be nice if the miso were vegan also!
Guest
matquimico
Points +97
Most amazing meal in all Japan! - Edit
My mother and I had the most amazing meal of all our 3-week holiday journey through Japan in this little restaurant. We had shojin ryori - monk's meal. It took the owner about 45 min to prepare, but it was more than worth it. It was the absolute example of Japanese perfection and love for detail. The presentation was dream-like, but it was nothing compared to the sublime tastes and how they complemented each other. It was an exploration meal as well as pure enjoyment! WOW, we still remember this meal as the most impressive of all Japan. I just read others say this contained eggs and fish. We did not realise a single thing, we also had tempura on our dishes though. Full, full, full recommendation!!!!
Read morePros: Most amazing meal of all Japan, Shojin ryori - monk's meal, High quality food
Cons: Waiting time (45 min)
Guest
MichaelHarrold
Points +34
so yeah - Edit
The monks meal isnt vegan as mentioned by another review. She didnt say anything about the tempura but there qas dashi (fish stock) in some of the food items including the miso. I instead was directed to the veggie noodles or veggie sandwich. The noodles were pretty good. Not very filling but unique and flavorful. As far as vegan options go I give this 3 stars but it deserves more stars as a restaurant in general. Very pleasant and polite atmosphere.
Read morePros: patient and polite
Cons: monks meal is not vegan
Guest
八巻クロイ
Points +204
Not vegan! - Edit
The Shojin ryori (monk's feast) has fish stock in a few of the items that they can't change. And the tempura has egg in the batter. They offer a mountain veg. spaghetti but said there's egg in the pasta. Ok for vegetarians.
Read morePros: Ok only if egg is ok.
Cons: No vegan options at all.
Guest
arielxuxu
Points +38
Amazing vegan meal - Edit
Food is simply elegant and amazing. The monks diet was very delicious and the owner even made vegan fried rice for us.
Read moreGuest
mamabean69
Points +423
One of my favourite meals in Japan. - Edit
The Yuba Monks meal was soooo good. It was our first time trying the local yuba and we loved it. Warm cosy cheerful place run by a lovely couple. You must go when visiting Nikko.
Read morePros: Yuba is yummy. Really really good food.
Cons: None
Guest
KatherineH
Points +108
Ate here 3 nights in a row - Edit
We were shown this place by our airbnb host purely because it was close to our airbnb and because our host felt they would adapt their menu for us. They certainly did and we were very well looked after by the family that run the place. We had double tempura (double the amount) instead of other fish items that would have been part of the meal. The tempura was to die for - just amazing. There were other dishes with different things that accompanied the tempura - yuba (Nikko's specialty food, of a type of tofu) done in different ways, two small salad plates and a small plate of fruit. Of course rice was served as well. It was so good we went back for the three nights we stayed in Nikko. Each night we thought "we should try somewhere else for variety" but couldn't tear ourselves away from the amazing meal at Bell Cafe! Cash only.
Read morePros: Tempura to die for, Other interesting and yummy tastydishes accompany , Accommodating owners.
Guest
laffleck
Points +21
Excellent hidden gem! - Edit
My fiancé and I found this place thanks to Happy Cow and it did not disappoint! Tiny place that appears to be run by a family and frequented by the locals. I got the “monk’s diet” and it was delicious! There were other vegan and vegetarian options as well. We will definitely visit again the next time we are in Nikko.
Read moreGuest
ashieb
Points +128
why can't I give 5?!? - Edit
Temple food set is worth the journey to Nikko hands down. Took non-vegan friends who were also blown away with the tastiness. If Happy Cow let me rate this 5 I would.
Read moreGuest
sharklovergirl
Points +83
Yuba Monks Diet is amazing - Edit
Couldn’t rate this 5 stars but would if could. The Yuba Monks Diet is amazing, so delicious! Must try if you’re in Nikko
Read moreGuest
MattLivingstone
Points +20
Great hidden gem - Edit
I had the Yuba 'Monks Diet' - it was delicious, and a rare find in such a remote place. It also seems to be the only place open late that does vegan food. I rented a bicycle from the local bicycle shop, which was very hadn't as there weren't really any other transport options as far as I could tell. Absolutely loved the yuba stewed soy sheets, very tasty and authentic.
Read moreGuest
LaiNamKhim
Points +370
Delicious vegetarian yuba set - Edit
This restaurant was recommended by owner of the Turtle Inn.
Read moreIt is found in the residential neighborhood near the temples. It is a good place for dinner if you are staying in the area as there will be no buses back if you decide to dine in the area near the train.
It is also go a good option for lunch if you are visiting the temples, though you have to be prepared for a long lunch as service is slow.
This is not a vegetarian restaurant, but they serve a temple food set (shojin ryori) labelled as "monk's diet". This is a set with vegetable tempura, stewed yuba, salads and vegn "sashimi". Yuba (soy sheets) is a Nikko specialty. The set was very delicious and we had dinner here for 2 nights and enjoyed it very much.
Besides the yuba set, they also have a stir fried vegetable spaghetti and vegetable sandwich.
They also serve meatless mountain vegetable udon/soba, but the owner said the soup is made with fish.
It was a great find as vegetarian options are limited in Nikko.
Pros: Excellent food, Good value
Cons: Long wait for food, Can be difficult to find, Very limited vegetarian options
Guest
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