Vegan
Vegan-friendly
Japanese
Fast food
Beer/Wine

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.


Venue map for Pivot BASE Cafe & Bar @Dotonbori
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Featured Review

FrogSoda

Points +957

Vegan
03 Nov 2025

Awesome Cafe in the Heart of Dotonbori

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!

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-03

Pros: Delicious food , Clean restaurant and great service

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant.

Our 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.


398 Reviews

First Review by feebz1986

sohan6

Points +9

Vegetarian
04 Dec 2025

Amazing Ramen

Amazing vegan place. Perfectly located and has the best Tonkatsu (soy meat) Ramen!!!

yohan2014wang

Points +53

Vegan
02 Dec 2025

Very middling food

Food was straight up bad and it was relatively expensive due to the location.

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-29

LorenaH

Points +104

Vegan
30 Nov 2025

The food was good

Particularly the miso soup. And plenty of other good vegan food to choose from.
A 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

Chiara🍃☘️

Points +425

Vegan
25 Nov 2025

Assolutamente da provare!

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!

MilaMoo

Points +48

Vegan
24 Nov 2025

Great Vegan Takoyaki

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.

PenyRoeske

Points +47

Vegetarian
22 Nov 2025

Satisfy those local food cravings

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.

Pros: Delicious street type food, Nice staff, Easy menu with drinks

Cons: Pricy

chezcapi14

Points +243

Vegetarian
21 Nov 2025

Best vegan restaurant in Osaka

Delicious food and very kind staff. A big range of vegan food and goods.
We love the place!

Pros: Offer , Taste, Staff

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

erlenmeyer

Points +57

Vegan
20 Nov 2025

Not good for peanut allergies among other things

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.

You 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

05 Dec 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for taking the time to share your feedback.
We 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.

NoahCox

Points +19

Vegetarian
20 Nov 2025

Terrific and easy 👌

Good range, good food and reasonable price. All vegan!

Pros: Takoyaki, Curry, Katsu

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

PiaHC

Points +32

Vegan
20 Nov 2025

Definitely a must-visit for vegans😍

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!

Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Absolutely delicious food

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

charlotte1606

Points +177

Vegan
19 Nov 2025

Vegan haven on Dotonbori

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!

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

We’re truly honored by your kind words.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.

mohitb92

Points +13

Vegetarian
19 Nov 2025

Great food 10/10

Great food 10/10- location is very convenient

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

Ricky123

Points +2252

Vegan
17 Nov 2025

Highly recommend

Great location in the Dotonbori area with lots of local vegan options.

We 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

02 Dec 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for sharing such a wonderful review.
We are truly delighted by your compliments about our service and food.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.

MyaHigginson

Points +30

Vegan
17 Nov 2025

Fantastic

Amazing little place located in the busy Dotonbori. A lot of options to choose from including desserts. Staff were so lovely too!

Pros: Staff , Variety , Dessert

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

nicoschreiner

Points +97

Vegetarian
16 Nov 2025

Great vegan ramen

We really liked the vegan ramen (hot and spicy).

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

aswinaravind

Points +13

Vegetarian
15 Nov 2025

Really good

Amazing vegan food in dotonbori

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

Howlinho

Points +153

Vegan
13 Nov 2025

Reasonable quality food.

I went to this restaurant based on the ratings of Happy Cow and had an enjoyable meal.

In 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

02 Dec 2025

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.

EdgardoBianchi

Points +17

Vegetarian
12 Nov 2025

Pessima esperienza

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.

pivotbase

02 Dec 2025

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.

We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

DiamondGuest

Points +24

Non Veg
11 Nov 2025

Delicious!

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!

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

We’re truly honored by your kind words ✨
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.

MarianSanjur

Points +21

Vegetarian
11 Nov 2025

Tonkotsu Ramen is Superb

Delicious... flavorful... best Ramen I have eaten in my trip so far

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

Thank you for your kind words.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again.

thehappyveggie

Points +688

Vegan
10 Nov 2025

Loved the the takoyaki!

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.

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

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.

groentepiet

Points +54

Mostly Veg
08 Nov 2025

Awesome! First time we got to try some "authentic" Japanese dishes in Japan

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.

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for sharing such a wonderful review.
We sincerely appreciate that you enjoyed a variety of our dishes.
We hope to welcome you again whenever you return to Osaka.

YoungBrouge

Points +78

Vegan
08 Nov 2025

Takoyaki and ramen are 5 stars

Very good.
Went with meat eating friends who say 4.5 stars

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

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.

hottestair

Points +16

Vegan
07 Nov 2025

Best one

authentic japanese with english speaking staff in dotonbori

Pros: Service, Food & Drinks, Authenticity

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

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.

GiorgiaAlessi

Points +25

Vegetarian
06 Nov 2025

All vegan

Variety of choices, tried frw things everything very good but some of the dishes tasted quite bland to me

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

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.

bandidootlover

Points +51

Vegan
06 Nov 2025

Amazing Vegan Takoyaki

Amazing to find a lovey vegan restaurant in the heart of a busy place like this. It busy at the time we went (around 6:30) so don’t be surprised if there’s a line when you go! Although this can be expected of many places in Japan. This is an entirely vegan restaurant. We tried the Takoyaki, Yakisoba and Katsu Curry. Every single thing was piping hot and delicious. Service was amazing too!! Thank you PivotBase. I’m hoping to return again during our stay

Pros: Vegan Takoyaki , Many options, Reasonable pricing

Cons: Seating a tiny bit uncomfortable

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant and for your kind words.
We are truly honored by your compliments regarding our food, service, and staff’s hospitality.
We will continue striving to ensure that all guests can enjoy a pleasant time.
Please be sure to stop by again the next time you visit Osaka.

Steffoknee

Points +366

Vegan
05 Nov 2025

Vegan takoyaki!!!

Have always wanted to try takoyaki and it didn’t disappoint here!

pivotbase

25 Nov 2025

Thank you very much for visiting our restaurant. We are truly honored to receive your 5-star rating. All of our staff look forward to welcoming you again. We sincerely appreciate your visit.




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