Vegan
American
Organic
Address 錦猪熊町537京都市中京区錦. Makes chilli bean soup, different types of pita, fries, and a range of drinks. All vegan food. NOTE: Reported to have irregular hours, check ahead. Reported closed April 2022.
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Nishikiinokuma-cho 537, Nakagyoku (at Inokuma dori), Kyoto, Japan
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- Outdoor seating
- Cash only
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Last update on 12 Apr 2022 by kraljiza
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58 Reviews
First Review by Mazapster
JesseD
Points +832
Healthy, Organic, Unique and Small Dishes - Edit
As other reviewers have commented, the man who runs the Veggie Cafe is a talented chef who is passionate about healthy food. He applies macrobiotic cooking principles to Middle Eastern food, which is unique and as healthy as fried food can possibly be, especially since he uses a fair amount of organic ingredients, and some ingredients are cooked an air fryer (which is much less unhealthy than a deep fryer).
Read moreAs other reviewers have also complained about though, the portions are tiny (even by Japanese standards), and I think they have become smaller -- and certainly more expensive -- over the years. On my most recent visit I ordered two pita bread dishes (his specialty): one was the standard falafel, and the other was air fried vegetables. Together they cost 1700 Yen and I left feeling almost as hungry as I was when I arrived, so I needed 'dinner' afterwards. There's much better value than that in Kyoto, even considering how it's partially organic.
So, in a nutshell, if the idea of an organic macrobiotic Israeli meal really appeals to you, then make a special trip here. Otherwise it's probably not worth the effort getting there or the cost of the meal.
Updated from previous review on 2014-02-09
Pros: Unique macrobioitic, Israeli, vegan food.
Cons: a bit of a walk, but worth it!, tiny and expensive portions
Guest
brebre
Points +83
Delicious Vege burger - Edit
My partner and I had the Vege burger and falafel pita! Both were beyond amazing. Chef is lovely man with great taste in music! Organic beer was delicious
Read moreGuest
PatrickCarter47
Points +89
So so so tasty - Edit
Excellent tasting food. Even my omni relative loved it. The portions are a little small for my liking and a little pricey but I still think it was well worth it.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
PhilGG
Points +63
Good food, great owner/host! - Edit
Little place (3 tables, no staff), you'll be greated by the nice owner who cooks the delicious meals himself. We had the lasagna and the burger, along with local organic beers, which were all great. Special mention to the good music playing in the background. ☺
Read moreCons: Aucun.
Guest
PaigeAtyeo
Points +499
Delicious Tasting dishes, smaller portions - Edit
We had the lasagna, hamburger pita and fries. Both were great! Burger patty and the “cheese” in the lasagna especially! However, as some previous reviewers have said the portions are on the small side. We were happy to support this small business making delicious vegan meals. It is a one-man show with good music and a friendly owner who speaks good enough English.
Read morePros: Delicious meals, Good music, All vegan
Cons: Small portions
Guest
padi
Points +190
$ - Edit
The owner is very friendly, which doesn’t really help that the dishes are not even close to umami. The biggest fail are the small portions for big money!
Read moreNot gonna comeback there.
Guest
TarikVaine
Points +64
Such a cute little place... - Edit
...owned by an old and very nice japanese sensei.
Read moreBut there's more to it than only the goddamn nice music that's playing here:
He's making very delicious pita hamburgers. Yeah, you read that right: He's putting awesome patties and some nice and fresh patties along some good sauce into a pita and it's just vegan and fantastic. Be sure to keep this location alive. Everything's vegan!
A little downer: Having ketchup along your french fries is charged with an extra 100 ¥ but that's alright I guess.
Pros: nice old sensei, delicious pita hamburgers, pretty good music
Cons: ketchup costs 100 ¥ extra
Guest
outflare
Points +28
Closed. Should update on website. - Edit
Would have loved to have tried this place, but like seemingly every vegan place in Japan they only open when they feel like it. Carnivore places seems to have a handle on what it means to be open for business. Maybe it's time to turn back.
Read moreGuest
turrican84
Points +49
One-man show - Edit
Delicious food in a pleasant atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
MH7198
Points +52
Homemade tasty food. - Edit
It's a Vegan restaurant and the Western style food is very tasty. Few seats here and need to wait for a while (owner cook by himself)~ but we enjoyed the homemade vegan food very much.
Read morePros: Vegan restaurant. , Tasty homemade food., Friendly.
Cons: A little bit expensive., Need to wait.
Guest
FrankieW
Points +2871
Even the fries were excellent! - Edit
This place is an independent vegan eatery. Run in a one-man-show style, it will appease those with a hankering for U.S. style vegan fare.
Read moreThe homemade pita bread is the star of the show and even the burger (Deluxe!) came wrapped in one.
Limited yet compact menu, minimal seating area, quality music.
Guest
MitchCairns
Points +26
Delicious organic food - Edit
This was an awesome little place, delicious organic food, meals were small servings but very very nice! Worth the cost!
Read moreGuest
sandysaga
Points +32
For western stomachs - Edit
Western style vegan food, pasta, burger...
Read moreGuest
annaparry
Points +31
Lovely! - Edit
Delicious veggie meal - we ordered a bunch of stuff - pasta, lasagne, burger, chips and air fried veg and it was all lovely. Nice cosy friendly environment :)
Read moreGuest
Manon34
Points +17
Great food - Edit
Amazing taste. I really enjoyed the dinner at the cafe. I recommend the soup! Can't wait to go back to try something else.
Read morePros: Delicious food, good quality, the owner speaks english
Cons: a little bit too small portions for me
Guest
Foodyogi
Points +141
Clean food - Edit
A lovely little cafe with clean good in a clean and quiet environment.
Read morePros: Clean, Tasty, Quiet
Guest
Deannnnna.
