Vegan
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Traditional vegan Japanese restaurant, which specialises in chazuke, a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice. Accompany dishes may include stewed shiitake mushrooms, housemade nijiya seaweed, and nama-fu, grilled gluten in a vegan dashi stock. Address in Japanese: 中京区南車屋町287 木屋町会館1階. Open Mon-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm.
163 Reviews
First Review by pareman
weareape
Points +12
Best meal I’ve ever had - Edit
I got the large course. The chefs were nice and amazing. I don’t know that I’ve ever understood having an experience when eating out but I could have cried. Worth the wait.
Read moreGuest
MarcosAbdallah
Points +143
Best food around! - Edit
Best food so far in Kyoto, everything was delicious!
Read moreYou'll probably have to wait, but it is 1000% worth it.
Guest
jalapenohands
Points +480
Great experience - Edit
Super tiny place! Only 7 stools, so expect to wait. I had the Nijiya Large Course and everything was good to great, I especially loved the Yuzu Tofu and Soy Meat Yakitori. The ginger rice was probably my least favourite. Forgot to take pictures of the last few courses.
Read moreGuest
Nancy Cadet
Points +950
Set meals and a la carte vegan - Edit
This friendly, very small restaurant is only open for dinner, with 7 counter seats. Come before opening time and put your name on the waiting list. We enjoyed the yuzu tofu , braised eggplant and barbecue soy meat cutlets. There’s an extensive drinks list with natural wines, beers and non alcoholic beverages. It’s a bit pricey but all fresh and flavorful.
Read morePros: All vegan , Warm atmosphere , English menu
Guest
StephF
Points +133
Great experience - Edit
We had a fantastic time. Tiny little izakaya - line up early to snag a spot, it’s definitely worth the wait. The staff were fantastic to chat with, and the vibes are great to chat with other diners if that’s your thing. Delicious and varied food for a very reasonable price.
Read morePros: Variety , Atmosphere, Staff
Cons: Quite squishy if you’re a larger person
Guest
xyxycy
Points +13
Delicious and healthy plant-based feast - Edit
Great quick, tasty and reasonably priced Izakaya with lovely selection of options and friendly service.
Read morePros: Nijiya course , Dumplings , Osuimono Soup
Guest
SeanDavid
Points +538
Wow - Edit
The dishes are all imaginative and flavorful. We weren't sure what to expect, but assumed that there was a reason the wait was so long. They have a tiny 7 seat bar area with 2 staff preparing the plates in front of you. Every single item we tried was excellent. It's a very intimate experience, given the size of the space you naturally end up talking to all your fellow guests and staff, making it a truly unique dining experience.
Read moreGuest
EdwardDLuffy
Points +20
Vegan? Then go here. - Edit
Lovely food, intimate atmosphere, amazing experience. Go for the eight course meal (nine if you're hungry enough) and you will enjoy every bite. Totemo Oishii!
Read moreAs others have said get here for 5pm else you'll be queueing for over an hour.
Pros: The food - utterly delicious, The people running it - very helpful, The location - easy to locate
Guest
AndrewGiannico2
Points +13
One of the best meals - Edit
Step 1: get hungry
Read moreStep 2: Get the large course
Step 3: profit
Pros: Staff , Yakiniku, Yuzu tofu
Guest
guise
Points +56
Worth the trip to Kyoto alone - Edit
Incredible food, intimate atmosphere and personal attention.
Read moreWe had Kaiseki where we got to try a nice collection of the dishes on offer. Everything was delicious and a great culinary experience.
We luckily showed up towards the end of opening hours and were just able to get seats before the cutoff after a 30 minute wait outside. Well worth the wait, but it's worth it to plan your day around coming here so you're more likely to get a seat.
Pros: The food, The intimate atmosphere, Price for what you're getting
Guest
ausveg
Points +161
Amazing food and experience - Edit
We arrived at 5pm (they open at 5:30pm) and were in the first 7 people seated. Because it is such a tiny restaurant, you do have to wait a while, but it is worth it! One of the most amazing experiences we have had in Japan to date. We tried the Nijiya course each, which was just the right amount of food. All of the food was exceptional, and we got to try some more unusual Japanese dishes. The stand out is the Yakitori. The space is only about 3 x 6m including the kitchen, so it’s a really special experience seeing the 2 chefs prepare everything as well.
Read moreGuest
IronJuice
Points +1213
Interesting vegan options - Edit
Have you tried to pour tea into rice?
Read moreI probably wouldn’t in my entire life if I haven’t visited this little cute restaurant.
Very nice vegan options considering the shop is operated by a single lady, impressive work!
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-15
Guest
Rebbiii🐯
Points +72
The best vegan meat I have ever eaten - Edit
I've been vegan for 7 years and I've never eaten such good vegan "meat". Wow. My companion was an "all-eater" and it was also a highlight of our trip to Japan for him.
Read moreThe wait was predictably a bit long - but it was worth it!
Guest
Pixelanomalie
Points +214
Absolutely wonderful - Edit
We were lucky and basically waited about 30 minutes to be seated (3 people)
Read moreThe Izakaya has just about 7 seats so keep that in mind. Also the restaurant is tiny. If you are a big person you might not feel comfortable.
