Japanese
Beer/Wine
Kyoto restaurant inside Nishiki market (錦市場). Look for the half open glass door next to the sweet shop stall, approx. 4 stalls before you reach Fuyacho -dori, at 京都府京都市中京区東魚屋町198-1, 〒604-8055. Previously listed as Oasi @ Hale, rebrand and change to vegetarian reported in Sep 2019. Opening hours are reported to be unreliable. Open Tue-Wed 11:30am-3:00pm, Thu 11:30am-2:00pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am-3:00pm, Fri 6:00pm-9:00pm, Sat-Sun 6:00pm-10:00pm.
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Last update on 14 Oct 2019 by ciempion
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64 Reviews
First Review by ahimsa333
CherryFlamingo
Points +403
Mon coup de coeur à Kyoto - Edit
Hale est un petit restaurant avec deux grandes tables qui peuvent accueillir jusqu'à 12 personnes.
Read moreL'ambiance est sombre, les meubles en bois, il y a des bouteilles de Sake sur le comptoir et l'accueil est excellent. C'est tout à fait l'idée que je me faisais d'un restaurant typique Japonais. Les plats étaient délicieux (le plat de riz était servi avec de délicieux champignons). Je vous recommande vivement ce restaurant!
Pros: Très bon, Prix correct, Bon emplacement
Guest
吳宇軒
Points +23
Tasty and nice vibe - Edit
It’s a small restaurant with wonderful vibe.
Read moreOnly have lunch set option but really tasty.
Need more attention to found the entrance.
Pros: Tasty food, Vibe
Guest
Stean
Points +35
Beautiful hidden restaurant in the middle of the busiest street in Kyoto - Edit
We had the set menu and it was just perfect!
Read morePros: Atmosphere, Set menu is delicious, Umeshu soda
Guest
Nancy Cadet
Points +876
Lovely vegan set lunch - Edit
Location: between Tominokoji-dori & Fuyacho-dori in Nishiki Market, on the north side of the street. There's a restaurant sign on the wall above eye-level that's easy to miss among the distractions of the busy market. Look for the glass door next to a sweet shop vendor.
Read moreHad our first lunch in Kyoto at Hale in 2013, and kept coming back year after year. After the pandemic shut down travel, we returned in 2023.
The lunch set meal was exquisitely prepared and well worth the price for a variety of dishes: soft tofu , pickled veggies, rice bowl, yuba and mushroom soup. The restaurant is tranquil, wood walls and floor, overlooking a small garden, tucked behind the market stalls in Nishiki arcade in a Kyoto townhouse Machiya .
Reservations are definitely recommended ; just make a phone call if you can. Several drop in customers were turned away while we were there.
Updated from previous review on 2014-10-26
Pros: Subtle flavors, Beautiful setting, Vegan
Cons: Hard to find in Nishiki market , Open for lunch only a few days / week
Guest
RemiOkamoto
Points +698
Great quality - Edit
The restaurant is in a very traditional house in Japan, i Loved the atmosphere. Lunch is only one menu and changes every day. When I visited, It was soup lunch. It came with hot japanese tea. It was very tasty and made me relaxed.
Read moreGuest
anisi
Points +55
~3.5~ for me - Edit
Hale is located in a beautiful, peaceful machiya—but that makes it pretty hard to find, and you definitely need to call ahead and make a reservation. There's one set meal for lunch each day, but you can find out what it is ahead of time by calling. The meal was beautiful, but definitely made for a Japanese palate—I went with Japanese friends who loved some of the dishes whose flavors I struggled with. I always love trying intentionally vegan and vegetarian Japanese food, so it was definitely an experience, but not a meal I'm dying to eat again.
Read moreGuest
egrzunov
Points +306
Not my cup of tea - Edit
Had great reviews so was excited to try. The meal was really not up my alley. It was very very healthy and didn’t enjoy the flavours of the dishes. There was only one option for lunch and it was very expensive. I’m not saying healthy food can’t be tasty but this was just not for me or my partner. A bit difficult to find but inside was amazing and tranquil.
