Café-restaurant and tourism hotspot located on Dotonbori's shop street a block from the canal. Dishes include takoyaki, yakisoba, deep-fried skewers ("kushikatsu"), vegan cutlet rice bowls ("katsudon"), fried gyoza dumplings and more. Cold Shio Ramen is available from June 2025. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-10:30pm. Public holidays have Sat-Sun hours.
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1F Nakaza Blvd, 1 Chome-7-21 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Japan, 542-0071
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 14 Nov 2025 by pivotbase
Update business info -
Added by pivotbase on 31 May 2024
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Featured Review
FrogSoda
Points +957
Awesome Cafe in the Heart of Dotonbori - Edit
Pivot Base is fantastic! Dotonbori is like a huge shopping area and food Mecca for non-vegan so the fact that there’s this amazing vegan restaurant in the middle of it is pretty awesome. The food is so delicious—we visited twice! The Ramen option I got was so incredibly creamy and rich. The noodles were extremely flavorful and the veggies were just as tasty. I also loved the fried Takoyaki. They have a few different flavors (we sampled all of them) and they bring a house made mayo you can add to it! It’s so good! Everything else we ordered was superb! Everyone here speaks English, and I believe the owner hangs out at the restaurant as well. He’s very kind, as are the servers. This place is 10 out of 10 incredible—we highly recommend it!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-11-03
Pros: Delicious food , Clean restaurant and great service
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant.
Read moreOur restaurant is located in Dotonbori, a tourist area in Osaka, and we offer Osaka specialties such as takoyaki and kushikatsu in vegan versions.
The vegan ramen you enjoyed is one of our most popular menu items!
All of our staff speak English, and we are fully cashless. We hope that guests from all over the world enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine and Osaka specialties.
Thank you very much for leaving such a detailed review.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
401 Reviews
First Review by feebz1986
michaelvl
Points +101
Food was great - Edit
I had the Mapo Eggplant dish with rice. It was served with a miso soup, both were delicious.
Read moreStaff was friendly and polite.
Updated from previous review on 2025-12-15
Pros: Delicious food, Friendly staff, Location
Cons: No own restrooms, staff directs to external ones
Guest
caesarion
Points +328
Takoyaki 🤌🏻 - Edit
Conveniently placed on the main strip, this place offers some of the best food I’ve had in Japan 🇯🇵 The takoyaki is to die for & very reasonably priced, 6 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-12-15
Guest
Heike.St
Points +1736
Super location for vegan restaurant - Edit
Great location in Dotonbori!
Read moreWe were seated quickly; menus are on the table but you order via QR-Code.
We got the lunch menu: yakisoba (with chicken) plus rice balls (one wrapped with seaweed; one cover is flower sea salt) plus miso soup.
The noodles were great; the salty rice ball was interesting but not bad. The miso soup wasn’t our favorite, not used to the veggies in it. :)
We also got the vegan takoyaki balls with mayonnaise. Was nice to try something new, but as we don’t know the original octopus version, it was just another dough ball for us.
Furthermore we tried the “vinegar drinks”. (We only read that name after we ordered otherwise we might have been more hesitant.) they ended up being pretty tasty Sodas. One mango flavored (Thailand) and one Tricolor one (France) with different berries.
It was so good, we wanted to come back to get some takeout. But unfortunately they don’t to that, not even for just drinks or shaved ice😒
Update: Dezember 2025: we came back and the food and service are still great. We really loved the Tonkotsu Ramen; perfect for cold days.
Updated from previous review on 2025-12-14
Cons: No takeout
Guest
Benus
Points +17
Disappointing - Edit
Vegan Ramen were mediocre at best, the Gyozas were horrible, prices were quite high
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-12-13
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We sincerely apologize that your experience did not meet your expectations. We will use your feedback to further improve our service. We truly appreciate you sharing your review with us.
Read moreGuest
sohan6
Points +13
Amazing Ramen - Edit
Amazing vegan place. Perfectly located and has the best Tonkatsu (soy meat) Ramen!!!
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words about our dishes! We sincerely look forward to serving you again.
Read moreGuest
yohan2014wang
Points +53
Very middling food - Edit
Food was straight up bad and it was relatively expensive due to the location.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-11-29
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We sincerely apologize that your experience did not meet your expectations. We will use your feedback to further improve our service. We truly appreciate you sharing your review with us.
Read moreGuest
LorenaH
Points +104
The food was good - Edit
Particularly the miso soup. And plenty of other good vegan food to choose from.
Read moreA guard at the door said, you know, it's vegan here.
Yes. That's why we were there.
