Vegan
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out

Vegan restaurant est. 2018 in Jiyugaoka. Offers Japanese vegan cuisine with focus on vegetables and mushrooms. Choices include individual dishes of katsu, soba/noodles, curry, vegan eel and as well as bento sets. Serves vegan sake and wine, pancakes, ice cream, and cheezecakes. Has menu in English. Last orders 2pm for lunch and 10pm for dinner. Open Mon-Tue 12:00pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm-9:00pm, Thu-Sun 12:00pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Closed Wed. Last orders 7:30pm.


Venue map for Saido
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229 Reviews

First Review by Humus_Erectus

Matoner

Points +133

Vegan
17 Oct 2024

Insane!

Top tier! What more can be said that hasn’t already. The food and creativity is hard to match. By far top 5 vegan food I’ve ever eaten. Every bite and present ink of the food was mind blowing. A MUST VISIT. ❤️❤️❤️

SwainC02

Points +271

Vegan
12 Oct 2024

I'd give more stars if I could. The best vegan meal I have ever eaten

I am so glad I managed to get a reservation for SAIDO. I cannot fault a single thing about the experience and can say it's the best meal I have eaten since becoming vegan 7 years ago. The restaurant is small and only takes a small number of bookings per day, so we had a relaxing and calm experience with well paced courses allowing us to savour each treat and unwind from busy Tokyo city stresses. Each dish was beautifully presented and it felt a shame to destroy the artistry but it was too delicious to resist with some fun and clever details to bring joy (no spoilers for those going themselves!). The server was attentive and kind, explaining elements of dishes when needed and the backgrounds of where some things had come from and the chef stopped by the table to tell us about dishes too. Before leaving we made sure to stop by Gashapon machines to get our own tempura reminders of our visit - so cute! I didn't pick up a t-shirt, only to give me an excuse to come back next time I'm in Tokyo. All this to say, make sure you get a reservation, it is so so worth it!

Pros: The food, The server and chef - thank you!, The atmosphere

veganchrys

Points +30

Vegan
17 Sep 2024

Beautiful experience! A highlight of our Japan trip!

We had a fantastic evening at Saido! We booked a reservation online and chose the dinner course. The area was nice and quiet with a beautiful garden leading up to the restaurant. We were welcomed in by Gotō-san and she explained how the dinner course works. 5280 yen for that meal, service, and experience is an absolute steal! Especially considered to the prices we are used to in North America.

Each of the courses felt very special and well thought out. After nearly two weeks of eating mostly carb heavy meals, the delicious vegetable dishes at Saido were very very welcomed. We selected the unagi-don and katsu-don as our main course as per their suggestion. Of course, the main course and the yakitori were the highlights as they were very unique and delicious. But we also loved the salad, corn soup, and eggplant.

When we completed our meal, we were personally escorted out by Gotō-san and Chef Kusu. We bonded with them over our mutual love of The Beatles, which was the cherry-on-top of a perfect night.

Dining at Saido is a must-do when in Tokyo!

Pros: Delicious food, Excellent atmosphere, Fantastic value for money

Fcv11

Points +42

Vegan
07 Sep 2024

Very recommended

We had the set menu of and it was excellent (and the portion were not small at all), outstanding flavour and presentation.
It’s located in a hidden alley which makes it even more beautiful. Nice atmosphere and nice music.
Waitress and chef couldn’t have been nicer!
Super super recommended.
Bookings are mandatory!

Pros: Food, Location, Service

Nanami7seas

Points +147

Vegan
12 Aug 2024

I will take my non-vegan friends here!

Every food was great. I was surprised by how good their presentation was (I will not elaborate here so I don’t have to destroy your surprise). The staff seemed very nice and professional. This is the kind of restaurant I would like to take my non vegan friends to, because everything was so perfect, including the reasonable price.

Pros: Great food presentation, Professional staff, Price: not expensive

Cons: Booking was difficult (it’s too popular!)

peacefulearth

Points +73

Vegan
08 Aug 2024

Creative vegan dishes

If you want to try fancy vegan dishes, Saido is one of my recommended places. Presentations are lovely and the Chef’s creations are amazing. Feel the same experience!!!

katbar

Points +1382

Vegan
19 Jul 2024

Most AMAZING culinary experience 😍

This was the most incredible culinary experience!! I reserved a month in advance for the 5 course meal. I enjoyed every course, especially the ramen with what looked and tasted like egg. The food was not only delicious but the presentation was so aesthetic too! Super friendly staff as well! Right after, I tried to make another reservation but unfortunately, there were no availabilities. Looking forward to returning here again in the future though 😍

Updated from previous review on 2024-07-19

Harpy23

Points +1407

Vegan
06 Jul 2024

Wide variety of great food

We were looking forward to the seven course meal at Saido. It looked like it was a greatest hits list of iconic Japanese foods. We were served: edamame, sushi, corn soup, vegetable tempura, yakitori (with edible charcoal), okonomoyaki, ramen and a raspberry mousse (served with a tea).

