Vegan
Japanese
Macrobiotic
Organic
Beer/Wine
European
Fusion

Vegan restaurant in a traditional machiya-style house close to the Nishiki market, est. since 2016. Its flagship location is in Okinawa. Features contemporary vegan-meets-shojin cuisine using organic local vegetables, millet, and prepared condiments like vinegar, miso, and soy sauce. Has set menus with options from Japanese Shojin and Italian to French and Oriental. Three dinner plans are offered: a chef’s special vegan sushi course, a 9-course meal (last call 7:30pm), a 7-course meal (last call 8pm), and a 6-course meal (last call (8pm). Has a pairing menu with premium sake or natural wine. Reservations recommended. NOTE from owner: "We regret to inform you that we will be closing down on Jan 27, 2019. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of you. Things are changing so rapidly, we decided to focus on delivering a organic & peaceful message from our home Okinawa. We’re looking forward to welcoming you in Okinawa."


Venue map for Ukishima Garden
© OpenStreetMap contributors

87 Reviews

First Review by Timbob

edwardbc

Points +1021

Vegan
09 Feb 2018

Okay

Me and a friend had the six course meal. Some of the options were interesting but some others were bland for the two of us. On the other side, some of the options were good and the service and the place are excellent.

It can be a little pricey (around 6000 yen) so if it hurts your wallet I'd recommend something else, otherwise it might be a good option as it seems to be for most of the reviewers.



Updated from previous review on 2018-02-06

Pros: Some plates are interesting, Nice ambient, Good service

Cons: Pricey, Some of the options can be a bit bland

e_rocka1@yahoo.com

Points +60

Vegan
07 Feb 2018

a beautiful time

I came twice on my stay to Kyoto--- the all around experience was well worth 5 stars...amazing food, service and ambiance. I wish I would have been able to make the cooking class on Wednesday afternoon, but I had just missed it. I loved the open kitchen and female chefs! Staff was wonderful & some great little items for sale too! Totally recommend this spot!

Pros: service, amazing food, ambiance

m@earthville

Points +9252

Vegan
06 Feb 2018

Mostly excellent

I dined at Ukishima Garden thrice during my four days in Kyoto, so got to sample a good selection of the menu. Since shojin cuisine is one of my favorites, I'm always keen to try a new place, and I found that the attention to flavor, texture, and balance at Ukishima Garden lives up to the shojin standard, with everything being just right, so much that it feels like eating art. (Caveat: one needs to be a fan of subtle perfection to be as excited about shojin cuisine as I am, so bear that in mind.)

The "Megumi Set Menu," though quite expensive, is highly recommendable as an introduction to shojin offerings at Ukishima Garden, with multiple courses providing a grand tour of flavors and textures. A more affordable alternative would be the tapas plate, with small servings of six different items, all delicious. In the realm of appetizers and smaller dishes, I found both the gyoza and the "okara hummus" rolls quite good (though not at the same exquisite level as the first two dishes I mentioned). I also tried the millet hamburger steak, of which the best feature was the sauce (the "steak" itself was good but nothing special, and the side of veggies served with it were pretty plain). For dessert, the lemon cheesecake was nuanced and pleasant.

The ambience was elegant and service was very good (with English spoken well). Prices are on the high side considering the small portions, but are justified by the quality of the food, the service, and the experience.

Highly recommended, especially for those who appreciate the art of nuanced balancing of flavor and texture.

Enjoy!

sharklovergirl

Points +83

Vegan
30 Jan 2018

overrated I felt

The food was ok, it was super overpriced though, this place needs to be rated as $$$ because it was really expensive. Portions were super small, the meal we had was fine but not worth the 3240 yen we paid for 2 tiny meals that didn’t fill us up.

Pros: nice staff, nice atmosphere

Cons: overpriced, small portions

chamane

Points +19

Vegetarian
18 Jan 2018

Vegan deliciousness in Kyoto

We had a wonderful vegan fine dining 7 course degustation meal here. The flavours were delicious. The ambience and service really good. Recommended as a treat. It is abit pricey but worth it.

LPStaker

Points +16

Vegan
12 Jan 2018

Best meal ever

Creative, flavoursome and beautifully presented dishes with attentive and friendly service.

