Shojin Ryori and Vegan Restaurants in Kyoto: 7 Places, and Why Fish Dashi Matters

Shojin ryori is not always vegan

Shojin ryori is the meat- and fish-free cuisine handed down in Buddhist temples. Today, however, some restaurants that use the name make their dashi (broth) with fish such as bonito flakes, or serve dishes containing egg.

Japan Food Pass labels a place "fully vegan" only when the restaurant officially states that it uses no animal ingredients.The word "shojin" alone is not enough.

For example, Honke Tankuma's menu includes a "shojin kaiseki (halal)", but the restaurant offers a separate vegan menu. If you want to eat vegan, book the vegan menu specifically.

Temple shojin ryori

Shigetsu at Tenryu-ji (Arashiyama)

Run directly by Tenryu-ji, head temple of the Rinzai school, and located inside the temple garden. The temple's official site says no animal-derived ingredients are used at all, and seasonal set menus are built on vegetables, mountain vegetables, wild plants and seaweed. Because of that statement, fish dashi is excluded too, so we mark it fully vegan. Some courses require advance booking. A garden admission fee is charged separately from the meal.

Vegan menus at Japanese restaurants

Honke Tankuma Honten (Kiyamachi)

A traditional Kyoto kaiseki restaurant in Kiyamachi. Alongside its regular courses it offers a vegan menu by reservation, at least 2 days ahead. The whole restaurant is not vegan, so say clearly that you are booking the vegan menu.

Yoshiya (Kyoto Arashiyama)

A Japanese restaurant near Togetsukyo Bridge, founded in 1948, serving Saga-style Kyoto dishes including tofu. Its official site says vegan and gluten-free menu items are available. It also serves halal dishes and has separate prayer rooms for men and women.

Fully vegan cafés and restaurants

Veg Out (Shichijo)

A café by the Kamo River at the foot of Shichijo Bridge. The operator's official page says no animal products such as fish, meat, eggs or dairy are used. Open for breakfast, lunch and café time, and within walking distance of Kyoto Station.

Saishoku Ryori F (Effe) (Karasuma Gojo)

The official site states that no meat, fish, dairy or eggs are used, and no white sugar either. It serves lunch and dinner courses; dinner requires a reservation by 5 p.m. the same day. The pasta uses ancient-grain wheat flour, so we do not list it as gluten-free.

AIN SOPH. Journey Kyoto (Shinkyogoku)

A café restaurant that officially describes itself as fully plant-based (vegan). It serves plant-based burgers, lunch plates and pancakes. Easy to drop into while shopping around Kawaramachi.

CHOICE (Sanjo)

A café whose official site says all its dishes are gluten-free and vegan. It serves pancakes and meals from breakfast through dinner, with takeaway available. A fit for anyone who needs both vegan and gluten-free food, though the site does not describe a dedicated kitchen or cross-contact controls.

Looking for gluten-free?

Besides CHOICE and Yoshiya, Oshokuya Kappa near Shijo Karasuma serves dishes made without wheat flour.

An Italian restaurant that uses no wheat flour at all. It notes that wheat could get mixed in unknowingly, so it does not accommodate wheat allergies.