Ovo
Japanese
Asian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Japanese restaurant with focus on the don, or rice bowls. Can get a bowl with tofu or vegetables and vegan sauce and toppings. Appetizers like pickled ginger, veg gyoza, and edamame are vegan. Open Tue-Fri 17:30-22:00, Sat-Sun 16:30-22:00.
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Westerkade 27, Utrecht, Netherlands, 3511 HC
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Last update on 10 Jun 2022 by DaphD
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Added by aster.fliers on 23 Mar 2020
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12 Reviews
First Review by aster.fliers
Fraa
Points +1234
5/5 - Edit
I have a new favorite in town! From the appetizers to the dessert, everything I tried was simply delicious! Very tasty, flavors well balanced and super fresh!
Read moreDefinitely want to come back
Guest
FraukeVB
Points +424
Super tasty, authentic Japanese - Edit
Tiny Japanese restaurant with a small selection of dishes. A few vegan options but they taste amazing. I had the dumplings as a started and those where super tasty.
Read moreThe main dishes are all don. Rice with either vegan, fish or meat. Every don comes with broth and toppings served on the side. The tofu was lovely.
Friendly staff, most don't speak dutch but do speak English and Japanese.
Updated from previous review on 2020-07-22
Pros: Amazing taste, Friendly staff
Guest
EmiM
Points +41
Delicious! - Edit
Just delicious.
Read moreRequire upfront reservations
Guest
BramNLNL
Points +110
Good Japanese food with some vegan options - Edit
Had a great meal in this place. Both the food and the interior feel authentic. There are vegan options, however, not too many. Also I would recommend to make a reservation as the place seems always full.
Read moreGuest
ChloéSchwizgebel
Points +1153
Nice curated Japanese experience - Edit
Nice place with tasty vegan options, clearly identified.
Read moreWe shared some appetizers (Tsukemono = three kinds of Japamese pickles; Yasaigyoza = vegetable dumplings). Their flavors were incredible with many small spices offered (Yuzu powder, wasabi)
We went for the two vegan Dons (Amakara tofu and Nasumiso) which were served with a delicious Dashi.
Be aware that there is no longer any vegan dessert (previously a vegan mochi but not anymore).
Team is very kind and serving very cared for. The food is on the pricier side.
Updated from previous review on 2023-10-18
Pros: Nice experiemce, Kind staff
Cons: A bit pricy
Guest
MichelleNaomi
Points +174
Delicious - Edit
Had the eggplant as a starter, the tofu don as a main and mochi as dessert. All delicious, great & quick service and an authentic feel. Probably one of my favorites in Utrecht now.
Read morePros: Great service, Amazing food, Nice ambiance
Cons: None
Guest
LaraLocktree
Points +146
Lovely, relaxed - Edit
Perfect food, very friendly staff
Read moreGuest
lana0911
Points +16
Great - Edit
Really delicious vegan options, enough choice for 2 different visits. Authentic feel and high quality dishes.
Read morePros: Enough vegan options, High quality, Authentic
Guest
iokan
Points +1775
Authentic Japanese - Edit
In Europe, many Japanese restaurants are run by Chinese people who have never been to Japan serving customers who don’t have a clue about Japan. But “Don Kounosuke” is different! It is an actual Japanese restaurant, run by Japanese people.
Read moreTherefore, they don’t serve “all you can eat sushi” but actual Japanese food. Don Kounosuke is not a vegan restaurant, yet they do understand the meaning of “vegan” very well and they do have some vegan options. For starters, we tried the seaweed and avocado salad, which is good but nothing special. The tofu and daikon is special and reminds me of the true Japanese taste.
Don Kounosuke is specialized in rice bowls and 2 of them are vegan: the tofu rice bowl and the eggplant rice bowl. The interesting part is in the way it’s served and consumed. First, the rice bowl is eaten as it is. Once the most tasty bits on the top (either the eggplant or tofu) are eaten, a new topping can be added. The waitress will come to the table with a wide variety of choices including wasabi, seaweed, ginger and more. Once that’s gone, a tiny cup of vegetable bouillon can be added to flavour the remaining rice.
There’s only one vegan dessert: a traditional piece of pounded rice with sweet red bean stuffing and it’s very tasty.
One word of warning: reservation is not required, but highly advised. Every evening there’s a waiting list and only by making reservations at least one week in advance it’s possible to be sure of a good table at a reasonable time. If not, you’ll be waiting outside hoping for the best or having dinner at 9 pm.
Pros: real, authentic Japanese food, carpark nearby, speaking Japanese (or Dutch, or English)
Cons: inappropriate (none Japanese) music, slim chance of getting a table without reservation, only a few vegan options
Guest
MaureenJ
Points +36
Super tasty! - Edit
Small and lovely Japanse restaurant. Vegan options available. Their vegan gyozas are definitively worth trying, they are amazing!
Read moreGuest
VeraVergeer
Points +83
My favorite place to eat! - Edit
If you love to explore new flavors and like a diverse dish? Don is probably for you. At Don Kounosuke, you can eat this authentic Japanese dish and enjoy this dish in three ways with the full experience. The interior is simple and clean, the owner always wears her traditional clothing and everyone is very friendly. All vegan options are labeled and made it easy to find. I choose the Nasumiso Don (Don:Rice with Nasumiso:fried eggplant in miso) and with every Don you get to choose 3 garnishes, for example: sesame seeds, szechuanpeper, homemade wasabi, seaweed and more. You can eat the dish on its own (rice and in this case the eggplant), combined with all the flavorful garnish and/or with dashi (broth). The dashi will make it a very nice and flavorful rice soup. With every step I explore and enjoy new flavors. I love it and I will definitely come back!
Read morePros: authentic Japanese dish and flavors, very friendly, exploring tasty and fresh flavors
Guest
aster.fliers
Points +85
Really good Japanese bowls - Edit
The bowls were amazing, as were the side dishes. Had a lovely time with non-veg friends. It's definitely a place when you can't convince everyone to go fully veg, though I would love to take my vegan dad there as well. I am unsure about vegan desert options, as service was a little slow so it was to late to order some when the time came. Still, I recommend it if the menu looks interesting to you, and you're in the mood for some non-sushi Japanese food.
Read morePros: Really nice bowls, Great side dishes, Friendly staff
Cons: Not cheap, but very much worth it, Staff were overstretched and forgot about us
Guest
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