Vegan
Japanese
Macrobiotic
Organic
Western
Beer/Wine
Take-out

Little cafe tucked away in the back streets serving lunch and dinner. Offers salads, fried soy meat bowl, a vegan plate that changes according to the season, burgers, and other Japanese dishes. In the afternoon there's high tea with cakes. Sake, beer and wine available. Chef owned, English is spoken. Lunchtime can be very busy, so reservations are advised. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-5:00pm, Sat 11:00am-8:00pm, Sun 11:00am-5:00pm.


Venue map for Onwa
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165 Reviews

First Review by Stella774

YamaGory

Points +101

Vegan
30 Jun 2025

Little bit out of the way but so worth it

This place has a good vibe, friendly owners and above all the food was delicious. Especially the kaarage was the best I have had in Japan. Definitely a must visit.

majka24

Points +456

Vegan
18 Jun 2025

A bit disorganized but cute

Nice cafe, the interiors are really nice. A bit small place but gives wonderful vibe. The entrance is hard to find and it is not located in picturesque area. The food is really good, and not that pricey, but the service seemed understaffed, overwhelmed. I was hoping to get Kakigori but I received just ball of strawberry ice cream and I was told that they have not started with kakigori yet (but no one told me about it when I ordered kakigori and it was only written in Japanese menu). (Ofc they cancelled my dessert, but this shows the level of miscommunication)

Cons: Disorganized , Mistakes because staff does not speak English

AndreMaki’sVeganLife

Points +890

Vegan
14 Jun 2025

Otimo restaurante de nara

Otimo restaurant. Muito satisfeito e espero voltar mais vezes.

Pros: Ótimas opções

Cons: Entrada dificil

VeggiLulu

Points +3483

Herbivore
01 Jun 2025

Nice restaurant

The Karaage and the Daikon-mochi were really good.
I personally have eaten better Karaage but this one was good and the sauce was very delicious!
The other things on the menu and the caked looked good too.
The restaurant is very small and kind of cramped but not in an negative way.

The service was very slow though.

Pros: Karaage sauce, Cute cafe

Cons: Rather slow service

alyssabp

Points +185

Vegan
19 May 2025

Best Vegan Karaage!

Very cute spot in Nara and staff is super nice. Got the full set plate along with the karaage bowl and everything was soo good. Definitely a must try!!

Patrickljaimes

Points +106

Vegan
25 Apr 2025

One of the best meals I’ve had recently in Japan

Very good taste, atmosphere, presentation

Pros: Everything is vegan

Cons: A tad bit expensive but worth it for the quality

Betty.21

Points +72

Vegan
22 Apr 2025

Cute little place for great food

I came by here before taking the train back home from Nara Station. It is maybe a ten minute walk into a neighborhood. So you have to look for the sign as it will be kind of hidden. The ladies helped me make a choice between all the different food on the menu. It is definitely a healthy place that has lots of vegan & gluten free options!

Pros: Healthy food 🥰, Quiet place to relax after a whole day of walking

Cons: Little bit on the expensive side

StephVHe

Points +488

Vegan
17 Apr 2025

Mega lecker!

Ein Muss wenn ihr in Nara seid. Hatten hier 3 Hauptgerichte, alle waren mega gut. Definitiv zu empfehlen.
Hatten noch den Karottenkuchen mitgenommen, der allerdings etwas trocken war. Die anderen Kuchen sahen aber auch sehr gut aus.

vegotanuki

Points +1272

Vegan
14 Apr 2025

Beautiful strawberry tart

Enjoyed the karaage but the definite highlight was the strawberry tart. The most expensive place we’ve eaten in Japan, but worth the money and the walk from the deer park. Also enjoyed sitting on the floor to eat!

BedeRX7802

Points +14

Vegetarian
03 Apr 2025

Excellent service, excellent food

Came in after spending all day travelling from Naoshima Island, greeted with the biggest smiles, the best service and the most amazing vegan food I’ve had here. The plum wine is astounding!

Dharmachanda

Points +160

Vegan
28 Mar 2025

Cute yet serious

Super-cute cafe with seriously good vegan food. After paying I noticed their gorgeous cakes so we sat down again and scoffed them before the bike ride back to the hotel.

Tsukimi

Points +6614

Vegan
25 Feb 2025

Very good

Always a good option when in Nara. Easy access from JR Nara Station.
The food is good, but I feel tho the quality decreased a bit over the years. I feel the plate is quite expensive for what you get now. The oriental plate had mainly fried stuff and mostly cold veggies. For the price of 2400yen, I would expect at least a soup. But it's a tourist spot, so it can't be helped.

