Where to Eat as a Vegan in Tokyo? Best Vegan Options for Traveling to Japan in 2024!

I would devour this in an instant, even though it is a little messy so you gotta eat it carefully, but it's so good. Finding the best food options in Tokyo can be a challenge, especially with the language barrier, but it's even more challenging if you're looking for vegan foods. That's why today I'm going to be showing you some of the best plant-based restaurants in Tokyo and how to navigate the city as a vegan or if you're showing vegan friends around. So, let's go explore! Before we go, don't forget to subscribe for more Japan adventures. I almost forgot that time. So, today I'm going to be starting off in Shibuya where you can actually find a number of vegan options. So, let's go check some of them out. Our first one is over there. Let's go! Izakayas are Japanese-style dining bars. They're basically the OG bars before Western-style bars came into Japan. And it's definitely part of the quintessential experience when you come to Japan if you want to grab a bite, a traditional bite to eat or something to drink. However, it can be really difficult if you're vegan or vegetarian to find a full meal at an izakaya. But today I found the perfect izakaya with authentic Japanese izakaya vibes, but all of the food they serve there is vegan. And I've never seen anything like this before. So, let's go check it out. Here we are! This is Vegan Izakaya Masaka and it's an izakaya where all of the foods are vegan. It even says right here, all vegan. Let's go see what they've got. Let's go! Arigato gozaimasu! Wow! It's like a really classic izakaya. I love the atmosphere and all of the menus on the wall. I love it! You actually wouldn't believe that you were in a department building in the basement. This is awesome! And it seems like you order using a QR code with your smartphone. So, there are so many things to choose from. I'm actually not sure what I should get. So, I think I'm going to ask for a recommendation. Okay, so I'm looking through the online menu here. I'm definitely, definitely going to get the karaage, fried chicken. And I'm also going to get the Mapo Tofu because I love Mapo Tofu. And I really appreciate a meatless option. And I'm also going to try the fried maitake mushrooms because it's kind of an alternative to the imitation fried chicken. It's really just mushrooms and I think you can't go wrong with that. Okay, my last one. I want to get, oh, just these fried vegetables. These look really good. It's nice to have a little bit of color in there, too. So, I'm going to get one of those. Lots of food today! Okay, let's do it. I feel like I have to start with the karaage. It's really, really calling to me. It looks so good. It is really crispy looking karaage. It is absolutely drenched in vegan tartar sauce. And it looks like real eggs to me. It's very convincing. Let's try this top one that is completely covered. All right, this is definitely the sauciest piece that I could choose. Let's give it a taste. The texture is very convincing. You can tell it's not real chicken, but it's very similar to chicken. And it's super juicy on the inside and it's got this great meaty texture. It even looks like meat on the inside. I'm super impressed. Very high quality. If you want like a great Japanese food that's vegan, you gotta come here. I am blown away by the creativity. They really come up with great ideas for how to kind of, not quite imitate, but kind of reimagine in a very realistic way what some of these foods are for people who can't eat them anymore. It looks amazing. I don't know what to start with. I might as well start with this because I'm really curious. All right, I'm going to try a piece of asparagus with this non-fish anchovy sauce. Let's see how it tastes. Here we go. That sauce is really good. And the asparagus, I don't know if you can hear it, but that crunch is so delicious. I love it. That is so good. Okay, now let's try the fried mushrooms. Look at how big these fried maitake mushrooms are. This is one piece. Look at how big that is. Oh my gosh. Okay, give my wrist a break for a second. Let's give this a try. It looks so good. Itadakimasu. Mmm. The mushrooms are so juicy. Like, you bite into it, all of the juices come oozing out. And the outside is super, super crispy. So, since there's a lot of fried foods here at this izakaya, which is very common at all izakayas, to be honest, I think they would go really, really well with beer. And I was thinking that as I was eating this, this is a beautiful label. It's got a beautiful artwork of Mount Fuji on it. It's apparently totally organic. It's called Fuji Beer, and it is certified vegan. It's got the certified vegan mark on it. Wow. Arigatou gozaimasu. Oh my gosh. Wow. It looks so good. It came out so piping hot in this stone bowl. All right, let's mix it up and put some in my bowl. Oh. Mmm. That's still very hot, as expected coming out of a stone bowl like that. Mmm. That's tasty. You can't even tell that it is vegan. There's great flavors, lots of