Vegan
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out

Traditional vegan Japanese restaurant operated by Vegan Farm, which specializes in ochazuke, a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice. Accompany dishes may include stewed shiitake mushrooms, house made Nijiya seaweed, and nama-fu, grilled gluten in a vegan dashi stock. Address in Japanese: 中京区南車屋町287 木屋町会館1階. Open Mon-Sat 5:30pm-8:00pm, Tue-Sun 12:00pm-3:00pm. Irregular closed days - check Instagram for latest hours.


Venue map for Vegan Izakaya NIJIYA 虹屋
© OpenStreetMap contributors

282 Reviews

First Review by pareman

TandaFenian

Points +22

Vegan
04 Mar 2024

Delicious vegan food

A lovely find in Kyoto! Small place but worth the wait, just get booked in, wander around and come back to enjoy the friendly service and delicious food cooked right in front of you. Wonderful.

leodrake16

Points +302

Vegetarian
22 Dec 2025

Delicious with great options

Lovely vegan dinner, we ended up getting takeaway but it was still very nice!

Updated from previous review on 2025-12-22

Pros: Food, Price, Menu

·X·

Points +26469

Vegan
21 Dec 2025

Vegan Izakaya NIJIYA

Very nice experience. We ordered the smaller set menus (so we could try everything) and really enjoyed them. My favorite items were the vegan meats on a stick and the silken tofu and yuba dishes. We also ordered the vegan cheesecake and it was definitely not for either of us, but it may appeal to others. There are only 7 seats, so plan accordingly. Get there early, as they filled up for the evening very quickly and put the “closed” sign out once the line reached a small number of people.

Updated from previous review on 2025-12-21

JOG

Points +155

Vegan
18 Dec 2025

Everything was perfect

Amazing experience, we will definitely be back for dessert as well

Pros: Great vibe, Kind and generous service, Very cozy place

theclimatefoodie

Points +67

Vegan
13 Dec 2025

An absolute MUST when in Kyoto

Nijiya has a special place in my heart. I love the food, the vibe, and the owner Kimura-San is very nice. Eating here is a very unique space, with vegan options that you don't always find easily elsewhere. The line may be long, but it's worth it. Get there early!

Pros: The variety of food, Close proximity to the chefs, Location

Cons: It's small

varsha2792

Points +29

Vegetarian
11 Dec 2025

Best vegan meal in Japan

Shows you that Japanese food is sooooo much for than ramen for vegans. Try everything!

Vegalisa

Points +366

Vegan
09 Dec 2025

Very very good!

Eccellent food, amazing tasting and service! The yakitori is unreal.. You must try!

Updated from previous review on 2025-12-09

andylondon

Points +32

Vegan
01 Dec 2025

Tiny place. Amazing food. Lovely people

This place is absolutely tiny and we tried to get in three times but the queue was too long. We happened to walk past when there wasn’t a queue and I’m sooo happy we did. The food is incredible and made right in front of you. The chef is very funny and told us about each dish - and some cool things about Kyoto!

Chiara🍃☘️

Points +668

Vegan
29 Nov 2025

Fantastico

Esperienza culinaria davvero interessante, le portate erano tutte molto buone e particolari.

Ambiente piccolo con solo 7 coperti, siamo arrivati meno di 10 minuti dopo l'apertura ed era giá pieno, la fila dura 60 minuti ogni 7 persone appunto perchè il tempo a disposizione per mangiare è 60 minuti e noi l'abbiamo usato proprio tutto perchè facendo il menù più grande non era possibile finire prima.

Ovviamente i prezzi sono più alti del normale, il menù più piccolo dovrebbe essere 3900 yen e quello più grande 4900 yen, altrimenti si possono ordinare i singoli piatti

pampli

Points +279

Vegan
28 Nov 2025

Vive la experiencia culinaria y urbana de Japón al completo

Pongámonos en antecedentes, soy de ese tipo de personas a los que «vivir la experiencia» o «vivir el momento» les da exactamente igual, incluso diría que estoy bastante en contra. Efectivamente, soy un «oni»: un ogro japonés, si lo prefieres. Ahora que ya me conoces, fui a este izakaya con reticiencias a pesar de una recomendación excepcionalmente positiva del día anterior y tras una búsqueda que mi acompañante realizó sobre el sitio. En ambos casos, las opiniones invitaban a conocer Nijiya.

