Amazing Vegan Restaurant Options in Tokyo!
Depending on where you are from, being vegan may be a mainstream practice, which means that finding restaurants that serve vegan food may be quite easy. If you are planning on visiting or moving to Japan, one of your biggest concerns may be whether it will be easy to continue being vegan or not in the country.
Generally speaking, veganism is not popular in Japan, especially outside of major urban areas. And since many Japanese dishes may seem to be vegan but in fact include ingredients like dashi (fish stock), it can sometimes be difficult to know whether the food you are eating is vegan-friendly or not.
Luckily, vegan restaurants are becoming more common in Japanese urban centers, especially Tokyo, thanks to the influx of foreign tourists to Japan. So to help you maintain your vegan diet while you are in Japan, let's introduce some popular vegan restaurants in Tokyo and introduce tools you can use to find other vegan restaurants across Japan.
Is It Hard to Be a Vegan in Japan?
The answer to this question very much depends on where you are in Japan. Still, the reality is that unless you are cooking for yourself, it is generally more challenging to find vegan food in Japan compared to many other countries around the world.
As we briefly mentioned, one of the difficulties of finding vegan food in Japan is that many common or traditional Japanese foods are made using non-vegan ingredients, even if on the surface they may seem like they should be vegan. For example, miso soup may look vegan because it often contains seaweed and tofu, but it usually isn't because dashi is the base used to make miso soup. The stock used for noodle dishes like udon and soba is also often dashi-based, and many Japanese dishes also include eggs or dairy products.
Another point to consider is that since veganism has only recently begun to gain popularity in Japan, there may be Japanese people who do not understand the difference between vegetarian and vegan. If you ask if a dish is vegan, there is a chance the restaurant staff will think you mean vegetarian and say yes, which would result in you eating something that goes against your diet.
One more issue is that asking for substitutions at restaurants in Japan is also quite rare. Usually, how a dish is listed on the menu is how it will be prepared, and asking for an ingredient to be left out or substituted for another will lead to confused looks or misunderstandings, even if you can speak Japanese. So if you're looking at a dish on a menu and are wondering if you could remove an ingredient in order to make it vegan, in many cases it just isn't possible (though if you say that you have an allergy to that ingredient instead of saying you are vegan, you might have a slightly better chance).
All of these factors may make it seem as though finding something to eat in Japan as a vegan will be impossible, but that's not the case. And like we said, more and more vegan restaurants are opening in Tokyo each year as vegan cuisine slowly becomes more mainstream in Japan. So let's take a look at some well-known vegan restaurant options for you if you are visiting Tokyo.
Amazing Vegan Restaurant in Tokyo
・AIN SOPH.
AIN SOPH.'s main location is in Ginza, but they also have restaurants in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro in Tokyo. They also have a location in Kyoto, so if you are traveling there as well then this restaurant could be a great option for you.
AIN SOPH. is a dedicated vegan restaurant, so you'll be able to order anything off the menu without worrying about whether it contains anything you cannot eat. Their goal is to connect people to nature and their true essence through food, a mission that dictates every aspect of their sophisticated vegan menu. Vegan dishes with a Japanese bento style are popular, but the dessert menu, which is also very popular, includes vegan pancakes and tiramisu.
Check out their website here.
・Falafel Brothers Roppongi
Falafel Brothers, a Middle Eastern falafel restaurant that is famous for its croquettes made from chickpeas, is a restaurant where you can eat without worrying about whether the meal is vegan or not. This restaurant is popular with non-vegans as well thanks to the great flavors of everything on the menu.
Falafel Brothers is mainly a takeout restaurant, but they do have a small eat-in space available. They have locations in Roppongi, Ebisu, and Shibuya, with some small variations in menus depending on the store you visit. They also have gluten-free options if you are looking for those.
Check out their website here.
・Vegetarian Beast
In the Mejiro neighborhood of Tokyo, you'll find Vegetarian Beast, a restaurant dedicated to serving delicious, high-quality vegetarian and vegan food. The restaurant's stylish interior is designed to look like a Western restaurant or wine bar, and the menu consists primarily of Western-style dishes including vegan burgers and French fries. If you are from a country like America and looking for vegan food that tastes like home, you should definitely check this place out.
You can eat in-store at Vegetarian Beast or order takeout.
For more info, click here.
The Best Ways to Find Vegan Restaurants in Japan
We've given you some great, dedicated vegan restaurant options, but they are not the only places in Tokyo or Japan where you can find great vegan food. While it may seem tough to find other restaurants that serve vegan food, there are resources available to help you out.
・Vegewel
Vegewel is a website dedicated to helping you search for restaurants that meet your dietary needs in Japan. You can search its database of restaurants to find vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free food options in Japan.
This website can help you find vegan restaurants all across Japan, and each restaurant listing details what kind of options they have available as well as if you need to make requests in advance for vegetarian or vegan dishes. It's an invaluable resource if you're planning out where you will go eat as a vegan in Japan.
Check out Vegewel here.
・HappyCow
HappyCow is an incredibly useful website and app for people with specific dietary restrictions, so if you are vegan or just looking for vegetarian or gluten-free options, this app will be able to help you out.
With HappyCow, you can search for nearby restaurants based on your location, look for restaurants in specific cities or areas, search by restaurant name, and filter options based on what kind of restaurant you are looking for, payment options available, delivery options, and more. You can also check out tons of user reviews of restaurants as well as check out the menus of many restaurants, giving you all the information you need to find a great vegan restaurant anywhere in Japan.
HappyCow has many listings in Japan but also works all around the world. If you do a lot of traveling, be sure to check out HappyCow!
Check out HappyCow here.
Enjoy the Vegan Food Japan Has to Offer!
While at first, it may seem daunting to maintain your vegan diet if you visit Japan, know that it is possible to eat healthy, delicious vegan food in Tokyo and across the country.
If you are not at a dedicated vegan restaurant, be sure to try to check the ingredients of whatever you are eating to make sure it actually is vegan, and remember that many dishes that seem like they should be vegan may not be. As long as you keep that in mind, you will be able to find delicious Japanese food you can eat outside of vegan restaurants.
The number of vegan options in Japan will only continue to increase, so look forward to eating vegan not just in Tokyo, but countrywide in the near future!