This restaurant is on the Dotonbori, the most crowded tourist street I've ever seen.
All ok people from all over the world, but lots of them.
Very few people were inside the vegan restaurant,. That was ok. No wait, quick service.
Our waitress was a very sweet young woman from Burma, spoke English and Japanese.
Pros: Menu choices. Vegan., Service friendly and quick., Tasty.
Cons: Crowds on the street, but walk back by the canal
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
Chiara🍃☘️
Points +657
Assolutamente da provare! - Edit
Personale molto gentile, parlano anche un po' di italiano e la cosa è stata molto carina! Cibo molto buono e ambiente curato. Tra le altre cose abbiamo provato sia i takoyaki che il tonkatsu e siamo rimasti molto contenti, anche perchè trovare cibo giapponese vegano non è sempre facile!
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. We are delighted that you enjoyed Osaka’s traditional dishes. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Read moreGuest
MilaMoo
Points +48
Great Vegan Takoyaki - Edit
Really enjoyed the food here, we had the takoyaki, kimchi and veg (they had run out of the soy meat), and yakisoba. A nice filling meal.
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
PenyRoeske
Points +51
Satisfy those local food cravings - Edit
All the local foods - except vegan! The perfect place if you have cravings to try local street food but lacking in plant based options this is the place to go. Friendly staff, order online and easy payment options.
Read morePros: Delicious street type food, Nice staff, Easy menu with drinks
Cons: Pricy
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for your wonderful words.
Read moreWe are truly honored that you enjoyed our food and service.
We will continue striving to ensure that all our guests can have a pleasant experience.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
chezcapi14
Points +255
Best vegan restaurant in Osaka - Edit
Delicious food and very kind staff. A big range of vegan food and goods.
Read moreWe love the place!
Pros: Offer , Taste, Staff
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
erlenmeyer
Points +57
Not good for peanut allergies among other things - Edit
The staff was really nice and I hate leaving a bad review for them, but I did not have a great time as there was no labeling of peanut/tree nut allergies on any of the foods except for the Tantan noodles advertising some of what they put in there.
Read moreYou order through their website by QR code and they had no option for me to write a comment about my food allergies so I had to flag a staff member down to order for me and check with the chef.
I wanted the classic Takoyaki and the Tonkotsu ramen, but the waiter got back to me and turns out they used peanuts in both so I was limited to the Yakisoba noodles and mixed vegetables. I ordered Yakisoba, and it didn't even come with the soy meat as advertised, either they forgot or probably because they also use peanuts in it too and didn't alert me that they wouldn't be putting it on there. Dish was okay without the meat - the soba itself didn't seem right (maybe more like udon? Could be wrong though.)
Other quirks is that they take card only, which kind of sucks as we would prefer to use our currency-converted cash. They also had a few stands *inside* the bar for purchasing full bottles of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages they serve, which kind of cluttered the atmosphere and felt weird. And the place had very much like a foreigner-touristy atmosphere and not very Japanese compared to even other vegan Japanese places like Towzen in Kyoto or Nijiya in Kyoto.
If you don't have a peanut allergy and don't mind paying card only, then probably you might have a better experience like the other reviews here have. But if you do, I'd look for another place unless you're really that hungry.
Pros: Persimmon Vinegar Brew
Cons: No allergy labeling nor online commenting, Limited selection of peanut-free menu items, Mid noodles (without the meat) and atmosphere
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for taking the time to share your feedback.
Read moreWe sincerely apologize that the lack of information regarding allergies and insufficient explanations prevented you from enjoying your meal with peace of mind.
As some of our menu items contain nuts, it may not always be possible to provide complete accommodations, but we do our utmost to offer special arrangements.
However, we deeply regret that differences in language nuances and insufficient guidance led to misunderstandings and caused concern on this occasion.
We take your comments very seriously and will use them to make further improvements going forward.
Guest
NoahCox
Points +19
Terrific and easy 👌 - Edit
Good range, good food and reasonable price. All vegan!
Read morePros: Takoyaki, Curry, Katsu
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
PiaHC
Points +36
Definitely a must-visit for vegans😍 - Edit
Super service and a really nice place — a must-visit for vegans! We had the „TAKOYAKI“ as a starter, the „TANTAN“ ramen as our main dish and the „DORAYAKI“ strawberry for dessert. Everything was absolutely delicious. We’ll definitely be back!
Read morePros: Atmosphere, Service, Absolutely delicious food
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We truly appreciate your kind words, which are encouraging for all of our staff. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Read moreGuest
charlotte1606
Points +177
Vegan haven on Dotonbori - Edit
Their katsu curry is AMAZING. Takoyaki also nice but not my favourite. Had a lovely beer in an iced glass to refresh as well. Staff super friendly. Thank you for a brilliant lunch!
