Vegan
Japanese
Macrobiotic
Organic
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Hawaiian

Hawaiian-themed, Japanese and English menu. Has tofu-chicken, curry, brown rice, tea selection. A 10-minute walk from Sangenjaya station or Ikejiri-Ohashi station. Reported closed October 2022.


Venue map for Olu Olu Cafe
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46 Reviews

First Review by JesseD

Bbtez

Points +18

Vegan
28 Sep 2017

I can't believe it

This place made me so happy today. I walked 30min in the rain just to get here. So I was like this place better deliver! And they effing did! I had the Ramen which was delicious and filling. The portion was really big. Then I had the brownie which was sugar free and worth every bite. Service was super nice and the lady speaks English. They have English and Japanese menues. I'm coming back tomorrow.

Pros: All the goodness

Cons: none

Stefaan

Points +54

Vegetarian
21 Sep 2017

Dang

Been around the world and I, I, I
can't find a better little vegan place to go (etc.)

If this place was a furry bulb of wool, I'd knit a cozy warm sweater for myself to live in and hide away the little vegan dishes olu'olu serves.

Apart form noisy tourists (sorry for that, I'm an emotional eater) everything about this place is nice and every dish (went there a little while ago, but still sometimes wake up with the taste in mind) is lovely. And believe me, critical as I am, I've tried and tried.

Go there, stay there, live there, put it on AirBnB, sublet, sell in a sellers market, squat the place, buy back, renovate and enjoy the hospitality of these lovely people.

But don't take my word for it, just try it. Word.

Pros: Everything you can order tastes great, Nice, quit and friendly staff

Cons: the cute little Japanese poodles aren't for sale

tulips.and.trains

Points +120

Vegan
17 Sep 2017

vegan in Japan! hooray!

My gosh it feels good to find a vegan place in Japan. Boyfriend got a burger and fries and I got ramen, and we were both extremely happy with our meals. Service was super friendly and totally fine with non-Japanese speakers. Definitely come here!

Pros: ramen!

Eolcasa

Points +21

Vegetarian
11 Jun 2017

NUMBER ONE

Best vegetarian restaurant that we have tasted around the world!!! The place is greatly decorated, the food is amazing and we discovered new things every time we went there.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Jessqi

Points +247

Vegan
04 May 2017

Yum!

Basically I concur with the many positive reviews here. I've never seen such an extensive menu in Japan. I got the chicken mochiko burger. It was so good! Crunchy, a yummy mayo, loads of fresh greens, all nicely balanced with tremendous flavour! I will be returning to try the taco rice. The desserts looked good as well. If only I'd had room! Might have to spend an arvo in Sendangaya. A great and affordable vegan place in Tokyo in a very cool neighbourhood. Nice!

Pros: An extensive menu, Affordable, Delicious!!

DanielleRC

Points +46

Vegan
11 Feb 2017

Great place!

I love Olu Olu. Everything I've gotten has been very good. I love the a la carte options. It's affordable and very delicious and all vegan! The place itself is a little small, but it doesn't deter from the friendly service and great food. I highly recommend.

Pros: Great vegan food, Friendly service

AleBaba88

Points +64

Vegan
29 Nov 2016

delicious

We were able to enjoy an excellent delicious dinner today. We had burgers, this was so delicious, that we ordered an additional takeaway. The owners are very friendly and you notice that with love is cooked. This place is absolutely recommendable.

Ena

Points +285

Vegan
18 Sep 2016

Superb!

This place is super, cozy atmosphere, kind polyglot staff and the food.. THE FOOD! I tried the raw rolls and the detox curry, every bite was a culinary explosion.. And it's not expensive at all!

Pros: Close to Shibuya

Cons: A little far from the station (12-14 min) but defi

JakeRicker

Points +16

Vegan
08 May 2016

BEST RESTAURANT EVER!!!!

This might be my all time favorite place in the world. I've been vegan for 9 years and travelled all over the world. I've been in Tokyo 5 days and I've been 4 times! Don't miss this place! The food is amazing. Such a flavorful menu. And the staff (I think the owners) are the nicest people. The environment is chill and amazing. It's really right out of Hawaii. Surfboards stacked up. Surfing on the tv. Palm trees and bright flowers everywhere. These are the kind of places I love supporting.

curiosity3

Points +103

Vegan
23 Feb 2016

So-so. Too much soy meat, grisly Hawaiian din

Came here once for lunch, and once for dinner. The lunch was a positive experience, had the brown rice set with the Chinese style sauted “pork”. This dish comes with a few tiny sides, all delicious and the soy meat is expertly prepared. Encouraged by that positive experience, came again with my spouse for dinner. We ordered a variety of dishes, the gyoza, the deep-fried “chicken”, couple of salads, the Thai style fried rice etc. The impression was decidedly more mediocre then. These traditional soy meats get old real fast so if they dominate the menu - as they do here – it’s not attractive. The gyoza were really good, though. If I lived close by, I’d probably stop by from time to time but since I don’t I won’t be going out of my way to make it here again. Oh, the Hawaiian din being piped through the stereo nonstop really got on my nerves.

Pros: Nice owner couple, Good gyoza, Fair pricing

Cons: Hawaiian racket , Over reliance on soy meats, Inconvenient location for most

NinomaeJyuuichi

Points +147

Vegan
07 Nov 2015

Lovely cozy place

We went to Shibuya for Halloween and it was crazy, but we also wanted something to eat. We went to Hang Out since it was close by but it was closed! So luckily we ended up here after taking a short train ride to Sangen-jaya. The cafe is a fair 15-20min walk from the station so not so close, but it was well worth it. The cafe has a real homey feel to it and was a relaxing atmosphere to be in, especially after a crazy Shibuya night!

