Vegetarian's Japan Guide

A Guide to the Vegan Restaurants in Kyoto’s City Center

While Kyoto is famous for tofu and Kyōyasai (Kyoto’s heirloom fruit and vegetables), the dashi stock used to cook the tofu and vegetables usually contains bonito extracts. This is why you can’t just enter a restaurant and order the first tofu or vegetable dish you see on the menu if you are strict with your vegetarian/vegan diet. But don’t worry. The good news is there are several vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in Kyoto’s city center. So you can always find a place to enjoy the nice food that Japan is renowned for!

Vegan-Friendly Cafes and Restaurants in Kyoto’s City Center

COYOTE the ordinary shop

Vegan-Egg-Toast-and-Coffee-at-COYOTE-the-ordinary-shop-Kyoto-Vegan-Cafe

COYOTE the ordinary shop (コヨーテ ザ オーディナリー ショップ) is your best option if you are after a plant-based café close to Kyoto Station. The internal decoration and the bright sunlight from the glass wall create an open and relaxing atmosphere. The staff here are friendly and will greet you soon after you enter, making you feel welcome. Most importantly, the coffee and vegan egg toast here are phenomenal!

For more information, refer to our article on COYOTE the ordinary shop!

Veg Out (ベグアウト)

Just a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station, Veg Out is a vegan café with a relaxing vibe that makes you forget the hustle and bustle of Kyoto’s busy city center. Situated on the banks of the Kamogawa River, you can overlook the river view and enjoy the natural scenery that changes with the seasons from the café’s large windows. As it opens from the morning, it is the best spot to get your breakfast sorted before a day’s adventure.

The restaurant’s dishes are mainly made with locally grown organic vegetables and natural seasonings. If you visit Veg Out for lunch, try their Buddha Bowl. The deep-fried soy meat is a highlight. Amazingly, it is juicier than regular meat!

Another good option for lunch is the Tomato Curry. Cooked with plenty of organic vegetables and spices, the curry is rich in flavor. And don’t worry if you don’t like tomatoes. You can hardly taste it!

Tips:
☛ Arrive early if you want to try Veg Out’s Banana Pancake on the breakfast menu. The dish tends to sell out quickly.
☛ Let the staff know if you want your meal prepared without using pungent ingredients like garlic or onion. They may be able to replace a part of the dish with something else.

Veg Out’s Business Hours and Access Information

  • Veg Out is open from
    • 9 am to 11 am for breakfast or until sold out
      • The last order is taken at 10:30 am.
    • 11:30 am to 3 pm for lunch or until sold out
    • 3 pm to 6 pm for afternoon tea/café menu
      • The last order is taken at 5:30 pm.
  • The café/guesthouse is just a 2-minute walk from Keihan’s Shichijō Station (七条駅) or a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station (京都駅).

Vegan Restaurant F (菜食料理エッフェ)

Vegan Restaurant F is a restaurant conveniently located not far from Kyoto Station. The food offered by the restaurant isn’t just vegan, but all dishes are gluten-free except for the pasta dish. Aiming to provide healthy food for the customers, not only are the ingredients used carefully selected, but homemade seasonings are also used. Even their amazing vegan cheese is homemade!

The restaurant’s owner Mr Fujimatsu has had extensive training as an Italian chef, including over 30 years of experience working in 2-star rating restaurants in Italy. To open Vegan Restaurant F, Mr Fujimatsu acquired raw food Meister 1st-level certificate. With the extra knowledge, the food served in the restaurant is processed and cooked in a way that retains the ingredients’ nutrition as much as possible.

The dining experience at Vegan Restaurant F starts with kind greetings from the staff. The vibes here are great, despite being a small restaurant. Whether you visit it for lunch or dinner, you will be served a set/course menu of your choice. Lunch set menus are cheaper, below 2,000 yen. So if you are on a budget and want to experience Vegan Restaurant F’s food and hospitality, visit it for lunch.

While the dinner course menu is more expensive, it is 100% worth it. You can also opt for the Chef’s Choice Light Course dinner menu. It suits someone who doesn’t tend to eat as much for dinner or doesn’t want to spend as much on food.

Tip: Make a booking. Vegan Restaurant F is regularly fully booked for days in advance for lunch and dinner. If you read Japanese, book through ikyu. Otherwise, give them a call at +81-75-708-6978.

Vegan Restaurant F’s Business Hours and Access Information

  • Vegan Restaurant F is open from Wednesday to Sunday from
    • 11:30 am to 2:30 pm for lunch
    • 6 pm to 9 pm for dinner
      • A reservation is required for dinner.
  • The restaurant is just a 15-minute walk from Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojō Station (清水五条駅); a 2-minute walk from Kyoto Subway’s Gojō Station (五条駅), or a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Station (京都駅).

tu casa (トゥ カサ)

Conveniently located a few meters from Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojō Station, tu casa is a Korean vegan café and guesthouse offering a reasonably priced menu. The place is small but cozy. We are sure you will like the bright and plant-decorated space.

tu casa offers incredible Korean dishes, such as Bibimbap. With a zero-waste and healthy lifestyle concept, the café uses organic, pesticide-free ingredients as much as possible. In addition to the savory light meal menu, there is a dessert menu. The scones are fantastic. So if you find the food portions are not big enough, the scones can be a nice finish to the meal!

