Osaka’s Vegan Cafés and Restaurants♪

● ISO Vegan Café/Restaurant in Osaka

Vegetables are almost always part of a Japanese dish, but the truth is it’s not easy to find plant-based dining options in Japan. In recent years, though, “vegetarian” and “vegan” have become more a familiar concept in Japan and Osaka is one of the cities that are vegetarian/vegan friendly. Vegan restaurants in Osaka have a variety of offerings that are tasty, healthy, and satisfying and even a meat lover like myself love their food.

So, without further ado, let me take you to the top 3 vegan restaurants I recommend in Osaka!

★Shizen Bar Paprika Shokudo Vegan

First up is Shizen Bar Paprika Shokudo Vegan located in an alley in Osaka’s Shinmachi area, about a 5-minute walk from the Yotsubashi Station on Osaka Metro’s Yotsubashi Line.
The cute little patio seating in front of the restaurant is perfect for dining on a nice sunny day♪

The interior of Paprika Shokudo Vegan reminds me of casual, French antiques. One section of the restaurant is dedicated to the sales of vegan foods that cannot be found at regular grocery stores, including soy meats, organic spices, and cheese made from rice.

They even carry frozen and/or ready to eat vegan foods that can be simply warmed up using a microwave in your hotel room♪

The theme of Paprika Shokudo Vegan is “Beauty through eating and drinking”. All food ingredients used are 100% vegan and organic here. And they make everything–even the sauces–from scratch!

The menu is written in Japanese and English and the English-speaking staff was friendly and very helpful when I was trying to choose what to order. The Teishoku (a meal set) with Karaage made with soy meat and the Teishoku with Vegan Hambagu (Japanese hamburger steak) are the most popular menu items at Paprika Shokudo Vegan. I was so curious about the karaage, which is usually made with chicken chunks!

Ta-da! This is the Soy Meat Karaage Teishoku! Looks really good, doesn’t it?💛

The soy meat looked just like chicken. Served with a delicious sauce made with soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine) and vegan mayo, the soy meat karaage was crispy on the outside and had a nice firmness to it. The texture was very satisfying just like chicken karaage and I really enjoyed this vegan karaage with soy meat!.

The potato salad served as one of the sides contained soy tuna and was wonderfully flavorful. And the leafy salad was so refreshing and great with the bright beet salad dressing.

To tell you the truth, I hadn’t had much experience with vegan food before and I thought it might not be hearty enough. But I was totally wrong. They were very much satisfying. The owner hopes not just vegans but everyone comes and enjoys this satisfaction from his plant-based meals, and I think everyone should!

By the way, Papriak Shokudo Vegan’s menu in the evening also includes a range of dishes that’d be perfect for a glass of beer or wine, like the popular vegan fried oyster. Stop by with your vegan (or non-vegan) friends for a drink and yummy food!

★Bee9 Vegan Café & Studio

Next up is Bee9 Vegan Café & Studio which is located about a 5-minute walk from Osaka Metro Tanimachi and Sakaisuji Line’s Minamimorimachi Station.
At Bee9 Vegan Café & Studio, you can enjoy a nice meal at the stylish café then hop in at the studio for good exercise (yoga, anyone?) for the day.

The bilingual menu (Japanese and English) provides detailed explanation of each menu item. The seasonal menu piqued my interest, but I went with their recommendation, the Buddha Bowl♪

Buddha Bowl brings together various healthy ingredients including vegetables, grains, and nuts. Using legumes as a good source of protein, nutritional balance is excellent.

How pretty is this colorful dish! I’m sure the nutritional value for my eyes is pretty high in this dish (lol)

The carrot paste in the center of the plate is topped with jalapeño vegan mayonnaise and surrounded by a bunch of healthy, yummy goodies–clockwise from top: quinoa, mung beans, kabocha squash simmered with coconut, hummus, hijiki seaweed, soy meat karaage, marinated paprika, red cabbage and carrot râpées (French grated red cabbage and carrot salad), avocado, and broccoli!

