Fast Food

Bagel & Bagel
Baskin Robbins/Thirty-One
Burger King
Coco Ichibanya
Coco’s Family Restaurant
First Kitchen
Freshness Burger
Gusto
Ikea
Ippudo
Joyfull
Kentucky
Kyushu Jangara Ramen
Lotteria
Loving Hut
McDonald’s
Matsuya
Mister Donut
Mos Burger
Pizza Hut
Pizza La
Royal Host
Saizeriya
Salvatore Cuomo Pizza
Soup Stock Tokyo
Subway
Sukiya
T’s Tan Tan
Tempura Tendon Tenya
2foods
Yakiniku Like
Yoshinoya

Below is information about the availability of possibly vegan food/drinks at some the more common fast food and chain restaurants in Japan. This information is based on a review of the allergen information provided on the restaurant’s website. In Japan, restaurants are required to give information about the presence of the following allergens in their food products:

• eggs, milk, wheat, buckwheat, peanut, shrimp and crab.

It is recommended that they also give information about the following allergens:

• soy, beef, chicken, pork, abalone, squid, salmon roe, salmon, mackerel, orange, kiwifruit, peach, apple, pineapple, yam/sweet potato, walnuts, gelatine and banana.

This information can be useful for vegans. Of course it is not definitive, as other animal products may still be in the food – e.g. fish dashi. Fish dashi, skipjack tuna dashi in particular, is very commonly used in Japan in sauces, soups, and savory dishes. Other types of fish such as tuna or anchovies, seafood such as scallops, and also duck or honey can also be present in the food and not mentioned on allergen charts. So, allergen charts are merely a good starting point, allowing you to narrow your search and ask a few good questions.

Some foods contain flavoring and emulsifiers which may be animal-derived or sugar that may be bone-char processed. We have marked below wherever we have information on how these ingredients were made.

You may be lucky enough to see allergen information on a restaurant menu, like the one below, but usually it can only be found on restaurant websites.

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Note restaurants often change their menus, so it is a good idea to check their websites before you visit. Of course it is always a good idea to check with staff that the dish you want to order is vegan (if possible).

Wherever possible, we have noted below where foods were cooked together with animal products or may have cross-contamination from being processed together with food containing animal products, but food may also have cross-contamination from wheat, soy, peanuts, or other ingredients. Please check allergen charts before eating if you have food allergies or intolerances.

For information about vegan and possibly vegan items at chain cafes, check our Cafes section. We currently have information on Beck’s Coffee Shop, Cafe de Crie, Coffeekan/Kohikan, Doutor, Excelsior Caffe, Hoshino Coffee, Komeda Coffee, Pronto, Starbucks, St. Marc Cafe, Tully’s Coffee, Ueshima Coffee, and Caffe Veloce.

Bagel & Bagel 

This is a chain with branches from Tohoku to Shikoku.

The information is based off of a review of the allergen chart of 6/28/2021. Unlike many allergen charts in Japan, this one shows if honey allergens are present in the food. The ingredient lists for the bagels are translated from the Japanese ingredient lists in the online store, where it’s also possible to purchase the bagels.

Unfortunately the Plant-Based Meat Hamburger/プラントミートバーガー which is sold at some branches has egg, dairy and gelatin according to the allergen chart.

Bagel and Bagel Plant-Based Meat Hamburger

The current items that appear to possibly be vegan are:

• Vegetarian Bagel Sandwich/ベジタリアンベーグルサンド. From autotranslate: “A simple seasoned vegetarian sandwich with 7 kinds of vegetables “leaf, cucumber, tomato, avocado, onion, red cabbage, beet”. A healthy and delicious bagel sandwich where you can feel the original taste of vegetables, the umami of bagels, and the sweetness. If you like bagels, this is a dish that you should definitely try.”

Note that all the available bagels have wheat.

Plain Bagel/プレーンベーグル Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), sugar, salt, baker’s yeast, wheat protein, molasses, malt extract, yeast extract/emulsifier, vitamin C, enzymes.
Sesame Bagel/セサミベーグル. Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), white sesame, sugar, salt, baker’s yeast, wheat protein, molasses, malt extract, yeast extract/emulsifier, vitamin C, enzymes.
Blueberry Bagel/ブルーベリーベーグル. Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), sugar-pickled blueberries, blueberry sauce (blueberry pulp, sugar), sugar, baker’s yeast, salt, wheat protein, molasses, yeast extract/thickener (modified starch, polysaccharide thickener), acidity regulator, emulsifier, flavoring, vitamin C, enzymes.
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel/シナモンレーズンベーグル. Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), raisins, sugar, baker’s yeast, wheat protein, cinnamon, salt, molasses, yeast extract/emulsifier, vitamin C, enzymes.
Maple Walnuts Bagel/メープルウォルナッツベーグル. Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), granulated sugar, walnuts, baker’s yeast, brown sugar, salt, maple sugar, wheat protein, molasses/emulsifier, vitamin C, flavoring, enzymes.
Soymilk & Edamame/豆乳枝豆ベーグル. Ingredients: Wheat flour (includes wheat), adjusted soymilk, edamame (includes soybeans), sugar, baker’s yeast, salt, apple cider vinegar (includes apples), wheat protein, adjusted soymilk powder, soymilk, molasses, yeast extract/emulsifier, coagulant, vitamin C, enzymes.
• Banana Almond Milk with Dietary Fiber Bagel/バナナアーモンドミルクベーグル (limited edition item starting 3/29/2021)
• Triple Berry/トリプルベリー (limited edition item)

The source of the emulsifier and enzymes is unknown. The blog Gentle World (English), quoting from the Vegetarian Resource Group (neither are Japan-specific) says enzymes in bread may or may not be vegan.

All the other food has animal products. The 15 Kinds of Grain Bagel/15穀ベーグル contains honey per the allergen chart as well as the ingredient list in the online shop, so is not vegan. All the muffins contain dairy and eggs. The limited-edition drinks Craft Cola/クラフトコーラ, Craft Ginger Ale Dry Lemon/クラフトジンジャーエール~ドライレモン~, and Craft Ginger Ale Pink Grapefruit/クラフトジンジャーエール~ピンクグレープフルーツ all have honey.

Photo of Vegetarian Bagel Sandwich from website.

Bagel and Bagel Vegetarian Sandwich

Baskin Robbins/Thirty-One 

The information about Thirty-One, as Baskin Robbins is known in Japan, is based off a review of the allergen information on their website as of 3/1/2024.

The current items that appear to possibly be vegan are:

Orange Sorbet/オレンジソルベ
• Sugar Cone/シュガーコーン
• Orange Sorbet Portion Cup/オレンジソルベ ポーションカップ

The Waffle Cone/ワッフルコーン is not vegan as it has milk and egg. The ice cream is available in a cup, however.

The ingredient list of the orange sorbet is listed as (information from 3/1/24): Sugar (manufactured in Japan), starch syrup, processed orange product/acidulant, stabilizer (polysaccharide thickener), emulsifier, color (yellow 5, yellow 4), flavoring.

(Product contains orange)

Photos from website.

Baskin Robbins orange sorbet        Thirty-One Orange Sorbet Portion Cup

Burger King

The information about Burger King in Japan is based on a review of the allergen chart on their website as of 3/31/2023.

The following items that do not show animal allergens from ingredients (all items except the BBQ sauce may have contact with animal raw materials at manufacturing facilities or during the cooking process in stores (原材料の製造工場の設備、あるいは店舗での調理過程での共有・接触があります)):

• French fries/フレンチフライ
• Hash browns/ハッシュブラウン
• Apple pie/アップルパイ
• BBQ sauce/ バーベキューソース

For some reason, ketchup is not listed on the allergen chart. The “coffee fresh” creamer contains milk.

Burger King in Japan formerly had a Plant-Based Whopper containing animal ingredients per the Burger King website at that time. These ingredients were dairy and egg. The buns of the Plant-Based Whopper contained dairy. The website further stated the patty was made of 100% vegetable ingredients, but the item had mayonnaise sauce and also a standard bun, so it was not vegan. From August until early September 2021, there was a bunless version available for a limited time only, the Version 2 Whopper/バージョン2ワッパー, that did not show animal ingredients on the in-store allergen chart. However, there was a mark on the allergen chart under the “beef” column, not as an ingredient, but as an “oil adjustment.” It wasn’t quite clear what that meant.