Una vez en la puerta del restaurante (por llamarlo de alguna manera), hice una cola de más de una hora y cuarto sin saber qué me esperaba dentro, lo cual me hizo casi perder la paciencia y la cabeza. Sin embargo, en un espacio tan sumamente reducido (caben siete personas apretadas) jamás imaginé que se podían hacer tantas delicias culinarias. Después del tiempo de espera, y tras darle una visual a una completísima carta, nos decantamos por el menú degustación más grande llamado «Nijiya Large course» en inglés: un viaje por todo Japón en un establecimiento que seguramente no pasaba de los treinta metros cuadrados, quién me lo iba a decir. Cada plato era mejor que el anterior, es mucho decir teniendo en cuenta que la lista no era corta. Por orden, fuimos comiendo tofu de yuzu y piel de tofu de yuba, dumplings con salsa casera, el típico obanzai de Kyoto que contenía cinco tapas con verduras de temporada, brochetas hechas con «carne» de soja (yakitori), un filete de soja vuelta y vuelta (yakiniku), una bola de arroz con miso a la plancha, sopa osuimono y para acabar, dos piecitas de chocolate yōkan y un trozo de «tarta de queso» a base de lías de sake. Salí extasiado de allí, ya sea por la comida, la presentación, el personal y su servicio o la experiencia en sí.

¿Qué me queda decir en este caso? Únicamente puedo añadir que si pasas o vives en Kyoto, haz un hueco en tu agenda para visitar este izakaya, te aseguro que la espera merecerá la pena.

[Visita: Cena del jueves, 15 de junio de 2025]

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-28

Pros: La calidad y la presentación de la comida, El personal es encantador, El concepto, la experiencia y el ambiente

Cons: La espera puede ser tediosa, El restaurante es muy pequeño, El precio puede ser un inconveniente

jdejoel_

Points +25

Vegetarian
23 Nov 2025

Amazing

The food was wonderful and the staff were even better! Very small cozy place, it only seats 7 people but this experience is totally worth it. We left with a smile on our faces, it’s definitely something we won’t forget. I forgot to take a picture of a couple of items on their lunch set as everything was so nice I just wanted to keep eating lol

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-23

Pros: Food, Staff, The experience

JuanAndresJara

Points +94

Vegan
23 Nov 2025

Must go!

The most delectable food you will have. Every dish welcomes you to a new flavor and style. The owner is a wonderful person to be around filled with smiles and courtesy.

Must try the home made miso sauce passed down by her grandmother!!

Pros: Unique flavors, Great ambiance, Happy vibes

Cons: Small location , Wait line outside

VeggiLulu

Points +4171

Herbivore
20 Nov 2025

Good but small portions for the price

Taste wise the food is goo, the presentation is nice aswell.
BUT! The portions are really small especially for that price!
There are other places in Kyoto more worth visiting than this one.
I enjoyed my meal here but it is just too expensive for the amount of food you get there!

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-20

Cons: Expensive , Small portions , Only 7 seats

erlenmeyer

Points +57

Vegan
18 Nov 2025

Absolutely incredible

Super highly recommend. Nut-free (they use sesame).

onkelgustav

Points +57

Vegan
18 Nov 2025

Sehr sehr lecker!

Wir waren an einem Dienstag um 12:30 da und haben direkt 2 der 7 Plätze bekommen.
Es gibt ein Lunch Menü für etwa 20€, darin enthalten war:
Silk Tofu mit Yuzu Sojasauce 10/10!!
Tofuskin mit Sojasauce und frischem Wasabi 10/10
Dumplings 9.5/10
Yakitori Soja Spieße 9464/10 WOW!
Miso Suppe 10/10, subtil im Geschmack und trotzdem total lecker
Reisbällchen mit Miso Paste 11/10

Die Atmosphäre ist heimisch und schön mit den einzigen 7 Thekenplätzen. Die Inhaberin ist sooo herzlich, man merkt, dass sie aus Leidenschaft kocht

Wenn ihr in Kyoto seid solltet ihr das auf keinen Fall verpassen!

Pros: Essen, Atmosphäre , Inhaberin

Kasi

Points +62

Vegan
13 Nov 2025

Very special Place

The food is absolutely delicious. It's very small but absolutely worth waiting 1h.