If you are unsure what to order, give their Korean bbq rice bowl (カルビ丼) a try. The faux meat will be one of the best soy meats you eat!

The staff at tu casa are friendly and welcoming. They can communicate in good English.

The guesthouse is located on the second floor. You can refer to its website HERE for some photos and the cost. It can accommodate up to 6 people.

Tip: Arrive early or make a reservation. tu casa is a popular cafe.

tu casa’s Business Hours and Access Information

  • The cafe/guesthouse is just a 1-minute walk from Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojō Station (清水五条駅; a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Subway’s Gojō Station (五条駅), or a 10-minute walk from Hankyu’s Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station (京都河原町駅).

waco crepes (米粉クレープ専門店 waco crepes)

You might have encountered shops selling delicious-looking crepes when travelling in Japan. But because most of them aren’t vegan, you probably haven’t got a chance to try the Japanese crepe. So here is the good news: a vegan and gluten-free crepe shop in Kyoto!

waco crepes close to tu casa is a crepe specialist that makes thin pancakes with rice flour and can make the crepes vegan (remember to specifically ask for the vegan version for the ones marked vegan). The plant-based cream is really creamy and almost like a pudding, so remember to at least order one that has whipped cream.

For the savory crepe, we recommend the crepes with guacamole and vegan cheese.

While the price is on the higher end for crepes, considering the high-quality ingredients used, the crepes aren’t over-priced.

waco crepes’s Business Hours and Access Information

  • waco crepe is open from 11 am to 5:30 pm.
  • The shop is just a 3-minute walk from Keihan’s Kiyomizu-Gojō Station (清水五条駅), a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Subway’s Gojō Station (五条駅), or a 10-minute walk from Hankyu’s Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station (京都河原町駅).

Vegetable Dishes OKI Shijo (野菜料理 OKI 四条)

OKI Shijo is inside the vegan-friendly hotel, IMU HOTEL KYOTO, that provides vegan meal options for their guests. The majority of the menu is prepared without pungent ingredients, suitable for those on an oriental vegetarian diet. If you are a celiac, contact the restaurant beforehand for them to make something special for you. If you travel with young children, the restaurant also has a kid’s corner to keep them happy!

The restaurant opens at 7 am also accepts walk-in customers, making it a great spot to enjoy a vegan breakfast (but please let the restaurant know your intention to visit in advance). While Kyoto also has a couple of vegan-friendly cafés, they don’t open in the early morning.

Besides breakfast and lunch, OKI Shijo also opens for dinner, which offers both Ala Carte menu and Omakase courses. It is where you can fully enjoy the former French restaurant chef’s cooking skills. As a reservation is required for the dinner course, remember to do so at least 3 days in advance.

To make a booking or to enquire about breakfast and dinner, you can send the chef, Mr Kataoka, a message to his Instagram Account.

Tip: If the grilled vegan eel is on the menu, order it. It is phenomenal!

Vegetable Dishes OKI Shijo’s Business Hours and Access Information

  • Vegetable Dish OKI Shijo is open from
    • 7 am to 10 am for breakfast (last order at 9:30 am)
    • 12 pm to 3 pm for lunch (last order at 2 pm)
    • The dinner course is by reservation only.
  • The restaurant is just a 6-minute walk from Keihan’s Karasuma Station (烏丸駅) or a 4-minute walk from Kyoto Subway’s Shijō Station (四条駅).

The Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Kawaramachi in Kyoto

Kyoto’s Kawaramachi area, close to Gion and Nishiki Market, is usually filled with tourists. But the good news is the area is heaven for vegans and vegetarians! It is where many Kyoto‘s vegan and vegan-friendly cafés and restaurants are located. Whether you feel like Japanese or Western cuisine, you can surely find a restaurant that can satisfy you!

As there are many spots you can visit for lunch and dinner, refer to our Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Kawaramachi in Kyoto article to plan!

hale-Kyoto-Vegan-Restaurant-in-Nishiki-Market
Ⓒ FB Japan Vegetarian Community (洪千媚)

Where to Find the Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Gion

Gion, a district in Kyoto where the elegant Geishas and Maikos live, is the most-visited spot in Japan’s ancient capital. The good news is there are a couple of vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in Gion, allowing you to visit Gion anytime without needing to worry about where to dine!

For more information, refer to our Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Gion article!

The Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Nijō Castle

Nijō Castle and the Kyoto Imperial Palace are well-known tourist attractions in Kyoto. But as it isn’t close to Kyoto Station or the Gion area, it might seem hard to find a vegan-friendly restaurant for lunch or dinner. Fortunately, while relatively hidden, a couple of nice places serve incredible vegan food!

For more information, refer to our Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Around Nijō Castle article!

Other Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Kyoto’s City Center

Discover Other Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Kyoto

Ramen-TowZen-Kyoto-Vegan-Ramen-Restaurant
Click the photo for more information about Kyoto’s vegan-friendly restaurants.

Your visit to Kyoto may not just be about visiting the attractions in the city center. The good news is the prefecture has other vegan-friendly restaurants close to spots in the rural area. While the options can be limited, there might be a restaurant close to where you want to visit serving delicious vegan or vegetarian dishes that satisfy your cravings!

Refer to our Guide to Kyoto’s Vegan-Friendly Restaurants for more information!

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