Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Japanese
Small Japanese vegetarian restaurant primarily centered around soy meats. Everything on the menu is clearly labeled as vegetarian or vegan. Serves vegan meats, pasta, veganized traditional Japanese dishes. Owner speaks little English and is serving entirely by himself so if busy, serving times may take longer. Max four people at a time. Open Tue-Sun 5:30pm-9:30pm, Wed-Sun 11:30am-2:00pm. Hours are subject to change. Please check website.
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Last update on 20 Jan 2024 by Guest
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Added by sagarak on 13 Jan 2023
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39 Reviews
First Review by Vegeiko
AnitaDollar
Points +4086
Fell a bit short of expectations - Edit
Been refused entry before because it wad full, so I expected it to be really good. While the food is creative and something different, I found it quite oily. The server/chef seemed a bit annoyed by us. I'll give it another shot in the future.
Read moreGuest
curiouspencil
Points +25
Peacefully delicious - Edit
What a beautiful place, off a quiet street and upstairs like a side quest, a quiet man wordlessly cooking some very delicious vegan lunch. I was mesmerised by the flavours of 6 different “chicken soya” skewers, made in different ways, with a hot and creamy miso soup and brown rice with it. The energy is very peaceful, the food is worth the journey.
Read moreGuest
VeganMountie
Points +503
Nice food, worth finding - Edit
I enjoyed my meal. I was happier having a more traditional looking vegan okonomiyaki than I had elsewhere in town. It wasn’t super cheap, but that may be because we are used to paying less in Japan than our own countries. Use google maps to get yourself back to the station, the streets look similar in the rain.
Read moreGuest
champoun
Points +1567
Ok vegan food but not impressed - Edit
You can find this little place bit tucked away in an alley. They offer mostly vegan and vegetarian food.
Read moreThe owner does everything himself so he can’t serve more than 4 tables inside.
He doesn’t speak a lot of English and was polite but not that welcoming.
Food was decent but a bit expensive for what you get. Most of it is fried and there is very little fresh greens.
Overall a good options if you can’t anything else close by.
Sorry no pics of the food cause I was hungry.
Updated from previous review on 2024-09-24
Pros: Vegan options are decent , Freshly prepared by owner himself
Cons: A bit pricey for what you get , Not a lot of fresh greens , Owner wasn’t the most accomodating
Guest
TravellingRedScarfe
Points +103
Great in theory - Edit
I saw this on a YouTube review and it looked good. The restaurant is run by a single person and cannot host groups. The food we ordered was the skewers and okonomiyaki. The entire menu serves to provide vegetarian options to Japanese food. There was no salad with these dishes which were a little pricey for what they were. I don't think anything was cooked and I could hear the microwave go a few times even though we were the only patrons. I really wanted to like this place, but the food did not sit well for me.
Read moreGuest
jerry_r
Points +44
Delicious! - Edit
Tucked way off the main streets this tiny place is a bit of a gem.
Read moreWe were stuck for an evening option near where we were staying and found a review of Aju. It’s a one man operation he takes orders, cooks and serves.
Vegetarian menu was clearly labeled. Everything was great. Deap fried shiitake mushrooms were especially good as was the Okonomiyaki.
Just the sort of small place we should be supporting!
Guest
MarenMoriz
Points +165
Overpriced and nothing special - Edit
We came here because of the limited vegetarian/options in this area of Osaka.
Read moreThe food is okay, but nothing special. The portions are small and overall overpriced for what you get. We left with 4000¥ less in our pockets, but still hungry.
Guest
Farsta
Points +231
Ok - Edit
A little od place, owner is not very chatty.
Read moreWe had the Okonomiyaki and the carbonara.
The food looked nice and was sevred quickly.
The okonomiyaki was good the carbonara i wouldnt go for again.
Guest
Jph71
Points +456
Nice little spot - Edit
Great little find . Nice man doing it all by himself. Small menu . Good prices, good portions .
Read moreFood nice , nothing special
Pros: Atmosphere , Prices
Guest
Maggiora
Points +186
Tasty but small - Edit
The dishes were good but the size of each portion was a bit to small and furthermore there wasn't any vegetable next to the dishes. Unfortunately it also tasted a bit to oily but nonetheless the taste was okay.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-05-13
Guest
RabbleRousy
Points +259
Tiny place with some delicious meals - Edit
Aju is a very hidden away, small vegan gem to find in Osaka. There are only 4 small tables, but it adds to the cute atmosphere of this tiny izakaya.
Read moreThe menu is pretty limited, and it‘s unclear whether it is all vegan. It says „All vegan menu“ on the current card and even has a statement on the wine & drinks, so maybe its status here on HappyCow needs to be upgraded. On the other hand, „Vegetarian cheese risotto“ sounds suspicious (though other dishes explicitly have vegan cheese). I will try to ask, if I go there again. As others have pointed out, the Okonomiyaki is the absolute star of the show! Fantastic!
Also mentioned by others, the owner seemed not really welcoming. But at the end, when I payed and tried talking with him a bit, he seemed to open up a little. But if you‘re alone there like me, you won‘t have a very „social“ izakaya experience, but still delicious food.
Updated from previous review on 2024-04-12
Pros: Entirely vegan (?), Small & cozy, Okonomiyaki!!
Cons: No icecream :(
Guest
BENEDETTAspadoni
Points +19
Very good little gem in Osaka - Edit
Cozy and relaxing.
