Finding a restaurant serving nice vegan or vegetarian food might seem despairing if you are in the cities within Southern Osaka Prefecture near Kansai Airport. But don’t give up so quickly. There are a few completely vegan places that you can visit! So refer to the below list (^_-)-☆.
Table of Contents
Chakura Sakai (菜食和合茶倉)
Chakura is a place in Osaka to enjoy vegan Japanese food. The restaurant’s chef has more than 20 years of experience, so the Japanese cuisine menu he created is really delicious. The restaurant was renovated from an old private house over 80 years old in a quiet residential area that might make some hesitant to enter, but you will definitely want to dine here!
A lot of time has been spent preparing all the dishes served at Chakura because extra processes are required to make vegetable-based dishes as delicious as those cooked from meat. So even big meat-eaters can feel satisfied when dining at Chakura. Besides the taste of the food, the presentation is top-notch. The chef takes his craft seriously. It is almost like eating Kaiseki!
Remember to ring the bell if no one is at the front gate to greet you. Someone will be with you shortly. You can choose between the Western table seats with chairs or the Japanese low table seats with cushions. The seats next to the garden are the best. Not even the Japanese have many chances to enjoy a Japanese meal beside the traditional-style porch!
Important: Reservation is essential through their Instagram Account at least 3 days in advance. Please wait for their confirmation of your booking.
Tips:
☛ Their homemade soymilk yogurt and thick vegan pudding are really nice.
☛ Let them know if there is anything you can’t eat when you book. They should be able to accommodate it.
☛ If you plan to visit Chakura Sakai with children, the separate room at the back filled with toys will be perfect for you. So let the restaurant know in advance.
Chakura Sakai’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Chakura Sakai is open from:
- 11:30 am to 2 pm (the last customer is taken at 1 pm)
- 6 pm to 10 pm (the last customer is taken at 7 pm)
- To get to Chakura Sakai, get off at JR or Nankai’s Mikunigaoka Station (三国ヶ丘駅). The restaurant is then a 13-minute walk.
Vegan Cafe Asuka (ヴィーガンカフェあすか)
Vegan Cafe Asuka is where you can find Japanese, Western, and Chinese vegan dishes. Apparently, they only use vegetables without pesticides and fertilizers. In addition to the standard set menu, the café has 2 monthly special set menus that you can consider ordering. If you visit it with children, Vegan Cafe Asuka has a children-set menu with just the right amount of food to satisfy them.
The café is also famous for its cakes, ice cream, and sherbet. Without using eggs or cheese, the cheesecakes and chocolate cakes at Vegan Cafe Asuka are somehow still rich!
Vegan Cafe Asuka’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Vegan Cafe Asuka is open from 11:30 am to 3 pm from Tuesday to Thursday.
- The last order is taken at 2:30 pm.
- On Wednesdays and the 3rd Thursday, it opens until 6 pm.
- It is a 5-minute walk from Nankai’s Kitanoda Station (北野田駅).
Orange County Cafe (オレンジカウンティ カフェ)
Orange County Cafe is a great place to dine if you are after vegan and gluten-free food.
The café, famous for its vegan burgers, uses rice flour to make its buns. The thick fried tofu or soy-based meat sandwiched in the buns and topped with homemade soy mayonnaise is incredible. If you prefer a rice dish, their Healthy Vegetable Curry Rice (薬膳ベジタブルカリー) contains 20 natural Indian spices and vegetables.
While in Japanese, you can refer to Orange County Cafe’s menu HERE. Each dish has a photo attached.
Orange County Cafe’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Orange County Cafe is open from 11 am to 5 pm from Thursday to Sunday.
- It is a 7-minute walk from Kintetsu’s Kishi Station (喜志駅).
Kanshinji KU-RI (観心寺KU-RI)
The next recommended spot to enjoy vegetarian food is Kanshinji KU-RI. The café was renovated from its sub-temple, Makimoto-in’s kitchen, completed in 1647. The Shoin Hall leading to the café is an Important National Cultural Property you can check out. While you might expect the entire place to be Japanese style, buildings from the early Edo period have a Scandinavian-style interior.
The temple didn’t make the interior non-Japanese for fun. The fusion-style reflects the café’s concept of mixing the old and the new. So even the food served at KU-RI is a variation of Kōyasan’s Shōjin Ryōri.
Kōyasan is Kanshinjin’s head temple.
The Shōjin Ryōri served at KU-RI includes the porridge eaten on Setsubun (節分), which is the day before the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar. It is said that eating the Azuki Chayu (あずき茶粥) can chase bad luck away. Besides the Azuki Chayu and salted plum, steamed seasonal vegetables and deep-fried dishes that taste like real meat are also included.
Note that Hokudo no Shio (北斗の塩), the salt that the monks purified, is used to cook Kanshinji KU-RI’s Shōjin Ryōri. The salted plum was made using the plum harvested from plum trees over 100 years old growing in the temple’s precinct. So it would seem like a lot of blessings have been received after you finish the delicious meal!
Important: Reservations are essential to dine at Kanshinji KU-RI. Because only 20 servings are available per day, the café is usually fully booked out soon after the reservation is opened.
How to Reserve Kanshinji KU-RI
- Reservation is open at 9 am on the 1st of each month for the following 2 months. You can either
- Reserve online or
- Call the temple at +81-50-3746-8600
- The cost is 3,000 yen per serving, payable by cash only.
Tip: If there is anything you can’t eat, let KU-RI know when you book, and they should be able to exclude the ingredients for you. While no meat and seafood are used, eggs are a part of their standard ingredients.
Important:
☛ Elementary school students and younger children cannot enter Kanshinji KU-RI.
☛ Please let the temple know if you don’t eat eggs.
Kanshinji KU-RI’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Kanshinji KU-RI is open from 11:30 am to 3 pm from Monday to Wednesday.
- To get to Kanshinji KU-RI, get off at Nankai or Kintetsu’s Kawachi-Nagano Station (河内長野駅) and take Nankai Bus’s Kofuka Line (小深線) and get off at Kanshinji (観心寺).
Vegetable Sushi Saiki (野菜寿司 菜季)
If you are a vegan and want to enjoy Japan’s infamous dish, sushi, visit Saiki in Osaka. The vegan sushi made by Saiki’s master chef is incredible. Although the restaurant’s name is vegetable sushi, don’t mistake it for a sushi train. While its appearance and the interior are rather simple, the food served at Saiki is in Kaiseki Ryōri style. Each set menu is gorgeously presented.
In addition to the vegetable sushi, most set courses have a couple more side dishes and a bowl of soup. Apparently the chef previously worked at a Michelin-star restaurant, which explains his expertise in creating fabulous menus!
Depending on which set menu you choose, your meal is served differently. If you are after something different, order a Four Season Course (四季コース). Besides the uniquely shaped plates and containers, a pull-out box with three drawers is used, making the dining experience interesting.
Saiki also offers takeaway sushi bento boxes!
Refer to HERE for Saiki’s menu.
Tip: It is best to make a reservation and let Saiki know what you want to order. This will shorten the waiting time until the staff bring out your food.
Vegetable Sushi Saiki’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Saiki is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m..
- The last order is taken at 8 pm.
- It closes on Thursdays and the 2nd Tuesday of the month.
- From Toga-Mikata Station (栂・美木多駅), take Nankai Bus’s service and get off at Inaba (稲葉). The restaurant is just behind Nankai Bus’s bus stop.
Discover Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Other Parts of Osaka
Obviously, the Northern Osaka Prefecture won’t be the only part of Osaka you visit. So refer to our Top Vegan and Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Osaka for places to enjoy delicious vegan/vegetarian food!
