Seven Vegan Restaurants in Osaka

Growing support for vegan food in Osaka

With the Michelin GUIDE's first-class restaurants at the forefront, the number of restaurants in Japan offering vegan options is increasing. Kaiseki and shojin ryouri restaurants are making vegan food more accessible by using traditional plant-based ingredients to create unique course menus. Even some sushi restaurants have joined the wave with vegan sushi that expresses the art of Japanese aging and fermentation through plant-based ingredients.

*Kaiseki is a formal style of Japanese cuisine that features a wide range of small dishes served one-by-one, following long-established canons of preparation, order, and style. Shojin ryouri is the traditional vegetarian diet of Buddhist monks, which limits the use of intense seasonings and animal-based products.

Like Tokyo and Kyoto, Osaka is one of the great gourmet cities of Japan, where restaurants specializing in washoku like sushi and kaiseki can be found just next door to world-renowned venues serving international cuisine. In recent years, the number of foreign visitors enjoying Osaka's vibrant food culture has increased. To cater to an expanding audience, many restaurants in the city have started to adopt vegan menus. With a rapidly growing repertoire of vegan eateries, a visit to try Osaka's restaurants is sure to be a memorable highlight of your trip.

In this article, you'll find a selection of restaurants in Osaka with vegan menus curated by OMAKASE, the only official partner of the Michelin Guide in Japan. Each restaurant featured here can be booked directly on OMAKASE Japan Eatinerary, including those with Michelin stars. Keep reading to discover unforgettable meals, sure to be the highlight of your trip to Japan, even for those with dietary restrictions.

Seven Vegan Friendly Restaurants in Osaka

1. Ajikitcho Bumbuan (味吉兆ぶんぶ庵) / Kaiseki

When Ryusuke Nakatani cooks, he infuses every element with respect for history and tradition. The same is true of his restaurant, made to recreate the hideaway ambiance of the mountains within Osaka's busy city center. The name Bunbuan honors his parents while calling back to a bushido principle emphasizing the importance of both martial and literary arts. After decades of strict training, Chef Nakatani took over the space from his father to continue the family legacy. His passion for classical Japanese cuisine is evident in his traditional dishes and activism to promote washoku culture abroad. Chef Nakatani serves classical dishes from Osaka, naniwa kaiseki and kamigata ryouri, a style from the Kyoto and Osaka regions. While Ajikitcho Bumbuan doesn't offer a dedicated vegan course menu, chef Nakatani is happy to use his skills in preparing shojin ryouri to tailor his omakase for vegan guests when possible. Note that vegan courses are by request only, accepted at the discretion of the restaurant. Awarded one Michelin star for 14 consecutive years, Ajikitcho has also recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

2. HAJIME / Innovative

After falling to two stars in 2013 when it shifted to innovative cuisine, storied washoku restaurant and the fastest 3-star in the world, HAJIME surged back to three in 2018, where it has proudly continued as a representative of cuisine across both domestic and international guides. The lengthy course menu, available in both a classic and vegetable course stretches as long as four hours, while diners explore the connection between food and planet. A fully vegan course may be accommodated with advance notice. Chef Hajime Yoneda, a program engineer in a past life, executes dishes with mathematical precision and beautiful logic. His signature dish, titled "Planet Earth" features 110 different components, each prepared a little differently. The meticulous presentation and razor sharp cookery puts HAJIME on par with the world's great innovative kitchens of America and Europe. While it may not be a budget meal, HAJIME is a feast for all five senses that pushes the boundaries on plant-based food.

3. Kitashinchi Shien (北新地 しえん) / Yakitori

Kitashinchi Shien is, surprisingly, a yakitori specialist. Diners enjoying the prix fixe menu of chicken skewers will be greeted with the smokey umami of charcoal grilled Miyazaki chicken, chosen particularly for its flavor and texture that develops as you chew. Those who opt for the vegan menu (available by advance request) will experience the same depth of flavor and careful treatment applied to a series of seasonal vegetables. One notable example is the sweet zucchini, served with a mountain of white cheese in the usual course. Even down to the miso soup, which ordinarily features a broth infused with chicken bones, using up the best of every part of the animal, Kitashinchi Shien's menu can be tailored to suit its guests. The setting is refined, a solid wooden counter where menu items are served on antique dishes that carry the legacy of Japanese cuisine. Other guest favorites include the chicken tataki and a wide selection of sake. Kitashinchi Shien has been named a Michelin Guide selection and held a Bib Gourmand until 2023.

