Contact
075-7621233
Vegan and entirely gluten-free restaurant located 2 mins east of Keihan Sanjo subway station. Breakfast 9-10:30am, Lunch 11am-4pm (last order 3pm), Dinner 5-9pm (last order 8pm). Menu items include fermented vegan cheese, veggie burgers, soups, brown rice risotto, organic pasta, quiche, pancakes, raw cake, smoothies, hot drinks, and more. Their house-made vegan cheese is available for purchase. No fried food. Uses organic local produce. Open 7 days a week. Note: In Japan kitchens often stop serving 30-60 minutes before closing time. Call ahead to confirm. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm.
Categories: Vegan, Japanese, Macrobiotic, Western, Take-out, Gluten-free
78 Reviews
First Review by jennjt
Contributions +16
No Choice - Edit
For a restaurant called Choice this place lacks any. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth the price I paid. I left feeling hungry and had to visit a different, more satisfying restaurant afterwards.
The atmosphere felt clinical and I didn't feel like I could relax and take my time. I ate as quickly as possible and left.
I'm not really sure what the point of this restaurant is as they seem to be a little bit of everything; there was a health shop offering beauty treatments and it's advertised on Facebook as a spa. I got the feeling that the restaurant is an afterthought rather than the primary business, which might explain the mediocre quality of the food.
Frankly, there are many better places in Kyoto with heartier food and friendlier atmospheres. I'd give this one a miss.
Pros: vegan , convenient location
Cons: expensive, small portions , mediocre food
Contributions +14
Excellent! - Edit
A beautiful place to eat. There many options - 3 pasta options, 3 salads, hamburger and a lot of desserts
Highly recommend! Will come back again
Pros: Lots of options Excellent service, Gluten free
Cons: Gluten free
Contributions +11
Excellent for lunch - Edit
Excellent smoothies, I am go there to in morning before going on excursions then I came back to eat there for lunch. Good salads and a rich menu of choice. Excellent I highly recommend! Both for meals and for pancakes! I would return soon !
Cons: it is a little expensive. 1400¥ for salad. 1400¥ f
Contributions +24
Pretty good - Edit
The appetizers and the desserts were delicious but the main courses we had were merely decent. The venue is great, tasteful and casual. Overall, pretty good.
Contributions +23
Good place for Vegan - Edit
Nice place to eat for Vegan, a lot of choices.
Pros: Lot of choices
Cons: Prices are high
Contributions +12
Cher et plutôt fade - Edit
Le hamburger vegan etait très sec, j'ai surtout apprécié la salade qui l'accompagnait et qui etait bien assaisonnée. Le pain du hamburger et son contenu etaient quant à eux vraiment fades. Le gâteau au chocolat que j'ai pris en dessert etait lui aussi très sec et trop consistant.
Cons: Beaucoup trop cher
Contributions +14
Surprisingly good. - Edit
Although it's quite expensive, I'd say it's worth it to try it because the food we got was of very high standard and tastes delicious.
Pros: lots of different foods made vegan, e.g. beef Stro
Cons: Desserts are very small portions
Contributions +20
fresh food, great pancakes! - Edit
I am vegan and Intolerant to gluten and i have to say that finding vegan food in Japan has been quite a struggle. This cafe was the perfect lunch stop after a long morning walking in the sun. Fresh salad, really tasty pancakes and vegan cheese. Good coffee. Will return for sure!
Contributions +437
Lovely hangout place with friendly staff but overpriced and small portions - Edit
Choice Cafe used to be good before they revamped their menu. I remember going there for lunch and they had decently portioned set lunches with fresh veggies, veggie patties and a choice of gluten free pancakes or brown rice for about 1080yen. Now they only have main courses which are small and overpriced. Even their delicious cakes used to be plated with more beautiful toppings and garnishes, now it's usually just the cake on a plain plate. I remember really liking their creamy cheesy vegan risotto when I went there last year but when I returned this year it tasted different. Their homemade cheeses are fairly good and taste great on their pizzas. I guess they must have changed their chefs for the quality to change that drastically. I still go there occasionally because I like the relaxed atmosphere which is good for working but I wish they would improve on the quality of the food so that it tastes as good as before. I want to love it more because the staff are always so nice to me. They do breakfast so it is a good option if you're looking for vegan places that open early.
Updated from previous review on 2017-07-17
Pros: Nice and relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff, Central location, opens early for breakfast, Nice homemade vegan cheese
Cons: Overpriced and small portions
Contributions +28
Overpriced and mediocre - Edit
Not much else to say about that...
Contributions +28
great vegan food and good atmosphere - Edit
We went to Choice twice during our few days in Kyoto and enjoyed our food on both occasions. I had the pancakes and quiche and my partner had the quinoa burger both times. The staff were very friendly. They use and sell their own vegan cheese which I had in my quiche which was lovely! Highly recommend
Contributions +61
Excellent vegan Western style food in a relaxing atmosphere - Edit
My visit here was really relaxing. I enjoyed great food, while sitting on a comfy sofa and listening to smooth jazz music. The friendly staff gave me an English menu, which contained pictures of all dishes. Many of the dishes contain home-made vegan cheese, which seems to be their specialty, but there are also dishes without fake cheese. I ordered a
corn soup (600¥) and Bolognese noodles with mozzarella (quinoa based with mushrooms, 1400¥). Both, but especially the noodles were very well flavored and the fake mozzarella was a yummy plus. As a dessert I had a delicious chocolate cake, which kept the promise made by it's name... Can't imagine how to put more chocolate into a cake. The portion sizes looked small (as most times in Japanese restaurants), but were quite filling. Although I was really hungry, soup, main dish and dessert was a bit too much for me.
Contributions +32
not the best option - Edit
We ordered the burger and a soup. Soup was good (small) burger was really average.
