Many vegetarians travel to Japan often feel that there are few dining options and do not want to eat salad, what to do? In fact, in recent years, there have been more and more vegetable and vegan restaurants in Japan, and it is surprising that the world's first vegetarian restaurant is actually in Tokyo. This time, I will introduce 7 Tokyo vegetarian restaurants to everyone, including vegetarian yakiniku restaurants, vegetarian cafes, vegetarian izakayas, etc., and vegetarians should quickly collect this article!
"Vegetable Course" was voted the first place by the world's leading vegetarian websites!
▋Why did Japan's vegetarian development start late?
With the rise of global environmental awareness and the protection of animals, there are more and more "vegetarians" and "vegans". But why did Japan, one of the world's advanced countries, develop vegetarian food later than other countries? The most important thing is the difference in the original "food culture".
Traditional and food.
Affected by the geographical conditions surrounded by the sea, since ancient times, the "Japanese food" eaten by The Japanese people have been fish and meat as the center, with vegetables, soybeans, rice, miso soup, a meal has completely contained the elements of nutritional balance, people do not need to eat vegetarian to improve health, so the concept of vegetarianism in Japan at that time did not spread rapidly. However, in recent years, from the government to the private sector in Japan, they have attached great importance to the "SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)", attached importance to environmental protection and reduced carbon emissions, so they have begun to pay attention to the demand for vegetarian food, coupled with the great increase in the demand for vegetarian food by foreigners visiting Japan, and now there are more vegetarian options in Vegetarian stores and restaurants in Japan!
▋Vegetarians are recommended! 7 must-eat vegetarian restaurants
Selected as the world's no. 1 vegetarian restaurant "Vegetable Course"
Ramen, eel rice, pork chops, and curry rice are the must-eat dishes in Japan, which are no longer dry-eyed dishes for vegetarians! Chef Katsuzo Nanmoto uses the concept of "gastronomic homogeneity" to make delicious vegetarian dishes that taste like many spices without using "five spices" seasonings such as shallots, garlic, leeks, herbs, and kochi. That's why HappyCow, the world's most vegetarian-friendly website, has chosen 110,000 restaurants!
When you open it, you will have a molecular dish salad with the aroma of Mt. Fuji wafting out
The taste is not inferior to the main dish of real eel rice
The dishes of the course are served as a set menu, including the appetizer "Sai Soup", a salad called "Sai Green", the main course "Main Sai", the dessert "Side Sai" and drinks, and the meal is not only delicious, but also adds a lot of creativity. The "Sai Green" salad is a popular molecular dish, and the aroma from Mt. Fuji is wrapped in liquid nitrogen, and the surprise is revealed when the lid is opened. There are noodles, soups and curry options for the main table, and the grilled color and sauce of the eel are quite attractive, and the taste is not at all inferior to the real eel rice. Desserts are very eye-catching sundaes, and smoothies are made with seasonal fruits. Every little detail shows the restaurant's intentions for vegetarians, but the most surprising thing is that although the dishes are the most expensive in the world, the prices are very approachable!
Dessert sundae after meals
Restaurant exterior
The dish dish SAIDO
・Jibo: A&D House, 2-15-10 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Kyoto
・Hours: (Lunch) 12:00 - 20:00 , (Dinner) 18:00 - 21:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)
Middle Eastern vegetarian "Salam" supervised by chef at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant
Middle Eastern cuisine with a rich color scheme
The manager of Salam is Fumio Yonezawa, who studied at Jean-Georges, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York, where he became the first Japanese vice chef and chef in Tokyo when Jean-Georges opened a store in Japan. He then started his own business, The Burn, which is now a popular steakhouse in Tokyo, and in 2020, he opened Salam restaurant with middle Eastern cuisine as the concept.
A soup that can be eaten with bean particles
Image source: Salam official website
The vegetarian meals made by "Salam" maintain the gorgeous style of the Middle East, the dishes containing the food have beautiful patterns, and many special spices from the Middle East are used in the cooking process, so that the food can have bright colors and aromas. Beans, yogurt, and potatoes are used a lot in the dishes, and the refreshing taste with a slightly sour taste is very suitable for summer. Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine is not very common in Japan, and even vegetarians can visit this restaurant with the mood to taste the early.
Salam
・Jibo: 5-4-16 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Kyoto, EAT PLAY WORKS 1F
・Hours: (Lunch) 11:30 - 14:30, (Dinner) 17:30 - 23:00
Luxury and vegetarian bento "AIN SOPH"
Two-stage Japanese bento "Fu Lu Shou"
"AIN SOPH" is a well-known vegetarian restaurant chain in Japan, which also sells vegetarian desserts, and each branch has its own specialties, most of which offer Western dishes such as Western food, hamburgers, and muffins, but only the Ginza restaurant offers Japanese food. President Shirai, who founded AIN SOPH, tasted vegan cuisine for the first time when she went to Canada to study in high school, and she was surprised that cooking without fish can be so delicious, and she was deeply touched by the locals' desire to cherish the ingredients, so she became the opportunity to open a vegetable restaurant.
Dining environment
AIN SOPH Ginza's signature dish is "Fukuroku Bento", which is a bento but very luxurious and exquisite. The dishes are packed in two wooden boxes, the upper part is a deli area such as omelets, fried chicken nuggets, green curry, the dishes are changed frequently, and the lower part is a salad, including leafy vegetables and roots, plus vegetable soup and five grain rice. If you still have room for your stomach, why not grab an AIN SOPH signature dessert and eat the "Heaven's Vegetarian Muffins" that seem to be soaring!
