Japan is known for being one of the most difficult countries to be vegan or even vegetarian in, and I can confirm this partly – with the exception of Tokyo and Kyoto. Having been vegan for 7 years, I can say I’m farely experienced in finding my way. But in Japan it keeps being challenging. Soooo many dishes contain animal products like dashi, bread suddenly contains unnecessary egg or dairy, and food labels are unreadable unless you use Google translate all the time. But.. veganism has become increasingly popular in Japan over the past years, with over 2% of the population being vegan (around 2,5 million people!!). An interesting difference with most vegans from the west, however, is that it’s mainly health-based or religion-based veganism. You’ll rarely hear about animal cruelty and sustainability when you ask someone about their diet.

Nevertheless, it has caused a rapid rise in vegan restaurants and restaurants offering vegan dishes in the main cities of Tokyo and Kyoto (yes, Osaka is definitely slacking on this part). From vegan sushi, to vegan okonomiyaki to vegan parfaits. What more do you want!? And I can say, the quality of the food in the restaurants mentioned below is absolutely amazing. I personally prefer supporting restaurants that are fully vegan or vegetarian since you can be 100% certain there are no animal products in your food and because in my opinion, these restaurants need to grow. So in this 2023 guide to Tokyo’s best vegan restaurants you will find the most delicious places in Tokyo that I’ve gathered from personal and experience as well as friends’ recommendations. And if you’re interested in more? Why don’t you check out this blog for cheap vegan dishes (under ¥1000) in common chain restaurants throughout Japan. Enjoy!

Br/Lunch and Dinner

1. Vegan Gyoza Yu

Vegan Gyoza Yu is my personal favorite and I would go out of my way to be able to eat there again. Gyoza is simply an amazing invention, but usually there are no, or maybe one vegan option in a restaurant. Vegan Gyoza Yu, however, offers 11 amazing flavours such as miso, garlic and kimchi, all freshly made by the enthusiastic staff. They truly have a passion for their high-quality Gyoza and good service. And since it’s a single shop tucked away in a small street somewhere in the city of Tokyo, they must have some confidence in their product – and they are right, since I met two people in just a couple of days that highly recommended this place to me.

You can eat in and combine it with a strange but delicious cream soda (which I would recommend!), or even order/take away. Really, this is the best, most authentic Gyoza restaurant I’ve ever been to, make sure not to miss it!

Price: ¥1500 for all eleven flavours, ¥140 per flavour
Location: Negishi, Taito
Website: Www.vegangyoza.com

2. T’s TanTan

For all, yes all, not just the vegan, ramen lovers in Japan, there’s T’s TanTan, a fully vegan ramen/tantanmen restaurant. I cannot get enough of this place and keep coming here every time I crave some delicious ramen. When I was here some years ago, there was only one restaurant in Tokyo station, but since then they’ve expanded to three restaurants – one in Ueno station, one in Ikebukuro station (for both you have to enter through the gates) and one in Tokyo station. They offer a variety of ramen flavours as well as a seasonal one. The Yuzu ramen are my personal favorite – refreshing and light. The other different types of sesame flavours are amazing too, however, and resemble the more traditional ramen. Next to ramen they also offer delicious Gyoza, fried meat and vegan dessert and so on.

Price: around ¥1000-1300 for a bowl of ramen
Location: Ueno, Ikebukuro and Tokyo station
Website: http://ts-restaurant.jp/tantan/

3. Komeda is

You’ve probably heard about or seen the many Komeda’s coffee cafe’s. In 1968 the first cafe opened in Nagoya with the aim of being the “best place to relax”. It soon became one of the biggest chain restaurants in Japan with 900 stores across the country and 33 abroad. And now, over 50 years later, there’s finally a special one so that vegans can experience this relaxation and enjoy the famous Komeda dishes – in Tokyo of course!

Komeda is offers something for everyone – a vegan version of the famous shironoir (a sweet pie), the Beppin burger, sandwiches, delicious salads, Japanese pancakes, delicious coffees, 100% plant-based wine and beer and so on.. But it’s not just their food that is ethical, on a small scale they also use recycled material for decoration of the shop such as a small wall made of coffee grounds and an ecofloor made from recycled glass and natural materials.

Price: ¥900-1500 for food
Location: Ginza
Website: https://www.komeda-is.com/

4. Vegan Izakaya Masaka

I have tried to visit this place, but the one time I was there, there was an enormous queue and I was too hungry to wait. Nevertheless, I was able to have a brief look at the menu and it looked fingerlicking good! And it might be one of the only fully-vegan izakaya experiences you can have in Japan!

