TOURISTY ACTIVITIES
TeamLab: Artworks – a bit outside of the city centre (fun but very touristy!).
Shibuya Sky: You don’t specifically need to go to the view terrace as the view from the hotel is already great!
Cherry blossom hunting: Loved the cherry blossom picnics! We went to Shishigu & Yoyogi Park, both were close by whereas Ueno and Imperial Palace seemed a bit overwhelming.
Shibuya: Favourite area! Shibuya Crossing, Bills restaurant, Harajuku, Amore Vintage, etc.
Ginza: Like 5th Avenue for Tokyo, really pretty designer store fronts.
Amore Vintage: They have three branches in total, this one is just Chanel and has a very impressive assortment! It’s almost too extensive!
Gaming arcade: We went to Taito Station in Shibuya which was really fun.
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FOOD GUIDE
COFFEE
I found this gem during via Pinterest coffee shop research (what can I say – it’s a passion). I got an oat latte and a vegan blueberry crumble muffin and enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere of this special place! You can watch trains pass by the windows and there was also a cherry blossom tree right outside. The only minus was that they only serve in takeaway cups, even if you eat in.
I actually had this cute coffee place on my list and ended up accidentally running into it after a stroll through Yoyogi park while looking for cherry blossoms. They had almond milk and the coffee shop next door had a yummy vegan nut cookie.
An LA fave that serves amazing barista coffee with my speciality plant-based milks. They have so many branches all over Tokyo and I tried quite a few (Six Ginza, Shibuya, Shinuku), they also serve grilled sandwiches (including a plant-based grilled cheese carrot one and granola bars!).
Another LA favourite that I found in Tokyo. Loved the oat latte (they even prepared a flat white for me when requested ;)) and a selection of vegan cookies including snickerdoodle and matcha coconut.
Might be my favourite coffee chain I tried! Their barista coffees and speciality drinks like the mocha, chai and charcoal lattes were amazing! One of the Shibuya branches even offered brunch which was the absolute best (see more details below in my brunch recommendations!)
Do I need to say much? Loved finding Café Kitsune in Tokyo as I love their fun iced lattes and matchas! Always a nice place to pop into!
Loved this little coffee shop and bistro at the Kimpton hotel which was a lifesaver offering oat lattes from 7am (free for hotel guests)!
BRUNCH
Brunch might be my favourite meal of the day and with a bit of a sensitive stomach, I try to start the day with food that feels easy and familiar such as a good avocado toast or smoothie bowl. I wish I could be a bit more flexible and share some authentic Japanese breakfast tips as well but my stomach is unfortunately not made for a very savoury flavourful brunch, especially when travelling. With this in mind, I looked for places with international brunch options in cute neighbourhoods and found a handful of yummy spots I wanted to share with you!
I found this absolute gem researching for the best açai bowl in Tokyo (I had such a craving!). I knew straight away that I would love Woodberry when looking at the pics due to the cool design, latte art and speciality coffees such as chai or charcoal latte with oat milk. The menu offered avocado toast, scrambled eggs, a really good açai bowl with homemade almond butter, and pancakes! We LOVED the food! Woodberry is a coffee chain so make sure you pick the one Shibuya brunch which also serves food – it’s absolutely worth it!
Living in London I’m a big fan of Aussie brunch bills & Granger and was excited to see bills in Tokyo which was a brunch highlight for me. Here they served bills’ typical Aussie faves like ricotta hotcakes, avocado toast and coconut yoghurt granola but the venues were perfectly aligned with the stylish and minimalistic Japanese design. We loved the one in Shibuya, the food and coffee were outstanding! Ask for Shein – he made all my brunch wishes come true! 🙂
Found this lovely place via Uber Eats and ordered a peanut butter shake, a coffee shake, as well as vegan brownies and cookies and loved everything! They also have avocado toast, a peanut and açai bowl and when popping into this shop the last day we found out Tokyo Juice was run by Californian owners which explained the menu! 🙂
I know this place from Hawaii as I love a good smoothie bowl and had to try it for a takeout brunch when strolling through Shibuya. It’s a tiny shop inside a mall, but the peanut monkey bowl, avocado toast and coconut oil coffee were amazing! The mall has a terrace on the highest floor so we took our food to the sun to enjoy it even more.
Didn’t manage to try it as it was quite far from our hotel but thought the food and coffee looked amazing and saved it to my holy brunch folder.
