Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. A local sake bar offers the Japanese equivalent of tapas, with many different choices on a menu of flash cards. About a third are vegetarian, and the friendly owner speaks English well enough to discuss choices for vegans. Has an English menu with photos. Accepts reservations until 6:30 pm. Seating is limited. Open Tue-Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm.
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Last update on 28 Dec 2023 by 伊藤久美子
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27 Reviews
First Review by raveedratner
TES23
Points +16
Excellent food in a cosy environment - Edit
First-rate vegan options in a tiny bar/restaurant that only has a counter (9 seats). The owner has various flash cards to show the vegan options and was very considerate of dietary requests. They ask that all patrons order one beverage, but it wasn't a problem to bring my teenage daughter. There is a mix of more common dishes (gyoza, onigiri) and more unusual dishes (fried yam, wasabi-flavored seaweed), but all the flavorings were sublime. If you're vegan, this one is a must!
Read moreGuest
d.vegan
Points +728
Very good - Edit
Pretty unique dishes I haven't seen in many other parts of Japan!
Read moreGuest
ערן
Points +16
Great authentic food - Edit
There is a separate menu for vegans (with lots of options)
Read moreAnd the owner is so nice, she even trach me to ask for vegan food in Japanese.
If you are vegan and you want to eat good Japanese food sith no worries come here
Updated from previous review on 2024-04-17
Pros: Vegan giyoza, Fried grilled tofu, Natto with melted rice
Guest
Banaan
Points +41
Delicious and very accessible - Edit
Delicious meal, great service, very easy to select vegetarian or vegan dishes, highly recommended! Would give 5 stars if allowed.
Read moreGuest
נעמהגורודנציק
Points +17
Greate vigan food - Edit
Many options, very good food, friendly woman chef
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-04-02
Guest
TessaMcgilvray
Points +44
Best place I’ve been in Japan! - Edit
Wow so many vegan/veggie options to choose from. The owner speaks good English and the menu cards are very clear. I had noodle stir fry, miso and sake. Definitely recommend for an authentic dining experience.
Read morePros: Vegan options clear on menu , Authentic experience , Lots to choose from
Guest
MylesP
Points +20
Bravo Itoya - Edit
What a treat. Run by one woman, who I can only describe as a superstar. Offering a pretty comprehensive vegetarian and vegan menu, with some very easy to understand cue card/flip cards. Food was wonderful, and not too expensive. Highly recommend.
Read morePros: Atmosphere , Food, Hospitality
Guest
trogdor1978
Points +35
10/10, plenty of vegan food - Edit
Excellent local food items, anything you'd want to try while visiting Matsumoto. Vegan/vegetarian menu clearly labeled in English, more than enough to eat! Went back two nights in a row. Run by a sweet old lady who speaks great English. Worth a visit!
Read morePros: Many options , Local and fresh seasonal food menu
Guest
Gruenkern
Points +49
Great tiny restaurant - Edit
It is a really tiny restaurant with only 10 seats, all around one counter. The dishes are like tapas, so you can try different ones and easily share.
Read moreI would have never found or tried it without Happy Cow recommendation. The owner is very friendly and speaks English. You can choose from 15-20 dishes that are vegetarian/vegan. They are clearly marked on cards you get for choosing. Just mention you are vegetarian/vegan. The food is delicious and it is such a relief to just order japanese food without problems 😃
As this is a pub you have to order one drink per person with the meal. Be prepared to chat with the other guests.
Pros: Variety of food, Friendliness of the owner, Atmosphere
Guest
KristinaLR
Points +135
Authentic sake bar - Edit
So happy to have tried this little place in central Matsumoto. Would not have found without Happy Cow and thrilled to know that we coudl confidently exect lots of vegan options. Right away the owner asked if there was anything we didn't eat and spoke excellent English. I was given the vegan menu cards, which included about 15-20 dishes. It was hard to choose, but we went with the wasabi with sake lees (unlikely to get another chance to try a dish like this), the fried rice with mountain greens, somen noodles (hot or cold), fried tofu skins, and fried purple yam. Everything was great and came quickly even though it is a one woman operation. Also had a delicious local sake. Everything tasted great. Arriving around 5:30pm we had no trouble finding two seats. We also struck up a conversation with the people seated next to us. A very nice atmosphere.
