Last order taken at 4:30pm. Named Ryoanji Yudofu (Ryoanji Seven Herb Tofu, in English), because its famous dish is yudofu (boiled tofu with vegetables and seven herbs). The restaurant is inside the Ryoanji Temple area, in the Seigenin building (a minor temple attached to the main temple and situated by the Kyoyoike pond- a 1000-year-old Koi pond). English menu available. Nice food and setting. Address in Japanese: 京都府京都市右京区龍安寺御陵ノ下町13. Secondary number: +81-75-4622216. Open Mon-Tue 11:00am-3:00pm, Fri-Sun 11:00am-3:00pm.
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13 Goryonoshita-machi, Ryoanji, Ukyo-ku (at /off Shimei Dori Rdi, near Gold Pavillion), Kyoto, Japan
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Last update on 16 Mar 2023 by luke111
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17 Reviews
First Review by lemurcat
VincentLEMERDY
Points +52
Traditional zen Japanese vegan meal - Edit
On the premises of the temple after meditating at the zen garden, this restaurant gives you a full experience of Japanese traditional food but with zen boudhism meal around tofu...
Read moreA truly unique experience worth stopping for sure!
Pros: Decor, Tofu, Ambiance
Guest
NadiaTokyo
Points +351
Beautiful light healthy food. Set in a heavenly garden. - Edit
We absolutely loved it.. Beautiful light healthy food. Set in a heavenly garden
Read morePros: Light healthy food , Beautiful location.
Guest
lokalvegan
Points +1675
Beautiful place - Edit
The place and the whole experience is totally worth visiting this place. The food is good but I think this place is more about atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
harpratap
Points +83
Average food with brilliant views - Edit
Tried the lunch set, it was for 2 people I think. When I visited, there was no one except me, so I enjoyed the food in peace
Read morePros: Unique aura no other vegan restaurant can replicat
Guest
hokusai77
Points +13599
Try the experience! - Edit
More than the food itself, this is a place to try for its setting, inside the beautiful Ryoanji temple precinct. After visiting the temple, you must go towards teh Kyoyo-chi pond. Restaurant is on the left (there is also an English panel). I speak Japanese, so no communication problem, but I guess you can also cope with English, even though there were no foreigners both times I went there. They have two shojin set menus, revolving around yudofu (boiled tofu).
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2011-08-22
Pros: fast service, beautiful setting and experience
itsmeagain
Thanks
Read moreGuest
mhale
Points +304
Good experience - Edit
Everybody in the reviews claims this place is overpriced. I think if you get the set lunch with various small plates, yeah it seems overpriced. But you can get a huge bowl of tofu nabe (hot pot) for around $15. It's not the most flavorful nabe, but often Buddhist cuisine is not very flavorful, and it was still tasty enough, as well as filling enough to satisfy both me and my boyfriend. Considering we shared one hot pot, it was actually quite a good deal.
Read moreGet the hot pot, not the set meal, don't expect tons of flavor, and enjoy the beautiful garden views which are really the main attraction here.
Pros: Amazing peaceful garden view., Filling., Unique experience.
Cons: Paying immediately., Sitting on floor., Limited options.
Guest
gddua
Points +20
Very good ambience - Edit
We visited Ryoan-ji Zen temple. This restaurant, located in the heart of the temple park, offers a simple and strictly vegetarian Buddhist menu. We had lunch in an amazing tatami room with a superb view on a traditional Japanese garden. One thing we feel bad that at the vegan place people having drink I think beer. It should not be there in the pious place.
Read moreGuest
KelvinWuGW
Points +1442
Very nice ambience but food is only ok - Edit
Food is quite expensive so i had high expectations for this restaurant. However we are both quite disappointed that the food did not meet our expectations. The tofu hotpot is very bland. We ordered a set meal plus a seperate tofu pot thinking that there is a difference but realised they are the same. And they actually combined my two tofu orders into one pot, which is fine. But if we had known this, we could have just ordered one tofu set to share. However, the settings are beautiful and love the ambience.
Read moreService is good though. Japanese are courteous and friendly.
We visited right after our visit to ryoanji temple.
Updated from previous review on 2016-10-16
Pros: Good location , Nice ambience
Cons: Pricey
Guest
Alessandro
Points +518
Astonishing experience - Edit
We visited Ryoan-ji Zen temple one month ago. This restaurant, located in the heart of the temple park, offers a simple and strictly vegetarian Buddhist menu.
Read moreWe tried two set menus based on rice, vegetables, and the famous specialty of Yudofu, boiled tofu with herbs and vegetables. You must try this place for its wonderful setting more than the food itself. We had lunch in an amazing tatami room with a superb view on a traditional Japanese garden.
Pros: location, atmosphere
Guest
MyVeganJoy
Points +583
Strangely Disappointing, Very Touristy - Edit
Let me explain the 2 stars I gave this place. Sure, it's a nice view outside the screen doors, but you can enjoy the walk and the view without paying $70 for an overpriced mediocre meal in plastic plates made in China, in a room full of tourists with all sorts of accents, from German to Indian to Chinese. This won't feel authentic AT ALL as it is too touristy.
