Being vegetarian in Japan isn’t easy. Although the country once had a centuries-long ban on eating meat due to traditional Buddhist taboos, this went mostly out the window during the Meiji era. Today, many Japanese people are unfamiliar with meat-free and fish-free diets, which can make it difficult for visitors (and residents) who don’t eat meat. However, more and more restaurants are starting to offer vegetarian and even vegan menu options. Here are the top vegan-friendly restaurants in Hiroshima to check out.
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Top Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Hiroshima
Croissant Marché
Despite the French name, this is not a Parisian-style café, but rather a small and cozy macrobiotic café tucked inside a health food store. It’s one of the best places to eat in Hiroshima.
Croissant Marché is very centrally located near the Hiroshima Peace Park, so it’s an obvious choice for a lunch stop in between visiting the museum and the other peace memorials around the park.
They offer two types of set lunches every day — a vegan lunch and a vegan curry lunch. Exact ingredients vary each day, but the curry is a Japanese-style curry, and the vegan lunch is a healthy, macrobiotic version of the typical Japanese set lunch. This means a bowl of miso soup, brown rice, a main dish featuring tofu, seitan or legumes, and a few smaller vegetable dishes.
Everything we ate here was absolutely delicious, and at just 900 yen it was one of the best value meals of our month-long Japan trip. The space is very small, with just two tables and some counter seating.
But they also offer vegan bento boxes, so if you can’t get a seat you could take away a bento box and eat it in the park nearby. Or if you have a day trip or a long train journey ahead of you, picking up a bento here for the road would be a good idea.
Kissa Saeki
This bright and peaceful coffee shop and cafe is a delight for vegans in Hiroshima. Kissa Saeki’s reasonably-priced menu is comprised of local, organic food, with no chemical or GM ingredients used. Space itself is elegantly decorated in neutral colors and is ideal for both small groups and solo diners.
Rock up early to enjoy the breakfast set, or indulge in one of the lunch sets later in the day. One highlight is the vegan katsu cutlet sandwich, which is made with bread from a nearby bakery (if you like it, check out the display at the counter for loaves to take home). For dessert, don’t miss the raw chocolate tart: a rich, smooth, sugar-free slice of heaven!
Otis!
For a fun and funky dining experience during your trip to Hiroshima, look no further than Otis! This family-run Tex-Mex restaurant doubles as a music venue and is literally bursting with character, with posters and vinyl lining every inch of the walls. Vegan options are well labeled on the menu, and the chef is happy to substitute ingredients to suit a plant-based diet wherever possible. All the classic dishes are available, including chili, pizza, nachos and enchiladas, all loaded with melty home-made vegan cheese. Vegan cake is also on offer for dessert. Whilst it may not be high-end dining, Otis! serves delicious comfort food in a friendly environment, and is great if you fancy a change of pace from Japanese cuisine.
Nagata-ya
Nagata-ya specializes in okonomiyaki, the regional dish of Hiroshima. A savory crêpe with fried yakisoba noodles and cabbage topped with a thick and fruity sauce, okonomiyaki can be customized with a variety of ingredients. Typically, these other ingredients include pork and seafood, but at Nagata-ya you can enjoy a full menu of vegetarian options. The restaurant is top-rated among travelers from all over the world and is even vegan-friendly.
Shanti Yoga Vegan Café
Enjoy shojin ryori, the traditional Buddhist temple meal, at Shanti Yoga Vegan Café. As a part of Buddhist beliefs, meat and animal products were historically considered taboo so shojin ryori developed around soybean-based foods like tofu and abura-age (fried soybean curd). As the name suggests, the café is attached to a yoga studio, so you can grab a healthy lunch here after getting in a yoga session.