We ordered a lot and ate every last bite. I was stuffed and could hardly walk back to the station after but it was worth it! :-D

We had the salad along with the fried tofu with tomato and cabbage for the starter which were good (I never thought about eating tofu with tomato and cabbage!), a couple of their smoothies (I had the deep blue sea which was amazing, and I drink vitamix smoothies everyday), and ended up with the taco rice as my main course while my fiance had the Thai fried rice. It was my first time having taco rice and it was sooo good! The cashew(?) sour cream on top was amazing and the flavours all worked well together. The Thai fried rice was good also but needed a bit of a kick from some sriracha as it was a little sweet from coconut oil and possibly slightly overcooked rice so it was slightly creamy. I ended with a brownie which was also really good with some amazing whipped cream on the side.

The menu is huge though, and we can't wait to go back and try more things! They all sound so delicious and I could tell time and care was put into the food.

I really felt the love the owners had for animals and were truly thinking about the animals which made me like this place just that little bit more. One of my top restaurants in Tokyo. Can't wait to go back!

PS: Open late so keep this place in mind when you're out for a late night!
Updated from previous review on Friday November 06, 2015

Pros: Open late, Huge menu, Super friendly owners

Cons: Little far from the station

Ookami

Points +39

Mostly Veg
24 May 2015

Great food, very nice people

Went to Olu Olu last night, the menu(they have English one too) was huge, so wasn't easy to pick but chose the gyoza, loco moco and taco rice.

The food was fantastic and the presentation is superb.
The owners speak English too.

Definitely will be back for more!

Mochigirl

Points +19

Vegetarian
30 Mar 2015

Yummy and cheap!

Relaxing restaurant, very tasty and affordable food. About 12 min walk from the station. Friendly staff who speak English. Ordered vegan ramen, and mochiko chicken. Both were so good, we decided to get sweet and sour chicken. Maybe we were already too full, but the 3rd dish was just alright.
Updated from previous review on Monday March 30, 2015

Pros: Good value, Soy meats, Hawaiian vibe

heartkid

Points +84

Vegan
10 Jan 2015

Cozy restaurant!

A very cute and cozy little restaurant in a less central part of Tokyo. The staff was friendly and the portions generous. All of the three dishes that we tried were delicious, although a bit on the oily side for my taste. I did enjoy it though, and will definitely go back!

Pros: Delicious, Good portions, Friendly staff

Cons: A bit oily

Snowchild

Points +32

Vegan
07 Jan 2015

My most favorite vegan restaurant in Tokyo!!

I am a big fan of Olu Olu cafe. Very nice people(owner and chief), very fancy and very tasty food, comfortable space and affordable price.Food using soy "meats," and special order vegan whole cake are especially very nice. If someone asks me about the best vegan restaurant in Tokyo, My answer is "Olu Olu cafe. you should go soon!"

Jessica-Chickpea

Points +84

Vegan
08 Nov 2014

Olu Olu Cafe

We only made it to this small family run restaurant once, but we absolutely loved it! So charming, such delicious food and the couple were just so friendly and warm. English is spoken and the menu was in English too. The cafe is decked out Hawaiian style, yet the food was a range of all sorts.
There was brushetta, salads, pastas, nachos, pizzas and mock meat dishes. It was all so tasty and well priced. A nice change for us as we found most vegan places in Tokyo were over-priced.
Definitely go here and enjoy the food, atmosphere and beer. It was quite a walk from Sangenjaya train station, but you can walk off the food afterwards!

Pros: Delicious food, Friendly staff, Good value

xFelix

Points +24

Vegan
27 Jul 2014

my absolute favorite place in Tokyo

Very charming staff (a couple I think). Service is quick, quality is splendid, wide range of dishes (English & Japanese menu). Many items are organic. The Hawaiian atmosphere is relaxing. Go check it out yourself. You probably won't be disappointed.

Pros: see description

Cons: none

geoffmatters

Points +185

Vegan
13 May 2014

Surfs Up

Fantastic little place, surprisingly accessible just a short distance from Shibuya (either two stations followed by a bit of walking, or take the bus which stops just down the street from the restaurant)

A lot of the vegan restaurants in Japan have small menus, with only a few sets or a la carte options available, so it was a joy to flip through the extensive, 100%-vegan menu offered here. Everything is fully translated into English, including descriptions of the dishes, so you will have no problem finding something just to your taste. The available dishes are an international mashup, including a variety of Hawaiian-inspired dishes, but everything with a slightly Japanese sensibility. Definitely the antidote if you're feeling a little tired of the macrobiotic-style cafes that seem to dominate the veggie scene in Tokyo. Appetizers, pastas, sautes, salad/rice bowls and more are available, chock-full of seasonal vegetables and/or faux meats as suits your mood. I bounce back and forth between the healthy options (vegetable soups, smoothies) and the guilty pleasure of devouring a plate of slightly-spicy chicken kareage.

Despite describing themselves somewhere as "vegan junk food" the menu makes clear that whether you are enjoying a salad or fried foods, they use salt and oils minimally and steer clear of white sugar and the like. Not that you'd know it from their dessert selection, which includes a vegan (of course) rum raisin ice cream.

Definitely worth the small detour to get there!

Pros: Delicious, Extensive Menu, Friendly

Cons: Slightly out of the way

JesseD

Points +832

Vegan
24 Oct 2012

Great Little Hawaiian Cafe

This place is a little gem in southern Tokyo. The food was delicious (particularly the entrees) and the owner (I think) was very friendly and welcoming. She had translated about half of the menu into English (so it will probably be all translated by the time you read this), and she patiently translated and explained the other half to us. The Hawaiian themed interior is simple and pleasant, making this place a good choice for enjoying a meal in Tokyo. It's quite a small place so it's probably worth booking ahead.

Pros: good food, well priced, friendly staff




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