Vegan restaurant and cafe serving a large menu of Japanese specialities such as ramen, katsu lunch sets, omurice, curry, cake, parfaits, and more. Located on the Teramachi-dori covered shopping street. Enter through the Mumokuteki lifestyle store and go up to the 2nd floor. Has table, counter and armchair seating, plus a spacious area for families with children. Lunch is served all afternoon. Last order is 1 hour before closing. NOTE: Please verify if still fully vegan. Open Mon-Tue 11:30am-4:00pm, Thu-Fri 11:30am-4:00pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am-5:00pm. Closed Wed.
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Last update on 26 Nov 2024 by Hilsdon
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291 Reviews
First Review by wanderingvegans
JanineBarthel
Points +310
Always amazing - Edit
This is one of my favorite places in Kyoto. I love it for many reasons - the opening hours, the food, the location.
Read moreIt's cozy and relaxing.
There's usually a wait for lunch and dinner (we waited anywhere between 10-45 mins).
The food is almost exclusively vegan except for the fish broth that is used on some set meals (order without and it's vegan).
I have tried all the sets, the dinner/weekend special, most of the desserts and their vegetable curry, fried gluten bowl, rice tofuburger plate, their two burgers and the spicy potatoes. The food is always reallllllly good.
My favorites are the curry (it's fantastic), the chocolate ice shake, their ramen, the mixed dinner plate with tofu burgers and cutlets, and their cheesecake.
My fiance loves the gluten rice bowl.
I'm sure there's something for everyone on the menu. Service is good and quick once you got a spot.
I recommend it 100%.
Pros: 99% vegan menu, good prices + delicious food, perfect location
Cons: sometimes long waiting time
Guest
Nancy Cadet
Points +1038
Interesting shop, central location, but... - Edit
The staff was friendly , the menu indicates which dishes contain fish stock (many) but the waitperson was willing to substitute vegan alternatives in the set meals we ordered.
Read moreThe food was not memorable or especially tasty. It was more like veggie comfort food, if you like crispy fried and breaded main dishes, thick creamy sauce, home-fried style root veggies, or smoothies.
But if you prefer a variety of greens, or savory and subtle flavoring, or, since some reviewers have praised their faux-pork noodle dish, I recommend the very tasty noodles in soy milk-sesame sauce at GoMacro Salon instead. Their food is consistently delicious, while my partner and I found Mumokuteki ' s to be meh. And for vegan comfort food, try vegans cafe in Fushimi.
We had to wait 20-25 minutes for a table, but once seated, the service was quick.
Updated from previous review on 2017-11-08
Pros: Central location , Easy to find, Shabby chic decor
Guest
Ika
Points +251
Excellent vegan burger - Edit
Nicely decorated 'vintage style' restaurant, which is located on the second floor. When I arrived, the waiter gave me a number and asked me to wait in the shop at the basement floor. After about 10 min he picked me up. They have an extensive english menu with pictures. I tried the avocado burger, which was excellent. I would actually say, the tofu based patty was the best I ever ate (soft inside, cross outside). Staff was very friendly.
Read moreGuest
IrenaHarrison
Points +90
Amazing! - Edit
Loved it!! Great price, beautiful presentation, nice atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
yanina
Points +80
Vegan ramen - Edit
They have a nice menu and a lot of food to choose from. I had ramen there and it was very good, although not the best I've ever had. The place looks cool, it is not pricey at all and location is very central as well. I found the fish broth in set menus a bit strange, but whatever floats their boat I guess. There definitely are better places, but it was still enjoyable visit and I'll be most probably coming back. English menu available for non-japanese speakers.
Read morePros: relatively cheap, good selection, central location
Cons: not completely vegan/vegetarian, long waiting time, service a bit slow
Guest
HollyRoseRobinson
Points +70
wide range on the menu - Edit
Arriving in a kyoto thunderstorm we wanted the closest place to our hostel. There was a lot to choose from, we both had tofu burgers with rice and salad - v yummy! Items with fish stock were clearly marked with a fish and we also had ab english menu. Food was very tasty and the environment and service very pleasant.