AIN SOPH (Ginza Store)
・Address: 4-12-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
・Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30-20:00, Sunday-Monday 11:30-19:30
Plain food izakaya "MASAKA"
Fried chicken with dumplings set at noon
Even the izakaya has a vegetarian specialty shop! "MASAKA" is located on the first floor of Shibuya PARCO, Tokyo's trendiest department store, and there are young customers coming and going, which also makes "MASAKA" arouse young people's attention to vegetarian food.
The appearance of the shop
Mainly Chinese cuisine
"MASAKA" is an izakaya with Chinese cuisine, and in addition to the signature fried chicken and dumplings in various flavors, such as black vinegar, Sichuan spicy, scallion salt lemon, and Namban Tata, there are also spring rolls, fried beans, fried wontons, coriander salad and other dishes. Since many vegetarians do not drink alcohol, the store also offers shawar with a non-alcoholic concentration, which also has an alcoholic flavor and taste. Although the cuisine choice here is not as diverse as that of the average izakaya, it is also full of strong Japanese izakaya cultural characteristics and is recommended for vegetarians!
MASAKA
・Ground: 15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Kyoto PARCO 1F
・Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m
Sumaven specialty shop "guruatsu"
More than a dozen flavors of vegetarian muffin make it difficult to choose!
Many vegetarians can't find anything to eat when they travel, so they have to retreat to bread. However, bread almost always contains milk and egg ingredients, and the calories are very high and should not be eaten more. Therefore, "guruatsu" advertises the use of tofu and soy milk ingredients to make "su mayine cake", the production process does not use any drop of oil, the calories are only about half of the average muffin, pregnant women and people with allergies can eat it with peace of mind. The signature product "Edamame Muffin" is often sold out as soon as the store opens, but other muffins will definitely not disappoint you, and the taste here is almost always not found outside!
Each bite is carefully seasoned for a vegetable lunch
Plump and sweet chestnut marvine
In addition to Muffin, guruatsu also serves vegetable dishes for lunch. The owner, Ms. Yonekawa Yuko, said that she likes to eat green vegetables very much, and eating a full of green vegetables will always make her feel extremely happy, and hopes that guests can also get full energy from greens like her. Many people think that vegetarian food is easy to eat and quickly hungry, but gurutsu's meals are quite generous, with more than 30 ingredients on a plate, and each ingredient is cooked differently, and there are surprises in every bite.
guruatsu
・Address: 4-21-6 Higashi Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
・Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Holidays vary, please refer to the official IG announcement)
Real meat and fake meat silly and unclear? "Roast Meat LIKE"
"Yakiniku LIKE" is known as "McDonald's in the Roast Meat Industry", eating roast meat without a lot of effort, you can eat delicious roast meat as quickly as fast food, which is deeply loved by young people. Two years ago, LIKE partnered with next meat, an alternative meat manufacturing company, to launch the "NEXT Beef Pork", a kind of beef pork made from soybeans, which is sold in some limited stores. After the improvement, the evolved version of "NEXT Beef Five Flowers 2.0" was launched in 2022, which can be eaten by all branches.
The texture of "NEXT Beef Five Flowers 2.0" is closer to that of real meat, and the size is also larger than the original meat. After actually eating this alternative beef five flowers, I really can't feel that it is made of soybeans, and the taste of the marinade is very similar to that of real roast meat, so you can get the satisfaction of eating meat. The only thing to note is that it is easy to bake until it is browned, so always pay attention to turning the meat and controlling the heat. In addition, the rice in the set menu can also be changed to salad, which can reduce the starch intake and balance the greasy taste of grilled food.
Yakiniku LIKE (Yakiniku Like) Keibisu Main Store
・Jibo: 1-7-4 Ebisu Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Kyoto, 1-chome 7-4 FPG links EBISU Building 1
・Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. (Holidays vary, please refer to the official website announcement)
Vegan Coffee "KOMEDA IS"
Comedo coffee's new brand, KOMEDA IS
"KOMEDA IS" is a new brand of Kemeiduo Coffee (コメダ珈琲). Originating in Nagoya, Kemero Coffee focuses on the warm style of an old-fashioned tea shop, and the special service of "ordering coffee and delivering toast at breakfast time" is very popular with consumers, and the number of stores has become the top three in Japan, and it is also actively opening branches overseas. In addition to the exhibition store, Kemeiduo has also established a new vegan brand "KOMEDA IS" with the concept of "sustainable management goal".
The interior of KOMEDA IS was changed to green tones
The signature dessert "Ice and Fire" was also changed to a vegetarian version
Although it is a new brand, in order to capture the hearts of old customers of Kemeiduo, the signature coffee and "ice and fire" dessert are still available, but the ingredients are all vegetarian! Like ice cream ingredients are changed to almond milk; Muffins are replaced with wheat and flour; The milk in coffee was also changed to soy milk. In addition, vegetarian burgers, fried chicken, and meat sauce noodles have been added, and there are also fruit liqueurs and 100% plant-based red and white wine in the drink section, providing more diversified dietary options for vegetarians.
KOMEDA IS
・Jibo: 1-13-1 Chikuchi, Chuo-ku, Kyoto, 1 Chikuchi
・Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m
It is not surprising that there are many vegetarian restaurants in Japan, and japanese style, izakaya, yakiniku, and exotic cuisine are very diverse and diverse. Even if the travel companions are meat eaters, they will be able to eat happily and content!
The world's number one vegetarian restaurant in Tokyo! Recommend 7 Tokyo vegetarian restaurants, vegetarian butcher's shop, vegetarian café at once! | Tesco! Japan