Updated from previous review on 2025-02-25

DaniChalmers

Points +40

Vegan
21 Feb 2025

Incredible Vegan find in Nara

Such a delicious and great find in Nara. The dishes were perfect. An assortment of different foods to try that balanced really well. So nice supporting this cute little cafe. Don’t let the size of the cafe fool you it’s so cute inside and the ladies were so lovely! Must try when in Nara

Pros: Delicious food , Great service

JuneOk

Points +344

Vegan
27 Dec 2024

good!

a lil $$ but good! very cozy spot right by nara station

the_rusty_knight

Points +220

Vegetarian
25 Dec 2024

Cute cafe serving delicious food

A cute little establishment tucked away in a side road in Nara. I dropped by for lunch during my visit to the city. I got the vegan delight which was a platter with all the different dishes they have to offer. Everything was really tasty and the ladies who served me were lovely. I really wanted to try out a cake but I was full from the lunch. Maybe next time!🤩 #Veganuary

Pros: Vegan delight platter, Ambience and vibe

csklar

Points +13

Vegetarian
16 Nov 2024

Excellent meal!

This is a wonderful little restaurant tucked behind a 7/11. The food is first rate- interesting blend of flavors, delicious chocolate mousse-type dessert, great organic ginger ale and terrific service.

Pros: Meal, Dessert, Service

Cons: None, None, None

pixel_pusher

Points +82

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

Amazing little cafe

Onwa was one of my favorite restaurants during my recent trip to Japan. The owners and staff are really attentive and can speak some English. The food is delicious and there's such a wide variety too. I had the Vegan Delight which has a sampling of everything. I would have gotten a dessert too if I weren't so stuffed. They looked amazing. There's a little display at the front of the cafe to tempt you as you walk in. If I ever return to Nara, I'll definitely eat here again.

Also, it may not be apparent at first glance but the entrance is on the right side of the fence. There's a small walking path that's covered by the fence and the ivy.

Pros: Delicious food, Staff is really friendly

Konita

Points +273

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

Huge variety of vegan cakes 😋

We tried the basque matcha cake and the chocolate one… They were really good. The staff super kind and friendly. We wish to come back soon. You must try it😊🌱🫶

Pros: The good selection of cakes, The flavor , The positive vibes

Birgit

Points +2072

Vegan
02 Nov 2024

Local vegan food

Onwa is a 40 min.walk from the deer park and even if it seems long it’s worth it. We chose the taco lunch set and the oriental lunch set. Both were beautifully presented and came with all kinds of little morsels to enjoy. The hojicha tea and seasonal kombucha were refreshing and flavorful. For dessert we had the warmed baked apple cake ( the best I ever had ) and the basque cheesecake. The owner chef is so kind and accommodating and has all the talent needed to make her customers very happy. We were!!!!

G.M.

Points +50

Vegan
24 Oct 2024

Nice place, awesome cakes and lovely staff

The place is warm and cosy.
I took the vegan karaaghe dish and it was very good. Their cakes are AWESOME. The banana-chocolate cake was my favourite. The staff is super nice.

Pros: Cakes, Staff, Place

Bridge4_Stella

Points +73

Vegan
24 Oct 2024

Nice little place with good food and terrific cakes

Just behind the Nara RJ station. The place is nice and cozy, and as a plus it has a toilet inside (it's not standard to have one in Japan, as far as I can say).
I had the karaage bowl and it was really good, with fresh vegetables and a tasty rice as side. It comes in medium or large size. I had the medium size and it was enough for me.... also I strongly suggest to reserve some space in your belly to try the cake! There was a lot of choice, I went with the muscat one and it was delicious. The cake comes with a cup of tea of your choice, hot or cold as you prefer.
5 stars, totally earned!

lillyiaschelcic

Points +100

Vegan
22 Oct 2024

Desserts are amazing

Went there for food which was nice but felt too light as we were hungry but the desserts were mind blowing. Took away a few options as really loved them.

SwainC02

Points +271

Vegan
09 Oct 2024

Great little cafe!

The staff were very friendly and the food we ordered was delicious (dumplings and an oriental vegan plate). A brilliant find and well worth the trip there, especially if you have allergies to garlic as well as not being able to eat animal products or gluten.

Pros: The menu, The selection of cakes!, The staff

n1234

Points +65

Vegetarian
05 Oct 2024

Great karaage!

I checked this place out because of the great reviews and yes, it’s worth it! The karaage really is amazing. Very cute spot and kind staff.

The food tastes very fresh and healthy. The pickles were nice on a hot day. The menu even shows the speed that you can expect the dishes (good if you’re waiting on a train).

It took about 30 mins to walk here from Nara Park and it’s very close to the train station if you’re catching a JR train.

Jalan333

Points +519

Vegan
02 Oct 2024

Cute little vegan cafe

Superb karaage and also the cake selection was amazing. The pear cheesecake was so tasty.

Pros: Cakes, Karaage set, Friendly and quiet

teriimiuu

Points +131

Mostly Veg
01 Oct 2024

Small restaurant tucked away from street

Very cute atmosphere and delicious food

angii

Points +162

Vegan
29 Sep 2024

Buonissimi karaage

Il locale è piuttosto piccolo, con i tavoli disposti su più piani. Ho ordinato i karaage con riso e verdure ed era buonissimo!

Updated from previous review on 2024-09-29




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