53
Japanese
Fast food
Beer/Wine
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Specialty gyoza shop with a separate English vegetarian menu available by request. Menu includes vegan vegetable, freeze-dried tofu and yuba gyozas as well as vegan chocolate banana dessert gyoza. Open Mon 4:00pm-10:30pm, Wed-Fri 4:00pm-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 12:00pm-10:30pm.


Venue map for Chao Chao Gyoza Shijo-Kawaramachi
© OpenStreetMap contributors

122 Reviews

First Review by zoeandflopsy

UrsulaBraschi

Points +77

Vegetarian
26 Sep 2023

Vegan and vegetarian gyozas

This place serves really nice gyozas, they have a few vegetarian and vegan option. The place is quite small so be prepared to do queue!

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Saika

Points +147

Vegan
21 Aug 2023

Nice gyoza, unpleasant atmosphere

Feels like you‘re in an all inclusive tourist animation program … the staff tries way to hard to animate all the (foreign) guests and it’s overall very uncomfortable, especially for introverted people. The restaurant atmosphere is largely yelling tourists.

Sadly won‘t ever come back there, even though the gyoza are awesome. They are a little sticky, but very delicious. I would recommend for take-out only though.

CassandraBurdyshaw

Points +38

Vegetarian
07 Aug 2023

Nicest Staff on Planet

Everyone in my party enjoyed the food - vegetarians and omnivores. There were several items to choose from for the vegan set. The staff were REALLY nice and made our experience wonderful. There was a line to get in when we were leaving but we were lucky and our party of 7 got in without a wait.

rjaneruns

Points +453

Vegan
29 Jul 2023

A bit disappointing

Too expensive for the vegan set menu. The vegan menu is a drink, 4 gyoza of one kind, 5 gyoza of another kind and a side. Whereas the meat menu is 16 gyoza instead of the 5. Not very fair. Although it's great to get to have some gyoza they were a bit lackluster. The filling is good but the outside dough is just sticky. Left a bit hungry.

Cons: Expensive, Clearly catered for foreigners , Portions too small

Aussietraveller

Points +260

Vegan
23 Jul 2023

Amazing vegan options!

I had the no-meat set menu (x2 gyozas, x1 side dish and x1 drink) and it was delicious! Very lovely restaurant and staff (very popular place too so be prepared to wait). Would recommend!

MarionMarsh

Points +96

Vegan
28 Jun 2023

Good, not *great*

My partner and I went here and found the line out the door. We were lucky to not have to wait more than 15 minutes. Its a very small hole in the wall joint. We got 2 vegan sets, and a cucumber salad. He got a sake drink and I got the pickled plum soda. The gyoza was good and we got the fried tofu as our side which was huge. Overall the gyoza wasn't that flavorful, but the whole set was filling and I liked their WIDE variety of drinks!

Pros: Vegan set, Big fried tofu, Staff seem to have fun!

Cons: Very small, Wait times

CMack95

Points +207

Vegetarian
19 Jun 2023

Pretty good but not amazing

The gyozas here are probably a little overrated. They aren’t really that flavourful and they were all stuck together when they were served to me.

I’d still recommend it as they offer a set of 2 gyoza types plus a side and drink for 1700 yen and it’s very filling.

Marianne1211

Points +45

Vegetarian
04 Jun 2023

Lots of choice and tasty gyozas

I was almost put off by the mixed reviews but we decided to go and were not disappointed. Friendly staff, lots of choice for veggies and tasty gyozas.

Pros: Tasty food, Lots of options, Friendly staff

Cons: Disclaimer for cross-contamination

NarayanDas

Points +205

Vegetarian
27 May 2023

Decent gyozas

Quite tasty and we also ordered chocolate ones... Staff wad not extra nice, quite fake male waiter.

Pros: Taste, Vegan options

Cons: Quite small portions, Not extra friendly staff, Crowded

mariesi

Points +202

Vegan
18 May 2023

An experience ?

The gyozas were a little disappointing for a specific gyoza restaurant. I read another comment saying they could make better ones at home, and sadly this is true for me too. The ambiance though was great.

Pros: Great atmosphere

Cons: Not so good food

LinaMinelli

Points +134

Vegan
18 May 2023

Good experience

Great place overall. The all-female staff were super cheerful and nice, and the menu was very clear about the vegan options available. I tried vegetable and tofu gyoza, and deep-fried tofu.

Pros: Friendly staff, Clearly marked vegan options

Cons: Cross-contamination possible

RicardoGonçalves

Points +11

Mostly Veg
16 May 2023

Worst vegetarian food in Japan

In 3 weeks of travelling the country, from eating back alley street food to ryokan fine dining, chao chao gyoza was the only disappointing experience. The vegetarian gyozas were tiny and overpriced. The majority of them were served burnt, the fillings tasted awful, and the the dough felt like plastic. The only good item in the menu was the potato mash gyoza (deep fried) which felt like gyoza french fries. On another note, the staff's sympathy and chattiness felt as plastic and tasteless as the gyozas.

Cons: Expensive, Small portions, Bad tasting

InêsDIniz

Points +53

Mostly Veg
16 May 2023

Pior experiência culinária no Japão

Guiozas vegetarianas com pouco sabor e fraca qualidade. Má relação qualidade preço. Tofu frito era aceitável. Estivemos uma hora e meia à espera e a experiência não valeu apena. Parece um sítio que ficou famoso entre turistas mas não tem qualquer valor.