Coco Ichibanya

The items at this curry chain specifically sold as animal-ingredient-free are:

• CoCoICHI vegetarian curry/ココイチベジカレー/kokoichi vege karē. You can add separate items to make combinations, such as vegetables, vegetables & eggplant, eggplant, spinach, mushroom & okra and yam, mushroom, or soymeat hamburger steak. You can order topping combinations that aren’t specifically shown in the menu.
• Vegetable Soup Curry/ベジタブルスープカレー/bejitaburu sūpu karē. Limited edition fall/winter item. Is generally off the menu by the time the Spring menu arrives around early March.
• Boxed retort pouch vegetarian curry/CoCo壱番屋野菜カレー/kokoichibanya yasai karē. To take home (not available at all branches) (it may be possible to have this heated and served to you in the shop, if it doesn’t have the vegetarian menu)

Per customer service as of March 2020, “We cannot say that the Allergen-free curry/特定原材料(7品目)を使用していないカレ is free of animal ingredients,” and they further stated that it is not vegan.

The add-on sauce to make the curry sweeter, Honey and fruit syrup/とろ~り甘くなるソース, is not vegan either as it contains honey. The potato topping/単品ポテト and Delicious and spicy garlic topping/旨辛にんにく have eggs. The creamer/フレッシュ for the coffee has dairy. The pickled scallions/らっきょう don’t show animal allergens on the allergen chart, but they do show honey in the ingredient list in the online shop, so are not vegan. The Oil-free dressing/ノンオイルドレッシング doesn’t show animal allergens on the allergen chart, but it does show skipjack tuna (bonito) on the ingredient list in the online shop, so is not vegan either.

The vegetarian curry base is reported to contain palm oil by the blog Sushi Voyage.

The fried vegetables like fried eggplant are fried in the same oil at the restaurant as meat and other animal ingredients.

Domestically produced rice is served with the curries. It’s possible to adjust the spiciness level of the curry and the amount of rice you receive with your order- details are in the menu book.

If the branch you go to does not have the vegetarian menu, it may be possible to ask the staff to heat and serve you the retort pouch curry without animal ingredients.

Delivery may be possible- consult with your local branch.

This sign might be present on or near the door.

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The Vegetable Soup Curry (Fall/Winter limited-edition item) does not contain animal-derived ingredients. It is usually off the menu by around the beginning of March, when the spring menu is released.

Photo taken in December 2021.

Coco Ichibanya Vegetable Soup Curry December 2021

You can add on toppings like corn/コーン, okra and yam/オクラ山芋, eggplant/なす, natto/納豆, mushroom/きのこ, vegetables/やさい, and spinach/ほうれん草.

These items are not specifically sold as being free of animal ingredients, but it would seem to be likely. However, animal products are sometimes used in the production of natto in Japan, but without remaining in the final product.

Photo taken in March 2020.

coco ichibanya vegetable add-ons

Be careful not to order curries without the “veggie curry” base as the other curry bases have meat already in the sauce and the item can appear identical.

Photo taken in March 2022.

Coco Ichibanya Vegetable Curry (non-vegan)

The boxed retort pouch vegetarian curry/yasai karē/野菜カレー  is marked “does not contain animal ingredients/doubutsu yurai no genzairyou wo shiyou shite inai karē desu/動物由来の原材料を使用していないカレーです.” The box also says “Recommended for vegetarians” in English.

 Coco Ichibanya Vegetable Curry/CoCo壱番屋野菜カレー レトルト. Ingredients: Vegetables (potato, mushroom, young corn, carrot), curry roux, onion saute, sugar, salt, sesame paste, yeast extract, curry paste, roast onion/seasoning (amino acids etc.), caramel color, emulsifier, acidulant, flavoring. (Product contains wheat, soy and sesame.)

This product is meant to be heated up and then eaten. It says on the package not to open the package and microwave this flavor of curry in a bowl as may affect the flavor of the vegetables. One is meant to open the box, remove the pouch inside, boil the pouch unopened in hot water for 5-7 minutes, remove from the water, open and serve.

Online purchase links: Amazon JapanCoco Ichibanya online shop

IMG_20200301_224250_2    IMG_20200301_225733_2

It was previously available in a slightly different package (dark green), but with the same ingredient list, and was also marked “does not contain animal ingredients/doubutsusei no genzairyou wo shiyou shite inai/動物性の原材料を使用していない” in Japanese. That version can still be purchased online.

Online purchase link: Yahoo Japan Shopping

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Below are some photos of some of the curry combinations, as well as the winter limited-edition fall/winter Vegetable Soup Curry, that you can order at Coco Ichibanya.

Coco’s Family Restaurant

From a review of the Coco’s website allergy information section on April 4th, 2023, the following items are listed as not containing any of the animal allergens that are covered in the 28 specified allergens and so may be vegan. However, allergens are not guaranteed to be eliminated due to shared utensils and equipment.

Low-Allergen Kids’ Doria/低アレルゲンおこさまドリア
Low-Allergen Rice Flour Bread/低アレルゲン米粉パン
Low-Allergen Strawberry Ice Cream/低アレルゲンいちごアイス
Kids’ French Fries (fried in shared oil) /おこさまフライドポテト(同一の油で揚げております)
Kids’ Fruits and Strawberry Ice Cream/おこさまフレッシュフルーツ&いちごアイス
Green Salad with Colorful Vegetables (when ordered without dressing)/彩り野菜のグリーンサラダ(ドレッシングは除く)  (Olive oil is also available)
Dressing (Vegetables with Grated Radish)/【ドレッシング】 すりおろし野菜
Crispy Potatoes (when ordered without sauce)/カリカリポテト (ソースは除く)
Rice/ライス
Stone Oven Bread (when ordered without the soft whipped butter)/石窯パン (ソフトホイップバターは除く)

The soy sauce/しょうゆ, wasabi/わさび, special sauce/スペシャルソース, and side of tororo (grated yam)/単品 とろろ also don’t show any animal allergens on the allergen chart. It may be worth checking if the dried seaweed topping on the tororo contains fish/seafood.

Although the small bowl of rice topped with fresh yuba bean paste (when ordered without soy sauce or wasabi)/生湯葉あんかけ小丼 (醤油・わさびは除く)and miso soup /みそ汁 also appear on the same list, they seem virtually guaranteed to contain fish or seafood powder.

First Kitchen

From reviewing their allergen chart of 4/22/2021 it appears the following items may be vegan:

All items except for Home Tapioca [Frozen Products] Jewel Tapioca Brown Sugar tapioca bubbles, Home Tapioca [Frozen Products] Jewel Tapioca Strawberry tapioca bubbles, Wafuu (Japanese-style) barbecue sauce, gum syrup, sugar, lemon, reduced calorie sugar, 50% Less Calorie Syrup, and habanero sauce, including ketchup, share cooking utensils/dishwashers/washing areas with other items, often including those containing animal products. Check the Japanese-language allergen chart for more detailed information regarding this.

• French fry potato, plain (salted) only/フレンチフライ, available in S (small), M (medium), L (large) or box (similar to extra large) sizes
• Gum Syrup/ガムシロップ
• Sugar/シュガー
• Lemon/ポーションレモン
• Reduced calorie sugar/カロリーオフシュガー
• 50% Less Calorie Syrup/ハーフカロリーシロップ
• Habanero sauce/ハバネロソース(中辛)
• Ketchup/ケチャップ
• Wafuu (Japanese-style) barbecue sauce/〔和風バーベキューソース〕

Morning menu (not available at all stores):

• Round hash brown potato/ラウンドハッシュポテト (モーニングメニュー店舗)

Takeout only:

• Home Tapioca [Frozen Products] Jewel Tapioca Brown Sugar (only the tapioca bubbles themselves for making drinks at home)/おうちタピオカ 〔冷凍製品〕 ジュエルタピオカ ブラウンシュガー (Products containing milk are manufactured in the same factory)
• Home Tapioca [Frozen Products] Jewel Tapioca Strawberry (only the tapioca bubbles themselves for making drinks at home)/おうちタピオカ 〔冷凍製品〕 ジュエルタピオカ ストロベリー (Products containing milk are manufactured in the same factory)

Event menu (at limited stores):

• Kakigori (shaved ice) – Strawberry, Blue Hawaii, Matcha/かき氷〔いちご・ブルーハワイ・抹茶〕/大
• Round hash brown potato, 3 pc./ラウンドハッシュポテト(3個)

The Spring Valley Brewery Afterdark beer/スプリングバレーブルワリー アフターダーク and the Coffee Fresh creamer with plant oils/コーヒーフレッシュ (植物性油脂) both have dairy.