Read moreThe real reason this experienced sucked was the lack of love in food... Almost every vegan restaurant I've been to (like 50 of them) had more love put in food than Yudofu. What was REALLY AWKWARD is that the lady who brings you food asks for money right then and there - at your table. And then when you add something to your order, you have to pay her each time... So you end up handling money while you are trying to enjoy your meal - very, very strange and a huge turn off.
The whole experience seems like a way to make extra money off tourists for providing a seemingly traditional experience because of the setting.... They also charge $200 yen for 'seating' even though the bland meal is already overpriced... Because the food lacked love and good intentions, it didn't sit well with either me or my party. The tea in a teapot was lukewarm, almost cold... The nabe (casserole) was supposed to be on a stove, with FIRE underneath it, but, again, it was all a show: the stove was there, but the fire was never lit for any of us in the room.... Portions were tiny and just dead... That food had no blessings, no love, no good energy you would especially expect from this place... And it's not authentic experience at all, due to how touristy it is... We were both like, what the heck did just happen? We paid less for MUCH better experiences in pretty much every vegan place in Japan... We ended up going to Choice Vegan Café later on the same day, paid less, and had a 10000 times better experience, so....... Think about it. I will never go back... The good thing is that I can still enjoy walking on the grounds in Ryoanji anytime I want, and I am never setting foot in that restaurant even if it's free.. Even if they pay me... The food just didn't have any good energy in it.... The white (non-organic) rice sucked, and the miso soup sucked... It all seemed like a way to rip off tourists by seating them in a Japanese-style room with some koi pond view... Well, once was enough...
Updated from previous review on Thursday September 03, 2015
Cons: asking for $$ during your meal, no love in food, way too touristy, not authentic
Guest
upbirdman
Points +130
wonderful experience - Edit
We ate here at noon. Clearly from what others have said, this is a lunch spot, and you shouldn't expect a late afternoon early dinner. I know they opened by 1030am on the day we were here. This was our favorite meal in Kyoto. The location is to die for. Overlooking the beautiful pond and garden. Can't say I am the huge fan of the boiled tofu, but all the other dishes were wonderful. We split one large set (at the server's suggestion) and it was plenty for two. Not too expensive considering the fabulous location. Highly recommended.
Read morePros: amazing location, great food, authentic temple experience
Guest
RovingRodent
Points +65
Closes early - Edit
Like a previous reviewer, we rushed to arrive before the published time for last orders (16:30), arrived early and were still turned away, because the restaurant had decided to close early. The time had even been confirmed to us at the ticket counter when we entered the temple complex.
Read moreFor those who are happy to chance random closing times, the price for the tofu dish alone was started at ¥1500, the set with tofu and vegetables was ¥3300.
Pros: Lovely garden
Cons: Random closing times
Guest
arherron
Points +351
looked amazing but closes early. - Edit
I rushed here by bus and arrived at 16.15. Unfortunately they had closed despite last orders being at 1630 and the closing time being 1700. This was a day when all five different kyoyo restaurants listed on happy cow that i tried to eat at ended up being closed. I hope other happy vow members have better luck with this as it looked lovely.
Read moreCons: closes earlier than stated
Guest
bhukit-tima
Points +255
Great traditional experience - Edit
We came across this restaurant by chance while visiting Ryoan-Ji temple with its famous Zen rock garden. Recognizing the venue from the pictures on happycow we happily went in. It is a small quiet place overlooking beautiful gardens. Very traditional and authentic Japanese experience. They offer a small but delicious menu around Yudofu - traditional buddhist tofu food. Very tasty. Menu is available in English and waitress speaks a little bit English.
Read moreNot to be missed experience in Kyoto!
Pros: traditional, great view, tasty
Cons: not cheap
Guest
DavidSlawColeman
Points +17
Beautiful setting - simple menu - Edit
The restaurant is set in the middle of a secluded section of the gardens @ Ryoanji. Looks out over a Koi pond and beautiful gardens. Traditional dining room - mats on the floor. Menu has just 3-4 items.
Read morePros: Beautiful setting, Authentic style
Cons: Few menu options, Hard to find
Guest
Ken4057
Points +1200
Ryori good Shojin - Edit
Pardon the pun.
Read moreWent here with my ex who spoke fluent Japanese, so no communication issues. We sat cross-legged in a small room across from a trio of elderly Japanese women. That was memorable, but it might be less sociable if one's Japanese is poor or one doesn't have a fluent friend.
The food was medium to high-end Shojin ryori: delicate, subtle and some of the prettiest veg food in the world (http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/14674/73982/t/463669-Shojin-ryori-0.jpg). I remember there was a delicious tofu pouch (not inari, but an actual bag) with mochi inside. I could have eat that all day.
Since Buddhists were the earliest to refine mock meats, this is a place to go to taste a piece of veggie history.
Shanti.
Pros: delicate, subtle, pretty
Cons: expensive
Guest
lemurcat
Points +389
Yudofu - Edit
The main attraction here is boiled tofu and veggies. You can get some other dishes and rice along with it, but it is a bit pricey. Everything is delicious but there is not much variety. You are recommended to see the (smallish) Zen rock garden first on the way to the restaurant.
Read morePros: vegan, delicious, healthy
Cons: no deserts, a bit out of the way
Guest
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