Pros: the excellent food, relaxed vibe, welcoming staff

Cons: I was not in town for the cooking class on thursda

Brenda Jauqe

Points +663

Vegan
08 Jan 2018

Completely Vegan Restaurant

This restaurant is by far the most elegant place I've been to that is completely vegan. They have a nice course meal of around $60 USD which sounds expensive but every ingredient is local and delicious. If that is over your budget you can order seperate meals such as ramen or dumplings.

Pros: Completely vegan, Great staff, Beautiful restaurant

Cons:

Cookieme

Points +23

Vegetarian
20 Nov 2017

Amazing Japanese vegan food!

We treated us for the 4 course set meal and it was so worth it and such good value for money! I had the "eel" with sticky soy sauce as main and my partner had the Ramen. Everything on the menu is vegan. The broth is kelp based.
It was such a great experience and the staff are so nice!

kelly_n

Points +19

Vegetarian
12 Nov 2017

Worth the expense

After subsisting on limited convenience store foods for a couple days of travel, I can't tell you how nice it was to find comfort in the food and ambience of this restaurant.

We chose the larger of the two tasting menus for dinner. The plating was impeccable and the food was delicious. I enjoyed everything, and was happy to have the description of each plate from our server. The entire staff was female, which was cool!

If it's cold out and you chill easily, try to avoid the back corner booth. You can also choose to sit at the counter and watch the chefs work!

Pros: Delicious, gourmet food , English speaking waitstaff , Impeccable presentation

Cons: Expensive, Cold, especially by the walls in the corner

joseywales

Points +94

Vegan
25 Oct 2017

fine vegan dining

Beautiful restaurant in an old house.

The staff are friendly, the service is great and the menu is carefully and well executed.

Highly recommended!

SimonJohnson

Points +165

Vegan
16 Oct 2017

perfect

This was our first ever meal in Japan and it was everything I’d hoped for.
The dishes were so simple but clever and the clearly a lot of effort had gone into sourcing the best quality ingredients.
Service was very friendly and cheerful, and the staff had either fluent English or broken English but plenty of willingness to communicate regardless.
It was a great welcome to Kyoto.

KristinK.

Points +21

Vegetarian
14 Oct 2017

Best food I've ever had!

It was so good we went there all 3 nights we were in Kyoto. The food was amazing and everyone was so nice! Even my super picky boyfriend, who''s also vegetarian, but usually only eats pizza and mozzarella sticks loved the gyoza! The set course and it was delicious every time!

Pros: Delicious food, Everything on the menu is vegan, No worries about fish both!

Cons: None

Tsaoling

Points +34

Vegetarian
08 Oct 2017

好吃

店員英語溝通能力佳
細心貼心食物好吃

ErikvH.

Points +1290

Vegan
02 Oct 2017

Stylish and tasty

This stylish and modern restaurant serves great traditional Japanese vegan food, but is quite expensive. We could choose from two course meals or a la carte, and decided to go with a course meal that included appetizer, three tapas, soup, main course and desert. The tapas and soup were a delicious adventure in different flavors. The main course was a ramen in a creamy curry and could've used a little more spice for my taste. Nonetheless, a nice diner in a beautiful place.

Pros: Staff speaks English , Excellent presentation

Cons: Not cheap

alysialeeasp

Points +26

Vegetarian
01 Oct 2017

Amazing meal in an amazing city!

I just had a meal that was so wonderful, I joined this website to review it! From start to finish it was one of the best meals I have ever had. Amazing flavors, presentation, variety, super nice staff and a solid message and intent made for a perfect experience. Eat here.

Pros: Zen food, Special rare flavors and dishes, Environmentally focused

Cons: Price is not low, but it is Japan, A bit hard to find, Make reservations

DianeCaillou

Points +37

Vegetarian
29 Sep 2017

magnifique, délicieux, engagé

Génial ! Tout est délicieux, vegan, pas besoin de haleter avec la carte. C'est bon, c est bio, c'est local, c'est vegan. Le cadre est Canon Amanda ce japonaise avec un twist moderne! (On peut s'attabler au bar design vu sur le mini jardin japonais) le vin est au top !

StephanieStutz

Points +70

Vegan
26 Sep 2017

Absolutely delicious

We loved the food here. The ambiente was wonderful, the service personal was gentle and helpful. Our best vegan experience in Kyoto.

bvanwassenhove

Points +138

Vegan
24 Sep 2017

Beautiful, inventive food

I've had dinner here twice and on both occasions I found the set menus creative, wonderfully tasty, and beautifully presented. They use very fresh, quality ingredients and make everything from scratch. The service is also impeccable. I can't praise this place highly enough.

