Ovo
Japanese
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. 善Zen is an okonomiyaki restaurant. Has English menu with vegetarian options - check which ones of these are or can be vegan. Open Tue-Sun 5:00pm-10:00pm.
56 Reviews
First Review by CandieCat
SamGilbert
Points +46
Delicious Japanese Food! - Edit
They have a specific section at the back of the menu for vegan dishes. I went for dinner twice during my stay in Tokyo, got the delicious okonomiyaki modern (savoury pancake with vegetables and udon noodles) with a side dish of edamame. Was served with a small portion of soft tofu topped with spring onions and ginger 🔥👌🏻 Also peanut-free which was important to me having an allergy. I would definitely recommend!
Read moreGuest
digitalmimi
Points +1794
Good Okonomiyaki - Edit
Happy to find a place in the city center with vegan options. Vegetarians beware, the “vegetarian” options actually have fish broth in them, so aren’t truly vegetarian. Restaurant is able to accommodate larger groups.
Read moreThe only thing I was disappointed was that you didn’t get to grill the okonomiyaki yourself
Guest
sophieliv8
Points +61
Vegan okonomiyaki - Edit
Nice option that suits everyone, as they have a variety of vegan and meat options. The tomato vegan Okonomiyaki was pretty good and decently sized. Important to note that this place like most in tokyo, has a one drink , one food order per person rule.
Read moreGuest
jfarmer
Points +44
Brilliant ! - Edit
Excellent service, and get options for not vegan and vegetarian! Must try !
Read moreGuest
d.vegan
Points +671
tasty and filling - Edit
a lot of vegan okonomiyaki and side choices!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-11-23
Guest
SvB1987
Points +190
Complicated menu - Edit
Staff is helpful and will make sure your diet requirements are met.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-11-20
Guest
Sanglier
Points +123
Bon mais confusion des genres - Edit
J'ai eu l'impression que Zen pense que végétarien = pescatarien et vegan = végétarien ovo-lacto. Des plats contenant du poisson sont sur le menu végétarien et du fromage sur le menu vegan. Pensez à vérifier !
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-11-17
Pros: bon produit, personnel sympathique , anglais courant
Cons: Pas sûr que vegan du Zen soit vraiment vegan
Guest
ssavoy
Points +24
Great dinner - Edit
They have many vegan options, food was delicious, and the waiter was fully knowledgeable about vegan food.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-10-28
Pros: Traditional Japanese dinner experience but vegan, Non-alcoholic beer available, Knowledgeable waiter
Guest
DarkRequiem
Points +42
Delicious vegan okonomiyaki - Edit
Great cosy venue, really friendly staff. They all are knowledgeable about veganism, and everything is clearly labelled on the menu. Highly recommend!
Read moreGuest
jlhaves
Points +20
Awesome menu of options - Edit
It is incredibly difficult to find a restaurant that serves vegetarian, and to know what your options are, but this had an English menu that details both vegetarian and vegan options clearly. A welcome relief after much challenge. The restaurant is down a small side street, authentic and good food.
Read morePros: Huge servings, you won't be hungry, Great options on menu, Ability to eat with others, meat options too
Cons: Min order of 1 dish per person - big servings
Guest
Julie.x.taylor
Points +63
Great traditional food and friendly service - Edit
Great choice for everybody, meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. There was a vegetarian page and a vegan page to the menu, which allowed you choice and confidence to order. The waiter clarified his understanding of what we wanted to avoid using the pictures on the reverse of the menu. There was a lot of choice and I ordered the tomato okonomiyaki, a side order of grilled vegetables and a bowl of rice, planning to share the sides. The waiter expressed concern that we had ordered too much, as the dish sizes were large. He was correct, and we didn't manage to eat everything, despite it all being delicious. The grilled vegetables were amazing, enough for a meal on their own. The only downside was there were 3 of us and 2 main courses came out and the 3rd was a good 15 minutes later, which was a shame. However, everything was freshly made and delicious.
Read morePros: The amount of choice, The friendly service, The traditional dining experience
Cons: Waiting 15 minutes for our 3rd main course
Guest
hypercubes
Points +520
Good okonomiyaki and dessert - Edit
I got the regular vegan okonomiyaki and liked it. I also got the roll with red bean and walnuts for dessert (you have to ask for the vegan version). It was kind of like a crepe, and very good!
Read moreGuest
roosbij
Points +739
Delicious but slow - Edit
I had the basic vegan okonomiyaki and it was delicious. My sister ordered udon yaki and her food came out way before mine, so we couldn’t eat at the same time which was not so nice. Also there is a seating fee of 250¥, which is a bit strange in my opinion. The food was very good though.
Read moreGuest
nziv2
Points +31
Good service and food - Edit
Have an English menu available. When ordering the vegetarian option he asked to confirm I could have egg and cheese.
