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Restaurant located near JR Nara station. The owner is the chef who also teaches vegan cooking and gluten-free cooking. Offers a daily lunch set comprising several dishes like salad, steamed vegetables, and fried items: set comes with brown rice and soup. A la carte dishes like ramen and udon are available. For some items you will have a choice between dairy or non-dairy. Note that the vegan food is also gluten-free; halal options are available. Night time is kaiseki cuisine with reservation required. Open Tue-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm.
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Last update on 25 Mar 2026 by EmmaCebuliak
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Added by Junjie on 05 Jul 2013
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110 Reviews
First Review by JesseD
not_ur_mom_not_ur_mil
Points +13
Tourist scam - Edit
I’m not sure why there are so many good reviews that lunch set is two chicken nuggets, a small salad, bland vegetables, and some type of creamy potato dish. I heard the constant use of a microwave in the kitchen. The owner is rude and charged me more than was originally on the mount of the menu, and she said it was because it was a refill of my tea, even though she never told me that way too overpriced for bad quality and bland food, would not recommend at all 
Read moreCons: Price, Taste, Service
Guest
abbieart
Points +30
Oasis of vegan goodness - Edit
A small family-owned restaurant close to Nara station with a DELICIOUS lunch set. Ingredients from Okinawa, unlike food anywhere else in Japan. The owner spoke flawless English and was incredibly hospitable - after lunch she even drove me to the temple!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-09-19
Pros: Fresh ingredients, Delicious unusual flavours, English spoken
Guest
HemakshiVij
Points +19
Fun - Edit
You can ask for flavouring if the food feels bland and the owner is really sweet to talk to
Read moreGuest
sarahaclark25
Points +79
Charming restaurant with vegan options - Edit
My husband and I were in a pinch to find some vegan food in Nara and Kinatei delivered! We had the udon lunch set made vegan, which included a side salad, the entree, house-made desserts, and a delicious green tea. The staff was so welcoming and the food came out really quickly!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-05-31
Pros: Friendly staff, Vegan options explained in detail , Charming and quiet atmosphere
Guest
uguriko
Points +61
Perfect Food with a great ambience - Edit
The food was delish!! I don’t know what the Katsu was made of but it was soooo good! The owner and the staffs were so lovely! I love it!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-05-22
Pros: Fujii Kaze!!!, Katsu
Guest
Happpycat
Points +29
My best vegan meal in Japan ❤️ - Edit
It was so delicious, fairly priced for such high quality organic products that goes towards the menu.
Read moreI was very satisfied with the overall meal. We had a set meal and a Ramen. Both were great
Updated from previous review on 2026-05-15
Pros: Very Tasty , Reasonable , Good atmosphere
Guest
Tsukimi
Points +8263
Rare japanese washoku - Edit
The daily lunch plate was delicious.
Read moreThey use organic fresh ingredients. Everything’s is gluten free.
I only didn’t like that the cooked veggies were cold. I guess they are precooked and not heated when served.
Very accommodating owner!
I wanna come back for the dinner course.
Updated from previous review on 2025-10-30
Guest
VVRamanan
Points +16
A gastronomic experience! - Edit
This review is long overdue. My wife and I had a delightful meal at Kinatei on May 6, 2025. We had made reservations for dinner through email well ahead of time because we didn't want to miss eating here. The restaurant normally doesn't open for dinner but because we reserved ahead of time, the owner Yoshiko made an exception. She was able to correspond with us and understand our dietary preferences and what she produced was a culinary experience! I believe we had a 6 or 7 course meal, a sort of degustation consisting of small plates. They included a mixed green salad, a vegetable cutlet accompanied by a lovely sauce, breaded and fried tofu, a soup that I believe may have used a coconut milk base, just to name a few. We also carried on a great conversation with Yoshiko through the meal as her daughter kept herself busy in the kitchen whipping up the dishes! I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Yoshiko offered to pick us up from our hotel since it was raining just before our dinner appointment. In the end it was not necessary, but we inadvertently left behind the umbrellas we had borrowed from our hotel at the restaurant. Yoshiko saves us a huge embarrassment by driving over to our hotel to deliver them!
Read morePros: Exceptional food, Service above and beyond what is expected
Guest
Vittoriamarabotti
Points +13
Delicious local vegan and vegetarian - Edit
The owner of the place is very kind, we ate a delicious set with rice and various vegetables and tofu, delicious meatballs! I could have eaten a lot without getting tired 🙈
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-27
Guest
sarita.patil
Points +29
Amazing place with great service - Edit
We were lucky to walk-in to this place without reservations as it had just opened for lunch. The owner lady was very kind and took great pride in her dishes. We got a udon lunch set which had a small salad, udon noodles, tea and fruit dessert. It was a nice cozy experience for us and we highly recommend this place if you are visiting Nara.
Read morePros: Great friendly staff, Delicious vegan and vegetarian set options
Cons: May be hard to find spot if going during busy time, We could not order extra sides outside of set
Guest
Spowi
Points +12
Realy surprising and good food - Edit
I never knew what i bit into, but everything was soooo good. The menu changes every day and you never know what you get. It was a great experience, also because of the nice owner of the Restaurant.
