Part of Neal's Yard Remedies shop and salon group, this is a more upscale kind of restaurant that offers a small selection of set meals and dessert. Has English menu. Located in Harajuku, in proximity to the Harajuku JR station, 1/2 block from Omotesando subway exit onto Jingu-dori: exit from Omote Sando station and go towards Harajuku station, walking on the left side, turn down the 1st alley on left, follow signs from there. Or Ginza line exit at Omote-Sando station, use exit A1, walk a few meters and turn immediately left into the small alley. Reported fully vegan April 2022. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-6:00pm. Last food order 4pm. Last drinks order Fri & Sat 8pm. Closed on the first Tue of every month.
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 19 Jan 2024 by BrownRice
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157 Reviews
First Review by Baza
RuzhaTodorova
Points +90
Good food, but not entirely vegan - Edit
After reading all the mixed reviews, I was a little apprehensive about going to the Brown Rice Cafe, but decided to check it out anyway. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of dishes, and was happy to try authentic tasting vegan Japanese dishes. We had the bean and vegetable curry, the fried tempeh and vegetables, and the rice and miso meal. The portions were actually quite good, and the food tasted great.
Read moreI was a little disappointed to discover that not all desserts were vegan - a lot of them had skim milk and eggs. The same goes for the shop by the cafe. I was lucky to have a Japanese companion who could read all the ingredients for me.
Pros: Good variety of dishes, Authentic Japanese flavors
Cons: Not entirely vegan
Guest
elizabeth.harmon
Points +39
Good Cafe - Edit
If you are spending a leisurely afternoon in the Omote-Sando area this is a good choice. There is usually a wait and you will need to walk up to the counter and put your name on the list. There are areas to sit while you are waiting for a table. There is an outdoor and indoor seating area. There are menu sets, entrees, drinks, desserts and a separate bakery with items for sale. The wait to be seated can take 30 minutes on a busy afternoon, and then it takes a while for the food. I ordered a iced chai latte and the tofu burger and the portions were small but I thought both were delicious. I brought my parents there, and it wasn't really the vibe for them. They also burn incense and for some people this might be off putting smell with their food.
Read morePros: friendly, cost, relaxed
Cons: wait, incense smell, portions
Guest
kool_kitchen
Points +862
Okay food, small portions - Edit
Set at the back of a Neals Yard shop, Brown Rice's very friendly staff served up okay fare in exceedingly small portions. The burger was, literally two bites big. Best thing was the box of delights containing pickles and vegetables was the best thing we ordered. The bill was frightening, a lot bigger than the portions!
Read morePros: Friendly staff
Cons: Expensive, Small portions
Guest
jacqui2
Points +146
Average and expensive - Edit
Reasonably easy to find, it was very busy - had to put name down on list at front of restaurant in order to get a space and waited for about 40 mins on a Sunday lunchtime. Menu was in Japanese and we both had the 2000 yen set lunch. Went with Japanese friend - I think we would not have ventured in otherwise as it did not seem very accessible to tourists. The portions were small and for my western palate was the least enjoyable and most expensive veggie meal I had in Japan. The meal was miso soup, pickles and tofu main dish in some gelatinous substance, followed by a sweet and an iced tea.
Read moreCons: poor value, small portions
Guest
Zinnia N
Points +90
So good! - Edit
Yes, it's not cheap and the portions are small (even compared to regular Japanese portions), but it's worth it! It is hard to find pure vegan food in most of Tokyo, and it's a really sweet little cafe. I just got a bento and an onigiri to go, and they were both very good. I had no idea how the made the food, but they made it well; this is a restaurant run by people who actually know how to cook, not just politicos. One downside is, there isn't really anywhere to sit if you just order food from the cafe. I had to go walking around until I found somewhere to eat my lunch.
Read morePros: delicious, clean and beautiful, healthy
Cons: expensive, small portions, no cafe seating
Guest
karenmar
Points +45
lovely cafe and setting - Edit
I ate an early dinner here on a recent trip to Tokyo. This was after trying Crayon House across the road and finding that many of their vegetarian selections actually contained meat or had been cooked in meat.
Read moreSo I found Brown Rice Cafe and had the tempeh and vegetables - very tasty, although a litle pricey. Service was friendly and helpful. Good english menu.
