Eating out in Tokyo is a huge part of experiencing the best of what the city has to offer. Being vegan or vegetarian doesn’t mean you need to miss out on incredible food in Tokyo either. Unless you’re traveling with a group of vego’s, you’ll likely want to find a Tokyo restaurant that caters to both omnivores and vegetarians. This is my list of unmissable restaurants in Tokyo with vegetarian options!
Japanese foods featured in my list of Tokyo restaurants with vegetarian options include ramen, sushi, and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). These dishes have brought friends and families together around dinner tables here for centuries. My list of Tokyo eateries also includes some trendy and upscale restaurants that have Western vegetarian options as well. Perfect for experiencing Tokyo as a local.
During your Tokyo itinerary I hope you’ll have many opportunities to eat out, with omnivore and vegetarian friends, to taste some of Tokyo’s greatest eats.
1. Soranoiro Ramen (Tokyo Station)
Soranoiro is a ramen restaurant chain that has a handful of locations in Tokyo as well as in other major cities in Japan. The interior of their stores are bright and friendly, unlike some other ramen restaurants which can feel dark and isolated. Soranoiro serves classic soy sauce and tonkotsu (pork bone broth) flavored ramen for omnivores, with plenty of meat including in the toppings. They also serve vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free ramen, making it a must-visit Tokyo restaurant with vegetarian options. Check out their menu options here.
I visited Soranoiro’s location in Tokyo Station’s Ramen Street, one of the top places to visit in Tokyo, with my dad and brother. The vegetarian ramen here was my dad’s favorite meal during his entire trip to Japan!
2. Cafe & Meal MUJI (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza)
MUJI is a high-quality Japanese retail and home goods company that has opened up shop in cities around the world including New York, Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, and more. It’s known for its simple yet chic styles, without any outward branding or labels. Large MUJI department stores can be found around Tokyo, but some of them have an extra special offering: Cafe & Meal MUJI, or MUJI Cafe.
Fuel up before or after your MUJI shop at their stylish cafe, which even has its own blog page. Best visited for brunch or lunch, food is served cafeteria-style with servers filling your plates with the day’s specials. Food is inspired by fresh and seasonal ingredients, and you can bet there are plenty of both meat, vegetarian, and vegan options available. Rice and miso soup are included in the meal as well.
3. Kura sushi (all over Tokyo)
No list of Tokyo must-visit restaurants is complete without a sushi restaurant. Kura sushi was recommended to me by Tokyo locals as the best revolving sushi restaurant chain in Japan. It has amazing novelty, with a touch-screen at each table enabling personal orders to be made, but also a roulette game that gives visitors a chance to win a small toy for every five plates of sushi eaten.
Kura sushi is an incredibly fun place to eat out in Tokyo with friends and family, and has food for both vegetarians and omnivores. While seafood-eaters will have the best time, vegetarians may have to eat the same type of sushi rolls more than once, vegans even more so (try the cucumber, avocado, egg, or corn+mayo). Everyone will love the Japanese desserts that come gliding down the conveyor belt too. Kura sushi also has options to order small bowls of noodles, tempura, edamame, and other Japanese comfort foods to supplement your sushi.
4. Sakura Tei (Harajuku)
Another fun restaurant in Tokyo with vegetarian options is Sakura Tei, an okonomiyaki restaurant tucked away in the artsy Ura-Harajuku neighborhood. Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake, made up of a floury batter, egg and cabbage base, with a variety of other mix-ins. Okonomiyaki has endless choose-your-own ingredient possibilities, with the classic mix-ins being sliced pork belly, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, tempura pieces, or other proteins. Sakura Tei offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free okonomiyaki options, and is very catering to visiting foreigners.
The best part about okonomiyaki is being able to cook it yourself on a teppanyaki in the middle of each table. Douse with your preferred quantity of okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, and dried seaweed and/or bonito flakes and enjoy. Bonus points for making beautiful mayonnaise designs on the top of your okonomiyaki!
5. Noodle Stand (Harajuku)
During your Tokyo itinerary you’ll undoubtedly find yourself near Noodle Stand, which is located in the basement of a building around the corner from Harajuku’s Takeshita street, and along the Yamanote train line. Noodle Stand is a small ramen restaurant where food is ordered through a vending machine, and the tickets handed to the chef for preparing.