Read morePros: Nice and tranquil
Cons: Expensive, Not great flavours
Guest
Rarostuffo
Points +82
Amazing japanese experience. Lovely traditional restaurant. Opens at noon. - Edit
Small little door in the middle of the Nishiki market
Read moreGuest
GoldenTurtle
Points +117
A great 穴場 - Edit
It is a bit hard to find which actually is a good thing since it becomes a great sanctuary from the busy market. The food is delicious and healthy.
Read morePros: Good food, Healthy food, Hard to find
Guest
Michaeljjj
Points +441
Delicious food & quiet atmosphere - Edit
We were so happy to find this place. The food was great. The best thing about it was the atmosphere. It was so quiet and peaceful which was a great contrast to the busy street outside.
Read morePros: Good food, Peaceful atmosphere, Fast service
Guest
marukochan
Points +421
Very yummy! - Edit
Cosy place with delicious food in the middle of the busy Nishiki market. love the yuba & mushroom rice, chilled tofu and deep fried tofu.
Read moreGuest
epowers
Points +413
Cozy and delicious traditional Japanese set lunch - Edit
Hale was a welcome peaceful vegan oasis in the otherwise hectic and non-veg heavy Nishiki Market. Hale is a bit hidden. The environment is tiny and cozy. We went for lunch and were able to be seated immediately. There were four other diners. They had only one lunch set option but it was beautiful and delicious. The rice was incredible on its own and the yuba mushroom stew I top excellent as well. The set included several small dishes in addition to the large rice dish including pickled vegetables, soft tofu, and a fried vegetable item. There were only two people serving and cooking but it was fairly quick service. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a vegan version of a traditional Japanese set lunch.
Read morePros: Vegan Japanese set lunch , Cozy and comfortable dining area
Guest
Scarabea
Points +778
Amazing lunch - Edit
After trying to go there for dinner (it was closed, even though it was supposed to be open) we went there again for lunch and were so happy we did! The set lunch menu costs 1500 Yen plus tax and it was delicious! It consisted of rice, a sort of tofu skin/mushroom soup, vegetables, a piece of delicious creamy tofu with salt, crispy tofu skin and a small salad. I thought for the quality and amount of food it was quite reasonably priced. I’ve read some reviews though, that it’s different during dinner and there seem to also be a table charge. So try to go there for lunch if you enjoy some more traditional Japanese food.
Read morejinahkimr39
really helpful.
Read moreGuest
WillMeyerhofer
Points +19
Hard to find that little door...but worth it! - Edit
Serene spot right in Nishiki Market. Lovely vegan escape from the crowds. Fresh, delicious food. Our set menu included a local specialty, tofu skin.
Read moreGuest
Lia Argolo
Points +207
Good food experience - Edit
Its quites hided, but I could get there asking through the stores at the market. It was nice to experience that Japanese style of restaurant and they had good food for lunch with tea.
Read morePros: Japanese style
Cons: Hard to find
Guest
paulpearne
Points +53
Good Vegan option for lunch - Edit
Food was good but when i asked how often they change the menu i discovered that they basically don't change the menu, that make hard to go more often, even if i live and work in Kyoto.
Read morePros: Good quality and taste
Cons: Not many variant, Just one set menu
Guest
SOMA93260
Points +105
Deliciousness & art - Edit
Delicious vegan set lunch in a very beautiful and artistic quiet setting. One of the most delicious vegan meals I had in Japan on that trip.
Read moreGuest
MadisonMcEwen
Points +48
Closed at 4:45pm - Edit
Hard to find and the shop was closed when we got there for dinner at 4:45pm. People in the shop told us they were closed.
Read moreCons: Wasn’t open when it said they should be
Guest
ReiAmber
Points +3086
good food but the wait was insane - Edit
I don't typically go for Japanese restaurants that serve lots of dishes, nor fusion food, but this pop-up Japanese-Italian fusion came well recommended, so I decided to give it a try.
Read moreThe first night I tried to go about 30 minutes after opening and seats were already full. The woman working there told me she expected everyone to stay there until closing, so I came back the next day. (Since closing wasn't for two hours or more that should have tipped me off for what I was in for.)
The next day I came back and ordered tea and chips and guacamole as an appetizer. The tea was good but guacamole was bad- way too sour. I am so glad I ordered it though because the next food, a tray of small dishes, didn't come out for a full hour. The table next to me looked like they were about to vault over the table and snatch it from me.