Everything was delicious! The yakitori was a highlight. It was really tasty and I'd not had anything like it before. The edible charcoal was a bunch of chips that I assume had some sort of charcoal coating. Some of the sushi was great, the eel, mushroom and corn. Some of it was not as good, I found the pepper ones to be a bit too vinegar sharp. The corn soup was really good, the sweet corn flavour worked very well and it had some bits of what I think was puffed rice for a bit of texture. The raspberry mouse was light and full of flavour, with a good nut crumb on the top for texture. There was also a little bit of cake atop a pretzel.

The ramen was a bit of a disappointment. I don't think it's as good as many of the other vegan ramen I have had recently. The broth was good, it had a good peppery kick to it. I thought the fake egg was good and I liked having a big piece of corn rather than scattered sweetcorn on top. Some of the vegetables didn't really work for me though. The noodles were plentiful and tasty, and green (I'm not sure what they were made from). 

I know we signed up for the big menu and I was expecting plenty of food but it really was too much. By the time the ramen came around we already had 5 courses, one of which was 10 pieces of sushi. To then get a full sized ramen bowl was a bit much.

I'm happy to give 5* as the food was enjoyable and I really appreciated the range of food on offer.

DHchen

Points +67

Vegetarian
08 Jun 2024

非常優秀的定食套餐

素食鰻魚飯完全不輸真實的鰻魚飯!
天丼也是非常推薦,蔬菜炸的酥脆可口
會讓人想一去再去

Pros: 餐點非常美味, 服務親切英文流利

Cons: 請一定要先預定位置

barbers05

Points +20

Vegan
26 May 2024

Amazing

We ordered the 7 course meal and were impressed with the presentation and taste of the dishes. The highlights was the cheese salad, meat skewer with charcoal fries, and the entrees. We ordered the dishes which resembled katsu and unagi. Wished we had tried it sooner on our trip as we definitely would have gone back for a second round. Highly recommend checking out the restaurant if you are in Tokyo.

VioletVorpal

Points +33

Vegan
09 Apr 2024

The best meal I’ve ever had

My fiancé and I had booked our reservation for lunch and it was superb! The waitress and chef were very friendly and nice. I speak a little bit of Japanese but if you don’t speak any Japanese that wouldn’t be an issue as the waitress spoke English to us. The atmosphere of the restaurant was peaceful and we had a pretty view of the flowers from the next door garden shop at our table by the window. We each got two drinks. I really enjoyed the kombucha and the apple juice was delicious. My fiancé had a whiskey highball and a fruity soda and he enjoyed both. For the first part of our courses we both had soup which was Jerusalem artichoke soup that was perfectly made. My fiancé is a picky eater but he absolutely loved all the food. Next our salad was not only a visually stunning with smoke and a beautiful sculptural presentation, but the taste was scrumptious. I loved the “moss ball” that the salad leaves were “growing out of”. The “moss ball” was delicious vegan cheese and the “pebbles” were perfectly cooked lentils and beans. I think the “butterfly” on top was delicately crafted from puffed rice? It was gorgeous. I loved the imagination the chef had, it was definitely a delight for all of the senses! My fiancé had the ramen for the main course with chlorella noodles and he loved the faux vegan egg, I tried it too and it was the best I’ve ever had! I had the unagi and it was perfectly prepared. I savored every bite. I would eat that unagi everyday if I could! I also loved the miso soup and pickled veggies on the side. For dessert, we both got the apricot sorbet which was served on top of a gorgeous parfait and topped with another delicately constructed (puffed rice sculpture?) this time in the shape of a leaf. The apricot was so flavorful! It almost reminded me of mango because it was so fruity and juicy! I’ve never had an apricot that tasted that good, I loved every bite! The parfait part of the dessert was also amazing. The granola, berries, and vegan yogurt were the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The dessert was perfectly harmonious and a wonderful ending to an incredible meal experience. I highly recommend Saido and I can’t wait to book another reservation when I travel back to Tokyo in the future. ごちそうさまでした ❤️

Tsukimi

Points +5144

Vegan
05 Feb 2024

Must go!