Read moreSmall, not more than 4 table, and the owner does everything by himself.
Food is very good, small dishes izakaya style.
Yakitori and okonomiyaki recommended!!
Updated from previous review on 2024-03-23
Pros: Not pricey , Intimate atmosfere, Delicious food
Cons: Not very easy to find
Guest
veganfoodiechristine
Points +290
Loved some dishes! Some weren't my favourite. - Edit
Visited on September 23, 2023. This was my first time at an all-vegan izakaya! The small, cozy setting made for an intimate experience at Aju. With a variety of options on the menu, choosing what to order was a bit tricky. Some dishes were better than others, but overall, it was a good experience. I particularly enjoyed the fried mushrooms (you can never go wrong with them) and yakitori. If you’re in the Osaka area, it’s worth giving it a try!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-03-18
Guest
ladie_jadie
Points +196
Best okonomiyaki!! - Edit
It was great to be able to try more traditional foods made vegan.
Read moreAs mentioned, the owner does all of the cooking, clearing, takes the orders, payments etc. so he seemed overwhelmed and not very happy to see us walk in. However we were not in a hurry and willing to look past that for the great food.
The meals were served one at a time, and I can honestly say this was the best okonomiyaki I’ve ever tasted! However the yakitori was a bit dry, and I thought a sauce would have been a nice side option.
Overall I totally think this was worth the subway ride up from central Osaka!
Cons: Owner seemed confused when guests entered
Guest
Sasky
Points +285
Traditional Japanese deliciousness - Edit
We went here after a long day of walking through Osaka and were amazed. All dishes we had (miso soup, koya-tofu filled cutler, deep fried vege chicken, yakitori & okonomyaki) were delicious and served very quickly. It’s amazing to have vegan options for the traditional Japanese dishes. However we were almost the only customers, so I can imagine it takes a little longer when it’s busy. Worth it though!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-02-07
Pros: Food clearly labeled vegan or vegetarian, Traditional Japanese food
Cons: Doesn’t take parties bigger than 4 people
Guest
Pynotbotar
Points +164
The food was good - Edit
We had plate from the lunch menu so the price was realy good. But it seemed like the owner was not happy to see us, we felt unwelcomed. All in all worth visiting
Read moreGuest
trashbaby
Points +230
Worth a visit - Edit
Found it hard to find vegan places in Osaka so I really appreciated this place, good food
Read moreGuest
Masha1994
Points +24
Delicious quaint restaurant - Edit
Authentic Japanese dishes made vegan + some Italian/Japanese fusion vegan dishes. Really small restaurant with an adorable atmosphere. Highly recommend!
Read morePros: Delicious food, Great service, Nice atmosphere
Guest
tofucourtney
Points +367
Delicious fake meat - Edit
It was a little pricy but definitely tasty and I think worth it for soy meats. We had the yakitori skewers which were based off of different meats/ kinds of meat e.g gizzard which was made from konjac. We also had the okonomiyaki which was delightful! Relatively quick service for only one guy doing everything
Read moreGuest
HelenS02
Points +210
Nice lunch - Edit
We had lunch here and tried the yakatori sticks and some other bits. It tasted good and was interesting to try different 'chicken' cuts. It didn't blow me away but it was tasty none-the-less and he served us quickly. It's a small place so you may have to wait.
Read moreGuest
EmiliaLouers
Points +881
Good meal - Edit
it was good, especially the miso soup but the portions are quite small
Read moreGuest
medus
Points +778
Worth a visit - Edit
The food was delicious but considering the portion size, it wasn't a very good deal. It's worth a visit nonetheless, especially considering that the dishes are quite original.
Read morePros: Vegan friendly , Interesting dishes
Cons: A bit expensive
Guest
FaustoChou
Points +308
vegetarian okonomiyaki - Edit
It's a small vegetarian restaurant with an owner/chef/waiter, and can only accommodate up to four groups (12 people) at a time. This is the first time in my life that I have eaten vegetarian okonomiyaki, and yummy😋
Read moreGuest
lemonukuk
Points +57
Quick service, but not the most exciting - Edit
A good selection of vegan proteins, we enjoyed the yakitori platter, but not the most exciting menu. The okonomiyaki was very quick, almost suspiciously so, most places I've been they cook it in front of you and takes time, this came out in about 2 minutes so maybe he is microwaving it?
Read moreThe beer was also off, couldn't drink it, smelt of feet even across the table.
Updated from previous review on 2023-06-14
Pros: Many vegan proteins , Fast service
Cons: Not so fresh?
Guest
AngelaUK
Points +82
Great small business - Edit
Went on a Friday evening & was there at exactly 5.30 opening. We were able to get a seat immediately. Lots of vegan options (some items said vegetarian) and owner manages everything by himself. We had Yakitori, a Mexican dish and fried shiitake mushrooms (loved and ordered another portion).
Read morePros: Plenty of vegan options , Small personal business
Guest
ASierra
Points +698
Lovely lunch - Edit
Vegan menu with lots to offer, from traditional Osaka food to more funky meals. It will not disappoint!
Read morePros: Inexpensive, Lots of vegan options
Guest
Iñaki72
Points +318
Very tasty and typical Japanese food. - Edit
The food was very nice. Traditional Japanese. Very quite place
Read morePros: Quick service even though there was only 1 person, Very tasty food, Good price
Cons: No very extensive menu but adécuate , Small place , No windows
Guest
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