Best Vegan Restaurants in Kyoto

JAPAN
424 vegan-ready venues · last refreshed today

Kyoto goes deep on ramen with 28 venues serving it, and AYASAI leads that lane in the essentials. Phalam Cafe, OyOy, and MANDARACHA round out a five-venue top tier where every spot rates a perfect 5.0, and OyOy doubles as the salad pick across 5 venues. Vegan Sushi Kyoto takes the sushi top spot, while the Japanese and Indian cuisines both run 10 deep.

The 15 Essential

Places you shouldn't miss in Kyoto

Ranked by overall rating, signature dish strength, and how much reviewers praise the food. If you only have a weekend, start here.

See all 15 →
MUST GO · #1 Photo via Google Maps
Must go · #1

Phalam Cafe

★ 5.0 A · Vegan menu ·$$ ·Japanese · 1.6 km from centre
Cafe, Vegan Menu, Pastry
#2 FOR CAKE IN KYOTO

Try the carrot cake and vegan cheesecake

Must go · #2

OyOy

Cafe · 0 m from centre
Vegetarian Japanese, Vegan Plate
★ 5.0 B $$
#1 FOR SALAD IN KYOTO

Try the colorful and creative vegan lunch plate

AYASAI Must go · #3

AYASAI

Restaurant · 2.0 km from centre
Japanese Ramen, Fully Vegan
★ 5.0 A $$
#1 FOR RAMEN IN KYOTO

Enjoy the set meals that include six small vegetable appetizers and a vinegar drink.

Cafe Gallery Sun Must go · #4

Cafe Gallery Sun

Cafe · 1.3 km from centre
Cafe, Vegan Sandwiches, Pasta
★ 5.0 A $$
#1 FOR SANDWICH IN KYOTO

Try the avocado sandwich with its delicious aioli base and red onions

Waco Crepes Must go · #6

Waco Crepes

Cafe · 1.5 km from centre
Crepes, Vegan Menu, Gluten-Free
★ 5.0 A $$
#1 FOR CREPE IN KYOTO

Try the banana, chocolate, and vegan whipped cream crepes

Padma Must go · #7

Padma

Restaurant · 1.4 km from centre
Japanese Ramen, Vegan Menu, Organic
★ 5.0 A $$
#2 FOR SALAD IN KYOTO

Bring cash as this venue is cash only

Shokaku - Kyoto Must go · #8

Shokaku - Kyoto

Restaurant · 744 m from centre
Japanese Ramen, Vegan Menu
★ 5.0 A $$$
#4 FOR RAMEN IN KYOTO

Try the dedicated vegan ramen varieties like Shoyu, Miso, and Dang Dang Men

Must go · #9

Newdelhi Indian

Restaurant · 1.8 km from centre
Indian Curry, Vegan Menu
★ 5.0 A $$

Try the samosas, praised as outstanding by multiple reviewers

Seizan Sodo Must go · #10

Seizan Sodo

Restaurant · 7.6 km from centre
Japanese Tofu Shojin, Vegan Menu
★ 5.0 A $$$
#1 FOR TOFU IN KYOTO

Ask for the vegan set menu to see the illustrated English ingredient list

M's Bento Must go · #11

M's Bento

Restaurant · 7.2 km from centre
Japanese Bento, Vegan Menu, Macrobiotic
★ 5.0 B $$

Try the vegan bento box for a fresh, filling meal

Renkon-Ya Must go · #15

Renkon-Ya

Restaurant · 968 m from centre
Japanese Izakaya, Vegan Menu
★ 5.0 A $$

Use the clearly labeled English menu to identify vegan options

Kyoto's signature dishes

What Kyoto does better than you'd expect

Dishes ranked by how well this city's plant-based venues make them, compared to the other 157 cities we track.

Signature #1

Best Ramen

28 places worth stopping for ramen

See all 28 →
Signature #2

Best Tempura

5 places worth stopping for tempura

See all 5 →
Signature #3

Best Udon

5 places worth stopping for udon

See all 5 →
spinach · Vegan Food Guide

Take Kyoto with you.

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Dietary core
Fully Vegan

Fully Vegan in Kyoto

Completely plant-based kitchens. No swaps, no asking, no surprises.