Read moreThese are super rich so I think you could easily share one with someone
Pros: Service, Flavour , Ease of ordering
Cons: Unsure if I ended up getting vegan cheese or regu
Guest
armerfarmer
Points +18
Hidden Gem! - Edit
Zen was a true gem. Delicious food, good vibe, friendly staff, and accessible vegetarian and vegan communication tools. Also, I have found that many restaurants in Japan listed on Happy Cow tend to be catering to foreigners, rather than accommodating them. Zen is definitely in the latter camp, with foreigners welcomed, but by no means are they the core clientele.
Read moreGuest
vandermost
Points +1126
Bland food, not “the full experience” - Edit
The food was okay but not very tasty. They brought everything out on plates. Not great value for money or the real experience of okonomiyaki if you’re looking for that. Nice seating and easy to order vegan options though.
Read moreGuest
CrMcr
Points +40
Rude staff brought wrong food - Edit
Unfortunately this was a very poor experience.
Read moreThey have a sign on the door in English saying they are full and not to open the door with no reservation. We were hungry so tried going in and they seated us and 4 more tables afterwards- this was a warning!
The vegetarian and vegan menus are the same and list fish and cheese options on both.
I ordered cheese as I’m vegetarian but got a seafood one and was told yes this is definitely the cheese one.
I ordered a non alcoholic beer but at the end discovered I was brought an alcoholic one.
No water.
The table next to use asked for some and they brought it to us not them.
There is a table charge which is actually a per person at the table charge currently 220 yen each.
There is a charge of 300 yen for not eating fish. It’s ironic that they tried to charge me for this when they also tried to get me eating fish despite having spoken to me about what I don’t eat when ordering.
Rip of and poor service and extremely rude and aggressive.
Avoid.
Cons: Rude service, Incorrect orders served, Sneaky charges
Guest
Dotty
Points +52
Authentic expirience - Edit
Very authentic atmosphere.
Read moreThe staff was very friendly and there is a separate vegan menu which unfortunately includes cheese, however it's clearly marked in english. We asked and confirmed it's diary, not vegan cheese. Back of the menu also has all animal products listed with pictures so you can easily make sure to say no to all of them. We found it very helpful.
Food was amazing, I had ginger and basic okonomiyaki and my boyfriend had basic okonomiyaki and udon noodles. We also had some sake taking advantage of this traditional restaurant setting.
Highly recommend.
Pros: Atmosphere , Authentic japanese cuisine
Cons: Vegan menu included cheese
Guest
lobrien7
Points +15
Good, excellent vegan options - Edit
I think they do a great job of asking what you can or can’t eat. As I’m a vegetarian she went through whether I could eat fish or eggs etc. very understanding and kind and a fun experience.
Read morePros: Plenty of options for okonomiyaki , Different ways to customise
Cons: A little expensive for non meat options , Little bland but maybe less so with more , Ingredients added
Guest
doomsandal
Points +225
Tasty! - Edit
No waiting time at 19 on a Thursday. Got to sit right where they make the okonomiyaki. They have a separate section on the menu for vegetarian options and another for vegan options (some of them stated they have cheese tho, I don’t understand why). I got the basic vegan okonomiyaki. It was delicious!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-06-09
Pros: Vegan okonomiyaki is a must try!
Guest
tzukideutsch
Points +22
great - Edit
Delicious and pleasant
Read morePros: Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Guest
totallymaart
Points +89
Amazing - Edit
Really wanted to try okonomiyaki in Japan. This restaurant has a separate vegan menu. The basic okonomiyaki was amazing. Also recommend the cabbage salad on the side. All in all a must visit.
Read moreGuest
Tgmuko
Points +303
Good experience in a cozy Japanese bar - Edit
It’s available some options for vegan and vegetarian, where it’s used kombu and shitake stew in place of fish dashi.
Read moreI ordered a tomato okonomiyaki and had also a piece of tofu with soy sauce as side dish. All delicious.
Pros: English menu, Tasty okonomiyaki, Good service
Cons: It’s seems to be mandatory to order a drink
Guest
Evrinomi
Points +512
The okonomiyaki was ok - Edit
The food was good but not great. English menu with vegan section and friendly staff who knows what vegan means.
Read moreGuest
AnnalieseJ
Points +189
Nice and friendly - Edit
Very nice food with a large menu and attentive staff. They came over with a sign with pictures of different animals, dairy and eggs and you can tell them exactly what you do and don't eat which is really helpful. Had a great time.
Read moreGuest
WillH1
Points +485
Yummy - Edit
Very filling and fresh food - great being able to watch it be prepared and nice they accommodated with additional page of menu for vegetarians and another for vegans
Read morePros: Good portion, Fresh food, Nice experience
Guest
erint945
Points +553
Authentic Japanese - Edit
I visited Zen with work colleagues and was surprised at the number of vegan options. It was cool to be able to try something uniquely Japanese while sticking to my values.
Read moreFull page that covers vegetarian options and most are vegan. Just stay away from the ones that have cheese listed of course.
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 20591 times.