Read moreGuest
motz
Points +35
Top Notch in Nara - Edit
Friendly owners which are mother and daughter, the owner speaks English well and helps you choose. They also acknowledged my peanut allergy.
Read moreGuest
p.skillz
Points +639
Tasty lunch - Edit
Called in and had the set lunch. The food was really tasty.
Read moreGuest
semo
Points +15
Nice - Edit
Cozy place, good food there's an autograph of Fujii Kaze too
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-05-29
Guest
anisha14
Points +69
Perfect! - Edit
Amazing experience! Food was delicious and the owner was very sweet and humble and helpful. Finding vegan and vegetarian food in Nara is hard but this place is a must must try. Just can’t enough of the veg ramen soup, udon noodle soup and kids lunch set.
Read moreAlso very kid friendly place
Guest
Nninelly
Points +101
Lovely vegan! Restaurant - Edit
Very delicious meals. We had the soup set and the ramen set. Both comes with salad, drink and dessert (little dango). It seems like it’s all vegan: the owner is very kind and mentioned to us that all dishes are vegan not vegetarian😄Plus: Not far from the Nara Station.
Read morePros: Delicious Food Sets, Staff speak good english , Near by central station
Guest
Foci
Points +332
Leckeres veggie-essen - Edit
Ramen und Udonnudeln waren sehr lecker. Inhaberin sehr freundlich, immer wieder empfehlenswert
Read morePros: Veggieessen, Günstig
Guest
katvides
Points +17
best and coziest meal yet - Edit
We sprinted from the station after getting into Nara to eat here! We came 20 minutes before they closed but she was kind enough to serve us. The food was wonderful, some of the best I’ve had while out here. The owner was one of the kindest people we have met on our travels yet. Hope to make it back out here one day! If you get a chance to stop here in Nara, highly recommend!
Read moreGuest
B12mangel
Points +1369
Really pushy owner - Edit
We went there for lunch and she led us to a table opposite to the open kitchen entrance. So i sat down with my back to the kitchen because i didn't want someone to watch me while eating (we were the only guests). The owner came and tried hard to persuade me to sit on the other side, but i didn't want to. After a few times i said no and that this seat is good she let me be.
Read moreI felt very uncomfortable at that moment and hoped that she would just leave us alone. Unfortunately, I had the feeling from the beginning that this person was very pushy and was afraid that she might overstep boundaries.
But we had the hope, that the dishes are good, so we stayed.
We ordered and after she gave the order to the kitchen she came back and said to us, that we have to leave because unfortunately there is a reservation in 15 minutes and we should come back later. What?
Yeah, something like that can happen. But she tried really hard to make us a reservation two hours later and wanted our contact details (what we did not because we were hungry and annoyed of her).
Cons: Pushy aggressive owner
Guest
DominikFöldes
Points +271
Great Lunch - Edit
The owner of this restaurant is a very nice and diligent lady. She mentioned she is vegetarian for 50 years already and also shared some tips what to be aware of when looking for vegan food in Japan in general (e.g. Udon is often made with fish powder even when not mentioned explicitly etc.). The food was very good. We had vegan Udon noodles and Lunch set consisting of various small salads and two small croquettes with rice. We paid roughly 3000¥ and it was well worth it. The place is comfy and has a unique atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
Krankheitsbildx
Points +59
Best Vegan Ramen in Japan! - Edit
Very friendly chef!
Read moreI had the best Ramen I found in Japan. And I visited at least 5 places that was high rated on HC. This was the best place. Full 5 stars!
My girlfriend had the Udon, they were also great. If your hotel is in Kyoto, it‘s worth to do a day trip.
Pros: Friendly chef , Great Ramen and Udon, Nice Ambiente
Guest
caitie16
Points +25
All round beautiful experience - Edit
I wish I had asked her name but everyone calls her boss lady on reviews so I will go with that. Boss lady was so welcoming and knowledgeable in the food she was providing running us through all ingredients everything was delicious and we had such a wonderful time bonding over our love for Fuji kaze! Do yourself a favour and get to this restaurant good for mind and body! 😍
Read morePros: Lots of options
Guest
Ebsveg
Points +3121
Cute place near the station - Edit
I had the Udon, and really liked it. The lady serving was really nice and she got us to put a sticker on the map from where we were from. The meal was well rounded and filled us up just the right amount. A lot of places seemed to be closed on Tuesday so glad this was open.
Read moreGuest
IuliaNOTLulia
Points +7344
As mentioned before in reviews, is quite simple but good - Edit
Not mind blowing but it’s nice to get a chance to try vegan Japanese food.
Read moreThe lady is nice, she will ask whether you’re vegan or vegetarian.
Free water and tea.
I was a bit confused with these lunch menus but I just went with the flow
Guest
letlemoss
Points +207
Good food - Edit
Simple but taste. I recommend.
Read moreGuest
Mochezhina
Points +96
The best - Edit
So so nice and tasty. Very gentle owner not too talkative but very caring! We were very happy to be here!
Read morePros: Vegetarian options , Quite
Guest
堀田保美
Points +45
Japanese food that is good for your body - Edit
The best combination of a cheerful mother and a serious daughter.
Read moreCooking that makes the best use of the taste of carefully selected ingredients。
The food using tofu was especially delicious.
Guest
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