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-13

poivron

Points +682

Vegan
12 Nov 2025

Worth the wait

We waited an hour to get into this restaurant. At first, I didn't want to wait, and we went to a nearby non-vegan place that was said to have a vegan menu, but that place was full of the smell of burnt flesh, and the owner was the type of person who believes that foreigners have no sense of manners and you can therefore feel free to scold them like children because they didn't make a reservation. So we came back and stood in line and had a good time chatting with the other vegans in line. I'm generally skeptical of places where lines form outside, and many popular vegan restaurants in Japan are vastly overrated, but this is not one of them.

The character for "niji" in the name of the restaurant means "rainbow". So it's the Rainbow Restaurant. The owners are lovely, hard-working people who prepare delicious traditional Japanese food for hungry vegans. Don't hesitate to stand in line.

visnjaj

Points +150

Vegan
12 Nov 2025

So much flavour!

I ordered a big course meal and it was so delicious! All dishes were prepared with fresh ingredients and the flavours were interesting. I was especially blown away by the juicy "meat" skewers and the fried miso paste onigiri. Highly recommend.

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-12

grunorkt

Points +35

Vegetarian
11 Nov 2025

Excellent !

Je n’ai jamais aussi bien mangé de ma vie ! Tout est excellent, nous nous sommes régalés.
Il faut juste tomber au bon moment car il n’y a que 7 places !

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-11

Ac9999

Points +163

Vegan
11 Nov 2025

A must in Kyoto

Get the set meal because everything is scrumptious. Worth every yen.

sleepymoose

Points +52

Vegan
07 Nov 2025

wish I could come back!

still thinking about this meal…split the large set meal with a friend for dinner and was able to try many dishes. each one was a hit, the stand outs being the yakitori and rice ball. we arrived at 5:40 and were seated at 7:30, so would definitely recommend arriving early to try and be the one of the first 7 people there!

Rayworlds

Points +67

Vegan
05 Nov 2025

Ne è valsa la pena

Posto piccolissimo, solo 6 posti a sedere, 2 ore circa di attesa ma ne è valsa la pena.
Cibo buonissimo, cucinato al momento davanti agli ospiti, io e mia moglie abbiamo provato vari piatti e siamo rimasti entusiasti ad ogni portata!
Consigliato assolutamente!

Updated from previous review on 2025-11-05

Outsmart3225

Points +114

Vegan
29 Oct 2025

Meal of regret

The lunch course was phenomenal. A variety of dishes with no compromise in quality. It was also an added bonus to be able to watch the food prepared in front of us. The dessert was two bite size pieces but tasted amazing. My only regret is I was not able to eat at this restaurant a second time before leaving Kyoto.

Updated from previous review on 2025-10-29

MichelleSpencer

Points +23

Vegetarian
22 Oct 2025

Impressive

Highly recommended. Food was simple, so well thought out and so tasty. We had the set menu and everything was incredible. Great value for money too, we’d pay twice the amount at home in the uk.
Very small (hope they branch out to a bigger place in future) so be prepared to go early or wait, we arrived at 1845 and waited around 20 mins, but I am glad we did.

Updated from previous review on 2025-10-22

Pros: Can watch the food being prepared , Very impressive use of the tiny kitchen , Good explanations of the courses

Cons: Nothing

hvb97

Points +139

Vegetarian
19 Oct 2025

All vegan, all flavour

Wonderful little place. Food was varied and delicious. There's a bit of a wait time, but we dodged it by being there before it opens.

Updated from previous review on 2025-10-19

Ismael

Points +56

Vegan
17 Oct 2025

Small cozy place but totally worth the wait

Ever since I was little I wanted to taste japanese rice balls, but finding them vegan is a bit challenging. This is the place to go to get them. You also get other amazing dishes like Obanzai. Special mention to the yakitori.

Since it is a bit small, I would have iven it 4/5 stars but the food is so good it deserves 5/5.

Updated from previous review on 2025-10-17

Pros: Rice balls, Obansai, Yakitori

crescentmoon

Points +18

Vegan
12 Oct 2025

Such a lovely little place

A super cute and cozy spot with really delicious food! The owner is so kind — if she doesn’t understand something in English, she just uses ChatGPT or a translator, and communication works perfectly. It was such a wonderful experience!

Pros: The food taste, The service , The athmosphere




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