• Kaikoan Restaurant - Hasedera Temple

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  • White Veg-options
Vegan-friendly
Japanese
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Spacious restaurant on the overlook in the Hasedera Temple grounds serving two vegan main dishes (veg curry, veg pasta) prepared according to Buddhist principles, as well as vegan desserts, coffee , tea, sake, beer and wine. Location is entrance at main gate on Yuigahama -dori, a few blocks from Hase station of the Enoden tramway. Note you pay a small admission fee to the temple & grounds. Open Mon-Fri 10:00am-4:00pm.


Venue map for Kaikoan Restaurant - Hasedera Temple
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9 Reviews

First Review by Nancy Cadet

ReiAmber

Points +3168

Vegan
18 Sep 2023

okay pasta or curry; good boxed curry

I was always curious about this place, since it seems unusual to find a temple serving actual vegan food. The vegan steamed buns (manjuu) they sell outside the restaurant at a stall are so good! So, finally I was able to try the restaurant.

I appreciate they gave it having vegan options a try, but unfortunately both of the two vegan dishes were just so-so for me. The pasta had a lot of noodles, but not much sauce. I wondered if it was just not prepackaged soy meat sauce with any pasta from the 100 yen shop, for example. If they reduced the noodle amount I think this would actually be good.

The curry had some things in it that I thought were rather strange or untasty like pieces of konnyaku and mushy carrots.

The view from the picture windows is beautiful, though.

You can buy the "otera no karee" temple curry in a boxed, heat-and eat (retort pouch) version to take home. I actually thought this was quite tasty. It had whole soybeans in it. I believe it was 540 yen. I don't know if it's the exact same one you get if you order in the restaurant, but it tasted better to me when I could add vegetables that I actually liked. I would buy this again.

It is 400 yen to get into the temple grounds to go to the manjuu stand or restaurant, so definitely see the giant Kannon statue and grounds when you are there.

Next time I will stick to the manjuu and taking some boxed curry home to cook later.

Updated from previous review on 2023-08-11

Pros: nice view, air conditioning, boxed curry was pretty good

Cons: pasta did not have much sauce

vandermost

Points +1236

Vegan
14 Jun 2023

Long wait for a mediocre pasta

I came here on a Friday morning and decided to wait in line for a small ish queue that ended up taking almost 45 minutes(!)
All that waiting had made me hungry so I decided to order a large pasta. Normally I wouldn’t order pasta at a Japanese restaurant, but since they had only three dishes, I figured it might be worth a shot. The pasta turned out to be HUGE. However, it was mainly pasta with almost no sauce. The sauce was okay but nothing special. Good things were the clear labeling of vegan options, pleasant seating, and the very nice view. If you go here I would recommend getting the curry!

cheerfulgoat

Points +263

Vegetarian
06 Apr 2023

Some of the best food had in Japan

I wish I could give star this place. It’s within the temple complex and seems to be open every day so these listed hours are wrong. The views are amazing.

Offers three dishes total, two of which are vegan: curry rice and “meat” pasta. The third dish, udon, has fish.

The curry was phenomenal. The pasta was also quite good. We also got the ginger ale which was one of the best drinks I had—very gingery and cinnamony.

My meat eating friend had the udon and rated it among her top five meals in Japan.

Pros: Fantastic food, Incredible views, Great service

Cons: Have to pay to enter the temple

katescosmic

Points +156

Vegan
20 Dec 2020

Delicious food, great view!

We stumbled on this place by accident and it was a great surprise! The soy meat pasta is particularly delicious (highly recommended!), but the curry was great too. We also got a steamed bun with bamboo and mushrooms inside, which was a great snack.

The interior of the restaurant is really clean and modern, and has a great view of the sea. Well worth a visit!

ninabee

Points +259

Vegan
24 Nov 2019

Lovely views

Nice views and food, I got the vege curry that came with some salad and the tasty onion soup on the side. There was another vege pasta option that was vegan too. The service was quick and waitresses were lovely.

Pros: Amazing views, Nice rest stop in the temple grounds, Tasty food

Cons: Only two options, not sure about dessert, Only one option has ‘vegan’ in the name

Deepra

Points +15

Vegetarian
20 Nov 2019

Good veggie curry with views of Kamakura and Sagami bay

The "recommended" veggie curry option from the menu turn out to be quite good with onion(?) soup and salad. If you get a table by the window the view is really nice too. The waiter was a little curt but I took it as a sign of their monk training- he looked like a Buddhist monk.

MakaylaRosslow

Points +166

Vegan
15 Jun 2019

Vegetarian restaurant inside temple🙏🏼

This restaurant is actually 100% vegetarian, as it follows Buddhist tradition. Come eat here after checking out the beautiful Hasedera temple! It was a special experience dining in a sacred area!

The staff did not speak the best English but there is an English menu. I had the vegetable curry, it was fresh and delicious!

Beautiful sweeping views overlooking the ocean. Peaceful restaurant. Highly recommend

LucieZix

Points +78

Vegan
25 Jun 2018

No vegan options

Not sure if it was just the staff or something else, but they were quite rude and there wasn't any vegan options in this restaurant. (At least that's what the waiter told us, I even asked in Japanese.)

Cons: No vegan options, Overpriced, Rude staff

Nancy Cadet

Points +1021

Vegan
07 Oct 2017

Vegan options at Hasedera temple

Next to the outdoor observation deck where visitors can picnic or buy items from vending machines while fending off marauding local birds , the casual indoor restaurant Kaikoan serves two vegan main dishes--pasta with tomato sauce, veggie curry--and a few vegan desserts made with red beans or kanten. Beer, wine, sake, and tea are also available .

It's open from 11:30--around 4:00. Customers must pay the temple entrance fee., and climb up the stairs through the grounds to reach the restaurant.

Pros: Vegan, Moderate price, beautiful surroundings

Cons: Must pay to enter the temple grounds




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