The Pink Cow

I've eaten at the Pink Cow twice, before becoming a vegan and recently after making the transition. The first time I went, I had the samosa burrito, which was absolutely incredible. The price is right for the size of the food and atmosphere. I went again recently and ordered the taco salad with a friend, which is labeled on the menu as "vegetarian and vegan ok." I didn't specify when I ordered because I wrongly assumed that the dish would be vegan. Unfortunately, it came with cheese on it. The staff was totally understanding and kind when I explained my misunderstanding and promptly made another dish for me and replaced my silverware. My vegetarian friend could finish the non-vegan salad for me so it wasn't that big of a deal. The food is incredible, just please specify that you want the dish to be vegan even if it doesn't prompt you to on the menu!

I went here for a vegan buffet with the tokyo vegan meetup group, and it was killer... the counter fully lined up with all kinds of food, massive variety, good vibes and even live music...

When in Roppongi, the Happy Cow always recommends the Pink Cow as the place to go. But when I went there, it looked rather uninviting. It's located below street level in a dark shady ally. It's surrounded by drinking establishments which aren't exactly my thing. In fact, the whole neighbourhood looks dodgy. The fact that the Pink Cow also serves meat doesn't help either. So I never decided to actually eat at the Pink Cow.

This changed when I was invited by a vegan society in Tokyo which has its monthly dinner at the Pink Cow. And again things looked rather unattractive. At the door a perfectly rude American man collecting entrances fees made it very clear that he felt vastly superior to the Japanese. He didn't want to stick to the Japanese customs, rules or regulations and did everything the American way. Still, I paid him to be allowed in to the vegan meeting.

The theme this month was "Cinco de Mayo", so vegan Mexican food was being served. And after one bite my opinion about the Pink Cow changed. The food was wonderful and the chef really knows how to make vegan food taste right! The buffet offered a huge variety of flavours and just about every traditional Mexican dish was available in vegan style. Never did the chef use too much oil or fat to create the taste, so it was healthy as well. Even the dessert was great!

On the way back home, late in the evening the "watering holes" nearby seemed to attract an even worse crowd than before (there was even a fight on the street). It's a shame that such a great restaurant is surrounded by such bad people both inside and out, otherwise I would certainly be a regular at the Pink Cow.

Definitely more pub than restaurant, but having said that they offer many veg*n options.
I had bruschetta followed by veggie burger and was very satisfied.

Once a month the Tokyo vegan meetup do a fully vegan buffet here. The food is amazing and there's really good variety, and it's a good chance to meet others. It gets booked up pretty quickly though!
(You can find information on the meets at http://www.meetup.com/vegan-389/ )

I've been to the buffet twice so far but I haven't been to the Pink Cow on an ordinary day yet so I can't review the menu options but it's great that they do options !

(I'm not sure why my pros and cons are automatically capitalising every word btw ahaha)