Read morePros: english menu, varied menu
Guest
YokeMunLim
Points +1011
Decent vegan options, delicious cakes - Edit
I used to go to Mumokuteki a lot before it blew up last year since it is located at a fairly central location. Now I hardly go there anymore because the waiting time has doubled. Once I went there with friends and the staff forgot we were waiting downstairs which wasn't pleasant. They have an extensive and affordable menu but half of the items contain fish broth which are labeled with a fish symbol, so vegans and vegetarians beware. I've heard that you can request vegan versions of their set menus which usually contain fish broth but I haven't tried that. They do have a good veggie curry and really tasty cakes with cream and fresh fruits. Other than that I would only recommend this place if you have nowhere else to go downtown. There are better options in the North and South Kyoto which are more laid back, have friendlier staff and serve better food.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-07-16
Pros: Decent and inexpensive vegan options, Bright and spacious interior , Fairly delicious cakes
Cons: Long waiting time , Lots of food items that contain fish broth , Inconsistent service
Guest
paulbelafonte
Points +64
Great healthy meals - Edit
This place has great healthy style vegan/vegetarian meals. Staff were really lovely and the food was great. Definitely up there with my favourite places that I ate at in Japan. If you're in Kyoto this is a must do.
Read moreGuest
KateH
Points +78
So delicious! - Edit
Came to Kyoto for 5 days with my girlfriend, and this was our favorite place! The avocado burger was delicious, as was the miso cutlet. We couldn't get enough.
Read morePros: Wide selection of veggie and vegan dishes, Best soy latte in kyoto, Japanese and western flavors
Cons: Fish stock in the miso
Guest
JessTravelsALot
Points +64
Very nice and healthy - Edit
Wonderful vegan versions of traditional Japanese food and vegan parfaits!!
Read moreI would rate it as second best place we ate in Kyoto. Definitely worth a visit
Guest
Cam
Points +2089
Very good option - Edit
Even though I tend to favorise vegetarian and vegan restaurants when I travel, I liked Mumokuteki and when back for a second time.
Read moreI had the noodle set dîner and a curry, both were delicious, filling and under 1200 yens. They use fish stock for some dishes but it is clearly labelled.
They have a few traditional japanese dishes and hamburgers, spaghettis and cakes.
It suite popular so you might be asked to wait a little.
Pros: Tasty, Nice staff, Bright, well decorated
Guest
HeatherL
Points +28
Wonderful find! - Edit
We ate at Mumokuteki three times during our stay in Kyoto. We are always delighted to find vegan food, especially when it is so tasty. They have a "pork" ramen that was simply amazing, great flavors and large in portion. Highly recommend this restaurant. We attempted to eat there on a Wednesday night but they were closed as is their norm, apparently. Also, this is a busy place and you may have to wait for your number to be called so make sure you pick one up.
Read moreGuest
Kerouac32
Points +230
Great Restaurant - Edit
I had the Tofu Burger Set and it was very good. It came with a nice salad and excellent fried potatoes. The Burger had an interesting texture, crispy on the outside and soft inside. The cafe was very busy when we got there around 20:00 and we waited about 40 minutes for a table but the store was very nice to walk around in.
Read morePros: English menu, Good amount of vegan options
Guest
AndreaJohnson
Points +30
Amazing meal - Edit
One of the nicest meals out I've had anywhere. Found this by accident when the local vegan eatery was closed. I had a dish with all kinds of food; rice, some tasty potato salad, leafy salad, tofu burgers, little crisps and some mayo type sauce. It was very tasty and the different flavours and textures really complimented one another. An enormous portion by Japanese standards. No room for any of the vast array of delicious looking desserts on the menu :/
Read morePros: Reasonably priced, Lots of vegan sweets, Delicious food
Cons: Some menu items contain fish stock (marked)
Guest
RowanJohnson
Points +31
Deserves a 5-star - Edit
Really enjoyed the food here and the non-veg (Dashi) food is labelled clearly. The food was really nice and was very generous proportions in my opinion, especially for Japan. We ordered a side of chips and we could hardly touch them alongside our meals. YMMV. Nice atmosphere, nice food, and seemed like a fair price
Read moreGuest
Bfreee
Points +36
Get the ramen not the burger - Edit
Great atmosphere!