This Tokyo restaurant is perfect for meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans both. The ramen served here comes with a decent quantity of meat, and even more hearty sides can be added to the order including gyoza, chashu, and stewed beef. The vegan ramen option here, made with a coconut base with a variety of vegetable toppings, is also extremely satisfying. No one will leave here on an empty stomach!
6. Coco Ichibanya Curryhouse (all over Tokyo)
Coco Ichibanya Curryhouse is a popular chain restaurant can be found in nearly every big city in Japan. It serves one main dish and does it really well: Japanese curry. Coco is an unmissable restaurant destination during your trip to Tokyo or Japan in general. Some Coco Ichibanyas are even open 24 hours, making it a great place to get a bite to eat after a big night out or after coming in late from the airport.
Coco Ichibanyas offer a vegetarian curry, which omits the pieces of pork that are usually mixed in with the delicious curry roux. Be sure to order the vegetarian roux specifically, because just ordering from the “vegetable” section of the menu only means your toppings will be vegetable. Coco Ichibanya offers toppings to suit every dietary need, including beef, pork, seafood, egg, and vegetable. They even have an expansive kid’s menu, making it a great Tokyo restaurant for vegetarians, meat eaters, and picky-eater kids too.
For vegans, a vegan curry was offered as a limited menu item, but not part of their usual menu. The vegetarian curry roux does not contain any animal products, but may contain traces of dairy from the production of it.
7. Pizza Slice (Shibuya, Nihonbashi)
Time to get some junk food on the list! Pizza Slice in Omotesando is a Tokyo restaurant that’s immensely popular with younger Tokyo locals. It fits right in with its location in the high-end fashion district of Omotesando, with trendy fashion collabs on their Instagram page. The restaurant’s interior has hip warehouse vibes and communal tables.
Their claim to fame is their massive, 20-inch or 50-cm pizzas, which are perfect for ordering whole and sharing with a group of friends. You can also order by the (giant) slice, with choices including cheese, mushroom, jalapeño, pepperoni, sausage, and a “topping of the day”. They also serve beer, cocktails, and home-made lemonade. What more do you need? Check their latest menu here.
If you’re eating out in Tokyo with vegetarian and meat-eating friends, just ask for a pizza that’s half veg, half meat, or even one quarter of each of your favorite toppings. Sorry vegans, nothing for you here.
8. Afuri (Shinjuku, Roppongi, and others)
Afuri is another unmissable Tokyo restaurant with vegetarian options. It’s a ramen restaurant that uses classic ramen flavors (shio, salt, shoyu, or soy sauce) in their meaty ramen bowls but adds a signature flavor: yuzu, a tart Japanese citrus. Afuri’s rainbow vegan ramen has a vegetable-based broth and fresh, colorful seasonal fruits, which makes for another refreshing ramen option.
For meat-eaters Afuri also offers tsuke-men, which is when the ramen noodles and toppings are served in a bowl separately from a brothy dipping sauce. Add your own extra ramen toppings, and enjoy your food with a bowl of rice or a cold beer on tap!
Check out Afuri’s whole menu here.
9. Tenya (all over Tokyo)
Tenya is another one of my favorite Japanese chain restaurants, which specializes in tempura, which is battered and deep-fried vegetables and seafood. Branches of this chain are commonly found near Tokyo train stations because it’s a great place to stop in for a quick lunch or dinner on the way home from work.
Tenya’s main set meals consist of miso soup and a ten-don, or tempura resting on top of a bowl of rice. You can also order tempura on the side, with udon or soba as well. Check out their drool-worthy English menu here.
Vegetarians can go for the vegetable tempura set, which includes sweet potato, lotus root, mushroom, eggplant, pumpkin, and green beans. Meat-eaters have the options of shrimp (the classic), squid, fish, chikuwa (fish cakes), and the same vegetables mentioned above.
Note: The vegetable tempura is fried in the same oil as their meaty counterparts. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan that can’t stand this, even with the batter barrier between the two, sorry, but Tenya is not for you. Keep reading!
(This is a lot of food for me considering the tempura is sitting on a bowl of rice also. But I ate every last bite after my day-trip from Osaka, when I hiked Mt. Koya!)