The potato salad was really interesting and I enjoyed that different flavors and rarely-seen vegetables were incorporated.
After that it was another full hour's wait for the pasta. You could choose from vegan or fish options. I chose a lemony-herby vegan pasta. I loved it.
Ultimately the food was lovely and gave me some ideas for cooking at home but the wait was insane and the single staffer looked really stressed. I think they need at least two people there. I just wouldn't be able to recommend it. If I hadn't gotten the appetizer I would have been so hungry and tired I think I literally would have gotten sick when waiting. The couple next to me left so fast after finishing I literally thought they'd done a dine-and-dash.
They do sell charming pottery and are housed in an atmospheric building. Be aware there is no Western-style toilet. I was fine but it might be tough if you have older or disabled people in your party.
I should also mention we were the first table and there were only three tables all night as the restaurant is microscopic.
Updated from previous review on 2018-05-08
Pros: good food, innovative
Cons: took forever and a day, toilet is very vintage, kitchen couldn't manage flow of finished dishes
Guest
jofly
Points +45
Is not a vegan restaurant, it as vegan option - Edit
The food is ok but is not a Vegan restaurant. They also serve fish and vegetarian food. They should be in a different section (vegan option). Is it not fair for many other restaurant that have probably more vegan option but they are in a different section.
Read moreCons: It is No a vegan restaurant!
Guest
philippethry
Points +16
Absolutely outstanding - Edit
Sensational food. Offers vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian options. We went at night, there was only one cook who also welcomes and waits on your table, so it might take a while. The food is simply outstanding. Quite possibly the best food I've had in Japan, maybe even the best vegan food I've had in a restaurant. A bit pricey but worth every penny.
Read moreMaybe the only con is that there is no vegan desert available. Otherwise absolutely flawless.
Guest
MelissaW
Points +906
Dinner isn’t currently Japanese - Edit
We tried to go here for dinner and the place is still open at night but currently has a different chef there for dinner service. We decided to try somewhere else as the lady running the restaurant at night does an Italian menu. She still had a vegan option but also a vegetarian and pescatarian option. She didn’t say how long she would be there for dinners.
Read moreGuest
AmyMcKinnon
Points +33
Amazing little plant-based Japanese restaurant in Nishiki Markets - Edit
Beautiful Japanese plant-based restaurant hidden in a small door inside Nishiki market.
Read moreThere is a sign on the door Hale - vegan/vegetarian so walk slowly to find this place.
The food was so delicious, nourishing and healthy and $30 AUD for two people.
Peaceful place too with no kids and no noise.
Pros: Delicious healthy food, Quiet and beautiful space, Cheap
Cons: Not kid friendly, Hard to find - entrance is a tiny door
Guest
Spencerino
Points +16
Fantastic Lunch - Edit
Just off the market this lovely little resturant was a real gem. Beautiful food and a unique and tranquil atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
EmmaCebuliak
Points +1830
A Rare Gem - Edit
This atmospheric and traditional establishment is truly a treat to visit - I was really impressed with both the food and the space. They were quite busy at the end of lunch hour and also politely asked us not to take photos; but otherwise it was a lovely experience.
Read morePros: High quality food, Unique space
Cons: Seemed a bit flustered
Guest
Xanato5
Points +76
Excellent in every way - Edit
I loved it here. First off is the atmosphere, this is in what looks like a very old well-maintained historical house hidden behind the chaotic insanity of the Nishiki market. Second is the fact that this place is very quiet and peaceful which seems impossible considering the location - what a welcomed refuge! Then there is of course the food. Delicious seasonal dishes, perfectly prepared and served with excellent service. The tempura maitake mushrooms were my favorite. A must for vegans in Kyoto.
Read morePros: Atmosphere and location, High quality food, Hidden peaceful refuge
Cons: Slippery texture of some dishes may be off putting
Guest
IanTucker
Points +19
An oasis - Edit
After the noise and pace of the market, you enter an oasis of old school Japanese calm. The set meal was beautiful and the staff were lovely.
Read morePros: great food and service
Guest
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