Less than an hour away from Osaka or Kyoto, Nara is a perfect place for a day trip to visit traditional temples and cute deers in Nara Park. It also has quite a lot to offer in terms of vegan food.
In this guide, let me show you 7 places you can visit in Nara for delicious vegan food.
Nara Travel Information For Vegans
Best Time To Visit Nara
Nara is a beautiful and culturally rich city to visit all year long, but I'd recommend visiting Nara during Spring, especially the cherry blossom season (late March to mid April). If you go during that time, definitely visit Nara Park to get the view of a sea of cherry blossom trees with cute deers. The momiji (red Autumn leaves) season in Nara is equally beautiful in late November to early December.
Where To Stay In Nara For The Best Food
If you're visiting Nara as a day-trip from Kyoto or Osaka, then you wouldn't need to stay overnight. But if you want a more relaxing experience in Nara, then I'd recommend staying in the Naramachi area, preferably a hotel close to the Kintetsu Nara station and Nara Park, like this hotel that's just 3 minutes from Nara Park. (It also happens to be walking distance to many vegan-friendly places).
Internet & Data
Using an eSim for internet access is more convenient and cheaper compared to renting a pocket wifi. I've used this eSim brand where you just need to download an app and install the eSim to get internet in Japan, and the internet speed was pretty good throughout my trip with great coverage.
Onwa
Just a quick 10-minute walk from the JR Nara station, this tucked-away vegan spot is a hidden gem serving delicious vegan food.
The highlight is the Vegan Delight plate which included every small dish that they offer. Although it’s not cheap at 2750 yen, the plate is filled with colourful and delicious food that makes it worth the price. For drink, I tried the kamairicha, which is a fragrant pan fried green tea with some roasted notes. They also have other drinks like matcha latte and house-made plum wine.
Like many other cafes in Japan, there are only a few seats and everything is freshly prepared, I’d recommend going early around their opening time or allocate more time for waiting.
Near the entrance, you'll find a cabinet full of vegan treats like cheese cake and chocolate tarts.
Vegan | Address & Hours
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Nakatanidou
Near the entrance of Nara Park, this traditional dessert shop sells a green mugwort vegan mochi with sweet red bean filling. The surface is dusted with soybean powder. The mochi is soft and chewy, and it’s filled with a generous amount of red bean paste.
As the mochi is freshly made, if you are lucky, you can witness the famous mochi making show. Just keep in mind that because of that, this place is extremely popular and there will probably a queue to buy the mochi.
Vegan Cafe Ramuna
Just tucked away in a small street about 10-minute walk from Nara Park, Vegan cafe Ramuna is a cafe to get away from the busy park and have a nice meal.
The cafe has traditional decor, with seats both on the inside and outside. The owner lady is very sweet and welcoming. Also, it seems like the owner is a cat lover as there are many cat decors.
You can find bento box, burger plate, and tantan noodles. Just keep in mind that as the cafe is run by just one person, the wait time could get long if there are multiple customers.
Vegan | Address & Hours
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Vegan Option Ice Cream In Nara Park
I've seen these 2 places in Nara Park that sells vegan option ice cream - Tsuru no Chaya (鶴の茶屋) and Mikasa-kankokaikan (三笠観光会館). They have a black sesame soy milk flavour that doesn't contain milk or egg.
Tsuru no Chaya 鶴の茶屋: Address & Hours
Mikasa-kankokaikan 三笠観光会館: Address & Hours
Kururu
Kururu is just a few minutes from Kintetsu Nara station. This place is by reservation-only, so they may not be open if you didn't book ahead. Since I've last visited a few years ago, it seems like the food has decreased in quality and increased in price according to reviews online.
Vegan | Address & Hours
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Kinatei
A vegetarian cafe 10-minute walk from JR Nara Station, offering daily lunch plates with small dishes, soup and rice. Some items may have a dairy and dairy-free option. Keep in mind that dinner requires reservations.
Vegetarian | Address & Hours
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China Dining Hiten
Just a few minutes from Kintetsu Nara Station, this Chinese restaurant has a vegan menu including options like Sichaun mapo tofu and sweet & sour soy meat. Go to the second level through the stairs on the right-hand side for this restaurant.
Vegan Options | Address & Hours
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