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An all-vegan restaurant offering food like pizza, char-grilled BBQ tofu rice bowl, miso ramen and soy milk miso ramen for noodle dishes, sweets, organic coffee and more. Has an English menu. Last order taken at 4:30 pm. Located near Fushimi Shrine at 612-0029 京都市伏見区深草西浦町4丁目88. A natural organic store also operates in the restaurant. New owner since February 2016. Note: In Japan kitchens often stop serving 30-60 minutes before closing time. Call ahead to confirm. Open Mon-Tue 11:30am-5:00pm, Thu-Fri 11:30am-5:00pm, Sat 11:30am-9:00pm, Sun 11:30am-5:00pm. Closed Wed. Irregular opening hours are notified through Facebook.
Category: Vegan, Pizza, Japanese, Organic, Western
Reviews (65)
First Review by lemurcat
Contributions +46
Delicious food - Edit
Delicious food, tried the chargrilled tofu which was really tasty. Nice cafe, good portions, reasonable prices
Cons: staff not very friendly
Contributions +601
Best green tea soy milk shake ever - Edit
I came here after visiting Fushimi-Inari, which is only one subway station away, and had the best green tea soy milk shake ever! It was super rich & creamy.
The tofu rice bowl was also really nice, even though the sauce of the tofu was a bit on the salty side (it was fine to eat with rice). I also like that on the menu you can choose the portion sizes you want from S, M to L. One thing I find typical of Japanese restaurants is that portion sizes tend to be pretty small, so I really appreciate the fact that you can choose it by yourself here!
They also sell lots of vegan goodies in the restaurant including vegan butter. Would love to try one day!
Pros: nice food, friendly staff, great vibe
Contributions +32
Eat like a king, ahem, I mean an Emperor - Edit
After a visit to the beautiful Fushimi Inari Shrine, there is not better place to grab a bite, or to stuff yourself with delicious food than this adorable little nook.
The cafe lies about 15min away by foot from the shrine and it is well worth the walk, even in the sweltering summer heat. It's not hard to find, but it is a bit camouflaged into the corner, so look left if you're coming from the shrine and turn the corner.
The cafe has a varied menu consisting of a number of interesting dishes such as casseroles, curry, pizza, etc. Following the suggestion of other reviews, we tried their miso ramen and asked for it not to be spicy. The dish came in a heaping, steaming bowl that was a challenge to finish. We were stuffed by the end of it, but it was so delicious we dared not leave a single spoonful. The ramen came with plenty of noodles as well as soy sprouts and various almost raw vegetables (not soggy) in a delicious miso broth. By far the best vegan ramen we have ever had.
We also tried their soft serve ice cream and tiramisu. The ice cream was delicious with a sweet, yet mild, vanilla type tofuish flavor. It had true soft serve ice cream texture and came bathed in a sauce of our choosing, The tiramisu was truthfully disappointing, as it did not taste at all like coffee but rather a bit sour. Not very pleasant.
Overall we greatly enjoyed our meal at Vegans Cafe and Restaurant and would undoubtedly return in the future for a delicious bowl of ramen followed by some creamy soy soft serve.
Pros: generous portions, friendly staff, delicious food
Cons: pricey, distant, very little English spoken
Contributions +425
Organic and delicious food, cozy and feel-good vibes, passionate staff, ethical vegan background - Edit
Vegans Cafe and Restaurant is my favorite vegan restaurant in Kyoto for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the founder of Vegans used to own a largely popular barbecue restaurant but closed it to open this instead because he didn't want to contribute to more animal suffering and environmental destruction. This is the only vegan restaurant I know of in Kyoto which was established behind these ethical reasons. Secondly, the core message behind the restaurant's model is to also encourage mindful and holistic eating which is why everything on the menu is 100 percent organic and naturally grown. The food is always fresh, flavorful and prepared with lots of care. The staff are passionate, hardworking and motivated. It took one visit to this restaurant to convince me to apply for a job here, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The journey of being part of the Vegans team has been an empowering and enlightening one, and I hope you will come visit us to experience that yourself.
Pros: Organic and delicious food, Friendly and hardworking staff, Cozy vibes
Cons: A little out of the way
Contributions +431
My favorite in Kyoto - Edit
I went to almost 10 végétarien/vegan restaurants in Kyoto during a trip and Vegans was my favorite.
It is a small peaceful place away from the center but popular with locals.
The good was great (I had natto, rice and a salade for 1500 yens). You can taste it was made with care.
Pros: Great dishes, Japanese and western options
Contributions +52
Yes - Edit
The ramen here was the most incredible thing I have ever eaten, there were ROAST VEGETABLES in it, I can't emphasise enough how good it was
My partner had the Charcoal grilled tofu bowl which was equally as incredible, he genuinely dreamt about it later.
This place has topped my list of places we have eaten in Japan.
Updated from previous review on 2017-06-25
Pros: English speaking staff, Animals allowed inside the cafe!!