10. Mos Burger (all over Tokyo)
Here’s a fun, must-visit Tokyo restaurant chain that caters for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Mos Burger is the Japanese answer to McDonalds, and a great fast-food joint that was founded in Tokyo. Although they don’t have Happy Meals, they have an amazing variety of different burgers and everything you need to satisfy your fast-food urge. The servings and burgers aren’t super-sized as well, so won’t make you feel lethargic afterwards.
For vegetarians, Mos Burger offers the plant-based green burger, as well as a variety of soy burgers. Each comes with classic Mos Burger toppings like cheese, jalapeño and a chunky tomato sauce. Meat-eaters can try the classic Mos beef burger, or branch out and try their fish burger, shrimp or pork cutlet burger, or chicken burger.
Mos Burger even has two burgers, seafood salad and yakiniku burgers, which come with rice buns! Visitors can an opt for a fresh lettuce bun for any burger too, perfect for keeping calories low.
(Eating burgers with a rice bun is on my list of weird and unique things to do in Tokyo!)
11. bills Japan (Ginza, Omotesando, and others)
Another restaurant in Tokyo perfect for vegetarians and omnivores both to visit is bills, which is where I worked for a while when I was living in Tokyo! bills is a high-end Australian restaurant that is owned by Aussie restaurateur Bill Granger. If you ever visit Sydney, you can try the bills restaurants there too.
bills in Tokyo has a number of vegetarian options including a super fresh and hearty chopped salad, pumpkin and beetroot risotto, and tofu and squash coconut curry (vegetarian options may change). Meat eaters can indulge in lobster linguine, fillet steak, or a variety of schnitzels and burgers that will transport them straight to Australia. Don’t forget about that avocado toast, mate!
If you’re in Tokyo and want to impress a vegetarian or non-vegetarian on a date, take them to bills Ginza. It has a sleek interior and great views over the glitzy Ginza neighborhood.
12. Mr. Farmer (Omotesando, Hibiya, and others)
Mr. Farmer is a great Tokyo restaurant with protein-packed, non-vegetarian food options as well as fresh, hearty, (and still with protein!) vegan and vegetarian options. This farm-to-table restaurant has two main locations in Omotesando near Shibuya, and one in Hibiya near Tokyo Station. The Mr. Farmer Omotesando location is all vegan, while the others have meat options available.
Their concept brings farm-fresh ingredients to their customers via collaborations with farmers across Japan. They offer a salad menu, a vegan menu, and a protein menu to cater to all dietary requirements. Specific menu items vary by location but usually include a vegan burger, rice bowls, and hearty salad bowls.
13. Chaya Macrobiotics (Hibiya, Shiodome, and Haneda Airport)
Chaya Macrobiotics is a store I first discovered through their vegan curry packets sold at grocery stores across Tokyo. This wholesome restaurant chain follows a number of earth-friendly philosophies that makes you feed good about supporting their business and eating their healthy food. Philosophies include using only domestically grown and organic brown rice, serving dishes based on seasonality and freshness, practicing “local food for local consumption”, and not using chemicals and artificial flavors and sweeteners.
Chaya’s macrobiotic menu options are mostly vegetarian and vegan, but some grilled and fresh fish options are available as well (responsibly sourced of course!) Try a vegan sushi roll plate, vegan karaage, vegan croquettes, and various salad bowls. For omnivores, some plates come with grilled mackerel and seared tuna, and a side of seasonal carpaccio is available as well.
The Hibiya Chaya restaurant has a small shop on-site where you can stock up on their amazing curry packets!
14. Moss Cross Tokyo (Shibuya)
Moss Cross Tokyo is a high-end restaurant in Tokyo that offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for their guests as part of their lunch menu. They have newly reopened in the Hyatt Hotel in Shibuya in 2024, but have retained their original mantra of serving dishes with ingredients known for medicinal and health properties.
Their modern Japanese and French-fusion cuisine is presented as a multi-course meal for both lunch and dinner, but only lunch has a full vegetarian option available. Lunch includes nine different bite-sized appetizers, a noodle dish, today’s main dish (meat or soy meat), and dessert. Drink pairings are also available to elevate the experience further.