Pros: Tofu frito

Cons: Preço elevado para a quantidade servida , Comida sem qualidade, Restaurante para turistas

LeneL

Points +46

Vegan
12 May 2023

Vegan gyoza not great

I barely enjoyed the gyoza and could make them way better myself at home. The restaurant staff is great though

Pros: Lovely staff and atmosphere, Vegan set meal, Fairly cheap

Cons: Vegan gyoza aren’t good

Nayax

Points +67

Mostly Veg
04 May 2023

Gyoza for everybody

I loved the seperate vegan/vegetarien menu, that made it easier. The staff is very chatty and sweet and you can look into the kitchen (always a pro for me). The cabbage was so fresh, I could have eaten a whole cabbage for suuuure, so yummy. We did wait a long time (and we went there pretty early at 6:30 pm and the line got longer and longer after that).

Pros: vegan/vegetarien menu, Different Gyoza

AnnaTokyo

Points +83

Vegan
23 Apr 2023

Decent Gyoza - crazy line

Important: There are two twin shops of Chao Chao - the other location only serves meat gyoza, so double check you are waiting at the right restaurant.

They have two kinds of vegan Gyoza and more vegan side dishes on a special meat free menu. The tofu skin gyoza are unusual and taste good, but not so special. The vegetable gyoza taste pretty good. I recommend this place if you can swoop in without waiting in line.

Updated from previous review on 2023-04-22

Pros: Super friendly, bilingual staff , Good gyoza

Cons: Very, very, very long queuing time (1-2h)

jyotsna

Points +17

Mostly Veg
27 Mar 2023

Yummy gyozas

The vegetarian and vegan gyozas were yummy, we kept ordering more and more! Well worth the 1 hour wait in line to get a table!

rubyr4

Points +66

Vegan
27 Mar 2023

Tasty gyoza

Fast service, vegan gyoza were delicious. Separate menu for vegan/vegetarian. Vegan options clearly labelled in English

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Tasty gyozas

Cons: Wait time - get in around 6 or before

AnnalieseJ

Points +189

Vegetarian
26 Mar 2023

Amazing

We loved it here. I tried quite a few of the vegan gyozas including the yuba, shibazuke and vegetable and they were all great, especially the shibazuke. The staff are really friendly and tell you what sauces pair with each dumpling. My boyfriend liked the meat options as well and we went twice.

Prady

Points +242

Vegetarian
15 Mar 2023

Not great

Pricey and small portion sizes. Yuba gyoza was awful, one of the worst things I've eaten in Japan, I couldn't finish it. After visiting Nikko and trying the delicious yuba there, this was a disgrace in comparison. The other gyoza were just okay, not great. Seriously save yourself the trip here, go anywhere else, there's plenty of vegan options in the surrounding area in Kyoto

Pros: Nothing.

Cons: Pricey, Small portion sizes, Yuba gyoza

AnnChee

Points +427

Vegetarian
05 Feb 2023

Oriental Vegetarian (Allium-free)

Serves Oriental Vegetarian options and you can request takeout.
Really enjoyed the cheese shiso (Perilla) but the portion was rather small. Shibazuke gyoza was really sour and not to our liking, should have ordered the mashed potato gyoza instead~

Pebbles K9

Points +283

Vegan
22 Jan 2023

Great Find

We googled “vegan” after getting off the train in Kyoto and finding that the soba restaurant we planned to eat at was closed. This was nearby and fit the bill with vegan and vegetarian options. The ladies there were so kind and helpful and patiently helped me practice my Japanese. There’s an English menu and everything is clearly marked. If you’re very hungry, you may want to add some rice as gyoza 🥟 are obviously not very filling, especially if you are used to eating a lot of veggies/grains. It was an excellent welcome to Kyoto though!

Hayden5780

Points +172

Vegan
10 Jan 2023

Pretty weak

Clear vegan options which was nice. Staff were friendly. Our gyoza tasted a bit like eggs and had little flavour. We tried all vegan options on the menu and found all to be weak in flavour. Noticed the meat gyoza were crispy and fried to look appetising but ours were super soggy and limp. Would not recommend unfortunately.

boldie

Points +1174

Vegan
05 Jan 2023

yummy but only as a snack

if you are really hungry you either have to spend 3000¥ or more because just eating gyoza is not that filling😒i was still pretty hungry after eating 9 gyoza AND potato fries

only got a place because i was alone!! so if you are 2 people you have to be lucky to get a place or wait!!!!!

Updated from previous review on 2023-01-05

SakuraJennifer

Points +1384

Vegan
20 Dec 2022

Nice gyoza

The gyoza here are nice but the women working here are what makes it special. They’re so kind. When I was here 3 years ago, they also had apple gyoza (sweet). Sadly that’s off the menu it seems.

Pebbles K9

22 Jan 2023

marlishields22

Points +141

Mostly Veg
12 Nov 2022

Very Good Options

I really appreciated their veg/vegan menu. Very clear and easy to read. Pretty good. Wish they made the mash potato dumplings vegan

Pros: Vegan menu with many veg options as well, Fun space , Full bar

Cons: Only two fully vegan main dish options, Small portions , Lots of tofu not veggies

MeliaCoury

Points +17

Mostly Veg
18 Oct 2022

Great place!

Cool atmosphere where can sit at the counter and watch them make it. Good amount of vegan options. Although, the salad does come with a soft egg so be sure to ask for it without.




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