Freshness Burger

From reviewing their bilingual (English follows Japanese) allergen chart of 4/1/2021, it appears the following items may be vegan:

• Fried Potato/フライドポテト
• Lime Soda/ライムソーダ
• Kale Green Smoothie/ケールグリーン
• Strawberry Pink Smoothie/ストロベリーピンク (shares manufacturing facilities with items containing milk, egg, etc.)
• Mango Yellow Smoothie/マンゴーイエロー
• Sugar/シュガー
• Sugar (Gum Syrup)/ガムシロップ
• Tomato Ketchup (portion)/ポーションケチャップ
• Mustard (portion)/ポーションマスタード

The Good Burger (Teriyaki or Avocado) contains eggs and milk, although not meat. The Long Potato contains egg. The vegetable soup (Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup)/ベジタブルスープ has chicken. The Fresh Lemonade/フレッシュレモネード※はちみつ使用, Lemon & Cranberry Soda/レモン&クランベリーソーダ※はちみつ使用, Homemade Ginger Ale/自家製ジンジャーエール※はちみつ使用, and Homemade Tea (iced or hot)/レモネードティー(ICE・HOT)※はちみつ使用 have honey. The Banana Milk smoothie/バナナミルク, Coffee Cream/コーヒーフレッシュ, and Onion Rings/オニオンリング contain milk. All baked goods contain milk and eggs. All the buns for the burgers have milk and eggs.

Gusto

Unfortunately, their allergen information only shows the top 7 allergens so it’s very difficult to work out which menu items could potentially be vegan from it. According to an email from their customer service in 2019, they could only offer the following item as vegan:

• Vegetable salad (no dressing)

They stated that the desserts used dairy products and gelatin and their tomato sauce pastas were flavored with animal stock, etc., and the flavor in the items came from animal products and if it were to be removed, the food wouldn’t have flavor anymore.

As of a review of the Gusto website on 3/6/2023, the allergen information still only shows the top 7 allergens (four of them being from animals- egg, milk, shrimp and crab). The following items seem as if they could possibly be vegan from a review of the allergen information/photos/item names, but there is no way to tell without contacting customer service:

• Lunch salad/ランチサラダ
• Shiratama zenzai/白玉ぜんざい
• Rice/ライス
• 13-grain rice/十三穀米
• Natto/納豆 (some natto in Japan use animal products in production)
• Low-allergy pudding/低アレルゲンプリン (for elementary school-aged kids and younger)
• Mini salad/ミニサラダ (on the morning menu)
• Choice of sauce (garlic)/選択ソース(ガーリック)
• Choice of sauce (soy sauce)/選択ソース(醤油)
• Onion soy sauce dressing/たまねぎ醤油ドレッシングCheck any sauce (for example for natto) or dressings for animal products when ordering.A volunteer confirmed with customer service that the European Black Curry with 2 kinds of beans/2種豆の欧風黒カレー contains katsu (bonito/skipjack tuna extract), so is not vegan.As ponzu sauce usually contains fish, it seems very likely that the sauce (grated ponzu)/ソース(おろしポン酢)is not vegan.Ikea The food available at Ikea tends to vary by location. Customer service has stated that they sometimes reduce the amount of items on offer, especially during busy periods like weekends and holidays.They sell items marked as plant-based. However, according to customer service, foods change all the time, recipes may vary by store, and you have to check the allergy charts at the stores. When we visited the Yokohama branch in January 2023, of the ten items marked as plant-based on offer that day, eight did not contain animal ingredients, and two did (for example, the pizza had dairy as an ingredient). On that day, the two that did at that branch were pizza and plant balls. The eight that did not at that day and at that branch were lasagna, veggie balls (with soy yogurt sauce), curry, cutlet curry, roll cabbage, borsch, ginger soup, and strawberry plant-based ice cream. However, this may vary when you visit or depending on which branch you visit.As the Ikea Huvudroll Plant Balls that are sold in the package are listed as vegan on the Australian Ikea website, if the ingredients in the Japanese version are the same, then presumably the plant ball plate that day was not vegan due to some other ingredient contained in one of the sides.Please ask to see the allergen chart to confirm before ordering.  This 2020 PR Times article about Ikea’s plant-based foods says (from autotranslate): “What is a plant base food? It is a food made from only plant-derived materials without using any meat or eggs as raw materials.” However, apparently this does not extend to dairy.The french fries are not sold as plant-based, but the in-store allergen chart did not show any animal allergens (from ingredients) when we checked on the same day at the same branch.

In the food section of their shops, Ikea is also selling plant-based cup ramen in two flavors to make at home. Find out more about it in our Noodles and Pasta section. There are also several meat substitutes available- check our Meat Substitutes section for more information. Some locations have at times had a soy latte/soy cappucino machine.Per Ikea’s customer service, the cone for the ice cream does not contain milk/egg/animal ingredients, and you can also request to have the ice cream in a cup instead.Ikea has stated that they’re planning to make their vege dogs completely vegan in the future by switching to a different type of bun which does not contain milk and egg. This information comes from a 2019 press release issued by Ikea Japan. The vege dogs consist mainly of chickpeas and green peas.Photo taken in January 2023.Ikea January 2022IppudoFor a limited time while supplies last from December 4, 2021, 11 Ippudo locations have “Plant-Based Akamaru Ver.2.0,” プラントベース赤丸. The website says it’s made only with plant-derived ingredients and doesn’t use animal ingredients.The stores carrying the item are (from autotranslate):Sales outlets: 11 Ippudo stores in Japan
Kyushu: Daimyo Main Store
Kanto: Ebisu Store / Ginza Store / Ikebukuro Store / Shinjuku Island Tower Store / Lumine Est Shinjuku Store / Asakusabashi Main Store / Shonan SEASIDE
Tokai: Nagoya Main Store
Kansai: Horie Store
Hokkaido: Ippudo KAY Sapporo Stellar PlaceThe product is also available in the online shop to cook at home.Photo from website.Ippudo December 2021Joyfull From reviewing their allergen chart of 6/30/2020 (Japanese) it appears the following items may be vegan:• French Fries (Large Serving)/大盛りポテトフライ
• French Fries/ポテトフライ
• Edamame/枝豆
• Rice/ライス
• Small Rice/ライス小盛り
• Large Rice/ライス大盛り
• Large Plain Pasta (substituted for another item)パスタ大盛り(切替)
• Fresh Honeydew Melon with Melon Jelly/フレッシュ赤肉メロン ~メロンジュレ和え~
• Kids’ Fruit Punch/キーズフルーツポンチAlcohol:
• Draft Beer/生ビール
• Whiskey and Soda/角ハイボール
• Kinmugi/金麦
• All-Free オールフリー (non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage)
• Kirin Honshibori (Lemon)/キリン本絞り(レモン)
• Iichiko, Shochu made from Barley/いいちご
• Kurokirishima, Shochu made from Sweet Potato/黒霧島
• Japanese sake (warm)/燗酒
• Japanese Sake(cold)/冷酒• Mustard/からし
• Ketchup/ケチャップ
• Tabasco/タバスコ
• Mild Sauce/マイルドソース
• Red Chili Pepper/一味唐辛子Salt/塩

The soy sauce/しょう油 and natto/納豆 are not vegan as they have mackerel.

Joyfull Fresh Honeydew Melon with Melon Jelly

Kentucky (known as Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC outside Japan)

From reviewing their allergen chart, it appears the following items may be vegan:

All products mentioned sometimes mixed with products containing egg, dairy, pork, beef, chicken, gelatin, fish and seafood in the cooking process at the store (except for low-allergen banana cake and low-allergen corn salad).

• Coloneling Potato, manufactured in same factory as products containing dairy
• Corn salad
• Hashed potato (only sold at certain stores) manufactured in same factory as products containing dairy
• Fried potato (only sold at certain stores), manufactured in same factory as products containing dairy
• Pickles friet (only sold at certain stores)
• Baguette (only sold at certain stores), manufactured in same factory as products containing dairy and eggs

They have a colored vegetable soup (sold seasonally, only in certain stores), but it appears only to be sold as part of a chicken combination plate and not by itself.

They have a low-allergen banana cake that is only sold in certain stores. It looks like it may be vegan from the ingredient list, but appears only to be sold as part of a low-allergen chicken plate (along with a low-allergen mini corn salad that is made without contact with animal products – not the same item as the regular corn salad) and not by itself.

Kyushu Jangara Ramen

This vegan-friendly ramen shop has multiple locations in Japan, all in Tokyo. They also have a separate, totally vegan bistro called Vegan Bistro Jangara- check the Happy Cow listing here (English).

From a review of their website in March 2024, the animal-ingredient free items at the Kyushu Jangara Ramen shops are:

Vegan Shoyu (Soy Sauce) Ramen/濃い口醤油のビーガンらあめん
Vegan Yuzu-Shio (Yuzu-Salt) Ramen/和風ゆず塩ビーガンらあめん
Vegan Kumamoto Ramen/熊本マー油のビーガンらあめん (Formerly a limited-edition product to celebrate their 35th anniversary.)

