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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. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm.
Category: Vegan, Japanese, Macrobiotic, Western, Take-out, Gluten-free
Reviews (66)
First Review by jennjt
Contributions +22
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 +304
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 +27
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 +32
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 +451
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
Contributions +24
food was amazing! - Edit
Food was so lovely. Had a pizza and taco salad. Even the husband loved it! The vegan cheese is insanely good.
Pros: fast service, delicious food, good portion sizes
Cons: bit pricey
Contributions +20
Delicious Food, Warm Atmosphere and Lovely Staff - Edit
This was my first vegan restaurant visit in Kyoto and I must say, I was not disappointed with the absolutely delicious food! I had the vegan basil pizza with a soy latte and a chocolate cake for dessert. I didn't want the food to end! My only complaint with this place was the portion size. The pizza was really much too small for me, I was still quite hungry when we left.
Pros: Mouth-watering Food, Beautiful Interior Design, Friendly Staff
Cons: The portions were too small for me!
Contributions +59
Not very impressionable - Edit
I really tried to like choice, hence I went there twice, but each time I went the food was not anything to rave about and the portion size is very small. It is a very nice, well lit, and neat cafe but it feels like a doctor's office (the owner of the restaurant is a doctor, which is probably why it feels that way).
The first time I went with friends, we ordered a pizza, and two pastas. The pizza crust was very thin and a bit oily. The cheese texture was almost like real cheese but overall it did not really taste like a pizza and was quite bland. There were two different pastas that we ordered, one was a mozzarella and tomato pasta and the other was a cheese cream sauce one. Again the cheese was very good, almost like real cheese, but both pastas did not leave a lasting impression. There were three of us and the amount of food we got was probably enough for two people at most.
The second time I went, I ordered the burrito. For about 1000 yen I was expecting the burrito to be medium size but when I got my food it was almost a kid's size portion. It was good but it was not filling and surprisingly very oily (but the oil was what gave it any flavor). I decided to give the cream sauce pasta another chance and ordered it again, but the result was the same as the last time.
Overall this is a good place for tea time or a light meal, for vegans and vegetarians, but I do not recommend this place for lunch or dinner because you will definitely leave hungry and disappointed,
Updated from previous review on 2016-09-27
Pros: Completely vegan, good vegan cheese, very clean
Cons: Portion size , not very filling, overprized
Contributions +36
A great choice for vegans - Edit
We went here for breakfast, and amongst 3 people enjoyed the chocolate pancakes, the teriyaki burger and the basil tomato burger. All food is gluten free, making it a great choice for celiac's. The pancakes are Japanese style; meaning they are thick & small. The teriyaki burger was my personal favourite. It was drizzled with teriyaki, and topped with caramelized onions! The cafe is also a relaxing refuge from the heat. It's fitted out with plants, comfortable seating and a selection of books to flick through whilst you eat. Additionally, the staff are helpful & friendly. Overall a lovely cafe.
Pros: Gluten free, Nice settings
Cons: Less flavoursome than other vegan food in Kyoto
Contributions +10442
Choice Cafe, Kyoto - Edit
Excellent food. There's less expensive places in the world but that's Japan.
Pros: All vegan, Tasty food
Contributions +24
Tasty but expensive - Edit
Had açai bowl (1200¥) and GF pancakes (1400¥?). Good and tasty but nothing special and thus a bit expensive.
Pros: open quite early (compared to other vegan places)
Cons: expensive
Contributions +385
good service, average food, pricy - Edit
Maybe I'm spoiled living in California and being a shareholder of the best vegan cheese in the world, in any case, the five cheese platter had tiny portions and was very expensive -2000¥. My pizza was tasty, but it was actually a crepe and the burrito was a rolled up crepe. The burger was the winner of the night. The desserts were pretty good too
Contributions +42
a great choice - Edit
It was a relief to find this cafe being a vegan coeliac. All of the menu is gluten free except for the pasta. Portions are small and on the pricey end but any coeliac would be happy to pay for a tasty, safe meal in Japan. After just a few days I've found it hard to get anything without wheat. So thank you choice for a great meal. I will be back again while I'm in Kyoto.
Pros: lots of gluten free, great vegan cheese, lovely at
Cons: price, portion size
Contributions +25
Western options and gluten free - Edit
Agree that the time and location listed are not correct. If you get to Sanjokeihan tube stop you are close, don't give up! It's not in the nearby block/section of 5-6 restaurants where I initially thought it would be. It is only over the other side of the river so very possible to visit if you have been mainly hanging around the center.
Sadly we failed to find this on our first attempt and only revisited twice before our time in Kyoto was up. We would have loved to try the breakfast/brunch as it is near impossible to find a vegan breakfast anywhere.
However, once we had found it it was worth the effort. Service good, staff spoke good English and there was quite a good variety for dinner. All in all if you are in Kyoto for more than a day or two, you will probably want to try this place.
The pizzas, while nice, would probably make an Italian confused, arguably I would say they are savoury crepes more than pizzas. Although I have no idea how to make a gluten free pizza so credit to them for this. The pasta dishes we had on our second visit were a bit more interesting and filling. The wine, beer and sake are all reasonably priced.
The star was the chocolate pancakes though which comes in a size sufficient for two to share with chocolate faux ice cream.
Everything is gluten free though neither of us had an issue with this. There are interesting Japanese books and comics around which appear to be informational/educational about various dietary issues. However the staff aren't pushy about this if it concerns you that you might get a lecture!
Pros: Nice interior, Welcoming staff, Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Cons: Pizza-esque, Ever so slightly over priced
Contributions +22
Saviour - Edit
My boyfriend is coeliac and I can't have cows milk and prefer vegetarian. Particularly gluten-free is difficult in Japan, and so we didn't book in any breakfasts in any hotels, knowing that most wouldn't be able to cope. Come in this amazing place. Great location next to one of the major tube stations/roads. We ate breakfast there every morning during our stay in Kyoto and always was the service lovely and quick. It's usually quite quiet, which is actually quite nice and peaceful. To have both vegan and gluten-free has been amazing. The vegan cheese is very creamy and flavourful - I wish I could take some home with me. We were also there for an evening and again service was nice and food delivered quickly. I personally think the price is not expensive for such special food at all!
Pros: location , gluten-free as well, nice drinks
Contributions +108
Over Priced and Disappointing - Edit
Firstly the closing time and location on Happy Cow are slightly wrong. They were open Sunday until 9 and it is a little further down the street than what the map tracks.
I had the risotto which was nice but nothing special.
My partner had the Teriyaki Burger and was so disappointed. The dough for the bun wasn't completely cooked and it had such little lettuce, if you even wanted tomato you had to pay more. For these two, quite small portions and a juice it was $3,300.
Restaurant was empty and we weren't too surprised after
Pros: Nice interior
Cons: High Prices, Small Portions, Average Food
Contributions +474
Really delicious! - Edit
Tasty, cheesy, comfort food! Pasta with cream sauce very satisfying, particularly in combination with the cheese plate and organic wine. Pancakes are a perfect dessert (if you're sharing and still have room! Loved it all.
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