I then visited the shop next door and bought a selection of sweets and cookies to try!!!! All very good.
Pros: good food, friendly staff, nice setting
Cons: a little expensive
Guest
sarastoked
Points +45
Takeout from the Deli - Edit
Brown Rice Cafe was really easy to find from the directions on Happy Cow. My only regret is not being able to eat here again. Way too many great vegan/vegetarian choices in Tokyo!
Read moreOn our last day in Tokyo we only had time for lunch. We stopped in at Brown Rice Cafe where we found the wait to be about 30 minutes. That was a bit too long for us, so we left thinking we would have to eat at the airport. Luckily Brown Rice Cafe has an adjacent deli packed with delicious vegan items.
Overall in Tokyo I spent the most on vegan food, but Brown Rice Cafe Deli was the exception, for around 2600 yen we got a beautiful bento box (1300 yen) packed with bites of japanese food. Really yummy and unique. 4 onigiri of different flavors (about 160 yen each), a smaller tempeh and tofu bento box (500 yen), a green tea muffin (300 yen). It was nice to be able to try a bento box and onigiri and not have to worry about whether or not it was vegan.
We took our food over to Yoyogi Park (about 15 minutes) and had lunch under the cherry blossoms. It was by far the cheapest meal we had in Tokyo, one of the best meals, and eating in the park was great, too. Now that the weather is nice I would definitely recommend takeout from the deli and eating in the nearby park.
Pros: good value, delicious food, friendly staff
Cons: busy cafe
Guest
backpasher
Points +161
Great Bento! - Edit
After living in Japan for more than 12 months, this was the first time I'd actually found a veggie bento!! It came in a lovely box and was delicious and filling though not cheap at around 1300yen. I also tried one of their soy cream tarts, which was delicious. My non-veggie friend thoroughly enjoyed her curry.
Read moreStaff were very friendly.
Menu looks great - just wish I'd been able to visit a few more times to sample more of the options.
Pros: Great menu, delicious, friendly
Cons: a little pricey
Guest
TAS
Points +37
great place - Edit
we had a wonderful meal and experience at Brown Rice Cafe. The place is small so you might have to wait for a table. The directions from restaurant website and happy cow are very good, the sign for the restaurant is small and you enter through the aromatherapy store in the front. The food was really good, modern veggie food. Place was very clean and service was really good. I think it was cash only.
Read morePros: food, service
Cons: place is very small
Guest
Doomith
Points +28
Great little cafe close to the heart of Harajuku - Edit
My partner and I went to the Brown Rice cafe around 2pm and had to wait 30mins which was fine. The food was really good, although as everyone else has said, the portions are a bit small. I had the Tofu burger which was amazing while my partner had the tofu pockets which I thought were not as good. This cafe is best for a snack or lunch, rather than a big meal. The deserts were also quite small but very delicious. I had the tofu tart and the wallnut and cranberry tart. Overall we were very happy with the brown rice and would 100% go back!
Read morePros: Great atmosphere, Great service, Great tasting food
Cons: Wait time, small portions
Guest
VeganTex
Points +215
Brown Rice Cafe - Edit
Good food, but small portions. I bought some vegan cookies from their store next to the restaurant to fill up.
Read moreGuest
Jessqi
Points +247
Better Options Available - Edit
I agree with the other reviews. The food was nice but quite expensive for very small dishes and we had to wait an hour for the table. It seems like it's a super trendy place. Which is not my style at all.
Read morePros: Nice food
Cons: Expensive, Small Portions, Long waits
Guest
Miggi
Points +2681
Tasty food, easy to find but overpriced. - Edit
Firstly, thank you for the directions. Many of the places listed in Tokyo were really hard to find but this one was fine due to the good directions given.
Read moreI'd agree with many of the reviewers who have already written about this cafe. It is expensive considering what is provided.
We had to wait 30 minutes for a table. Once we were inside and struggling to get the attention of staff who - as someone else has said - seemed in a bit of a daze considering the cafe was busy, I wondered if our wait had really been caused by them. However, full marks to them for dealing well with our lack of language skills and we didn't find them rude.
The cafe has quite a nice clean environment with indoor or patio seating and a decent washroom.