Not all items are at all branches, so check the individual links above or the Plant-Based Menu section of their website before you go to see what’s being sold where to avoid disappointment. It says that スープも麺も具材(標準)も、動物性原材料・化学調味料を一切使わないプラントベース(植物由来)のラーメンです, meaning (from autotranslate): The soup, noodles, and ingredients (standard) are plant-based ramen noodles that do not use any animal ingredients or chemical seasonings.

The Vegan Kumamoto Ramen /熊本マー油のビーガンらあめん is shown below.

IMG_20200125_213903    20190921_160152 (2)

Lotteria

This information is based on the allergen chart of 4/11/2024 (Japanese).

Other than the ketchup, the following items have the possibility of cross-contamination in the cooking process in/with the store’s frying oil, cooking equipment, etc.

• Hashed potato/ハッシュポテト
• French fry (S, M, or L)/フレンチフライポテト S/M/L
• Bucket potato/バケツポテト
• Toppings-ketchup/トッピング・ケチャップ

The other food items are not vegan. They previously sold a soy vegetable hamburger/ソイ野菜ハンバーガー and soy vegetable cheeseburger/ソイ野菜チーズバーガー, but neither were vegan because they both contained dairy and egg.

Loving Hut

If you are in Tokyo, you are lucky because you can visit this all-vegan chain restaurant. These restaurants are in many locations around the world, but there is just one in Japan. The Japan branch is only open a few days a week, so be sure to check before you go.

Check the Happy Cow listing here (English).

Closing permanently July 29, 2023. Check their instagram @lovinghutjp for future news,

McDonald’s

Information here is based off the English-language allergen chart of June 26, 2023.

Potentially vegan menu items are (links in English):

Edamame & corn
Side salad (without dressing)

There are no animal-ingredient-free salad dressing options. The roasted sesame dressing for the side salad has egg. The low-calorie onion, which appears to be another dressing and if so, the only other one available, has mackerel.

There are no vegan burgers or desserts. McDonald’s in Japan uses beef (presumably lard) to fry their items in, so the fried items like hot apple pie, hash potato and french fries all contain beef. Some of the flavored “Shaka Shaka Potatoes” (fries with seasoning) also contain additional animal ingredients.

Matsuya

As of the time of writing in December 2020, there were no main dishes potentially free of animal ingredients, only side dishes.

The food has various cross-contamination depending on the item. For more information check the allergen chart.

Here are the items that don’t show animal allergens from a review of the allergen chart of 12/15/2020 (Japanese):

Side menu:
Fresh vegetables/生野菜
Rice/ライス
Green Onions/青ネギ
Grated Daikon/大根おろし
Natto with green onions/納豆(ネギ付)<選べる小鉢>、納豆(ネギ付)
Tororo/とろろ<選べる小鉢>、とろろ (it’s possible the seaweed topping could contain fish or seafood extract for flavoring)
Toasted nori seaweed 焼きのり (it’s possible this item could contain fish or seafood extract for flavoring)
Tororo and fresh vegetables Set/とろろ生野菜セット (it’s possible the seaweed topping on the tororo could contain fish or seafood extract for flavoring)
Soy sauce/醤油(5g)
Red pickled ginger/紅生姜(5g)
Seven-flavor chili pepper/七味唐辛子(0.2g)
Seven-flavor roasted black sesame/黒胡麻焙煎七味(0.4g)
French dressing/フレンチドレッシング(30g)
Ponzu sauce/ポン酢だれ(20g) (it’s possible this item could contain fish or seafood extract for flavoring)
Barbecue sauce/バーベキューだれ(20g)
Sansho pepper/山椒(0.3g)

Kids’ menu:
“Omocha” set/おもちゃセット (fruit jellies and a fruit juice)
Apple juice/りんごジュース

It’s highly likely that the miso soup/みそ汁 has skipjack tuna extract or some other kind of fish that does not show on the allergen chart.

The website photo of the hiyayakko/冷やっこ<選べる小鉢> chilled tofu shows that it comes with katsuobushi/skipjack tuna shavings on the top, but you may be able to ask for it without.

The “oshinkou” picked vegetables/お新香 may look promising, but has both crab and gelatin. The mini curry udon has dairy and salmon. The Fuji-san kimchi has shrimp. The potato/ポテト has egg and dairy. The mini udon, yakiniku kalbi sauce/焼肉のタレ甘口(カルビソース)(20g), and simmered tofu/湯豆腐 have mackerel. The sesame dressing has egg.

Mister Donut

This information is based off a review of the allergy chart published 5/14/2021.

They have one doughnut option that doesn’t contain milk, dairy, egg, honey, or gelatin allergens. It’s called the mini size Fuka Fuka Yaki Doughnut, Plain, and is a set of two doughnuts that are free of all of the 7 specified allergenic ingredients and intended for customers with allergies. You can order it at the counter and the staff will get it out of the freezer and give it to you to take home. It’s been reported that the staff will warm them for you in the shop, but we found the staff were not able to do that and sent them home with us frozen, so the policy may vary by branch. They are good toasted.

• Fuka Fuka Yaki (Soft Baked) Doughnut, Plain/ふかふか焼きドーナッツ プレーン: Ingredients: Rice flour (domestic), coconut milk, sugar, apple, rapeseed oil, lemon juice, pumpkin powder, salt, thickener (processed starch), sodium bicarbonate, vanilla flavor.

20190120_205110    20190120_205119

The drinks that don’t show animal allergens from the allergen chart are:

• 100% Valencia Orange Juice/バレンシアオレンジ100%ジュース
• Aomori-Grown Fuji Apple Juice/青森県産ふじりんご100%ジュース
• Iced Jasmine Tea/アイスジャスミンティ
• Tapicoco Muscat Flavor Soda/タピココ マスカットフレーバーソーダ
• Tapicoco Peach Soda/タピココ ピーチソーダ

The Taiwan Fruit Teas/台湾果茶: Passion Fruit Jasmine/パッションフルーツジャスミン, Pineapple Mango Jasmine/パインマンゴージャスミン,  and Mixed Berry Jasmine/ミックスベリージャスミン also look okay from the allergen chart (which doesn’t show the presence or absence of honey), however according to Entabe, the Orange Pink Grapefruit Jasmine/オレンジピンクグレープフルーツジャスミン flavor has honey, so it might be a good idea to check if the other flavors have honey as well before ordering. 

Although they don’t show on the allergen chart, the website also shows other drinks which seem likely to not contain animal ingredients including:
Hot Tea with Lemon/ホットティ (レモン)(specify that you don’t want milk when ordering)
Iced Tea with Lemon/アイスティ(レモン)(specify that you don’t want milk when ordering)
Iced Oolong Tea/アイスウーロンティ
Mountain Grape Squash/山ぶどうスカッシュ (checking for honey when ordering might be a good idea)
Misdo Blend Coffee/ミスド ブレンドコーヒー
Misdo Iced Coffee/ミスド アイスコーヒー
Caffeineless Iced Coffee/カフェインレスアイスコーヒー
Caffeineless Coffee/カフェインレスコーヒー

All of the other coffee drinks contain milk.

20190505_161913 (3)    20190505_161913 (4)

Mos Burger

Mos sells a product called the Green Burger (Teriyaki)/グリーンバーガー<テリヤキ>  The website says the main ingredients don’t include animal ingredients/主要原材料に動物性食材を使用せず. The allergy information doesn’t show animal allergens (outside of cross-contamination). However, the product page also says, 完全な菜食主義を目指す方向けの商品ではありません, meaning (from autotranslate)- This product is not intended for those aiming for complete vegetarianism.

It seems like there is a possibility that Mos Plant-Based items, like the Starbucks Plant-Based items, may have the chance of things like processing aids and auxiliary ingredients being of animal origin. If the company was just worried about cross-contamination, they could just use the standard cross-contamination warning(s) that basically every other product/company in Japan uses. However, this does not appear to be  explicitly stated anywhere the way it is on the Starbucks Plant-Based items page.

As of a review of this information in 3/23, this product seems to be available at most/all branches.

Image from website.

Mos Green Burger Teriyaki

In addition, in 2021, the soy patty, which formerly contained egg and milk in the patty itself, was switched for the Green Burger patty. Although this can be ordered in any item, because the other items have animal ingredients in some other parts of them besides the bun, we were only able to identify the following lettuce-wrapped option as animal-ingredient-free- it would only be lettuce and a Green Burger patty, and the individual store may refuse to put ketchup on it:

• Soy Mos Natsumi/モスの菜摘(なつみ)ソイモス野菜 (ONLY when ordered without the sauce/ソース抜きで/sōsu nuki de. The sauces for the Natsumi line of burgers all have animal products. The regular Natsumi burgers (not soy) have meat patties.)