Cons: All other food is ruined for me now
1 Response
YukiLim 20 Jul 2017 - Hello TahliaChloe, this is Yuki from Vegans Cafe. Thank you so much for visiting the restaurant and writing such a lovely review! We are very happy you are satisfied with your visit here and look forward to seeing you again.
Sincerely,
Yuki
Contributions +221
Très bon et très copieux! - Edit
J'ai pris les Miso Ramen en me disant que si j'avais encore faim je prendrai un de leur dessert qui font très envie mais le plat était tellement copieux que je n'ai pas réussi à finir!
C'était très bon!
A noter que le restaurant est fermé le mercredi :)
Updated from previous review on 2017-05-14
Contributions +139
No Alliums - Edit
Delicious and pretty popular that you might have to wait before you can get seated because it's often full.
Pros: accessible, has a no-Alliums menu
Cons: no-Alliums menu is not in English nor in Japanese, a lot of delicious looking food has onion etc.
Contributions +67
Great Vegan Food! - Edit
We had the Charcoal-Grilled Deep Fried Tofu, Garbanzo Bean Curry with rice, and the Soy Milk Parfait with Green Tea topping for dessert. Everything was amazing! About a 15 minute walk from Inari Station and the Fushima shrine. Definitely eat here!
Pros: All Vegan!, Allergens listed for each item
Cons: None!
Contributions +54
A++++++++++++++++ - Edit
If you are in Kyoto and you don't go here, you are making a huge mistake. We had ramen and BBQ tofu and it was so amazing, we have probably ruined ourselves for having those dishes ever again - nothing will ever compare. The staff was amazingly friendly, the restaurant was very cute, and THE FOOD!!! OH MY GOD, THE FOOOOOOOOOOOOD
EDIT: We got excited and wrote this review before eating dessert. THE SOFT SERVE IS OUT OF THIS WORLD! BOOK YOUR FLIGHT NOW
Pros: Everything
Cons: I don't live in this restaurant
Contributions +22
AMAZING!! - Edit
me and my sister came here after visiting the Shrine. BEST FOOD EVER! we had the ramen, deep fried tofu and a pizza and it was all incredible. such good flavours and portions sizes. food was fresh and packed full of flavor. well worth the walk, took us about 15 minutes walk from the shrine and absolutely worth it. cannot recommend enough!
Pros: amazing food, lovely inside, nice staff
Contributions +11
pizza和拉麵可去五辛 - Edit
非常特別的一間素食餐廳，在伏見稻禾大社附近，走路算滿近的，有pizza和拉麵可以去五辛，座位不多，來用餐到吃完離開都是維持在滿座的狀態
Contributions +21
Good Place and good Ramen - Edit
My friend wanted to eat Vegan Ramen then we come here.
It was perfect! Very tasty and good portion and my friends was very happy! I will go back!
Pros: Good Ramen!
Cons: Not very beautiful interior
Contributions +24
great food great menu - Edit
great japanese restaurant with a twist.
Im not usually a tofu fan but the burnt tofu with rice was out of this world. The miso was delicious, not to strong and was full of vegies
returning again to try their pizza.
You must also try their ice cream, you wont regret it.
Pros: great menu, great food, great atmosphere
Cons: none
Contributions +12
Best vegan ramen in Kyoto - Edit
A warm and welcoming family-friendly place. They boasted a quality assortment of menu items including deep-fried tofu, pizza, ramen, and traditional Japanese set. The chef was a former roast specialist turned vegan. A regular sized ramen is a generous serving!
Pros: Amazing menu Good value
Cons: Ramen may be a little salty for some
Contributions +44
definitely five stars - Edit
One of our favorite vegan restaurants in Kyoto. Amazing soy broth ramen and grilled tofu rice bowl and.. delicious black sesame banana soy shake! The woman server, who I assume is the owner, was really sweet. The restaurant was clean, large, casual, and is within a walking distance from Fushimi-Inari. Give them a try!
Pros: inexpensive
Contributions +120
really good! - Edit
My favourite vegan place in Japan and one of the best I've tried around the world! I had the rice and tofu bowl, pizza (I rarely eat mock cheese as I find most of them to be disgusting but this one was pretty good!), the matcha milkshake (it ended up being more of a soft serve than a milkshake, as someone else mentioned below but it was good nonetheless) and the soft serve sundae. The soft serve was really good! They also sell items for your kitchen, eg pasta, sauces, frozen goods.
Highly recommended.
Contributions +35
Excellent Vegan East/West Fusion - Edit
Vegans Cafe was at the top of our list of vegan places to visit from their review on japanvegan.blogspot.com. And the real thing did not disappoint.
