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-9:00pm.
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 14 Jan 2025 by alexsetu
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Added by noborio on 08 Nov 2022
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230 Reviews
First Review by pareman
HartatyWidodo
Points +58
Very nice vegan izakaya - Edit
Good vegan food and great service.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-27
Pros: Food, Ambience, Service
Cons: Small place, so couldn't fit big party (6 seats), Long waiting time
Guest
PhoebeLa
Points +94
Absolutely incredible food - Edit
One of the best meals of my life. I ordered Course Meal 1 and it tasted phenomenal. I did have to wait in line 40-50min (7:30pm-8:20pm) due to there only being 6 seats in this restaurant, but it was totally worth it. An incredible, intimate dining experience. The two chefs are lovely!!
Read morePros: Food tasted phenomenal , Cute vibe , Friendly staff and cost of food
Cons: Wait time , Only 6 seats available unluckily
Guest
robb26
Points +38
Wonderful! - Edit
This is some of the best food I have had hands down. It is a tiny place but in a way it adds to the vibe. It has a proper Japanese feel to it. The food is out of this world. Every mouthful is Devine. There is nothing I had that I disliked and I could have had the whole menu again and again and again. DO NOT MISS THIS!!
Read morePros: Vegan, Extremely good food, Friendly staff
Cons: Limited seating
Guest
TheAdventurousKoala
Points +34
Super yummy Japanese food - Edit
Yummy food. Spent 30, but just because I added more, cause it was so good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-17
Guest
Genery
Points +107
Very delicious food and great atmosphere - Edit
Originally we tried to go there for dinner, but it was a bit crowded so we decided to go there the next day. We were very lucky to be for the lunch time there, because the menu was a hot pot, which we tried for the first time and we absolutely loved it. The really nice and kind lady explained to us how to prepared and eat it and told us a little bit about the restaurant. You could really feel the passion for vegan cooking (homemade miso paste and shoyu) all with organic and regional ingredients from family business. The dessert was a delicious yuzu sorbet. Besides she gave us some yakitori for testing, which is part of the dinner menu and it was absolutely great. Thanks for this great experience! We hope we can visit the place sometime again!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-15
Guest
BennyWah
Points +50
Not Worth The Price! - Edit
1) The space is very cramped, can only catered 5-6 pax.
Read more2) Price is very expensive, not worth it at all.
3) Fully not recommended !!!
Updated from previous review on 2025-06-13
Pros: None.
Cons: Limited items to choose from., Each serving a very small portion. Very expensive!, 2 slices of short 烤肉 cost Y890? ridiculous!
Guest
NymSkye
Points +72
Amazing! - Edit
We had a 8 course menu that was delicious. The place is really small so there's usually a long wait, but it's really worth it.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-02
Guest
meowy24
Points +363
Amazing food - Edit
Really great vegan food and a lovely, friendly vibe. Cosy space and great flavours
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-06-01
Guest
SouthernmostVegan
Points +2040
One of the best - Edit
It’s highly rated for a reason. Be prepared to arrive early and wait. Get the full set because you need to justify the long wait.
Read moreGuest
Robert80
Points +20
Top Küche! - Edit
Sehr exklusives Menü. Maximales aus der veganen Küche herausgeholt.
Read morePros: Essen, Vielfalt, Japanische Spezialitäten
Cons: Wartezeit (nur 7 Plätze)
Guest
veganator89
Points +45
Good experience - Edit
Kyoto has limited complete vegan experiences. This was one of the rare ones.
Read moreThe food is average but the experience, presentation is what you pay for.
Pls note : you almost always wait for an hour to get a seat inside.
Guest
BiancaLStarr
Points +281
We stood in line and... - Edit
it was 1000% worth it! We got the tasting menu and it was worth every penny, second, and calorie. There women make amazing food and know how to serve it with a celebratory flare. Due to demand and the fact that they only have 7 seats, you only get to stay for about 1 hour, but in that hour you will have an amazing food and drink experience!
Read morePros: Phenomenal flavors, Gorgeously presented, Friendly staff
Cons: You'll have to wait., You'll be under a time limit.