15. FARO Caffe (Yoyogi)
Faro Caffe is a Tokyo sandwich shop inspired by the flavors of Italy. The sandwiches available here are a fresh and colorful delight! Faro Caffe’s location in Yoyogi makes it a perfect place to grab some takeaway sandwiches to go enjoy at Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park.
Options here for vegans include a vegetable sandwich (vegetables and hummus), a vegetarian favorite is the Japanese-style scrambled egg sandwich or a cheese toast. Ominovores can choose from a variety of sandwiches including smoked salmon, roast beef, and other Sicilian-inspired meat and veggies combinations.
Another branch of Faro is also located in Yokohama, a perfect day-trip destination from Tokyo.
16. Cosme Kitchen Adaptation (Shibuya)
Cosme Kitchen Adaptation is a relatively new Tokyo restaurant with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and meat options available on their menu. It’s also perfectly located in Shibuya near the new Tokyo viewpoint, Shibuya Sky. The term “adaptation” in the restaurant name refers to how it incorporates foundational Japanese food items like fermented foods and brown rice, with Western adaptations including macrobiotics, veganism, and gluten-free eating.
Their varied food menu marks clearly which dishes are vegan and/or gluten-free. Items include hearty all-in-one plates and bowls, curries, pastas, salads, and burgers. Basically every dish has both a meat option (such as with salmon or beef) and a vegan option. Vegan sweet-tooths can also enjoy vegan ice creams and cakes here!
17. Ise Suiyoshi (Nishiazabu)
Ise Suiyoshi is a high-end, traditional Japanese kaiseki (multi-course meal) restaurant that caters for all dietary requirements upon request (required 10 days in advance). They offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, halal, and pescatarian kaiseki options!
Some of the kaiseki options such as vegan, vegetarian without dashi, and gluten-free options, cost 2000 yen extra to prepare. A vegetarian kaiseki option with dashi is the same price as the regular omnivore’s kaiseki course meal.
The kaiseki here is a 10-course meal that uses seasonal ingredients, so the specific menu items change every month. Head Chef Yuki Tanaka selects ingredients himself from growers in his hometown. Guests can also opt for a sake pairing with their kaiseki for the ultimate Japanese vegan kaiseki experience.
Because of the intimate setting of only 10 seats in the entire restaurant, reservations are required ahead of time.
18. Gonpachi (Nishiazabu)
Gonpachi is an iconic restaurant that is a bucket-list location for many movie buffs. This restaurant is famous for being the backdrop inspiration for an epic battle scene in Quentin Tarantino’s movie Kill Bill. Although in the movie the backdrop was created artificially, stepping in to the Nishiazabu Gonpachi location you’ll feel transported to the movie set.
Gonpachi offers a number of different menus for their guests, one of which is vegan, so I’m happy to say it’s on my list of Tokyo restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options. Traditional Japanese foods are served here including tempura, karaage, and grilled meat skewers. Vegan options include vegan sushi, vegan tempura, and grilled vegetable skewers.
Due to Gonpachi’s fame, starlets visiting Tokyo can also be spotted here.
19. Mominoki House (Harajuku)
Food Concept Shop Mominoki House is a natural food restaurant that serves only organic foods and uses special ionized water for cooking. They strive to serve only clean and healthy ingredients to live up to their mantra, “You are what you eat”.
The lunch menu here has a few set items including the veggie-friendly tofu steak with ginger sauce, and a gluten “chicken” set with veggies. They also serve a grilled fish set and a deer meat hamburg set for lunch, straight from the earth to your plate! Dinner set options are all vegan and vegetarian, and include vegan sushi, creamy pasta, and assorted seasonal vegetables. They also have a special vegan course meal available for dinner – based on the heart-shaped plates it’s meant for special occasions!
20. The Burn (Aoyama)
Out of the Tokyo restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options in this blog post, The Burn is one that may get meat-eaters the most excited. The Burn is a female-owned sustainable grill restaurant that specialises in fire- and charcoal-grilled steaks and different meat cuts. They offer both a vegan course menu and a classic “The Burn” course menu, both for a reasonable 8,000 yen per person. But it doesn’t stop there – their al a carte menu also has a number of vegan options marked right on the menu.
