Asipai & Hibi Coffee are two wonderful businesses working together in the same shared space to bring you the very best artisanal coffee and startlingly delicious curries. I was really impressed with this place, with the friendly staff, with the presentation of the food and drink, and most of all with the taste. The curry was really good, and the cafe latte I ordered … [Read more...]
Cafe Foodelica
UPDATE: Sadly Foodelica closed permanently at the end of 2017. Not too long ago, after a visit to the Shugaku-in Imperial Villa, I was passing Cafe Foodelica and popped inside for a cappuccino and a scoop of ice cream. I don't visit Cafe Foodelica too often as I am based in Fushimi (south Kyoto) and it is situated up north by Shugakuin Station. However, it struck me … [Read more...]
Eri’s Vegan Cooking Kyoto: Late Summer Recovery Lunch Lesson
Thanks to Eri Okada-Berkeley for sharing information on her new vegan cooking class. Eri's Vegan Cooking Kyoto: Late Summer Recovery Lunch Lesson "Hot Summer seems endless! Join me and learn how to make delicious and nutritious vegan dishes in a small and relaxed home class. And enjoy a fabulous four course lunch!" Eri has over 20 years of vegetarian/vegan cooking … [Read more...]
Yak & Yeti – Nepalese Curry in Kyoto
Yak and Yeti is a restaurant we go back to time and time again for two reasons. One is the super friendly staff who never fail to put a smile on our faces. And the other is their legendary Vegetable Phuraula, Nepali style spicy vegetable tempura. It's amazing. This restaurant is super popular with vegetarians for the range of tasty vegan options they have on their menu but you … [Read more...]
All New Falafel Garden
A couple of weeks ago we went to check out the new location for Falafel Garden. A short walk north of Demachiyanagi on Kawabata, this new shop opened on April 28th. The old Falafel Garden was always a popular spot, but I think I like this new one even more. It's bigger, more comfortable, they have a nice big garden out the back and if you are lucky you can snag a balcony seat … [Read more...]
Kamo’s All You Can Eat Veggie Buffet
Now that Obanzai's organic buffet is closing, it is good to know that there are alternatives. Kamo serves up all organic locally grown vegetables in all kinds of tasty combinations. They take pride in the fact their vegetables are 都野菜 or "Miyako vegetables" which means they are truly local. Apparently the famed label 京野菜 - "Kyo yasai" does not always guarantee that the veggies … [Read more...]
Obanzai Buffet Restaurant to Close at the End of March 2014
Thanks to Gary Bloom and Barbara Stein for passing on the sad news that the organic buffet restaurant Obanzai is closing at the end of this month. Though not 100% vegetarian, this buffet was very veggie heavy, all natural and good value too. The owners of the building have decided to demolish it however, and so the restaurant, unwillingly, has to go too. I wonder if they will … [Read more...]
Chakra Indian Restaurant
We found another great curry place! Mewby and I stumbled across Chakra last night while out for an evening stroll, and although we hadn't intended to eat out, we were tempted in at the thought of Bengal curry goodness... There are a lot of choices on the menu, and everything seems pretty reasonably priced. There are also a lot of vegetarian/vegan options: 8 different … [Read more...]
Matsuontoko – Vegan Burger Cafe
Though there are quite a large number of vegetarian establishments in Kyoto, most of them are located in the north of the city, and the few there are in the city center tend to sell nothing that isn't healthy and nutritious. Good vegan junk food is pretty hard to come by. There used to be a branch of Speakeasy on Shijo that did a passable veggie burger, but that closed down … [Read more...]
Morpho Cafe
The concept of Morpho is "Vegan" which doesn't use animal foods. Anything can be eaten easily in the present age, so various health problems have arisen... Those with an unbalanced diet and people with food allergies would benefit from the healthy vegan foods offered at Morpho cafe. A delicious meal can be prepared using "veggie meat" similar to animal meat. -From the Morpho … [Read more...]
Cocokara Cafe + Dish
I'm always on the look out for comfy little cafes where I can ensconce myself in a quiet corner and read a good book. Last Monday I went to Cocokara Cafe for the first time and found it suited me nicely. Cocokara takes its name from a desire to serve the needs of both the heart (心 kokoro) and the body (体 karada). To put your heart at rest they emphasize comfort. The interior is … [Read more...]
Vege-Cafe Kanna
Vege-Cafe Kanna is not so much a vegetarian restaurant as a restaurant that puts a big emphasis on vegetables and other healthy natural food. They do have vegetarian options though if you ask for them. I asked for the vegetarian version of the "Kanna Lunch Set". It's important that you specify that you are vegetarian so that they don't use any dashi which contains fish … [Read more...]
Somushi
Somushi is a beautiful Korean tea shop on the north side of Sanjo, a short walk west of Karasuma. John Einarsen and I have gotten into the habit of meeting up here whenever a new issue of Kyoto Journal comes out. These pictures were taken in the spring. … [Read more...]
Deep Kyoto & Tadg’s
Right then! I'm off to Bali for a week and will be resolutely offline during the interval so there'll be no more posts for a wee while, but before I go a short word of explanation. The astute among you may have noticed the appearance of a black box on the upper right of this page which proudly bears the name "Tadg's". It looks like this (only smaller): I'm pleased to … [Read more...]