Located in southern Kyoto, Vegans Cafe is the center for the Kyoto animal rights movement, which means they do more than just cook amazing food, they are actively encouraging a meat and animal product free life style. The restaurant contains flyers about eating vegan and against wearing fur, which is sadly something the Japanese still consider fashionable. (We saw several women wearing what could only be real fox pelts around their necks while walking around Tokyo and Kyoto)
The food is a well done mixture of Japanese and European styles, including rice dishes, casseroles, pizzas, and curries. They also serve vegan desserts including a cashew cream cheesecake and soy ice cream. The staff speak English and their menu is available in English as well. Inside you will also find several vegan goods purchasable from within the restaurant. Seating includes traditional Japanese low tables and mats as well as Western style tables and chairs. Our food came in a reasonable time and was delicious.
I would highly recommend making this restaurant a stop for anyone in Kyoto who is vegan and/or cares about animal rights. If you are a local you might even consider joining them in their campaign to reduce animal cruelty in Japan.
Pros: Great Food, English Menu and English Speaking Staff, Restaurant also active in Animal Rights community
Cons: None. Go eat there!
Contributions +32
perfect! - Edit
all the 5 stars views were true. we went there on purpose and it was totaly worth it. we had pizza, grilled tofu with rice and the cake of the day. after all, i wished i was hungrier just to order more things but we were full. good price too and very kind staff. i would recomend it to everyone even, or in special, to non vegans
Pros: all vegan. nice place. delicious
Cons: none
Contributions +26
Want to visit again - Edit
I went to this reataurant for dinner on Saturday evening, because they open late only on Saturday.
I really loved their menu serving Donburi(Rice bowl), Ramen(noodle), Pizza and so on, which are all vegan.
I had an Atsuage Don. Very good to have charcoal-grilled tofu with tasty source. I was full with just the medium size of Atsuage and I could not eat any other dishes.
I really wanted to try other things. Next time, I will go again with a hungry stomach. Service is a bit slow, but acceptable.
Pros: Tasty vegan food, Reasonable
Cons: Bit far from the center area
Contributions +14
takeaway pizza! - Edit
We had soymeat pita pocket and fried tofu with rice, with the salad/miso set.
The soymeat pita and fried tofu both had this incredible sauce on it which was like the lovechild of tonkatsu and a good tangy smoky bbq sauce.
Also had a black sesame and banana milkshake type thing which was so so delicious.
Salad includes okara which is very yummy.
I loved the fried tofu in my bowl so much that I got a fried tofu takeaway pizza for later which was very good and a decent size.
Whole order including pizza cost just shy of 5000en which is fair value if you consider that it was about 3.5 meals.
Will definitely be back!
Contributions +139
Must visit after Fushimi Inari Taisha! - Edit
This is my insider's tip in Kyoto. I had a delicious casserole there, followed by one of the best pieces of cake I ever had in a restaurant.
It's also a decent place to stock up in some (guaranteed vegan) foods, since there is a little shop as well.
The waiter's English might not be the best, but they put in a lot of effort.
Contributions +359
Comfort food for vegans - Edit
It's comfort food in generous portions! We came for lunch and ordered the seasonal veg & natto salad and the kheema masala gratin with soy cheese. Other lunch diners ordered a pizza, which looked definitely big enough to share.
This is a friendly, casual restaurant ( no reservations needed though some food bloggers have said they were) with some organic produce , raw chocolate and other food products for sale.
It was fairly easy to find in Fushimi, midway between the Fukakura & Fujinomori stations on the Kyoto Keihan subway line, 2 blocks south of the Hotel Urban Kyoto. The Fushiminishiura Post Office is just down the street, and landmarks on the cross street include "Liquor Mountain" , a large liquor outlet, and an AU store. The restaurant website has a good map.
Prices are reasonable and there is an English menu & English speaking wait staff.
Pros: All vegan , Generous portions , Reasonable prices
Contributions +48
Amazing! - Edit
Went here after visiting Fushimi Inari shrine as its within walking distance. Fantastic food & desserts - really mindblowingly good! It's worth a trip to come here. Friendly staff too!
Contributions +51
Absolutely delicious! - Edit
The food we e joyed at Vegans cafe was some of the best we have had, ever. The caferestaurant is situated a little out of the Kyoto city centre, however it is well worth the trip to get there. After not having lunch, we were ravenous, so ordered a smoked tofu bowl, a creamy rice casserole, a margarita pizza, and a smoked tofu pizza. All were deliciois, but for us the stand out dish was r
The tofu. To top it all off we ordered a slice of the green tea & red bean cake, which was served with complementary vanilla ice cream. A must go to restaurant for any vegan or food enthusiast alike!
Pros: Delicious food, Good service, Relaxed atmosphere
Cons: A bit far away from Kyoto city centre
Contributions +27
delicious! - Edit
a great cafe to visit if you are on your way to the Fushimi shrine. super helpful and English speaking staff. The curry I had here was amazing!
Contributions +51
favorite meal in Kyoto - Edit
this is hands down the best restaurant I ate at in my trip to Japan this month. I got the ramen with the vegetables, and then my friends and I split the curry pizza. Both were amazing. I'm still thinking about that ramen haha. It's a joy out of the way but if you're visiting the fushimi inari shrine then it's pretty close by. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Kyoto.
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