Major issue with the dessert, we wanted to order 1h before it closed down (so 8pm), and we couldn't because it was too late?! We couldn't order before not knowing how big the portions were.
All in all would recommend as a last resort.
Contributions +38
The cheese. - Edit
Get it (the cheese sampler plate). Delicious.
This place is very handy for accommodating friends with gluten allergies who visit.
Contributions +81
gluten free vegan in Sanjo area - Edit
I had a bolognesa pasta. Sorry guys it was tasteless, loads of pepper killed any hint of flavor. My boyfriend had the burger he said taste was great but portion little. It was also a tiny pricy but again that's what the combo gluten free & vegan means in some places.
Pros: cheese cake was delicious, they accept credit card
Cons: price, bolognesa pasta tasteless, small portions
Contributions +15
excelente! - Edit
Muy lindo lugar con muy rica
Comida toda vegana! La atencion increible como en todos los lugares que visite en japon
Contributions +86
Good Location - Edit
It was located in a nice place for me. I frequently passed by so went there twice. I tried the pancakes and the strawberry lemon raw cake. I was more interested in eating Japanese food, so I didn't try their main dishes. Pretty pricey for what you get! The cake was really good though.
Pros: Gluten Free , Convenient Location, Open for breakfast
Cons: Small portions for the price
Contributions +40
Great Meal - Edit
Nice modern vegan restaurant with friendly staff. Had the pasta with bolognese sauce which is made with quinoa and also included the restaurant's homemade cheese, which is really good. Yummy pancake dessert too!!
Pros: Homemade Cheese, Pancakes
Contributions +364
An option - Edit
For me it was pushing a 3 but my wife thought it was a 5, so we compromise in 4 :)
Contributions +14
Très satisfait - Edit
Nous y sommes allés deux fois. Les portions ne sont pas si petites que ça lorsqu'on est habitué à la quantité généralement servie au Japon (Je vis à Tokyo). Cependant si vous avez encore faim n'hésitez pas à prendre les pancakes, ils sont très rassasiants. Ambiance très cosy. Je recommande vivement d'y faire un tour.
Pros: Cosy, Taste, The water system
Contributions +24
Tasty - Great artisan cheese! - Edit
Yummy in my tummy
Contributions +33
Awesome place for breakfast - Edit
I know it can be a bit complicated to survive as a vegan in Japan but this place was like a gem in Kyoto. I went there twice and I will go and go there while I'm in Kyoto. My recommendation it to go here for breakfast 8-10:30 you can get an amazing vegan breakfast in this place. They also have a big vegan cheeses edition. Mozzarella is insane, it's literally so good. You can try it on the Margarita pizza. Food it really good, but still healthy. Everything is gluten free as well.
Updated from previous review on 2016-10-28
Pros: Friendly staff, Nice vibe and atmosphere , Excellent food
Cons: A bit expensive , Quite small portions
Contributions +58
Just 'ok' - Edit
Great atmosphere, ok food, expensive prices and small portions! The price of alcohol was a bit OTT too. The vegan cheese is fantastic but overall I don't think I'd visit again, there are many places to eat vegan in Kyoto where you can get more flavour and value for your money.
Pros: Atmosphere , Great staff, Homemade vegan cheese
Cons: Price, Selection
Contributions +67
Delicious - Edit
As someone who loves wheat-based staples I was a bit suspicious of the pasta, but the pasta bolognese turned out to be absolutely fantastic. It's about the right size, too- it looks small, but the sauce itself is quite filling.
Pros: amazing cheese, good portion size
Cons: slightly expensive
Contributions +81
tasty food and beautiful decor - Edit
This place has been refurbished since the first time I went, and it is such an improvement. It feels a lot more fancy now, and the decor is warm and trendy, so cosy. I had the quiche and my friend had the cheese burger, and we were both happy with our food. They also do a really great soy latte. Next time I want to try their desserts!
Pros: great decor, nice variety of food, sells a few items - including a veggie cook book
Contributions +20
beautiful cafe - Edit
I had a light dinner here, just the teriyaki pizza and some pancakes. Very good flavours and lovely staff. Perhaps a little pricey for the portion size.
Contributions +553
Slightly Pricey, But Really Good - Edit
I've been to Choice twice now - first time just to try their cheese platter with a friend, and then for brunch with my husband. The cheese platter was really nice, but we found it was just a bit too pricey for the amount. Also, although I understand, we really just wanted to share the platter but were asked to order 1 menu item each. I really enjoyed going for brunch, however, and although the portions were still small, it was delicious. The chocolate pancakes in particular were SO YUMMY. The atmosphere is nice and the staff are very polite (first time we went they were a little cold, but second time they were super friendly). They had no objection to me staying for a long time working on my computer after my husband left, and offered to let me use the power outlet without me even asking. I was incredibly impressed when they gave me a free soy latte because I voluntarily moved to a counter seat when the place filled up! This isn't somewhere I'd go regularly, due to the expense, but it still gets 5 stars because I think the quality deserves it.
Updated from previous review on 2017-02-11
Pros: Nice, slightly upscale food, Pleasant decor and atmosphere, Decently sized 100% vegan menu
Cons: Expensive
Link to this page from your site. Entry info .
Return to Kyoto Vegetarian Restaurants & Health Food Store Listings
Business Owners, if you see an unfair review, read this.
Why was my review removed? - details / Review guidelines
Reviews are not endorsed by HappyCow - review terms
Has Choice Cafe and Restaurant closed, shut down, moved, or changed? Please use the Update Form.
This page has been viewed 12795 times.
Nearby Listings
View MoreF. S. N. Bar Chez Philippe
Chukaryori o Kawaramachi-ten
Indian Nepali Restaurant Himalaya
Tosuiro