As for desserts, an item called Chilled Dolce Cup Chocolat-Style Mousse Cake/ひんやりドルチェ カップ ショコラ風ムースケーキ was released in March 2024. The Mos website states it has no animal ingredients (until the secondary ingredient level)/動物性原料を使用せず(二次原料まで)に作ったデザートです.

Photo from website.

Mos Chocolate Mousse dessert

The items which are not specifically sold as plant-based or animal-ingredient-free (to the secondary level), but which don’t show animal ingredients from the allergen chart published here on 2/24/2023 (bilingual) are (check allergen chart for cross-contamination information):

• French Fries/フレンチフライポテト
• Onion Rings/オニオンフライ
Onion Potato/オニポテ (フレンチフライポテト&オニオンフライ  (French Fries & Onion Rings)
Variety Pack A/バラエティパックA(フレンチフライポテト、オニオンフライ) (French Fries, Onion Rings)
• Low Salt Tomato Ketchup/トマトケチャップ減塩タイプ (from the low-allergen menu)
• Mixed Salad with Flaxseed WITHOUT the Low Salt Japanese Dressing/こだわりサラダ ローストアマニトッピング  (the Low Salt Japanese Dressing has pork and chicken)
• Sweet Red-bean Soup (coarse red-bean paste) /おしるこ(粒あん)(Fall/Winter menu)

Foods at Mos Burger are either processed with or cooked in the same oil/with the same cooking utensils (or on the same grill) as items containing various animal products.

All of their other foods contain animal products (except for the extra jalapenos, but we were told by store staff when ordering we couldn’t add them to the Plant Based Green Burger (Teriyaki)). The corn soup has milk, egg, and chicken. The mustard sauce has egg, the chili dip has beef, chicken, and pork, and the BBQ sauce has chicken and gelatin. Our volunteer contacted customer service in 2020 and was told that the Aurora sauce contains chicken.

As for drinks, the shakes and coffee au lait drinks, as well as the coffee cream, all have dairy.

img_2638

20190505_173817 (2) Mos Burger Menu.jpg

20190516_203306 (2)    20191220_175200.jpg

Pizza Hut

When asked in 2020 if there was dough without eggs/ milk/ lard or tomato sauce without animal stock (to check if a pizza with just crust and sauce and no cheese would be vegan), customer service answered that there are no vegan options.

Pizza La

According to the Pizza La allergen chart the following items don’t contain meat, fish, dairy, egg etc (see allergen chart for all ingredients checked):

• Four season salad (with either Italian tomato dressing or vinaigrette dressing)
• Pizza La french fries and roasted potatoes (with fancy tomato sauce and/or mustard sauce)

About pizzas, as of 9/21/2019, a representative on the the Pizza La customer hotline said:
– the dough doesn’t have any animal ingredients
– the tomato sauce has pork

Therefore no vegan pizza is available at Pizza La.

Royal Host

On 3/4/2020, Royal Host released a curry that uses vegan curry sauce they’ve developed and manufactured. The press release is here. It specifically states that there are no animal ingredients included, but it’s prepared in the same kitchen and using the same frying oil as other items (containing animal ingredients). It also may have cross-contamination from manufacturing from various ingredients, including animal products.

•  Vegetable curry & rice with mixed grains/ベジタブルカレー&雑穀ごはん

Photo from website.

royal host vegan curry

There are other items that appear from the allergen chart published 4/28/2020 to possibly be free of animal ingredients.

• Green salad/グリーンサラダ (may have cross-contamination from egg and dairy)
• Rice/ライス
• Rice with mixed grains/雑穀ごはん (may have cross-contamination from various animal ingredients. This looks like the same item that’s sold with the animal-ingredient free curry.)
• Morning salad/モーニングサラダ (on the a.m. menu) (may have cross-contamination from egg and dairy)
• Drinkable acai/飲むアサイー (on the a.m. menu)
• Child-sized french fries/おこさまフライドポテト
Low-allergen child’s gateau chocolat/低アレルゲン おこさまガトーショコラ. The website states that wheat flour and egg are not used. Rice flour, soymilk, sugar, etc. are used.
Low-allergen child’s small rice flour bread/低アレルゲン  米粉のぷちパン.

The gateau chocolat is the Friends Sweets brand. The product page lists ingredients here. The low-allergen bread is the Nippon Ham Round Bread/日本ハムまあるいパン. Details about the ingredients of the Nippon Ham Round Bread are given here.

Condiments:
• Mini ketchup/ミニケチャップ
• French mustard/フレンチマスタード
• Tabasco/タバスコ(3ml) 
Fresh-Pressed Soy Sauce/しぼりたて生しょうゆ(10g)
• Deluxe Spicy Sauce/デラックスソーススパイシー(10g)
Stick Sugar/スティックシュガー
Balsweet (artificial sweetener)/パルスイート
Slim Up Sugar/スリムアップシュガー
Gum Syrup/ガムシロップ

In the Low-allergen child’s hamburger plate with rice bread or rice/低アレルゲン おこさまハンバーグプレート (米粉パン)/(ごはん), the corn, broccoli, and tomato/コーン、ブロッコリー、トマト, rice bread or rice, and gateau chocolate don’t show animal ingredients from the allergen chart, but the Low-allergen child’s hamburger and sausage in the same plate have pork.

It might also be possible to order regular french fries/フライドポテト by themselves. On the allergen chart, when they are part of a set, they don’t show animal ingredients. The french fries with wasabi mayonnaise sauce/フライドポテト~西洋わさびマヨネーズソース付~ show egg as an ingredient, but that’s probably from the mayonnaise itself, so it may be worth inquiring if french fries are available for purchase without the mayonnaise.

The miso soup doesn’t show animal ingredients from the allergen chart, but it’s very likely it contains fish and/or seafood.

The “coffee fresh” creamer/コーヒーフレッシュ contains dairy.

Saizeriya

From reviewing their Grand Menu English allergen chart of November 17, 2023, it appears the following menu items may be vegan.

  • Penne arrabbiata
  • Whole wheat penne arrabbiata
  • Crispy potatoes
  • Kids’ fries
  • Rice
  • Turmeric rice
  • Refreshing carrot salad
  • Green salad

Although the information is not on the English Grand Menu, the other menus say (in English) that the penne arrabbiata contains anchovy. So, it seems likely that the whole wheat penne arrabbiata contains anchovy as well.

The table salt, black pepper, soy sauce, red chili flakes, olive oil, hot sauce, olive & vinegar, mixed herbs spices and vegetable paste don’t show animal ingredients on the allergen chart.

However, the Spaghetti peperoncino has chicken and gelatin. The Saizeriya dressing contains egg. The Mini Ficelle (bread) contains dairy.

Salvatore Cuomo Pizza

According to their website, this chain has stores from Hokkaido to Fukuoka, but not in every prefecture.

The Marinara No. 1/マリナーラNo1 pizza, Green Herb Salad/グリーンハーブサラダ, and French Fries with Skin/皮付フライドきポテト appear to be vegan from the allergen chart (see delivery menu with allergen information from 9/26/23 on their website).

Also reported to have a lunch buffet with marinara pizza, salads with avocado and tofu, separate vinegar dressing, and coffee and juice. No vegan desserts available at lunch buffet.

Soup Stock Tokyo

As of 11/25/2019, Soup Stock Tokyo committed to having one animal-ingredient free soup on their menu every week. The animal-ingredient free soup and curry items are marked with a “Vg.” They rotate the soups on offer every week so check the signboard outside to see what they have on offer that day. Despite the name, they’ve been successful in expanding outside of Tokyo and also have branches in other cities in Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Check the shop list here.

Information here is based on the English allergen chart of July 23rd, presumably 2022, although this is not marked. Interestingly, it also lists which items contain sugar and what types of sugar, although not enough information is given to tell if bone char is used in processing. It would be a good starting point if one wanted to ask more questions to the customer service center. It also lists which items contain palm oil.

The information below is applicable to the in-store soups, not the frozen soups for take-home purchase.

In addition, the Hyogo Basil Dressing appears on the “vegetarian,” animal-ingredient free portion of the allergen chart. This means it may be possible to get a vegan salad with dressing at Soup Stock Tokyo stores.