Points +150
Delicious, best food I've had in Japan. - Edit
By far the best place I've eaten in Japan. I went with my boyfriend and we shared the falafel, deluxe burger, and the lasagna. Really small portions; we were both still hungry after. For all three dishes it cost 3600 yen. Quite pricey but worth it for a treat if you're missing more western homemade food. The owner spoke good English.
Read morePros: all vegan, best food, owner was nice
Cons: expensive, small portions
Guest
MelaAnna
Points +52
Klein, freundlich, empfehlenswert - Edit
Kleines Lokal in einer Seitengasse. An diesem regnerischen Tag mit drei Tischen drinnen, sonst wohl auch mit ein paar Außensitzplätzen.
Read moreDer Inhaber ist sehr freundlich & spricht auch Englisch, was in Japan ja noch garnicht so selbstverständlich ist.
Die Karte ist klein aber wunderbar.
Ich hatte die Lasagne und ein GingerAle, sowie einen Kaffee- alles wunderbar.
Ich freue mich, dass ich dort war und würde auch sofort wieder hingehen, wenn ich nochmal in Kyoto sein sollte.
Pros: Leckeres Essen, Sehr freundlicher Inhaber, Englisch möglich
Cons: Etwas versteckt gelegen, aber nichts was Google maps nicht lösen kann
Guest
chu_dailyintake
Points +153
Cozy vegan place - Edit
Veggie Cafe, a cozy small place opening only for a short period at night, doesn't have an official website, so I was unsure about the opening time while visiting (if Veggie Cafe is closed, REN is the nearest alternative) English menu and communication are available at Veggie Cafe so difficulty shall seldom occur! However, the font of menu is a little bit different for me to read. I tried lasagna which was great. Pita is the signature which I should try next time!
Read morePros: Friendly owner
Cons: short opening hours, no official website
Guest
giruja
Points +1251
Delicious!! - Edit
Came here for dinner, hungry and slightly worried, having read a previous review (JessGreene), that the portions would not be enough... so I asked the shopkeeper for the falafel pita AND the lasagna haha! I explained to him that I was really hungry, that I was not from the area (i.e. I wouldn't get a chance to visit again soon), and that I really wanted to try both items - and he relented, though he did say that making the lasagna is quite a hassle lol!! We had a friendly chat while he was preparing the food and he explained his philosophy that the food should satisfy with its quality rather than quantity. Still, I insisted I was hungry (and I was!) and I was able to finish everything without wasting any food. Of course, I was then very full haha (but that was kind of the point lol)!
Read moreAfterwards I did consider, that probably just the lasagna would have been enough (with a drink). I didn't order any drink or dessert because I was too full from the falafel pita and lasagna... I knew I wouldn't have another chance to visit Kyoto any time soon though, so I don't regret eating both items. I did feel a little greedy though, eating so much haha! Next time I want to try the taco... The other menu items look so good too!
The shop is very cute and well-kept, and the food tasted great! Loved the lasagna, so creamy and rich with plenty of veg, and the falafel thing was awesome too. He mentioned that it probably wasn't very authentic tasting, but then again, personally I wouldn't have noticed the difference. I've tried falafel in different countries (none of which were in the Middle East lol) and to be honest I'm not sure any of those versions were "authentic"... If you are from the Middle East or very familiar with its cuisine, then maybe you will be sensitive to this... I didn't have a problem with it but I mention it because he mentioned a few times during our conversation that his food tends to be a little "different" from their originals.
I'd definitely recommend this place... the food is absolutely delicious, though it might take a little time to be prepared as the guy who runs the place does so singlehandedly. Shopkeeper is friendly and chatty! Will definitely visit again~
Pros: delicious vegan food, friendly shopkeeper, cute shop, easy access (I took the bus)
Guest
ktcaitlin
Points +21
Quick and easy - Edit
Had the deluxe burger and the taco on two separate occasions and it was lovely, fresh and cheap. Great for a quick meal to fill you up for not too much cash. Owner was lovely too and spoke English well :)
Read moreGuest
Olive111
Points +151
Very delicious! - Edit
Very delicious. Had the falafel pita and the deluxe burger. Owner was very nice and it was a cute and clean restaurant.
Read moreGuest
Dhayibethvf
Points +35
FALAFELS - Edit
The Pita Falafels were delicious, they kind of melted and made them spread out which was even better. I also had the soup and it was delicious as well. 100% recommend this place!
Read morePros: Falafel Pita is delicious! , Cook/owner/server is very friendly, No cons!
Guest
marilinda
Points +83
cibo fantastico - Edit
Il ristorante pulitissimo e carinissimo ma un pò piccolino. Il signore all'interno parla inglese ed è stato davvero gentile con noi...le sue pite sono fantastiche! Puoi anche portarle via take away
Read moreGuest
JessGreene
Points +47
Undecided! - Edit
I really enjoyed my food here however the serving sizes were tiny for the price - don't be fooled by the pictures of the lasagna - it's about the size of my hand. I ended up ordering a second main as I had arrived hungry and the guy seemed a bit strange about me doing that but what can I say? I expect to leave satisfied. The second meal was a deluxe hamburger pita which was honestly a snack size and I'm an average size female - probably wouldn't return due to how much I spent there but it's still great food !
Read morePros: Delicious food
Cons: Expensive for the portions, Takes a while for food to be served
Guest
ashieb
Points +128
Satisying - Edit
Cute little restaurant. Chilli soup was amazing in the cold winter weather. Tasty pockets too!
Read moreGuest
bethan-law
Points +24
Amazing one man band - Edit
Fully vegan, food cooked fresh by one man alone. Goood selection of food. Quiet cafe. We even got vegan pancakes on pancake day!
Read morePros: Plays good music
Guest
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