Read morepivotbase
We’re truly honored by your kind words.
Read moreWe sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
mohitb92
Points +13
Great food 10/10 - Edit
Great food 10/10- location is very convenient
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words about our dishes! We sincerely look forward to serving you again.
Read moreGuest
Ricky123
Points +2254
Highly recommend - Edit
Great location in the Dotonbori area with lots of local vegan options.
Read moreWe may have been a little greedy and ordered too much but that’s because there were so many options.
Really friendly staff, great service and tasty food. Also, really good price for a cafe in that location.
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for sharing such a wonderful review.
Read moreWe are truly delighted by your compliments about our service and food.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
MyaHigginson
Points +30
Fantastic - Edit
Amazing little place located in the busy Dotonbori. A lot of options to choose from including desserts. Staff were so lovely too!
Read morePros: Staff , Variety , Dessert
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
nicoschreiner
Points +97
Great vegan ramen - Edit
We really liked the vegan ramen (hot and spicy).
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words about our dishes! We sincerely look forward to serving you again.
Read moreGuest
aswinaravind
Points +13
Really good - Edit
Amazing vegan food in dotonbori
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
Howlinho
Points +153
Reasonable quality food. - Edit
I went to this restaurant based on the ratings of Happy Cow and had an enjoyable meal.
Read moreIn terms of the food, whilst everything tasted good, I would not say that it was anything extraordinary. The most interesting part of the meal was receiving a pancake-like dessert which was still in the packaging on top of the plate that it was being served on.
Whilst I understand that to some degree, some dishes may need to be prepared in advance, I believe that this is pretty poor from a kitchen point of view.
On the whole, this restaurant presents an opportunity for vegans to try otherwise inaccessible traditional Japanese dishes.
I did enjoy everything that I ordered and the staff were extremely friendly in spite of the disorganised feel to the place.
Pros: Very friendly staff., Veganised dishes unavailable elsewhere. , Handy to get to via public transport.
Cons: It had a very disorganised feel to it.
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words about our food and staff. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Read moreGuest
EdgardoBianchi
Points +17
Pessima esperienza - Edit
Purtroppo ho avuto una pessima esperienza,ho ordinato un piatto che non era commestibile,sapeva di amaro e bruciato,ho deciso di rimandarlo indietro,il piatto è stato solamente assaggiato,al momento del conto mi hanno fatto pagare il piatto nonostante questo problema.Ovviamente sconsiglio questo posto.
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly sorry to hear that you had an unpleasant experience. We will once again ensure thorough training and guidance for all our staff, and continue striving to provide products and service that satisfy our guests.
Read moreWe truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.
Guest
DiamondGuest
Points +24
Delicious! - Edit
Although I’m not vegan, I enjoy a good vegan meal on occasion. The tonkotsu ramen was so good! The broth was amazing. The curry rice and fries were also a hit. Highly recommend!
Read morepivotbase
We’re truly honored by your kind words ✨
Read moreWe sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
MarianSanjur
Points +21
Tonkotsu Ramen is Superb - Edit
Delicious... flavorful... best Ramen I have eaten in my trip so far
Read morepivotbase
Thank you for your kind words.
Read moreWe sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Guest
thehappyveggie
Points +688
Loved the the takoyaki! - Edit
Stopped for a quick snack of takoyaki and a matcha latte and it was delicious and our server was amazing. Wish I was hungrier to try the whole menu! Also wish they did take out. Note they only take card.
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. Our entire staff sincerely looks forward to welcoming you again, and we truly appreciate your review.
Read moreGuest
groentepiet
Points +54
Awesome! First time we got to try some "authentic" Japanese dishes in Japan - Edit
We knew going to Japan would be a bit of a struggle dinner-wise. This restaurant proves that it doesn't have to be. Everything we ate was amazing. Mostly tourists, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. We had two of the takoyakis , yakisoba, tempura veggies, edamame, and the rice gelato.
Read morepivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for sharing such a wonderful review.
Read moreWe sincerely appreciate that you enjoyed a variety of our dishes.
We hope to welcome you again whenever you return to Osaka.
Guest
YoungBrouge
Points +78
Takoyaki and ramen are 5 stars - Edit
Very good.
Read moreWent with meat eating friends who say 4.5 stars
pivotbase
Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored by your kind words. We are delighted that you enjoyed Osaka’s traditional dishes. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.
Read moreGuest
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