tofu, as there always is in a mapo tofu. Yeah, this is a great dish that everybody can enjoy. Honestly, everything here was fantastic. I'm really impressed at how innovative they are with their vegan foods. And there's something for everybody. You can have vegan dessert, vegan lunches, vegan izakaya foods, vegan beer. So definitely check it out. But I have another great vegan stop to show you guys. So I'll see you guys over there. For this restaurant, you actually have to go inside the loft building in Shibuya. It's on the second floor. Let's go inside and check it out. Here we are on the second floor. This is Two Foods. This is a wonderful cafe that serves plant-based and environmentally conscious foods that everyone can enjoy. And they call it healthy junk food, which I think is really fun. And it's also important to note that recently, I noticed that Two Foods had appeared in L.A., in the U.S. And I thought that maybe this was an American brand. But no, it actually started here in Japan and is starting to expand to the U.S. All right, let's take a look at the menu. Ooh, everything looks so good. They have really incredible-looking donuts. I think I'm gonna have to try some donuts, actually. Also, their burgers look really good. A little bit of everything. But I think I'm gonna try this original spicy burger, because it looks incredible. And I'm gonna try an omurice with a demi-glace sauce, which is usually a beef-based sauce. So I want to see how they interpret that in a plant-based style. Let's try one of those. I'll order on my phone, because these days, most cafes and restaurants in Tokyo do a QR code ordering system. So I'll scan and order online. Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your spicy junk burger. Wow, it looks so good. Thank you so much. Could you tell us a little bit about the concept of the Chuu Foods store? Chuu Foods is a plant-based store that makes food that is healthy for the mind, body, and the earth. We believe that plant-based food has a low environmental impact, so we want to contribute to the environment of the earth. Okay, I'm gonna start with the demi-glace omurice, which is a classic Japanese dish. The fact that they were able to make this entirely plant-based is remarkable. And I've heard a little secret about the eggs that they use. They have a very original egg that they use, and there's no tofu in it whatsoever. They actually use white kidney beans, also known as, I think, cannellini beans, and carrots to make the omelette, which I think is really cool. So let's give it a try and see what it tastes like. Mmm. Mmm! Oh, yum! The sauce is so good. That's a really good demi-glace sauce. I'm really impressed by how much richness is in the sauce. It tastes like a slightly sweeter version of the classic, like, beefy demi-glace. I think the reason why it's a bit sweeter is because you can really taste the stewed onions in it. So far, highly innovative. If you want to try an omurice that's totally vegan in Tokyo, this is definitely worth a try. But now, let's try the burger, because that's calling to me. It's actually so filled with sauce. I don't know if I'll be able to eat this neatly, but I'm gonna do my best. Okay, I'm just gonna give it a try. Here we go. I'm gonna do my best. Itadakimasu! Mmm. Uh-oh. Mmm, yum! Oh, it is very messy, but it is delicious. It's cheesy, it's spicy. There's some of these, like, crispy onions in there. Let me get a bite of the patty again. Here we go. It's delicious. I would devour this in an instant, even though it is a little messy, so you gotta eat it carefully. But it's so good. All right, I'm gonna finish this up, and then let's have some dessert. Arigatou gozaimashita. Arigatou gozaimasu. Oishii sou! All right, let's start with the classic glazed donut, because, yeah, it looks—I mean, I think it's good to try the most classic ones. And I should mention that the—just by picking it up, it's got this really bouncy, doughy texture. It's hard to believe it's totally plant-based. No eggs, no milk, no nothing. All right, let's give it a try. This is not just a regular icing. It tastes really fresh and lemony, almost. I'm gonna take a bite of the raspberry one next, because I think the citrusy flavors are gonna go citrusy, and then tart raspberry. That also looks beautiful. It looks kind of like a Simpsons donut. Classic donut. Mmm, donuts. That's Homer Simpson if you didn't get that. Okay, let's try the raspberry donut. Here we go. That's so good. And once again, the dough is incredible. And I actually have more vegan foods and plant-based foods to check out today. So I'm gonna wrap up these. I'm gonna do my best to finish everything. And then let's head over and find some more vegan foods. See what we can find. Our vegan guide would not be complete without hitting up one of Japan's world-famous konbini, short for convenience store. And this is not just any old convenience store in Japan. This is actually a natural Lawson, which is the bougie, kind of fancy version of the standard Lawson convenience store. They're very