Vegetarian Menu (animal-ingredient free)

Soups:

Awaji Onion Potage
Deep-fried Tofu and Koji Miso Soup
Fried Eggplant Rasam (contains palm oil)
Green Vegetable Minestrone
Italian Tomato Minestrone  (contains palm oil) (this may have been replaced with the Grilled Vegetable Minestrone, which is not on the English-language allergen chart but is marked as vegetarian on the website)
Leek and White Kidney Bean Minestrone
Miyazaki Morotsukason Shiitake mushroom and soy milk potage
Sweet Corn and Bell Pepper Chili (contains palm oil)
Tomato and Summer Vegetable Gazpacho
Yellow Peas Soup

Curries:

Baingan Bharta (contains palm oil)
Sambar (Lentil Stew) (contains palm oil)
Spicy Keema Curry with Bamboo Shoot and Soymeat
Summer Vegetables Cold Lemon Curry (contains palm oil)
7-Vegetable Ratatouille Curry (contains palm oil)
Onion and Soy Meat Curry
Palak (Spinach Curry)
Summer Curry with Green Papaya and Semi-Dried Tomatoes (appears on allergen chart but not elsewhere on website)

Dressing:
Hyogo Basil Dressing

Sides:
Sesame Rice
Brown Rice
Stone Oven Baked Bread (contains palm oil) (may have cross-contamination from egg, dairy, and peanut in the manufacturing process)

They have an app where you can check the soups available at each branch before heading there. The app can also be used as a point card to save points to get a discount off your order or some goods marked with the name of the shop. Paper point cards have been discontinued.

Nutritional information, ingredient lists (Japanese), and which soups are on offer that week are also written on the website.

Soup Stock Tokyo also has a book of all the ingredients in each menu item available behind the counter, written in English and Japanese-staff will show it to you if you request to see the ingredients. The book is more specific about which ingredients are in the soups and which are toppings.

Here is more information about current items without animal ingredients that may appear on the menu:

The Awaji Onion Potage is made with onions from Awaji Island in the Seto Inland Sea. Onions from Awaji Island are famous in Japan for their sweetness and perhaps the best quality grown in the country. They’re also a little milder than regular onions.

Awaji Onion Potage/淡路の玉葱のポタージュ. Ingredients: Onion, olive oil, salt, kelp root soup stock, paprika powder.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Photo from website.

Awaji Onion Potage stock photo

Deep-Fried Tofu and Koji Miso Soup/麹味噌とがんもどきの和風スープ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onions, leek, cabbage, carrots, burdock), pickled ginger, shiitake mushrooms, starch, mirin, rolled barley/oats, soy sauce, soybean oil, vegetable extract, salt, dried kelp, spices (includes wheat and soybeans), amazake, ganmo deep-fried tofu (includes soybeans), miso (includes soybeans), bunashimeji mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, okra, kaiware daikon, myoga.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains wheat and soybeans.

soup stock deep-fried tofu and koji miso soup product photo

Fried Eggplant Rasam/揚げ茄子のラッサム. Ingredients: Tomatoes in juice, mung beans, rapeseed oil, plum paste, tomato puree, coriander, garlic, salt, apple cider vinegar, garlic puree, mustard seeds, flavored oil, corn starch, sugar, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, fenugreek, chili pepper (contains apple), fried eggplant, okra.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains apple.

Contains palm oil.

Photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Fried Eggplant Rasam

Green Vegetable Minestrone/緑の野菜のミネストローネ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onions (domestic or imported), cabbage, daikon radish, green beans, red bell peppers, green peas, garlic), rolled barley, olive oil, salt, kelp, young barley leaves, starch, spices, zucchini, turnips, edible oil blend (sunflower oil, olive oil) ), kaiware daikon.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Soup Stock Tokyo Green Vegetable Minestrone    20200310_180140

Italian Tomato Minestrone (hot)/イタリア産トマトミネストローネ. Ingredients: Whole tomato, vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, garlic), rice, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, spice + vegetable mix [zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, salt,  oil for frying (palm oil)], potato, arugula.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Contains palm oil.

20190215_191115 (2).jpg

The previous item may have been replaced by the Grilled Vegetable Minestrone. Although the Grilled Vegetable Minestrone doesn’t show on the English-language vegetarian allergen chart, the product page on the website does say it is one of their vegetarian products.

Grilled Vegetable Minestrone/グリル野菜のミネストローネ. Ingredients: Pureed tomatoes (made in Italy), vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, garlic), rice, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, spices, mixed vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper), potatoes, arugula.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Marked gluten-free on the website.

Photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Grilled Vegetable Minestrone

Leek and White Kidney Bean Minestrone/ポロ葱と白いんげん豆のミネストローネ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onions, celery, carrots, “futonegi” leeks, tomatoes), mashed potatoes, sauteed leek (leek, rapeseed oil), celeriac puree, olive oil, kelp root stock, salt, starch, spices, boiled white beans, diced potatoes, cabbage, black pepper.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Marked gluten-free on the website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Leek and White Kidney Bean Minestrone sign    Soup Stock Tokyo Leek and White Kidney Bean Minestrone

Miyazaki Morotsukason Shiitake mushroom and soy milk potage/宮崎県諸塚村しいたけと豆乳のポタージュ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onion (domestic or imported), celery, garlic), soymilk, roux (wheat flour, palm oil), soybean oil, olive oil, dried shiitake mushrooms, salt, mushrooms, top-grade rice flour made with non-glutinous rice, starch, kelp, tomato paste, soy sauce, spices (includes wheat and soybeans), soymilk (includes soybeans), ganmo deep-fried tofu (includes soybeans), turnip, salt, wood ear mushroom, shiitake mushroom, edible chrysanthemum, yuzu, black pepper.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains wheat and soybeans.

Photo from website.

Miyazaki Morotsukason Shiitake mushroom and soy milk potage Soup Stock Tokyo

Sweet Corn and Bell Pepper Chili/とうもろこしとパプリカのチリビーンズスープ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onion, garlic), beans (chickpeas, red lentils), pureed tomato, salt koji, pickled chili pepper, roux (wheat flour, palm oil), spices, salt, smoked peppers in chili sauce, olive oil, soy sauce (includes wheat and soybeans), grilled zucchini, red bell peppers, corn kernels, cabbage, root kelp stock, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), parsley.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains wheat and soybeans.

Contains palm oil.

Photos taken in July 2021.

Soup Stock Tokyo Sweet Corn and Bell Pepper Chili sign    Soup Stock Tokyo Sweet Corn and Bell Pepper Chili

Tomato and Summer Vegetable Gazpacho (cold, limited to summer months)/トマトと夏野菜のガスパチョ. Ingredients: Vegetables (onion, red bell pepper, tomato, celery), tomato juice, olive oil, garlic, salt + cucumber, paprika, celery, mixed edible oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), apple vinegar.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains apples.

Photo from website.

Soup Stock Tomato and Summer Vegetable Gazpacho

Yellow Peas Soup/黄色いえんどう豆のスープ. Ingredients: Yellow split peas, onion, fried vegetable paste (onion, carrot, olive oil, celery), rapeseed oil, yeast extract, corn starch, salt, sugar, kelp soup stock, garlic puree, spices, black pepper.

Contains none of the 28 specified allergens.

Photos taken in October 2021.

Soup Stock Tokyo Yellow Peas Soup sign    Soup Stock Tokyo Yellow Peas Soup

Baingan Bharta/ベイガンバルタ. Ingredients: Onion, tomato puree, onion saute, rapeseed oil, tomato puree, cashew nut paste, vegetable bouillon, coconut milk, salt, cumin, yeast extract powder, ginger paste, tomato paste, corn starch, garlic puree, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chili, laurel, (includes cashew nuts), fried eggplant, onion, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), spices, salt, fried onions, rice, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains cashew nuts and sesame.

Contains palm oil.

Soup Stock Tokyo Baingan Bharta    Soup Stock Tokyo Baingan Bharta and Foccacia

According to the Japanese-language ingredient list, the following product contains sanontou brown sugar, which is a type of processed and redyed white sugar. It’s listed as “light brown sugar” on their English allergen chart. We don’t have information about if the sugar in Soup Stock’s foods is bone-char processed or not.

Sambar (Lentil Stew)/サンバール(豆と野菜のスパイスカレー). Ingredients: Tomatoes with juice, onion, mung bean, carrot puree, plum pulp, rapeseed oil, spice, salt, cauliflower, fried eggplant, onion, green beans, mixed edible oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), edamame (soybeans), okra, sauce [vegetables (onion, ginger), rapeseed oil, cashew nuts, salt, curry powder, garlic paste, spices, corn starch (includes cashew nuts), red onion, apple vinegar, sanontou brown sugar, salt + rice, edible oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains cashew nuts, sesame, soybeans, and apples.

Contains palm oil.

Photo taken in August 2021. Shows Sambar (Lentil Stew) on the left and Palak (Spinach Curry) on the right.

Soup Stock Tokyo Sambar (Lentil Stew) and Palak (Spinach Curry)

Spicy Keema Curry with Bamboo Shoot and Soymeat/筍と大豆ミートのズパイシーキーマカレー. Ingredients: Tomato in juice, coconut milk, onions, spices, rapeseed oil, plum flesh, garlic paste, ginger paste, salt, bamboo shoots, pineapple, granular soybean protein, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), processed rice koji, fermented soybean seasoning, black pepper, rice, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, contains soybeans and sesame.