Read morePros: vegan menu options are very clear, atmosphere
Guest
CupcakeKruimels
Points +13
Cozy and friendly for everybody. - Edit
SEATS: We were very fortunate there were 2 seats available for us. The limited spaces is 8 seats, so dont try to go here with 4 or more people.
Read moreOPTIONS: Vegan and vegetarian options are available. You get a set of 12 to 15 cards with dishes from which you can choose. The dishes itself are good for sharing with someone else.
The owner is a friendly woman who does her best trying to speak English. She will try to talk to everybody, and she will be interested to hear where you are from.
We recommend the homemade Yuzushu with soda.
Guest
dreamyavocadooo
Points +38
Yummy vegan options - Edit
おいしい！ありがとう！Lovely place lovely vegan option and the owner is the loveliest person, curious to get to know you! Also speedy preperation on what I had. You have to get a drink if you there as its a Japanese pub😄
Read morePros: Yummy Vegan options, Welcoming, Atmospheric pub
Guest
FrankRietkerk
Points +33
Itoya - Edit
Small bar-like restaurant at which all sit at one counter. The restaurant is run by a Japanese woman who cooks and serves simultaneously. I reckon about ten people can sit there in total. The food was great and the host was most kind. Offers around ten vegetarian options and around six to eight vegan options. Be sure to check the opening times to avoid any unnecessary disappointments. I advise going early or calling to reserve if you want to make sure to have a spot, as the place has limited availability.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-05-13
Pros: Great food, One of the few vegetarian friendly restaurants, Great atmosphere
Cons: Small place so seating is limited
Guest
Daniel.gilmour
Points +11
Massive choice - Edit
Excellent food. Great vegan options. Good way of trying a lot of Japanese food in small portions
Read morePros: Lots of vegan option , English speaking
Guest
EllieHudson
Points +30
Amazing - Edit
Happy cow only allows me to give it 4 stars as it's not fully vegan (!?) but they deserve a 5.
Read moreIt's been really difficult finding suitable vegan food in Japan. When I walked into this tiny little restaurant, she asked if I was vegan or veggie and I could have cried with happiness.
She gave me around 30 flash cards, showing vegan food, a picture of the item, description and price.
Really nice homemade drinks too. I went for a Yuzu and soda.
It was a holiday here so she gifted me with beans (I was to eat as many beans as my age), handmade origami, and common Japanese phrases. So so kind.
2000¥ for dumplings, soba noodles and a non alcoholic drink, very reasonable :)
Pros: So many vegan options, Speaks very good English, A really kind, lovely human
Guest
LizSackley
Points +15
What a relief - Edit
Living in Japan has been a struggle. Tokyo is cool, it outside it’s so hard to find a place that gets it. This is a place that gets it, authentic and friendly to boot.
Read morePros: Lots of veggie choices
Guest
YasminG
Points +22
מקום מעולה לארוחת ערב + בר - Edit
בר/מסעדה קטן ונעים עם אוכל מקומי מעולה. מבחר צמחוני/טבעוני גדול מאד, הכל היה טעים. הכל הוכן במקום על ידי בעלת המקום החביבה, שמדברת גם אנגלית.
Read morePros: המון מנות צמחוניות וטבעוניות, אוכל מקומי טעים ביותר, אוירה נחמדה מאד
Guest
groggyjoe
Points +32
Great and friendly! - Edit
All vegan foods are written on nice little flashcards and the owner understands the meaning of vegan food :)
Read moreVery tasty and great to get to experience this izakaya culture usually only reserved for non vegans !
Guest
ToraKo
Points +433
Traditional atmosphere and good food! - Edit
I love the Japanese Izakaya culture and find it a rare pleasure, since they usually serve fish and meat based tapas only.