This New York-style American restaurant in Tokyo is the perfect place to balance a vegetarian or vegan’s dietary requirements with a omnivore’s steak-eating requirements! (If this sounds like you, be sure to check out the Aussie bills restaurants on this list too).
21. Bassa Nova (Harajuku)
No-frills alternative to Noodle Stand also in Harajuku, Bassa Nova is a ramen restaurant that uses a soy milk base for its broth, making it a vegan ramen paradise.
The ramen types are influenced by Southeast Asian flavors. Try their Laksa, Tom Yum, and Green Curry ramens – all vegan friendly! Omnivores can opt for their soy milk plus fish broth ramen, and add various proteins as toppings as well. They also offer vegetarian gyoza as a side! Tucked away in the streets of Harajuku, this is a perfect ramen bar for a quick re-fuel before continuing shopping in this quirky Japanese neighborhood.
22. Umami Burger (Omotesando, Ariake)
Sometimes you just need a burger, am I right? Satisfy your veggie burger cravings at one of three Umami Burger locations around Tokyo, or one in Yokohama. Mostly located in food courts, this comfort food restaurant will please vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters with their extensive burger and sides menu.
Omnivores can satisfy their bacon burger, BBQ burger, fried chicken burger, and multi-meat patty burgers here. Two different vegan burgers are on the menu as well as a variety of fries including waffle fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and even fried pickles. Vegetarians can indulge in Umami Burger’s creative milk shake menu as well!
23. Joël Robuchon Restaurant (Meguro)
Let’s switch gears for a moment to some high-end Tokyo restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options.
Tokyo-ites will be hard-pressed to find anything fancier than this for a vegetarian dining experience in Tokyo! Joël Robuchon restaurant is a whopping three-Michelin-star establishment in Ebisu located in a literal castle (ok, it’s more of a chalet). Joël Robuchon is a French restaurateur with a number of restaurants across Tokyo, but this is the only three Michelin-starred location. For high-end French food in Tokyo, this is the place to come!
Meals are served as part of course menus only, with regular degustation menus costing 35,000 and 30,000 yen (around $220-$250 USD), while the vegetarian menu sets you back 27,000 yen ($180 USD). A degustation menu costing a whopping 55,000 yen ($370 USD) is also available, but this is not vegetarian-friendly. Unfortunately the vegetarian course menu does not have a vegan option.
Be sure to make a reservation ahead of time to be able to enjoy one of the best vegetarian multi-course meals in Tokyo.
24. Narisawa (Aoyama)
Narisawa is a fine-dining restaurant run by chef Yoshihiro Narisawa. His restaurant has appeared in both the Michelin guide as well as the list of top 50 restaurants in the world! After living in Tokyo for 10 years, Moon Island Arts also hails Narisawa as his favorite restaurant in Tokyo.
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa philosophy on food stems from his connection to the Japanese countryside and his passion for living in harmony with nature. He uses the term satoyama to describe his cuisine, a blend of the words for “village” and “mountain”.
Diners at Narisawa are in for a surprise. Their whole concept is omakase course menus based on ingredients available that day. No menu, no plan, no set price – just arrive and enjoy what the freshest seasonal ingredients have to offer. Narisawa caters to different dietary restrictions when reserved ahead of time, including vegan, vegetarian, and even macrobiotic diets.
25. Seisoka (Hiroo)
Seisoka is a traditional Japanese restaurant located on the grounds of Tengenji Temple in Hiroo, Tokyo. Seisoka specialises in cha-kaiseki, which is a Japanese multi-course meal that’s served during a tea ceremony. Here, both a regular kaiseki meal (without tea pairings) and vegetarian shojin kaiseki meals can be requested in advance. Seisoka focuses on serving dishes that are healthy and that “coexist with nature”, using seasonal and fresh Japanese ingredients. They also strive to preserve Japanese cuisine as a cultural heritage. It doesn’t get more traditional Japanese than this!
Seisoka has fine-tuned not just their kaiseki meals, but also the atmosphere where guests eat. They’ve focused on each dish and bowl that the food is served in, the architecture of the various private rooms you can dine in, and the Japanese garden that the dining areas look out to. Did I mention it’s received two Michelin stars?