Did you start the new year with resolutions about eating more healthily? If you live in Kobe, that’s great news as there are some great vegetarian and vegan restaurants and cafes. Here is a selection of places worth visiting in and around the city center.
Modernark Pharm Café
This is a mix of a cozy café and vegan restaurant, with a warm and farmhouse-style atmosphere. The food is reasonably priced and looks absolutely gorgeous. Dishes include soups, salads, vegan curries, veggie burgers and burritos, while the dessert menu features a mouth-watering selection of cakes. On top of that, service is excellent and friendly, with many English-speaking staff. No need to worry if you are not that proficient in Japanese yet. This place is understandably popular with foreigners and is definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for some meat-free treats.
Web site: http://modernark-cafe.chronicle.co.jp/ (in Japanese)
Vegan Café Thallo
Launched in 2017, this café is a recommendation if you’re looking for somewhere to have a satisfying vegan lunch or just have a quick coffee, or even a nice roast green tea latte with someone. It’s the one and only 100% vegan restaurant in Kobe, as well as being one of the only places where you can find a combination of vegan and gluten-free options. The quiche is very popular, and other dishes worth checking out are the omelette, miso ramen, and spinach curry. Prices are quite reasonable for a Japanese café, so you will pay from around 1,400 yen for a lunch plate and 200 yen for a coffee.
Web site: https://www.instagram.com/vegancafethallo/ (Instagram page)
Veggie Junkies Burger
This is a cozy little veggie and vegan fast food joint close to Sannomiya station. Run by a couple, you order from a machine and collect at the counter. You can take away or eat in, although there are only two seats. Burgers are from 800 yen and options include the teriyaki mushroom burger, curry burger, and the vegan egg & cheese burger. You can also order vegan nuggets as well as a few other dishes including rice bowls, stews, and soups.
Web site: https://www.instagram.com/veggie_junkies_burger/ (Instagram page)
Vegan Café Kiu
Another fully vegan café located north of Sannomiya station, Kiu is set up within an old traditional Japanese house, giving dining here a quaint and nostalgic vibe. There are various vegan rice bowls all using locally sourced seasonal vegetables, and there is a set menu option if you want to save money. The desserts menu includes a lovely gingerbread cheesecake. Meals also come in gluten-free options.
Web site: https://www.instagram.com/vegan.cafe.kiu/ (Instagram page)
Kusum
Kusum is a curry house in the Ijinkan tourist part of Kobe, where you will find several Indian restaurants. This one, though, is fully vegetarian, with vegan and gluten-free options. It’s a small, family-run restaurant with a limited menu but plenty of good food. You can choose a set menu option for 1,200 yen that includes a few small curry pots, rice, samosas, roti, chapati, a small salad, and a chai. Individual dishes include a tasty spinach and cheese curry.
Address: 203, 2 Chome 12-21 Yamamotodori, Chuo Ward 650-0003
Vegan Feast Catering [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