Soup Stock Tokyo Spicy Keema Curry with Bamboo Shoot and Soymeat signboard    Soup Stock Tokyo Spicy Keema Curry with Bamboo Shoot and Soymeat

Summer Vegetables Cold Lemon Curry/夏野菜の冷たいレモンーカレー. Ingredients: Onion, tomato puree, sauteed onion, rapeseed oil, tomato puree, cashew nut paste, vegetable bouillon, coconut milk, salt, cumin, yeast extract powder, ginger paste, tomato paste, corn starch, garlic puree, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cardamon , cloves, chili, laurel (includes cashew nuts), okra, tomato, lemon juice (reduced concentrate), red onion, red cabbage sprout, fried onion, parsley, rice, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, contains cashew nuts and sesame.

Contains palm oil.

First photo taken July 2021. Second photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Summer Vegetables Cold Lemon Curry    Soup Stock Tokyo Summer Vegetables Cold Lemon Curry stock photo

7-Vegetable Ratatouille Curry/7種の野菜のラタトゥイユカレー. Ingredients: Onion, whole tomato, vegetable bouillon, tomato paste, onion saute, rapeseed oil, diced tomato, stir-fried vegetable paste (onion, carrot, olive oil, celery), salt, garlic puree, coriander, ginger paste, corn starch, sugar, cumin, chili powder, basil, chili pepper, oregano, cinnamon, cardamom, thyme, laurel, mixed vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, salt, oil for frying (palm oil)), celery, edible oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), oregano, rice, mixed edible oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains sesame.

Contains palm oil.

First photo taken October 2021. Second photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo 7-Vegetable Ratatouille Curry sign    Soup Stock Tokyo 7-Vegetable Ratatouille Curry

Onion and Soy Meat Curry/玉葱と大豆ミートのカレー. Ingredients: Onion, tomato puree, onion saute, rapeseed oil, tomato puree, cashew nut paste, vegetable bouillon, coconut milk, salt, cumin, yeast extract powder, ginger paste, tomato paste, corn starch, garlic puree, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chili, laurel, (includes cashew nuts), soy protein product (soy protein concentrate, vegetable oil, salt, spices/flavoring (contains soybeans)), onion, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), white pepper, rice, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains cashew nuts, sesame, and soybeans.

First photo taken August 2021. Second photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Onion and Soy Meat Curry    Soup Stock Tokyo Onion and Soy Meat Curry

Palak (Spinach Curry)/パラクマサラ(ほうれん草のカレー). Ingredients: Onions, spinach puree (spinach, soybean oil), coconut milk, rapeseed oil, tomato puree, carrot puree, coriander, soy sauce, sugar, salt, cumin, yeast extract powder, corn starch, ginger paste, curry powder, garlic puree, chili pepper, turmeric (includes wheat and soybeans), onions, spinach, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), salt, tomato, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil), rice, edible blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil) ), salt, sesame.

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains wheat, sesame and soybeans.

Photos taken in July 2021.

Palak (Spinach Curry) sign    Soup Stock Tokyo Palak (Spinach Curry)

Be careful not to order the Sri Lankan Cashew Curry/カシューナッツのホッダ(スリランカ風ココナッツカレー). It is not vegan because it contains dried bonito extract (skipjack tuna fish), which you can see if you request to look at the ingredient book or by looking at the ingredient list on the website.

cashew nuts curry

From the vegetarian menu, the soups and curries can be eaten with Sesame Rice/白胡麻ご飯, Brown Rice, or Stone Oven Baked Bread/石窯パン.

The sesame rice uses domestic rice.

Sesame rice/白胡麻ご飯. Ingredients: Rice, white sesame, salt, edible  blended oil (sunflower oil, olive oil).

Of the 28 specified allergens, product contains sesame.

Photo from website.

Soup Stock Sesame Rice

• Brown rice. The ingredients don’t appear to be listed on the website, but per the allergen (English) chart, it contains none of the 28 specified allergens, and it’s listed in the “vegetarian” list of items that contain no animal ingredients. The chart also specifies that oil isn’t used.

Stone Oven Baked Bread/石窯パン. Ingredients: Wheat flour, olive oil, rye flour, reduced starch syrup, crude salt, baker’s yeast, malt, brewed vinegar, vitamin C.

Of the 28 specified allergens, contains wheat.

Contains palm oil.

Manufactured on common equipment with products using eggs, dairy, and peanuts.

Photo from website.

Soup Stock Tokyo Stone Oven Baked Bread

Frozen Italian Tomato Minestrone and Green Vegetables & Rock Salt soups may be available for take-home purchase as well. The allergen chart (English) doesn’t apply to the frozen packaged soups, however. 

20181202_181720

Subway

salad_avocado_veggie

In Japan, Subway is not as vegan friendly as in other countries because the sandwich bread and flat bread contains dairy products. The menu items that appear from the allergen chart to potentially be vegan are:

• Salads: avocado veggie and veggie delight salads
• Dressings: oil and vinegar, balsamic. Salt and pepper are also available, as well as sliced hot peppers.
• Oven potatoes: original and herb salt only. The red BBQ and triple cheese flavors contain milk, chicken, pork, and fish. All the oven potatoes are processed on the same factory lines as foods containing dairy and egg. The ketchup, mustard, and chili sauce appear to be vegan from the allergen chart. The ketchup is processed on the same factory line as sheep, fish, and shellfish.
• Drinks (in addition to the usual vegan options like black coffee): soy latte (iced or hot), iced soy mango latte, mango orange smoothie, orange juice, and mango & orange juice

Sukiya

The food at Sukiya that may be vegan according to the allergen chart (there may be some cross-contamination) is:

photo_side_702200-website.jpg

• Rice
• Tofu
• Natto (be careful with the sauce, if any. For example, it appears mackerel is used in the sauce provided in Okinawa)
• Green onions
• Salad (no dressing)
• Grated yam with wasabi
• Pickled ginger

Please note the nori sheets contain shrimp. The allergen chart says that the pickles and kimchi don’t contain shrimp, but they may still contain fish.

T’s Tan Tan

This all-vegan chain is a wonderful place where you can drop in and have a quick bowl of ramen. They also sell various products such as take-out soymeat “beef” bowl bento boxes/ソイミートの牛丼弁当, cutlet sandwiches, and gyoza, as well as things like their own brand of vegan instant cup noodles, retort pouch curries, and soy meat for home cooking.

For those branches located within train stations, it is permitted to visit them even without riding the train by buying a ticket for the cheapest amount.

Locations (addresses on the T’s website (Japanese)):

JR Tokyo train station (behind the ticket gates)
JR Ueno train station, Tokyo (behind the ticket gates)
JR Ikebukuro train station (behind the ticket gates)
Narita Airport (NRT), Terminal 2 (before passport control) (reopened March 2024)
Narita Airport (NRT) Terminal 1, Tokyo Food Bar, South Wing, Third Floor, near gate 51 (after passport control) (reopened as of 4/1/2023)

The Tokyo and Ueno branches are confirmed to have English menus available.

They also have a fully-vegan restaurant in Jiyugaoka with fewer ramen options and more other choices- try the chocolate cake there. This branch also makes cakes to order for weddings and other special occasions.

Check the Noodles and Pasta section of the blog for more information on their vegan cup noodles.

Tempura Tendon Tenya

Foods at Tenya (Japanese) (English) may have cross-contamination, including from animal products, from the manufacturing or cooking processes. Items such as tendon (tempura bowls), teishoku (set meals), miso soup and takeout noodles may also have cross-contamination from shrimp and crab from seaweed harvesting. More information about this is available on the allergen chart (Japanese). The miso soup probably contains fish dashi (although the allergen chart does not specifically list miso soup).

Their Tensuyu/天つゆパック sauce packets have mackerel, so it seems that the sauce the tempura comes with in the restaurant must contain mackerel as well. It’s recommended to ask for plain soy sauce instead.

The dishes at Tenya that appear from a review of the item names, item photos where available, and their allergen chart of January 14, 2021 (Japanese) to possibly be free of animal ingredients are:

Tempura Tendon Tenya Brussels Sprout Tempura

• Pumpkin tempura/かぼちゃ天ぷら
• Green bean tempura/いんげん天ぷら
• Lotus root tempura/れんこん天ぷら
• Potato tempura/いも天ぷら
• Maitake mushroom tempura/舞茸天ぷら
• Eggplant tempura/なす天ぷら
• Chrysanthemum greens kakiage tempura/春菊のかき揚げ (seasonal item)
• Watermelon radish tempura/紅芯大根天ぷら (seasonal item)
• Brussels sprout tempura/芽キャベツの天ぷら (seasonal item)
• Cauliflower tempura/カリフラワーの天ぷら (seasonal item)
• Grated daikon/大根おろし
• Grated yam/とろろ

The cold tofu/冷奴 and boiled spinach/ほうれん草おひたし as well as the mini boiled spinach/ミニおひたし may be vegan if ordered without the katsuobushi fish flakes they’re topped with.