Izakaya’s are restaurants/cafes you go to with your friends to eat and drink together. It’s one of the best authentic experiences you can get in Japan, but… most of the time there are only two or three dishes for us vegans to enjoy. Well, not at Izakaya Masaka. Here, they offer a huge variety of dishes to enjoy and all of them look incredible. Just some random options from the menu: Sichuan sweet potato, fried lotus root, stewed bamboo shoots, tomatoes marinated in black vinegar, rice bran pickles ……… it’s your pick :). Even though I haven’t been here, I’d love to go some time. So let me know if you want a partner in crime!

Price: ¥400-650 per dish
Location: Shibuya
Website: only Instagram @vegan_izakaya_masaka

5. 2foods

I recently discovered 2 foods in Shibuya, Tokyo. For days I had been talking to my friend about Omu rice (omelet rice) and the fact that I was never able to try it and then suddenly, we stumbled upon 2 foods, checked the menu, and there it was! And not just this.. Many other delicious dishes and sweets were sported on this menu..

2 foods markets itself as a company that aims for both healthy and junk food – they aim to create products that stimulate the taste buds and are visually pleasing but also good for your health. At the same time they also talk about the evolution of food, sustainability and ethics on their website. While I’m not sure about the healthy part, eating their vegan food with your (non)vegan friends is definitely good for these last three things!

They offer a great-tasting selection of dishes. We had the omu rice and the spicy junk burger and they were both beyond delicious! They also have other burgers, curries (Japanese and one Indian), noodles, other omu-rice variations, desserts, donuts and some very refreshing drinks. Definitely check out this place when you are around one of their branches in Ginza, Shibuya, Minato or Chuo (be aware that they can be inside a shopping mall such as loft in Ginza and Shibuya).

Price: ¥1000-1300
Location: Ginza, Shibuya, Chuo & Minato
Website: https://2foods.jp/

6. Mr. Farmer

My Japanese friend Hiromi took me to this wonderful restaurant in Omotesando (next to Harajuku). I hadn’t been able to find many vegan places in this area, but this was definitely a hit!

Mr. Farmer is a vegetable-focused restaurant – They carefully source their vegetables from around 100 farmers in Japan. They can be found in Tokyo, but also in Kisarazu and Yokohama city. Only the Omotesando one is, I believe, fully vegan. I like their shop since they only work with local products and are also in the process of providing cooking classes to make it easier for people to cook vegan at home. And next to that, their food is delicious! They offer hamburgers, salads, sandwiches, rice bowls (even with vegan “fried egg) and desserts. Definitely go check it out when you need a break from the shopping in Harajuku!

Price: ¥1600-2000
Location: Omotesando
Website: https://mr-farmer.jp/en/

7. Klasina

Klasina opened its doors in 2018 in Shimokitazawa and since then has been serving the most beautiful vegan dishes. They offer Japanese-style vegan and organic food made with vegetables from farmers in Kyushu. And it all looks like you’re eating from a 5 star plate. This restaurant is also a bit more on the expensive side and requires a reservation at least two weeks in advance. The restaurant hosts 4-8 people at a time.

Price: ¥3300 for lunch, ¥4500 for dinner
Location: Shimokitazawa
Website: https://klasina.tokyo/englishpage

8. PQ’s

This one could go either in the bakery (below) or lunch section… PQs is one of the top rated vegan restaurants on Happy Cow. This LGBTQ-friendly restaurant serves a lunch menu that changes every day. The options consist of inventive curries (green tea curry, carrot curry, and so on), delicious pancakes, drinks and other desserts. They use (some) organic ingredients and fair trade chocolate for their dishes and everything is absolutely beautifully plated, definitely a place to visit on your next trip to Tokyo! Check out their Instagram for opening times and to get your tummy rumbling.

Location: Taito
Price: around ¥ 1850 for a curry
Website: https://www.instagram.com/vegancurry/

Bakeries & breakfast

There are some fully vegan bakeries in Tokyo. I didn’t visit them yet, but they were recommended by my couchsurfing friend Aurelie.

1. Universal Bakes Nicome

Are you shopping in Shimokitazawa for second hand clothes and vintage goodies, then don’t miss out on Universal Bakes Nicome. It is a cute little take-away bakery with a great variety of awesome-looking vegan pastries for breakfast, lunch or as a snack. They really look mouth-watering delicious! From donuts, muffins and toast, to vegan bread (yes!! VEGAN BREAD IN JAPAN!).

Price: ¥300-500
Location: Shimokitazawa
Website: https://instagram.com/universalbakes_nicome?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

2. Pain de Brun

This cute little bakery is a bit out of the way, bit if you find yourself in Suginami city hungry for some vegan delicious goodies, check out this hidden gem. The bakery has vegan bread, baked goods, cookies, bread pudding, soup, burgers, sandwiches and so on.

Price:
Location: Suginami
Website: https://www.paindebrun.com/menu/bran/

I hope you enjoyed this 2023 guide to Tokyo’s best vegan and vegetarian restaurants! I’d love to know your favorites too, so please drop them in the comments for other people to discover 🙂