5 stars for the food which was very unique and delicious as expected. But I had to give 4 bc I think the restaurants atmosphere/interior doesn’t match the food/price. At a closer look the place is very messy/dirty especially the kitchen.
Also, we had a reservation at 18:00, but showed up like 5 minutes early and as we opened the door we were sent out with a harsh “we open at six!” 😕

GustavoWoltmann78

Points +50

Vegan
21 Jan 2024

Perfect

Saido surpassed all expectations. Opting for the 9-course menu, every dish was not only inventive but also exceptionally delicious. The 'egg' stood out as a particular highlight for me! Having been a vegan for 7 years, I've never encountered vegan cuisine of this caliber. The staff was incredibly friendly, adding to the overall positive experience. I highly recommend it and only wish they had a presence in the UK. Additionally, the value was outstanding – the cost of the food was only half of what I would anticipate for fine dining of such high quality.

AniH4

Points +120

Vegan
05 Jan 2024

The most amazing meal in Japan

This restaurant is a hidden gem with a lovely atmosphere, super friendly staff and the most delicious food!!

We ordered most of the things on the menu but the Karaage was a highlight. I don't think there was anything we didn't like however, everything was full of flavour, innovative looking and just fun!

I highly recommend!!

Pros: Delicious , Lovely staff , Lots of choices

Cons: A bit pricey but you get good quality!

psuc1

20 Jan 2024

Hi, do you need a reservation or can just walk in (for dinner). Thx

AniH4

20 Jan 2024

I seem to remember we had to book because it's quite popular and it's also not the biggest restaurant. You might get lucky with a walk in but since it's also a bit out of the way, if you can book ahead I would recommend doing that just in case!

psuc1

20 Jan 2024

Thx. I tried the booking website but next Saturday is already full.

AriannaBorriello

Points +96

Vegan
19 Oct 2023

Oishii

Saido è un ristorante di altissima qualità. I piatti sono curati e lo chef è fenomenale. L'accoglienza è stata stupenda.
Peccato vivere in Italia.

Ruthy

Points +179

Vegan
15 Oct 2023

The best vegan food we've ever had.

Saido was incredible. We had the 9 course menu and everything was so amazing, inventive and delicious. The 'egg' was a highlight for me! I've been vegan for 7 years and never had better vegan food. Such friendly staff too, cannot recommend enough and only wish they had one in the UK! Also amazing value, food was half the price I'd expect for fine dining this standard.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-15

azuki_monster

Points +905

Vegan
02 Oct 2023

Very good restaurant

I really liked our visit at Saido.
We were there for dinner.
I would recommend getting one of the two more expensive set meal options. The set meal for 3.500¥ is not that filling and you might need to order extra (It's three relatively small dishes with no rice or noodles).
But the dinner was really lovely, I highly recommend it.
The cheese they have is awesome and the people are really nice.

RainbowTrainy

Points +1232

Vegan
09 Sep 2023

Amazing vegan Japanese food! 🌱

Amazing from start to finish! Lovely service, cosy venue and amaaazing food 😭We had the 8-course set. We even got a little suvenir with us (a t-shirt)! All the dishes were so beautiful and tasty, and the two employees were really amazing ✨ Jiyugaoka is also a super cosy area to explore, and Saido gave us a good reason to 🌱

Pros: Amazing and beautiful food , Lovely atmosphere , Extremely friendly staff

HermanoGranger

Points +346

Vegan
03 Sep 2023

A must visit for every vegan in Tokyo

What I ate:
main:
- kastuju
Sides:
- yakitori
- vegan cheese salad w/ genovese sauce
- edamame
- fried vegan cheese with yam wrapped in tofu skin
dessert:
- raspberry mousse
drinks
- white wine
- kombucha

Even the edamame were amazing. Perfectly salted and fried in their skin. Gave them a toasty flavor.

The fried cheese came with organic basil sauce and salt lemon pepper to dip. Filled with vegan molted cheese and spinach. What can I say. Everything is better deep-fried. And this creamy, salty snack is no exception.

The cheese in the vegan cheese salad was so creamy and smokey. I've never had vegan cheese like this before. Just give me a whole block of this please. The genovese sauce seemed to be a pesto which went well with the cheese.
It also had grapes, tomatoes, figs, small white flowers (jasmine?) in it. Beautiful presentation and absolutely delicious.

The Yakitori were sweet, crispy, salty goodness. No sauce needed, I could just eat ten of these. If this is how the original tastes, I get why they are popular street food. Served over a fancy small grill w/ charcoal in it and a little tasty surprise I don't want to spoil for you.

The kastuju came in a black wooden box with a lid on. The waitress told me to film the opening. And damn she was right. It looked beautiful. It was served with an amazing Umami miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and some pickled veggies.