Read moreCool shops near there.
Tons of good options. I just picked the wrong one. I didn't like the vegi burger. My travel companions picked well.
Lots of other options.
Perhaps the problem was also that we eat an epic vegi burger the night before.
Still glad we went:)
Guest
acmeproductionco
Points +60
Reasonable prices & good food - Edit
The first time we tried this place they had closed early which didn't fill us with confidence. We returned for a mid afternoon drink the following day and proceeded to head back for dinner that night and the following night. After an inauspicious start they certainly won us back!
Read moreThere are two entrances, one up the stairs at the front of the ground floor shop, the other at the back where there's a small waiting area (at busy times you'll be given a number - this happened both evenings we went) which leads directly up to the cafe itself. It seems popular with locals which was nice to see, as some vegan-oriented places we visited were wall-to-wall tourists.
The atmosphere is very relaxing and the staff friendly and English-speaking. They have clear English menus which they brought over as a matter of course. Food is clearly labelled if it contains fish - everything else is vegan apart from a couple of things involving honey.
Despite some of the menu being off-limits there were plenty of options to choose from, including some indulgent shakes which were the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. On our visits we tried a tofu-skin omelette draped over fried rice with an onion sauce, 'pork-bone' ramen (made with soya milk) and a couple of different burger options. We also forced ourselves to try some of the desserts and hot chocolate.
Everything was tasty, though some individual elements of dishes were a little bland - that tofu-skin omelette definitely needed the sauce it was swimming in. The burgers were excellent, not huge but not tiny. And the prices were some of the more reasonable we experienced in Japan: 2 mains and 2 desserts came in under 3000 yen, which was a bargain for the quality on offer.
Pros: Options clearly marked, great atmosphere, good pri
Cons: Seating times unpredictable
Guest
Isi
Points +137
Great place! - Edit
I would give this place 5 stars if it was possible. The atmosphere is really great and the place beautiful.
Read moreWe had the vegan rice filled omelet (the one with ketchup and fried soy on top), the spicy fries and the cheesecake. Everthing we had was really really good! Totally a place to visit while in Kyoto!
Pros: - traditional dishes made vegan - really delicious
Guest
ibuljat
Points +62
Delicious and innovative vegan food - Edit
Had a beautiful experience at Mumokuteki cafe! The general vibe of the cafe was so cozy and relaxed, especially as we were having lunch there on a cold and rainy day! Several staff members knew English and the entire menu had english translations for all meals! Will definitely be returning to this lovely cafe on my next trip to Kyoto!
Read morePros: Nice vibe, Friendly staff, Amazing food
Cons: Slightly confusing to find as bottom level is shop
Guest
EmmaCebuliak
Points +1882
Nice Atmosphere and Cakes - Edit
I've been here several times now, and although I would recommend it, I have a bunch of mixed feelings as well. The antique aesthetic of the shop and cafe is really nice, making it a really pleasant place to hang out and socialize. They also have a huge menu, but unfortunately a large portion of it is non-vegan simply because of the fish stock (and honey? I need to check that again). As others have noted this really feels like a shame for such an otherwise incredible menu. The other thing I'm less keen on this place is that, because of it's size, it lacks the friendly and personal feel that many other cafes have. The staff are nice, but always extremely busy. It's also mandatory that you order at least one item / person (my friend and I tried to share a plate once and felt they were rather rude about it). There is often a cue at busy times, and they will not seat anyone extra in the large portion of the space designated for families with small children (which is great except there usually aren't many families using it). I really want to love Mumokuteki, and I would go again, but it's definitely a shame that they're missing the opportunity to be such a great vegan restaurant.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2016-06-28
Pros: Beautiful interior design, Decent food
Cons: Not fully vegan, Really busy, Inflexible service
Guest
lunapavo
Points +162
great - Edit
A bit of a wait (30 mins or so) but worth it. Pretty much everything is vegan. We had spaghetti, one of the fried cutlet sets, matcha milkshake and tiramisu cake. It's a lovely cafe that sits on top of a clothing store. Good atmosphere, vibe, pleasant staff and good food. The matcha milkshake was so good!