We loved it since it felt like a typical Japanese experience. The food and drinks were delicious and the staff extremely friendly.
We shared the multiple course menu.
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-11
Pros: Cozy, Delicious food, Nice staff
Cons: If you're unlucky you'll wait a long time, or might not get in at all
Guest
SwainC02
Points +271
Amazing experience, would highly recommend - Edit
Make sure you get there early as this should not be missed. We arrived about 1 hour before opening and there were already 2 people in the queue ahead of us. Within 20 mins of the store opening we were 6 and other arrivals had to wait. We ordered the large set menu and it was very very good, it was a lot of food but we didn't leave over full. Would highly recommend.
Read morePros: The food, especially the marinated tofu, Atmosphere was lovely, Staff were friendly and informative
Guest
Volves
Points +1676
Delicious - Edit
A really small Izakaya with two friendly ladies. We came shortly after it opened and had to wait about 45 minutes. In my opinion, it was a bit more expensive because the portions were unfortunately quite small for the price, but it was so delicious! Especially the Yakitori, Yakiniku and Obanzai. Only the dumplings with soy sauce were a bit bland.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-07
Pros: everything is vegan, Friendly staff
Cons: Very tiny place and long wait, a bit pricier with small portions
Guest
CharlesHS
Points +56
Great - Edit
Really great experience, could not fault the food or service.
Read moreStaff were knowledgeable about what they were serving.
An absolute jem in Kyoto for vegans.
They only have 9 seats so it’s pretty cozy but this isn’t unusual for Japanese dining.
Restaurant does last orders earlier than indicated on HappyCow so don’t get caught out!!
Guest
mat_r28
Points +1924
Damn, what a place! - Edit
Experience was out of this world!
Read moreSuper small place, very close and personal with the chefs who made every plate with passion.
From the soy meat to the rice, everything tasted incredible. The plum wine was incredible, as was the food.
The worst thing was saying goodbye.
Pro tip, come about 20mins early, unless you want to wait for hours. As some people after us did.
Guest
YURIEEEEEEE
Points +168
Very small store - Edit
OBANZAI style vegan store. Many vegan restaurants are cafe-style, but they serve dinner dishes.
Read moreThere are seven seats, the kitchen is very small and the selection of dishes is limited, but they also cater for oriental vegans.
The price is set high, I think it would be a great experience to use there while traveling.
It was quite difficult for people with children to enter the store.
Guest
wiredgypsy
Points +211
I almost cried. - Edit
This place, man, oh man… I don’t know if I have the vocabulary to describe how much I loved and enjoyed it.
Read moreIt’s a small Izakaya with 7 seats, serving Kaiseki (Japanese course meal) in an art form, all made of plants by a humble chef (who looked shy when I said she should get stars from Michelin Guide).
Every single dish was incredibly subtle and tasty with Umami, and my heart started leaping.
The price is also very affordable for people who are used to London restaurant prices (It was about £50 for 2 glasses of Sake and 2 large course meals).
Please check their opening time and get there as early as possible, because there is a long queue at all times (totally worth the wait though).
Honestly, it was the best hour spent in my entire trip.
Pros: Beef Yakiniku, Beef Yakidori, Yuba
Cons: Too popular! 😉
Guest
capncrunch398g
Points +37
Spectacular! - Edit
The Food, that ist served at Vegan Izakaya Nijiya is not only the best vegan Meal I ate in Japan so far, it is one of the best meals I ever had in my life.
Read moreGo for the normal Menu or the large one, but you can't do anything wrong, the dishes are all very delicious. Especially the Yakitori and the Yakiniku are spectacular.
The place ist very small, only seven people can be served at the same time and you might have to wait, but the atmosphere is relaxed and the owner/staff are lovely people, who you can tell, love, what they do.
Pros: Yakitori, Yakiniku, EVERYTHING!
Guest
AlmogBentz
Points +18
Completely vegan, amazing - Edit
This place is great, everything is vegan, only 7 seats so come early
Read moreGuest
sDianale
Points +80
Lecker & schnell - Edit
Da ich auf Palmfett allergisch bin, wurde sogar extra beim Inhaber per WhatsApp nachgefragt, ob es hier verwendet wird. Nachdem die Antwort nein war, stand einer Mahlzeit nichts im Wege. 👌
Read morePros: Atmosphäre, Sortiment, Geschirr
Cons: Die seitlichen Sitzplätze sind eng
Guest
mangomania
Points +121
Delicious set meal - Edit
Excellent all around - delicious food, well portioned and paced. Highly recommended!
Read moreGuest
FruitMonstar
Points +1135
A tourist trap - Edit
Don’t understand why this place has such a high rating.
Read moreGuest
Lenvin
Points +66
Best dinner we had - Edit
We waited for almost 45 minutes, but it was totally worth it. We ordered the Nijiya Course and it was absolutely delicious. Also the staff was really friendly. Overall an amazing experience.
Read moreGuest
Francis.crl
Points +395
I really loved it - Edit
It’s a really small place with only 7 or 8 seats but I loved it so much! Everything was so so delicious and I would definitely come again. Can only recommend if you don’t wanna miss out on this experience !
Read morePros: Everything was super delicious
Guest
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