The kastuju itself was a dream. Crispy and salty with the meatiest texture a vegan dish ever had for me. On top was a sweet sauce with hints of ginger.
It was on top of rice that honestly was a little bit disappointing after all the amazing dishes. It looked fancy but just tasted like plain unsalted rice. Maybe a hint of sweetness and seeweed.

For dessert I chose the raspberry mousse, which was served in the cutest way possible. Like a little bonzai tree in a little pot. The leaves was a matcha cake. The the tree trunk a pretzel stick and the dirt was nut chunks. Under the nuts was a amazing sweet and creamy raspberry mousse. This was probably my favorite dessert ever. And I usually hate dessert.

This might seem pricey but it's three sides, edamame, 2 Drinks and a main dish. And it's definitely worth it for the experience alone. I can honestly not say anything bad about this place except that the rice under the kastuju was a bit too plain for my taste. Only downside is that it's hard to get a table. So try to reserve early.

Pros: Amazing food, Charming Staff, Beautiful presentation

Cons: A bit pricey

daniel__ka

Points +898

Vegan
22 Aug 2023

Best find in Japan! 5 ⭐️

Incredible experience at Saido Tokyo. The best restaurant in Japan so far. 💚😋

The chef and the waitress were really nice and helpful with us. They have an English menu.

This place was rated the #1 vegan restaurant at Happy Cow Worldwide and at the moment of writing this review it’s the #2 in the World.

We didn’t get to try the lunch set menu, as it was sold out so we tried 2 types of ramen, a vegan meat dish and two desserts. All of it was amazing! The presentation, the flavors and the chef’s culinary creativity overall.

You can watch a little video of out experience at our instagram www.instagram.com/wearitallveganstore

We truly loved it. 100% recommended!! We’ll definitely go back! 💚⭐️

Cameronnn3

Points +60

Vegan
12 Aug 2023

A great experience

I got the ¥3300 set meal (i think it was the cheapest) and it was delicious. The quality of food was incredible for this price. The waitress was very friendly. The chef and waitress gave me a souvenir to take back to the states, which was incredibly nice of them.

Pros: Gracious waitstaff, Delicious food

Cons: A tiny bit of clutter in the corner of the room

Hubbit200

Points +21

Vegetarian
13 Jul 2023

Todo delicioso!

La comida esta tan buena como dicen todos los comentarios - delicioso todo! Una muy buena experiencia, seas o no vegetariano/vegano. Y los empleados muy simpáticos todos!

Pros: Buen precio, Empleados muy simpáticos, Comida deliciosa

Hangar1

Points +31

Mostly Veg
28 Jun 2023

Great Japanese restaurant

A wonderful expereince with great food!

vegan.baddie

Points +875

Vegan
06 Jun 2023

Beautiful magical amazing

My favorite restaurant in Tokyo. You can see why this was voted best restaurant in the world on happy cow a few years ago. It’s incredible. The service is lovely. The food is *beautiful*. It’s like eating art. The ramen was incredible and the vegan egg was the closest thing to egg I’ve ever had. It’s hard to get a reso, make sure you make one in advance by emailing them. If you have the chance to come here, do it. You won’t regret it!!

kstearn

Points +47

Vegetarian
29 May 2023

Life-changing

If you eat anywhere in Japan please eat here. Everything we had was so amazing and had really cute presentation. I would highly recommend the yakitori (with edible “charcoal” potatoes), eel, and tonkatsu. I don’t know how they are able to make it taste so authentic. We also had delicious handmade melon sodas and raspberry mousse made to look like a pot of dirt with a tree growing in it! Definitely make a reservation in advance online. The owner and waitress were so nice too and gave us little custom made stickers!

Pros: Phenomenal taste, Creative and appealing presentation, Friendly staff

itsrinokt_

Points +4475

Vegan
13 May 2023

Outstandingly great Japanese food

Came here for Sunday lunch with my friend. We genuinely enjoyed all the dishes from a salad to a dessert. No wonder why it was ranked 1st on HappyCow’s best vegan restaurant ranking list. It was fully booked so reservations are highly recommended.

Updated from previous review on 2023-05-12

Nattata

Points +365

Vegan
25 Apr 2023

Awesome experience

Good place to try veganized versions of classic Japanese dishes. Reservation required and recommended to come in a group so you can try what the rest of your party orders. The chef came out and chatted with us for a bit and gave us fun stickers! The good is very grammable as well, if you care about that kind of thing!

Pros: Great options you won't find elsewhere, Staff happy to chat with tourists, Photogenic food

Cons: Bit far from tourist hotspots, but worth it, Reservation required




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