Read moreHowever in Itoya I had between 10 and 15 dishes to choose from, so home made with local ingredients by the lovely Itoh-san, who was very much aware of what veganism is and what we can actually eat!
She was careful to speak slow and easy Japanese for me (so I don't know if she speaks English, sorry - although the menu is fully translated so you'll have no problem ordering), she have me a lot of travelling advice and kept me company while I ate, which as a solo traveller I appreciated!
The food was very good, the wasabi here tastes amazing! I also had some homemade plum liquor which was delicious too.
I paid with card (!!!)
Pros: Any vegan options, Knowledgeable and helpful staff, Credit / debit cards accepted
Cons: A little on the expensive side
Guest
Cec_dh
Points +76
Amazing experience - Edit
After living in Japan for almost a year this was by far one of my favourite meals. This little sake bar is charming and the owner was so welcoming, friendly and patient with our basic Japanese- the English menu was a great help! I loved being able to go out with non-vegan friends and be able to eat in a traditional Japanese place without having to compromise on food quality! A must visit if you’re in Matsumoto.
Read morePros: Traditional vegan Japanese food, Small traditional bar , Friendly owner
Guest
Cauliflower
Points +169
Loved the place and the friendly lady. We enjoyed the food very much. - Edit
Lovely food, nice atmosphere and very friendly lady behind the counter. I liked how practical the english menu on flash cards was and how everything was explained so I understand now much better. The lady was very helpful she also gave us a paper with useful japanese words so we could ask for the bill and say thank you and goodbye in japanese too.
Read morePros: English speaking owner, They know about vegan/vegetarian diet, Authentic japanese but clearly explained in eng.
Guest
umeboshi
Points +135
Best vegan food in Japan - Edit
This is a very nice small Japanese sake bar. The ower was super friendly and provided us with cards with explanations of the food in English. The food was divine. You should definetly go here if you are in Matsumoto you will not regret it. Just let them know that you are vegan and you will enjoy the best vegan meal you can have. We ordered natto, bean curd, gyozas, miso soup and onigiri and they were all delicious.
Read morePros: Many vegan optiins
Cons: None
Guest
nattolady
Points +183
A brilliant gem with most charming owner - Edit
Excellent small sake bar with wonderful food and the most accommodating owner. Food is excellent and lots of veggie and vegan options. The owner is very aware of veggie and vegan needs and just so friendly and helpful! A real treat!
Read morePros: Many vegan options , Lots of veg options , Super friendly owner and nice atmosphere
Cons: Not much seating only at the bar so best to book
Guest
Nameuser
Points +181
Cool place - Edit
A small and cozy place. Nothing is labelled as vegan but the owner can veganise a lot of the dishes. Very tasty but a bit pricey.
Read moreGuest
nomeathagrid
Points +69
Amazing little place to try lots of different dishes - Edit
Lovely little restaurant and bar. I went with my parents who eat meat but there were plenty of vegetarian options and she could make things vegan. Also very accommodating for my mother being gluten free. Very friendly. Very good English. Picture menu cards in English. Homemade umeshu was delicious, as was the homemade apricot juice. Had lots of different dishes. I finally tried natto and liked it.
Read moreGuest
lucuma
Points +991
Intimate bar, friendly service - Edit
Cosy bar serving tapas style food and alcohol. The owner (really sweet and great with the kids) separated the vegan options from the big stack of laminated English menu items. We had about 8 or so to choose from which was enough for us to fill up. The plum wine is homemade and definitely recommended.
Read morePros: Friendly owner/chef, Local experience
Guest
raveedratner
Points +17
Quaint yummy and really nice - Edit
We had one of our best restaurant experiences in Japan. Ito (the owner and chef) has great English and is happy to talk and is very friendly and sweet. The sitting is all on a bar, about 10 seats so there is an intimate feeling and opportunity to talk to other customers. She gave us a bag of some origami figures her family made. She also played an instrument for us which was beautiful. We loved the food and the whole atmosphere was perfect.
Read moreGuest
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