The food was tasty and wholesome and there was a good choice of dishes for vegans. I must agree that the portions are quite small and some of the food could have been more inspiring. We tried tofu pockets stuffed with brown rice, ratatouille and beans which came with a good miso soup, and a bean curry which was kind of dull. The drinks were good - nice choice of vegan fancy coffees. And the desserts were fantastically tasty, but TINY! We had chocolate tofu tart. My other half ordered soya ice cream with his and even the ice cream scoop was miniature!
All the food was well presented. The cafe does seem to be in an expensive area, full of designer shops etc. so maybe that's why you get small amounts and a big bill?!
Pros: Good directions, Choice for Vegans, Tasty
Cons: Expensive, Small portions, Slow service
Guest
islandveg
Points +82
Good frood but pricey - Edit
Food was good, not large portions. Food for 2 (we each had the burger) and a side of brown rice, with 1 drink (I had soy milk) came out to $40.
Read morePros: Tasty
Cons: Expensive
Guest
selena
Points +371
Early hours, rudeness - Edit
This place is definitely NOT open until 1030. I have been here around 8 pm on two different occasions and been turned away because "they've already taken last order". They were very rude about it, as well. I called ahead to find out the closing time using the number on this site, but when we arrived they insisted that we hadn't called, but had instead called another place. This has happened twice now. Even though the food is good, I won't be going again.
Read morePros: good food, nice atmosphere
Cons: rude service, tiny, early/incorrect hours
Guest
westcornersville
Points +659
Portion Sizes Way Too Small - Edit
This place had good food--just not enough of it (per order)--even by Japanese standards. For example, one of their deserts, the chocolate tofu tort (which was really good) was about the size of a Reese's Peanut Butter cup! If their portions were larger, this would be a great place to eat (if money is no object, I guess order two of everything).
Read morePros: good food, very clean
Cons: tiny portions
Guest
sarahsvati
Points +299
Yummy vegan food - Edit
I may not be very picky because I was just so happy to find a completely vegan restaurant, but I enjoyed my lunch at Brown Rice. It was easy to find, the portions were plentiful and tasty, the brown rice was perfect. My one complaint is that the desserts were TINY (and I mean tiny!). Instead, I walked over the Natural House on Aoyama Dori and bought some delicious vegan chocolate ice cream.
Read morePros: English menu, Tasty
Cons: Tiny and expensive desserts
Guest
Veganfriend
Points +29
Yummy but kind of odd - Edit
The food was great! Although there was almost an hour wait to sit down with only an over priced bath shop to stand around in. When we did sit down though the service was nice and they did well with English. The seating area is kind of small and cramped but everything is completely clean. Overall it was nice and easy to find.
Read morePros: good food, nice staff
Cons: long wait, very little seating
Guest
EARTHPEACE
Points +147
Best Restaurant in Harajuku! - Edit
For VEGAN this cafe is the best restaurant in Hajuku.
Read moreAll menu here are made by Organic food.
Pros: vegan food&sweets, excellent food, good value
Guest
KelseyApple
Points +89
Excellent! - Edit
This cafe has the best vegan desserts I have ever had. In fact, I think are the best desserts period I have ever had. I wasn't a big fan of the veggie filled abura age pockets, but I have tried 3 other main dishes and they have all been delicious. The atmosphere is great and there are health food products for sale as well. The price is about what you would expect to pay (800-900 yen for a main). The desserts are a bit pricier but they are worth it. I highly recommend the Sweet Sake Pie!!
Read moreGuest
Precious
Points +45
Great little secret cafe with nice outside patio! - Edit
I really liked the style and big patio and wondows!! There were also many vegitarian and cooking books to read while you wiated! Not a place to go for a big meal,more desserts and snacks or a small lunch.If you want the yummy cheese cake you can actually reserve a piece when you reserve your table.They run out fast and I was disapointed when there was only 1 little piece left for us to share! overall nice atmosphere and good food.There is honey on the dressings and other things so ask before you order!
Read morePros: great relaxing atmosphere, many vegan options, nice staff
Cons: small portions, small menu, honey used in some things
Guest
Baza
Points +91
Pleasant enough - Edit
The burger is tiny. The curry is a little more substantial but nothing special. Some of the food contains honey, like the burger sauce so it's best to check. The Japanese set is the most reasonable option.
Read morePros: Clean, Outdoor area, Mostly vegan
Cons: Small portions
Guest
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