4. Rooots Nakanoshima (ルーツ ナカノシマ) / French

At Rooots Nakanoshima, Nakado Seiji, the famed chef behind NAKADO Hiroshima, teams up with Kakihara Kenta, who spent years working in Italy to hone his craft. Vegan, vegetarian and halal courses are only available by special request through a Chartered Course of 10 guests or more; these parties will get the whole restaurant to themselves! The menu displays an Italian base overlayed with Nakado's French influence, all while making use of ingredients from Nakanoshima and the Kinki region. Though the restaurant's innovative cuisine isn't planted in any one school, an emphasis on terroir is apparent. As guests step into the dining room, they are greeted by a single long counter overlooking a live open kitchen and impressive tree-themed decor. The wine offerings, an equally impressive collection of Bourdelaise and Bourgogne bottles, catch the eye in their glass-walled cellar. The signature dish, potato gnocchi with truffles, is at once humble and refined, transforming a rustic plate into a luxurious experience. Dining at Rooots is an opportunity for guests to enjoy Japan's bounty through creative vegetable dishes. Rooots achieved a one star rating in the 2025 Guide, up from a selection in 2024.

5. Ajikitcho Horieten (味吉兆 堀江店) / Kaiseki

Ajikitcho's Horie location is a hidden, free-standing building where time seems to have stood still. Inside, glowing red walls and warm ochre tatami set the stage with a palatte of traditional Japanese colors. Here, guests (as many as 20 at a time!) enjoy the chef's omakase course menu through the lens of seasons and tradition. The second generation chef, just one part of culinary lineage that has helped define washoku as it is enjoyed today, places emphasis on using local produce and ingredients from the Kansai area. The serving ware used here features antique pottery, which, when paired with the time-honored flow of kaiseki and seasonal dishes, transport diners to a different time. At Ajikitcho, guests will enjoy the essence of Japanese cuisine, right down to the subtle use of gold to remind them just how special of a meal is on its way. A two-star Michelin restaurant for 9 consecutive years, it received one star in 2025. Interestingly, the restaurant also hosts tours and is happy to accommodate children's meals, pork-free meals for Halal diners and vegan substitutions. Make special note whether fish-based dashi is acceptable at the time of reservation, as some requests may be more difficult to handle.

6. La Kanro (ラカンロ) / Innovative

Chef Junichi Nakamine got his start in a members-only French restaurant in his hometown of Osaka. When he returned to Japan after a stint in the halls of Joël Robuchon in France, he created La Kanro. Given his lineage, it's no surprise that La Kanro looks more like a private club than a typical French restaurant. Its signature "La Kanro blue" walls and 5th floor location -- only accessible by elevator, after entering through a locked door-- transport diners to another world. This is exactly what chef Nakamine wants. From the space itself to the cuisine, a lavish bouquet of flowering, vibrant morsels that look more like art than food, La Kanro embodies novelty and surprise. While rooted in French food, the menu, which changes monthly, is built while taking steps to reduce the use of butter, oil, salt, and cream. The springrolls are a signature dish, but each season brings its own delights. Wine and tea pairings are available. Throughout its history, La Kanro has been awarded one Michelin star and silver awards by Japan's go-to domestic restaurant body. Vegan accommodations are available with advance notice.

7. Kushin Garando (空心 伽藍堂) / Chinese

In its former life, Michelin one-star Kushin Garando was called Shuchuka Kuushin. In its new location, and under a new name, Kushin Garando offers course menus that infuse fruit with creative Chinese dishes. The interior of the restaurant evokes ancient Chinese palaces, with intricate woodwork and lavish details. The food itself, a pan-Chinese banquet featuring its signature mapo tofu, lacquered peking duck and charming miniature char-siu melon bread from Hong Kong, is stunning to look at and even better to taste. Diners can request a vegan menu at the time of reservation as well as the special 18-treasures course item, which is only available in limited quantities. Each course is vibrant and inventive, balanced by sweetness and tang that emphasize chef Hiroaki Osawa's approach. His time in Shanghai inspired the restaurant's name as well as his philosophy. He aims to offer dishes that evoke seasonality and the reality of Chinese food as distinct from its comfort-food status in Japan.