Guest
frdpls
Points +28
Great hotpot, recommended - Edit
We went here for lunch, they offer a fixed menu with hotpot and ice cream as dessert. The "à la carte" menu is only for dinner.
Read moreEverything was fantastic, the hotpot had tofu, noodles, mushrooms and mixed veggies which were super fresh and tasty. They also offer home made miso paste, yuzu vinegar and chili flakes if you wish to spice up your broth.
The yuzu ice cream at the end was also very tasty and the lady running the place was lovely.
Absolutely recommended if you're in the area.
PS the place is super tiny (like 5 or 6 seats), we were lucky to not find a queue but it might be that you have to wait a bit.
Updated from previous review on 2025-05-13
Guest
Prachi’s
Points +13
Amazing start to finish - Edit
Everything was amazing, especially the soy skewers
Read moreGuest
MeaganKiely
Points +991
Incredible experience 🫶🏻 - Edit
When in Kyoto you must try this place. Food was absolutely incredible. The course meal was delicious, fresh and tasty food. Could not have been happier with the whole experience. Has been very hard to find places serving good amounts of protein and these ladies did just that! Full of protein and very healthy. Only seats 7 so make sure you’re there right on time (or before). They pumped the good out nice and quickly. Desserts were divine! You must do the course meal 🤤🤤🤤
Read morePros: Fresh & local ingredients , Lots of protein & healthy , Quick service
Cons: Small seating
Guest
isaacalpizar
Points +24
Amazing food and experience - Edit
The obanzai set was amazing! Great taste! They deserve a Michelin star! And the two staff were super friendly! Please come here 😀
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-05-02
Guest
touches
Points +116
Bestes Essen meines Lebens - Edit
Ich denke der Titel sagt schon alles. Das beste Essen das ich jemals gegessen habe.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-30
Guest
Mai_l
Points +445
Great experience and great food - Edit
This place is great. The food, the atmoshpere, and the service. That said, we weren’t aware that it seats only 7 people and buy chance got there at the right turnover of groups so we waited “only” 1 hour.
Read moreThere is a wait, be prepared.
We got dishes a la carte and not by the set menu, which ended up being the same price, mostly the same dishes, but we could share and choose our portion sizes.
I will say, as a vegan who is with a non-vegan that for me it was definitely worth the wait. He was also very impressed but not sure if without a vegan by his side he would wait.
Kyoto is a bit challenging in terms of food, all great places have lines. I would say that it’s probably best to arrive right when it opens or about 30 min before closing and be in the last batch
Pros: Amazing food, cozy place
Cons: long wait
Guest
Kwr_
Points +1978
Insanely good - can’t miss it ! - Edit
Definitely on the pricier side but worth every penny. This restaurant has 7 bar seats and is run by two workers, so there may be a lineup! My partner and I shared the large set meal for dinner which allows you to try everything on the menu. It was an unforgettable experience! We also got a non alcoholic yuzu drink which was fantastic! Highly recommend
Read moreGuest
SKCBrowners
Points +106
The other reviews say it all. - Edit
A must experience.
Read moreYou can’t book this place, we got there at 5 and were the first people in the queue. The people who turned up at 5.30 were waiting for the first sitting to finish which was about an hour and the queue was long at that point.
Beware you have to book nearly all vegan places in Kyoto, so it’s worth working your day around getting here early.
Pros: Yuzu Tofu, Fake meat skewers, Vibe and the people (and plum wine)
Cons: That everywhere isn’t like this!
Guest
haubi66
Points +339
Flavorful a* f* - Edit
Plain and simple: the best vegan restaurant in town. I've never felt so much flavours Thank you!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-26
Pros: Food, FOOD!, Foooooood
Guest
Linivini
Points +205
What an experience! - Edit
We had to wait quite a while, I think it was about 1,5 hours, but it was worth every minute! You can choose between two menues and à la carte. Especially the yakitori were amazing.
Read moreGuest
Seoulmate
Points +22
Lovely experience - Edit
We walked past by chance and didn’t want to miss out. The hot pot was so delicious and the owner so lovely. This was such a good experience. The alcohol-free drinks were really good as well. An absolute gem.