special because they actually specialize in healthy foods and organic foods. You can find a lot of healthy lunch foods, snacks, and even some vegan foods as well. So let's go inside and see what we can find. I got the goods. Let's go sit down somewhere and try them out. All right, I've had a little seat where I could find one so that I can try some of the goods that I found. And I was very pleasantly surprised to find quite a good selection of vegan foods at the natural Lawson. I'll show you what I got. I found a vegan protein drink. It's cacao soy latte labeled vegan uses soy protein. So it's a vegan protein drink and it's also certified vegan. You can see the label on the back. Oh, that's really good. That's actually not quite how I was expecting it to taste. It really tastes like a classic traditional soy milk with just a little hint of cacao on the end. But if you like the taste of soy milk, this is a really great one. Japan specializes in small desserts. Basically, I think Japan has a very healthy perspective when it comes to decadent things and sweets. So it's vegan and gluten-free and it's also certified halal. All right, let's give it a try. They use cashews to make this cheesecake and cashews actually have a cheese-like quality when you blend it up. So it's used to make a lot of vegan cheeses. I found two snack bar picks at the Lawson. There was actually more than that. There's quite a variety to choose from. Some of them are labeled vegan. Some of them are not and you can find out by actually reading the ingredients in Japanese. So I'm going to show you what I found. This is clearly labeled vegan. It's called the Vegan Caramel Crunch. Mmm, this is really creative. It tastes really nutty, almost like peanut butter or almond butter. And wow, the texture is so great. It's like soft like peanut butter with these like crunch from the puff. All right, I'm going to continue exploring some vegan restaurants. Follow me. Changed locations to a neighborhood in the northern part of Tokyo called Uguisudani, which is very close to Ueno Park. And my last restaurant is said to have a very colorful vegan option. So let's go see what it is. I've just arrived at a vegan gyoza restaurant just a five-minute walk from Uguisudani station and they have lovely outdoor seating and a wonderful selection of gyoza. So let's go inside and give it a try. All right, so this is the menu. Basically, they specialize in both pan-fried and steamed gyoza. They also offer frozen gyoza, I think, for takeout. They come with a mix of a variety of different colors and they all have different types and different flavors. So there's like the yellow one is a mushroom gyoza with a yellow skin. 11 types of flavors in one set. So let's get a set of steamed gyoza. I think that looks really good. Here we go. We've got our beautiful steamed gyoza. You can choose from pan-fried, which will be more like crispy. It'll have that brown crispy side on it. But I think the most colorful and like visually appealing option is the steamed gyoza. So definitely recommend this one. This one actually, it already has plenty of flavor wrapped up inside. So you don't need any sauce. Also, I just noticed that this paper actually tells you what each flavor of each one is. Sure, let's try like a shiitake mushroom soy meat one. It's the yellow and the pink one. All right, I'm going to start with the yellow one. Let's give it a try. That is really flavorful. Really tasty. All right, I can't wait to try what other flavors they've got here. Next, I have my eye on this ginger miso. It should be the purple one. Let's give that one a try next. All right, here's the purple one. Beautiful color. And the flavor is ginger and miso. Let's see if it's very different from the first one. It's totally different. Look at the inside. It's like very meaty. I think the miso being fermented soybean paste, it adds a lot, a lot of umami flavor to go with the soy meat. So it just has like this umami-rich punch to it, tender chew, and then this kick of ginger afterward, which gives it a little bit of spice. That's a really good one. I'm impressed. And I love how you can kind of go through all of them and enjoy all these different flavors, kind of like a box of chocolate. This is really fun and super delicious. Well, unfortunately, that's all the time that we have for today, but I had a lot of fun exploring all of the vegan options that are available in Tokyo, in Shibuya and Uguizudani specifically. And yeah, let me know what you think about all of the wonderful vegan options that I discovered today. Which one would you guys want to try the most? And which one are you most curious about, whether you're vegan or not? I think a lot of these are some really, really fun foods to try, and I'm just blown away by the creativity. I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and if you did, please make sure to like, comment your favorite food in today's video, and don't forget to share and subscribe for more Japan adventures as always. See you guys soon in another video. Bye guys!