I didn’t want to touch this beauty but, well, to eat a Buddha Bowl, you get to mix all of these ingredients together♪

Each vegetable was fresh and had a full, distinctive taste. The quality of each ingredient was high to start with and they were cooked to perfection, like the exquisite coconut flavored kabocha squash. And how the flavor deepened just by mixing the ingredients together…it was amazing. I don’t even know the last time I had such tasty vegetables, if ever.

It made sense when I heard that the owner picks out the best ingredients that are in season each day. And because of that, the ingredients used in the Buddha Bowl changes daily, which means you can eat a different Buddha Bowl every day!

The soup served on the side is different every day, too, and mine was a miso soup with big chunks of vegetables♪
I had lost count on the number of vegetables I had in my Teishoku by this time, but I knew I ate good food… good as in tasty, healthy, and cleansing, all in one.

At the end of the meal, I had a glass of aromatic coffee made with Fair Trade certified organic coffee beans. It was just perfect. I highly recommend this café, for lunch or just to have a cup of coffee or tea.

If you’re there for a cup of coffee or tea, their homemade sweets are an excellent addition, too. The wide range of offerings includes

Beauty Cookies made with organic oatmeal, nuts, cocoa nibs, coconut oil, and maple syrup, and Japanese style Rice Flour Cupcakes made with homemade salty anko (sweet red bean paste). I purchased both as takeout. Crispy cookies and moist cupcakes were both delicious♪

Bee9 Vegan Café & Studio recently started to operate as a bar on Saturdays. Their sake, natural wine, beer, etc. are vegan certified and specially selected by the owner. I’m going to have to come back some Saturday evening to enjoy the drink with good, healthy snack foods♪

★OPTIMUS Café

Last but not least is OPTIMUS Café located about a 2-minute walk from Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line’s Kitahama Station.

I love strolling around the area near Kitahama Station. Nakanoshima Park is an urban oasis, and the Osaka City Central Public Hall is a classic. The rose garden at Nakanoshima Park peaks around October and I imagine many are planning a visit about now★

OPTIMUS Café is located in this beautiful Kitahama area, with an outside seating on the river, and with a view of the neoclassical Osaka City Central Public Hall across the river. It is a spot where you can spend a tranquil afternoon with a gentle breeze brushing against your face.

OPTIMUS Café opens at 8:30 am in the morning, a rare spot where you can enjoy a vegan breakfast♪

The menu is bilingual, written in Japanese and English. Details of the menu are only in Japanese but that shouldn’t be a problem because they have an English-speaking French chef!

Oatmeal and granola sounded good, but I went for the “Have a Good Day Plate” recommended by the staff♪ You can add a drink for 200 yen, but I chose a vegan smoothie instead.

Looks hearty, doesn’t it?! With a dish like this at the start of the day, everyone’s day will be a good day for sure!
Scrambled tofu with turmeric, mustard, and sulfur scented salt looked just like eggs.

Their homemade sausage was made with soy meat and herbs. I was expecting that firmness of soy meat as I bit into it, but it was super soft. Hummus on the sliced French sourdough was tasty and
I was full before I knew it♪

Made with mango, orange, raspberry, strawberry, beets, and banana, the smoothie named “Be Beautiful” is not just flavorful but is great for hypertension and fatigue, skin brightening, and the prevention of swelling and cancer.

Lunch begins at 11 am at OPTIMUS Café. Menu includes a wide range of yummy items from the popular Soy Meat Karaage Plate to the seasonal Buddha Bowl, to Keema Curry, pasta, pita bread, etc.

And don’t forget dessert. Gluten free Gâteau au chocolat, muffins…you will not be disappointed. Get it to go on a sunny day and you can have a nice little picnic on a bench by the river or at Nakanoshima Park♪

So, what do you think about Osaka’s vegan café and restaurants?
I loved everything I had at these three places. I hope you’ll have a chance to stop by when you’re in Osaka, whether you’re vegan or not♪