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Omni Standouts

Omni Standouts in Kyoto

Mainstream restaurants where the vegan side of the menu is treated seriously.

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More to explore
Breakfast Spots

Breakfast Spots in Kyoto

Open before 10, good coffee, the kind of place you walk back to on day two.

See all 8 →
Lunch & Brunch

Lunch & Brunch in Kyoto

Weekday fuel and weekend stretches.

See all 8 →
Dinner Destinations

Dinner Destinations in Kyoto

The reason you planned the trip.

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Worth the Occasion

Worth the Occasion in Kyoto

Date night. Birthday. Tell them you're celebrating.

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Hidden Gems

Hidden Gems in Kyoto

Places locals haven't let the internet discover yet. Small rooms, shorter menus, the cook running the front of house.

See all 6 →
Coffee Masters

Coffee Masters in Kyoto

Where the coffee is the reason to come.

See all 10 →
Sweet Treats

Sweet Treats in Kyoto

Ice cream, pastry, and the honest dessert case.

See all 10 →
Cozy Hideaways

Cozy Hideaways in Kyoto

Quiet rooms, unhurried pace, under $$.

See all 8 →
Work-Friendly Cafes

Work-Friendly Cafes in Kyoto

Wifi, outlets, no judgement for a 3-hour sit.

See all 8 →
Group Night Out

Group Night Out in Kyoto

Busy rooms with tables big enough for eight.

See all 5 →
Family Friendly

Family Friendly in Kyoto

Menus kids recognize, staff who don't flinch at strollers.

See all 8 →
Dishes this city does well
Best ramen

Best ramen in Kyoto

See all 28 →
Best curry

Best curry in Kyoto

See all 18 →
Best tofu

Best tofu in Kyoto

See all 11 →
Best cake

Best cake in Kyoto

See all 14 →
Best salad

Best salad in Kyoto

See all 10 →
Best sandwich

Best sandwich in Kyoto

See all 8 →
Best ice cream

Best ice cream in Kyoto

See all 6 →
Best sushi

Best sushi in Kyoto

See all 7 →
Best burger

Best burger in Kyoto

See all 6 →
Best bread

Best bread in Kyoto

See all 6 →
Cuisines that shine here
Japanese

Japanese in Kyoto

Indian

Indian in Kyoto

Other cities worth a weekend

Four more cities that run on vegan ramen

Cities where the ramen signature also earns a spot in the top essentials — pack a weekend around one.

All 158 cities →

Frequently asked questions

Are there vegan restaurants in Kyoto?

Yes — Kyoto has 424 vegan-ready venues. The top-ranked are Phalam Cafe, OyOy, AYASAI. Spinach ranks them daily on overall rating, signature dish strength, and reviewer praise for the food.

Is Kyoto good for vegans?

Kyoto scores 76.4/100 on the Spinach vegan city index. The city has 92 vegan-friendly venues and 129 high-quality restaurants out of 424 analyzed.

How many vegan restaurants are in Kyoto?

Kyoto has 67 fully vegan restaurants and 32 vegetarian restaurants. 92 venues score B or higher on the Vegan Friendliness grade.

What dishes is Kyoto known for?

Kyoto's top signature dishes for vegans are ramen, tempura, udon, and the city also does pancakes and salad well. Signature dishes are ranked by how the city's venues score against the other 157 cities we track.

What are the best cuisines for vegans in Kyoto?

The vegan scene in Kyoto leans Japanese, Asian, Indian. Japanese is particularly strong, with 10 venues serving quality plant-based options.

What's the best vegan restaurant in Kyoto?

Phalam Cafe is ranked #1 in Kyoto by the Spinach Essentials algorithm, which weights rating, signature dish performance, and reviewer praise. See all 15 Essentials for the full ranking.

How does Spinach rank these venues?

Spinach ranks vegan venues using the same algorithm the mobile app runs: a composite of Google Maps rating, the Spinach Rating (Wilson-confidence scored), dish-quality Wilson scores from extracted review signals, and city-specific signature dish strength. Essentials add a tier weighting; category lists add their own mood/occasion weights. No pay-to-play.

How fresh is this data?

The ranking refreshes daily from Supabase. The last refresh is stamped at the top of this page. Venue data comes from Google Maps, HappyCow, and Spinach's own review-analysis pipeline.