Pros: Creative set menus, Fresh quality ingredients, Impeccable service

shenxi

Points +108

Vegan
21 Sep 2017

a great, special place

We got the dinner set, and each plate introduced a (delicious) flavor we'd never experienced before. They use local vegetables in creative recipes, and great care is taken in every part of the meal. Our experience here was magical.

The price was high ($120 for two) but we felt it was well worth it.

The meal here was very involved and fancy, taking over 2 hours, so be aware of that if you're looking for something more casual.

FabiolaBeneath

Points +22

Vegan
18 Sep 2017

Servizio e cibo eccellente, ma molto costoso

Il ristorante è davvero molto carino e il servizio è impeccabile. La cameriera parla perfettamente inglese e il cibo è davvero ottimo. I prodotti utilizzati sono tutti di grande qualità e i piatti sono ricercati e molto gustosi. Unico neo è veramente molto costoso. Abbiamo speso in due più di 13000 Yen quindi più di 100 euro. Abbiamo scelto i menù fissi e costavano già sui 4000 Yen l'uno. Però per una serata all'insegna del buon cibo è un posto perfetto!

Pros: cibo ottimo e servizio impeccabile

Cons: costoso

JenStrickland

Points +19

Vegetarian
11 Sep 2017

Delicious, nutritious

A little pricey, but worth it. Tasty, healthy food in an upscale romantic little place. Candles on the table for ambiance. Beautifully presented. Female chefs and staff were a bonus--girl power!! :)

Pros: Great ambiance, Tasty, Healthy

Cons: Pricey, Need reservations

KonstigHest

Points +21

Vegetarian
10 Sep 2017

Amazing inventive menu + excellent service

We both had the dinner menu which arrived at a nice pace, starting off with 3 different appetizers. I had "eel" for main dish (which in reality was a millet-patty) and my girlfriend had the vegan carbonara. They were both absolutely delicious. The staff spoke fluent English and described every dish with passion. We left feeling grateful to have experienced such a great dinner.

Pros: atmosphere, inventive yet delicious food, professi

kelsiphung

Points +52

Vegan
08 Sep 2017

Excellent ! Mais cher !

Vraiment excellent, le service et le cadre sont de qualité !

Cons: C'est assez cher par rapport à la quantité !

malexander07

Points +139

Vegan
03 Sep 2017

truly amazing culinary experience

We went here with our Japanese friends last night. We ordered 2 tasting menus and they were simply phenomenal. The staff, service, philosophy, non-alcoholic drinks and dishes wowed us from beginning to end. The unagi (eel) was worth a trip 1/2 way around the world. Might be the best vegan meal we have ever had...ever.

Ika

Points +251

Vegan
29 May 2017

Excellent vegan food in a relaxing atmosphere

This restaurant serves high quality vegan, organic and regional food with outstanding taste. Therefore you cannot expect a cheap bite here, but the quality is really worth the price. They have an open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs preparing your food in a remarkably relaxed manner. It looks like every dish is freshly cooked and arranged with love. They have an English menu and English speaking staff. The daily menu was in Japanese, but the waiter translated it for me. On my first visit I ate the vegan sushi, which was extremely delicious. As far as I remember, it was the most expensive main course (¥1600). Together with a cake and homemade ginger ale (super good) I payed about ¥4000. On a second visit I ate a set with many courses (maybe 6, I don't remember exactly). Every course was very tasty, but the whole set was too much for me.

taysesame

Points +150

Vegan
08 May 2017

Good Place for a Date : )

I was too hungry to make it to my original destination so stopped by here. The pasta was super delicious! I don't usually like pasta.. but I do now! I also got the matcha cheese cake and banana smoothie. The banana smoothie was small and nothing special. I would recommend doing the lunch set meal if you are on a budget, but still want to try this place. The interior is very nice! I enjoyed watching the chefs work and seeing what everyone else ordered. The staff kept me company : )

Pros: unique menu, local ingredients, atmosphere

Cons: high price, if you are not prepared

AnupParmar

Points +15

Vegetarian
04 May 2017

Fine dining in beautiful surroundings

Great hospitality with strong English speaking staff who were very friendly. Staff were well versed in what was in each dish and explained what some of the more exotic ingredients were. We went for the a la carte menu though they do have set menus too. Food was really tasty. Definitely recommend.




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