Read moreGuest
Tsukimi
Points +6582
Authentic Japanese experience! - Edit
Authentic Japanese food and atmosphere!
Read morePlaces like this, in izakaya style, which serve vegan food, are still very rare in Japan. Vegan cafes/restaurants are often western style places, that’s why I love this concept!
The food and service are top-notch. You should go early, especially in tourist peak seasons like spring and autumn.
Recently, they started hot pot for lunch! 😋
Updated from previous review on 2023-07-18
Guest
jennyc32
Points +4237
Creative and Impressive - Edit
We knew in advance that this place only has 7 seats, so we plotted to arrive early to ensure we got seated right away at opening time. We arrived at 5.05pm and were the first in the queue. By 5.20pm, there were more than 7 people in the queue, meaning that some of those people would be waiting quite some time to get in. The restaurant opened promptly at 5.30. Of the 7 of us in the first seating, 2 did not get the set menu and they left after about 45 minutes. Our group of 3 left after 1 hour, and the other 2 diners were still eating. So it can be a long wait.
Read moreWe all ordered the nijiya course - it's also possible to get the large nijiya course or to pick and choose what you want from the menu. We were happy to try a bit of everything. Each round of food arrives quite quickly, but we didn't feel rushed.
To start, we were served yuzu tofu and yuba skin. The yuzu tofu was the star of the show here, the sauce was so zingy and refreshing. The soy meat yakitori came next. I thought it was fantastic, really tender and tasty. My partner thought it was just standard mock meat though. Next came two dumplings, which were fine but not remarkable.
The obanzai assortment was next, which was five little dishes. We all enjoyed the deep fried tofu, braised aubergine, and candied yams (which were not very sweet). Nobody was too dazzled by the radish, which was a bit bland, and I really disliked the taste of the mustard greens, but my companions loved them.
Next we received the soy meat yakiniku, which we all agreed this time was just standard soy meat. It was a bit chewier and tougher than I would have liked. I'm not familiar with the original dish though. The osuimono soup was the only real dud of the meal for us, with all three of us agreeing it was quite bland and insipid. The grilled miso rice balls were good fun - plenty of rice to ensure we were full, and tasty miso on top. The grilling left it with a slightly bitter taste to me, but my partner thought it was perfect.
We finished with chocolate yokan, which was really decadent and rich.
The restaurant is absolutely tiny and it's really impressive how the two women prepare all the dishes in such a small space. The menu is creative, with some dishes that were totally new to me and some I was eager to try veganised. I really admire what they're doing.
That said, the seasoning here and there could be a little better. If I'd had to wait an hour I think I'd have been a bit underwhelmed.
Guest
m@earthville
Points +10280
Must-try! Excellent food, intimate experience, farm-to-table - Edit
Even in Kyoto, a place with an abundance of great plant-based food, Nijiya stands out as exceptional. As others here have reported, the food and service are both very special.
Read moreBeing a seven-seat izakaya, intimacy is built into the experience: you're essentially sharing a table with the cooks and the guests. And, in this case, that's a big plus, because the cooks are so warm, friendly, and gracious. (English is spoken.)
The traditional way to enjoy an Izakaya (which is recommendable here) is to start with subtler dishes like the gyoza (dumplings) and the obanzai sets, and then move to the richer flavors and textures (such as the yakitori, which is uncommonly good here), and finally fill up with one or more of the rice dishes (here, this means either rice balls with a lovely miso spice or various preparations of chazuke). If you have an appetite, you'll need to order several dishes, and one usually orders them gradually rather than all at once. It seems common for guests here to wind up trying at least half of the menu in one sitting, which is a rewarding experience.
If it’s your first visit, we’d recommend going for the full Nijiya set so you get to try almost everything.
Highly recommended. Enjoy!
Updated from previous review on 2024-01-08
Guest
KAGoldberg
Points +86
Fantastic place - Edit
We tried a number of things. All delicious. The place is tiny—and popular! Most of all, the chefs were so nice and hospitable.
Read moreGuest
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