Japanese
Beer/Wine
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Traditional izakaya marking vegan options with a little shamrock leaf. Understands veganism and no use of dashi. Can choose from tofu, tempura, salads, and a few kinds of soups. NOTE: Reported January 2024 to have limited vegan options – please send updates to HappyCow. Open Mon-Tue 11:30am-2:00pm, 3:30pm-8:00pm, Thu-Fri 11:30am-2:00pm, 3:30pm-8:00pm, Sat 11:30am-8:00pm.


Venue map for Komaki
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4 Reviews

First Review by MaximeSCHNEITER

meetmeatme

Points +44

Non Veg
14 Sep 2023

The owners did not know what vegetarianism really was.

I am Japanese. My vegetarian husband and I went to this restaurant for dinner in February 2023. When ordering, I double-checked in Japanese to make sure there was no fish or meat in the dishes marked as vegetarian. Then the chef's wife, who was working as a server, replied that some vegetarian dishes include bonito (fish) stock. When I asked why the dishes were labeled as vegetarian though it contained the fish stock, the chef and his wife said they didn't really understand what vegetarianism really was, so I explained to them. I was surprised that was the first time that they finally understand about vegetarianism. Besides, I also explained the difference between vegetarian and vegan. I didn't want to blame or to dig deeper into them why they thought the bonito stock was okay though they had known fish meat shouldn't be included in the 'vegetarian' dishes, so I didn't pursue it any further. I only ordered the real vegetarian dishes, but for the dinner, there were too few choices, so it turned out to be a poor dinner, just vegetable tempura with salt and a bowl of plain rice. They said that most of the 'vegetarian' dishes included bonito stock, such as the soup of the fried tofu, eggplant and turnip with ginger sauce, tempura dip soup, salad dressing and etc. Please note that soy sauce in Japanese restaurants often contains bonito stock in general. Since my husband and I were tourists and visited the area only for one night, I don't know if this restaurant corrected the menu after our visit. (Please tell me if they have corrected their menu.) I'm Japanese, so if there's bonito stock in the dressing or soy sauce, I can tell right away by tasting it. What I'm trying to say is that even if you ask the owner if the items do not contain any meat or fish, foreign tourists would not be able to tell by tasting it. If you want to try the restaurant, it would be the best to bring a Japanese friend with you.

Updated from previous review on 2023-09-14

Pros: cozy atmosphere, popular location

Cons: few vegetarian dishes, little too expensive for the mediocre dishes, cash only

clark

Points +293

Vegetarian
01 Mar 2023

Good food but be careful when ordering

This is a nice izakaya with a chill vibe. Be aware however that some of the items marked “Vegan” on the menu contain katsuobushi in the broth. My wife who is Japanese had a discussion with one of the owners to confirm this. If you’re strict about not consuming fish products then you’ll want to confirm when ordering. They can make a handful of the items on the menu 100% vegan-friendly: the daikon/radish salad, the vegetable tempura, and the agedashi tofu. Although we didn’t order it, the ochazuke should be safe as well if I recall correctly.

For the vegetarians out there, the cheese and fried eggplant is also an option although not marked as such on the menu.

Pros: Chill vibe w/ good music, Friendly owners, Good food

xavierkt

Points +93

Vegetarian
29 Dec 2022

Lovely spot by the river

Would give 5 star if possible. Lovely little restaurant run by old Japanese couple.

Pros: Healthy tasting food, Relaxing atmosphere

MaximeSCHNEITER

Points +21

Mostly Veg
01 Apr 2022

Great place

Many vegan options easily spotted thanks to the green shamrock.

Location is easy to find even though happy cow will direct you to a guest house, the restaurant is next door.

We had no English menu. But maybe if you ask?




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