The following items are listed as containing mackerel, however it may be possible that it is only in the sauce and possible to have the dish without sauce, but it would be a good idea to consult with staff. If the item comes with miso soup, it’s highly likely to contain fish or seafood as well as vegan miso soup is almost unknown in Japan outside of vegan restaurants. Be careful as some items look very similar to other items with animal ingredients such as shrimp and so on, so check the Japanese item name when ordering:

Vegetable tendon/野菜天丼
Vegetable tempura set meal/野菜天ぷら定食
Vegetable tempura udon (cold)/野菜天ぷらうどん(冷)
Vegetable tempura soba (cold)/野菜天ぷらそば(冷)
Iniawa-style udon (cold)/稲庭風うどん 冷
Nihachi soba/二八そば 冷
Assorted vegetable tempura/野菜天盛合せ (available for takeout)
Vegetable tendon bento box/野菜天丼弁当 (available for takeout)
Winter vegetable and vegetable tempura assortment/冬野菜2種と野菜天盛合わせ (seasonal item)
Early spring tempura/早春のっけ野菜天盛合わせ (seasonal item)
To-go cold udon/TO冷うどん
To-go cold soba/TO冷そば

The hot vegetable tempura udon/野菜天ぷらうどん(温), hot vegetable tempura soba/野菜天ぷらそば(温), Iniawa-style udon (hot)/稲庭風うどん 温 and Nihachi soba (hot)/二八そば 温 all contain both mackerel and milk. The to-go hot udon/TO温うどん contains egg, milk, and mackerel.

2foods

This plant-based fast food chain that doesn’t use white sugar or bone-char processed sugar (and according to their website, is checking for it as well as much as possible in secondary raw materials (from autotranslate): “As much as possible even with secondary raw materials
We are checking to the extent that we can follow it so that it will not be used/ 二次原料でも隔力使用しないよう弊社が追うことができる範囲で確認を行っております).”

They have five branches in Tokyo: Shibuya, Roppongi, Azabu-Juban, Ningyocho, and Tokyo Station (Yaesu Shopping Mall). Their branches offer things like doughnuts, doughnut sandwiches, noodles, and curries. All foods should be free of animal ingredients. They have also opened an online store with a few items.

2foods Lab Kitchen Mango Passion Doughnut

Yakiniku Like

This yakiniku chain previously sold the alternative vegan meats Next Kalbi and Next Harami in all of its branches.

However, as of October 2022 the only branch still selling them is:

Yakiniku Like Shibuya Uchidagawa (Tokyo)
The address : 〒150-0042 東京都渋谷区宇田川町31−4 シノダビル 1F

You can visit by yourself (it’s set up so that each person grills their own food in front of them). Consult with staff at Yakiniku Like Shibuya Uchidagawa about which sauces are free of animal ingredients.

However, you can buy the products online to cook at home. From autotranslate from the Next Meats website (Harami and Kalbi): “No animal ingredients are used. We do not use palm oil or white sugar made from beef bone charcoal, and we do not handle animal raw materials on the factory production line. This product is also suitable for vegans.”

<< Ingredients of Harami 1.1 >>

Ingredients: Processed soybeans (soybeans (domestic), not genetically modified), seasonings (soy sauce, sugar, fermented rice seasoning, yeast extract, apples, brewed vinegar, garlic, salt, sesame oil, doubanjiang, pepper), edible rapeseed oil.

Product includes wheat, soybeans, apples and sesame.

Photo from the Next Meats website.

next meats yakiniku

Yoshinoya

The food at Yoshinoya that may be vegan according to the allergen chart published 3/26/2020 (Japanese) (there may be some cross-contamination) is:

• Fresh vegetable salad/生野菜サラダ
• Mini salad/ミニサラダ
• Non-oil Japanese Soy Sauce Dressing/ノンオイル和風醤油ドレッシング

The Roasted Sesame Dressing/焙煎胡麻ドレッシング is not vegan as it contains egg.

Kids’ menu:
• Fruit juice/フルーツジュース
• Small jelly (apple/mikan/grape)/プチゼリー(りんご・みかん・ぶどう)

Side menu:
• Rice/ご飯
• Nori seaweed/のり (it’s possible this contains fish or seafood as flavoring)
• Natto (with sauce or karashi mustard)/納豆(タレ・カラシ含) (it’s possible this contains fish or seafood as flavoring, particularly in the sauce)

The miso soup doesn’t show animal ingredients from the allergen chart, but it’s extremely likely it contains fish and/or seafood.

None of the other sides are vegan. The tororo has egg and milk.

Seasonings:
• Gochujang/コチュジャン
• Salt & Pepper/塩こしょう
• Kabosu Citrus Pepper/かぼす胡椒
• Natto (with sauce or karashi mustard)/納豆(タレ・カラシ含) (it’s possible this contains fish or seafood as flavoring, particularly in the sauce)

18 thoughts on “Fast Food

  1. Vegan Matt

    Loving hut is a vegan fastfood chain. Although it’s not exactly fastfood I always found a shabu-shabu restaurant chain called shabu-shabu onyasai san to be very accomodating..

    Reply
    1. isitveganjapan Post author

      Good idea, thank you. Unfortunately the bread at Subway in Japan is not vegan (contains dairy). However it seems that the wraps may be vegan (this is yet to be confirmed).

      Reply
  2. Tea

    at starbucks i saw a cake donut thing and there was no eggs or milk according to allergy info which means no butter too im guessing cuz dairy

    Reply
  3. blorgonizer

    Thank you so much for this list. There are a lot of things I hadn’t even heard of before! This is sure to make life easier.

    Unfortunately Starbucks changed the soymilk they use around 2008 and since then it has contained an emulsifier of animal origin.
    Regarding the “vegan” donut a Starbucks, the powedered sugar on top actually contains an additive derived from something like crab shells. It’s utterly ridiculous.

    I’ve also heard that someone ordering soy milk royal tea at Tully’s was asked by the waitress if the had a milk allergy because it contains condensed milk. Im not sure if this is in all the soymilk or in the tea itself.

    All this info came to light on thr Tokyo Vegetarians and Vrgans group on Facebook with the Starbuvks soymilk confirmed on a vegan Japanese blog.
    Why is finding soy without dairy so difficult? 😦

    Reply
  4. Pingback: How to Live as a Vegan in Japan – VeganMegane

  5. Elyviere

    Hi! We were at Ikea in Yokohama last week, and it seems the vegetable balls with yoghurt sauce is now a fully vegan option. The yoghurt sauce is now made on soy, and we weren’t able to find anything in the allergen chart (besides contamination risk from other products) that was not vegan. Can’t speak for all Ikeas in Japan, but I’d assume they all have the same updated menu? Hope this helps anyway!

    Reply
  6. Elyviere (@elyviere)

    Hi! We were at Ikea in Yokohama last week, and it seems the vegetable balls with yoghurt sauce is now a fully vegan option. The yoghurt sauce is now made on soy, and we weren’t able to find anything in the allergen chart (besides contamination risk from other products) that was not vegan. Can’t speak for all Ikeas in Japan, but I’d assume they all have the same updated menu? Hope this helps anyway!

    Reply
    1. isitveganjapan Post author

      Thank you! We have confirmed with Ikea that the yogurt sauce is now made from soy yogurt and the dish has no animal ingredients (at all stores). They did say that the dish may not be available at all times as they sometimes reduce the number of menu items, especially when the store is busy, like on weekends and holidays. We appreciate your report and will update the listing!

      Reply
  7. Pingback: 8 New Vegan Foodie Options In Tokyo 2020 - Savvy Tokyo

    1. isitveganjapan Post author

      Hello, thank you for your comment. Per customer service, the old Mos burger soy patty had dairy and egg in the patty itself. However, since the launch of the Green Burger, if you order a “soy patty” in another item, they will now give you the green burger patty, not the old soy patty that had dairy and egg. Unfortunately this doesn’t make any of those items vegan as they all have animal ingredients in some other part of the item.

      In addition, Doutor’s burger is being sold as “not for kanzensaishokusugisha” (people who don’t eat any animal ingredients) and “main ingredients are free of animal ingredients.” They removed the honey/egg/milk ingredients from the trial product before launching the item due to customer request, but it appears they are not certifying every ancillary ingredient as being not of animal origin. Although they do not represent this item as vegan, we think it represents a positive step.

      We hope that clears up any confusion.

      Reply

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