Read moreGuest
TaraMurray
Points +271
Cute & Quaint with delicious food - Edit
Kyoto is such a cool place but has very limited vegan options so when we were told we would have to wait 40 minutes to be seated, we decided to wait it out.
Read moreAfter only 20 minutes we took a seat and ordered. There is only one set menu that the waiter said could be made fish free (miso has fish) so we ordered that as well as the Avocado Burger. We also added the salad bar to both meals (¥200 each) and ate our way through a few plates before our meals arrived.
Both meals were excellent in size and taste, the burger was the best we've had in Japan!
Overall a great cafe, we loved it! Such a shame they still use fish and honey but all the same, a solid 4 stars :)
Guest
Greyskies
Points +243
Good vegan choices - Edit
Mumokuteki cafe is tucked away upstairs above a shop, but once you get up there it is a nice, trendy cafe. It is very popular and our food took a long time to arrive - so much so that there is no photo of my tofu burger with avocado and fires because I ate it as soon as it arrived.
Read moreMy husband and I found the portion sizes fine, in fact his noodle dish was huge. But that didn't stop me having an enormous fruit parfait for dessert.
There was an amazing dessert choice - muffins, parfaits, tiramisu, nocheese cake.
The fish stock and honey used in some of their dishes isn't ideal, but at least it makes me feel confident that they understand what vegan food is enough to tell us that it's there.
The food was delicious, good portion sizes and the service very friendly - just what I needed for our last night in Kyoto before setting off for the vegan desert of rural Japan.
Pros: Lots of delicious vegan choices, sweet and savoury, Very Friendly staff
Cons: Popular, so service was slow
Guest
Megatron86
Points +36
Great! - Edit
Super yummy food! Well priced, menu is easy to understand and items with fish broth clearly marked. Staff speak good English, friendly and great atmosphere. We had a great night here!
Read moreGuest
freezer966
Points +176
high priced and fish stock - Edit
We had to wait 30min downstairs to get a seat for 2. Ordered 2 Burgers since the rest didn't seem affordable for us. As others have said, they mark the dishes with fishstock but it just makes you wonder why they don't just replace it. The restaurant would be vegan if they left out the fishstock and the honey. Don't know what their motivations are though. Burger was nice.
Read moreCons: expensive
Guest
Stevie
Points +11765
Mumokuteki Cafe, Kyoto - Edit
2 of us tried Matsuontoko this evening. Matsuontoko wouldn't turned us and other people away saying they had sold out of food. We thus tried Mumokuteki since it was past 8 30 on a Monday evening and we were a little concerned we may not find somewhere reasonably easily that is still open and serving.
Read moreWe found Mumokuteki to be a positive experience on many levels. My spouse ordered a noodle set deal that was good value at around a 1000 yen. I've found Japanese portion sizes to be a bit on the small side so far so decided to take no prisoners this evening. I ordered 2 burgers with salad and chips. This was a pretty smart decision. The burgers tasted great but were a little on the small side as were the chips.
I must confess I am struggling to understand why fish stock is used in so many dishes. I appreciate that they at least label the dishes with the fish stock. I find it a little surprising that in the 21ct century they aren't able to use a non-animal derived alternative.
If they ditched the fish stock I'd defo rate this place higher. If they ditched the fish stock and ditched the honey I'd likely rate it 5.
Pros: Vegan friendly, Tasty food
Cons: Fish stock used
Guest
rhiannonmadison
Points +69
yummy soy parfait - Edit
I didn't get a full meal here but I just stopped by to try their soy parfait and it didn't disappoint! I would've liked to have a proper meal here as the menu looked like it had a lot of good options. It's in a really convenient location too and it was pretty busy when I went there so be sure to get there a little early.
Read moreGuest
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