Our first hotel, the Kimpton, had a lovely brunch restaurant that offers a set menu brunch (quite pricy) but we enjoyed it at their lovely restaurant terrace and the set menu included salad, granola, a pastry basket, coffee, plus a dish of your choice – I took the avocado toast of course! Mention to them if you’re vegan because their avocado toast and even the açai don’t automatically come plant-based.
Ivy Park, Le Pain Quotidien, Grab & Go Goodies (açai bowl!), and Trunk Kitchen were also on my extended list of places to potentially try but I prioritised the above.
LUNCH & DINNER
I did a lot of food research as even though being vegan in Tokyo isn’t the biggest challenge, you can’t blindly stumble into a restaurant and expect a vegan dish on the menu. Also because even a lot of the big restaurants don’t necessarily have an English menu on the website and it’s hard to find out any dietary requirements as even a vegan-looking tofu bowl can come with fish broth. Therefore, I did a lot (!) of research and will recommend some cool places that are vegan-friendly as well as fully vegan places I found!
Iconic restaurant chain (known from the film Kill Bill) with an amazing vegan menu! There was little availability for last-minute bookings but I luckily got us a table at Gonpachi Shibuya Sushi and I LOVED it! They gave me a full vegan menu with a set of Nigiri, a vegan roll, vegetable sticks, tempura, and some appetizers. The avocado maki and tempura were my favourites! One of my best food experiences in Tokyo.
We went to Nobu as I wanted Japanese food with vegan alternatives and Nobu has amazing options as they are an international chain: eggplant steak, edamame, salads, tempura and sushi – everything I dreamt of! Of course, it wasn’t giving the authentic Japanese vibe compared to other restaurants but I was so grateful for the delicious options and felt comfortable knowing the ingredients that my stomach could handle and enjoy.
While staying at the Park Hyatt we had to try the Japanese restaurant Kozue on the 41st floor. A chic restaurant with amazing food options and stunning views. They also recommended dishes they could make vegan and I had an amazing sesame tofu, tempura and a hot pot with tofu dumplings. The whole set-up and experience was absolutely beautiful.
I accidentally went to the wrong branch which only had one vegan ramen bowl that was a bit too healthy for my taste (the menu was fully Japanese so I cannot tell you what I had but the ramen and noodles seemed carrot based?) but I read that the Nippon branch should have many options and Alex loved his non vegan ramen bowl!
This restaurant at the cool Trunk Hotel had a few tempting vegan options so we had an easy dinner here after exploring the neighbourhood. I had a refreshing salad, zucchini and avocado fritters with tofu mayonnaise and guacamole with chips which were all yummy.
VEGAN
Maybe the most popular vegan ramen chain. The locations are a bit impractical (mostly in train stations where you need to have a ticket!) but they serve plant-based Tantanmen, sesame, and peanut ramen bowl as well as gyoza – yummy!
The Tokyo branch is located at eamLabs and is supposed to serve outstanding ramen – even with a Michelin star. The little truck at teamLabs only had two kinds of ramen which were, unfortunately, all sold out once we were done with the artwork exhibition at teamLabs. But they also served ice cream and donuts and the ramen is on my list for sure!
A vegan ramen chain with good options. A very easy vibe, more for a quick lunch in between.
When in desperate need of some vegan junk… 🙂 I put this on my list for a potential burger and vegan nuggets craving. We came here once for late-night donuts and iced matcha! Their slogan says it’s healthy but it’s just vegan – not healthy for sure! 😉
Amazing vegan set menus but unfortunately it was all booked up a long time in advance. Made a note to book it in advance next time for sure!
BROWN RICE BY NEAL’S YARD (VEGAN)
So many of you recommended this vegan restaurant in a very nice location on a charming side street of Shibiya just next to the most epic vintage store Amore. Unfortunately, the restaurant was only open during lunchtime and we didn’t manage to try it but the menu looks so amazing!
Ain Soph has a few branches and is famous for its vegan fluffy pancakes. I really wanted to try the restaurant in Ginza as the menu seemed more Japanese (vegan sushi dinner set menu), but it was fully booked. Definitely on my list for next time!
So many of you recommended this vegan bakery! I need to try it next time!
Vegan restaurant with lots of vegan ice cream and soft serve in a really cute neighbourhood (so close to my fave Omnibus Coffee!)
