Vegan Curry in Japan: Where to Eat It (Checked October 2026)

Short answer: for vegan curry in Japan, eat at Marugoto Vegan Dining in Asakusa, a 100% vegan restaurant, or at Bakumatsu Curry in Shibuya, a soup-curry shop whose stock, according to its operator, uses no animal ingredients — or, anywhere else, order CoCo Ichibanya's CoCoICHI vegetarian curry (¥683 including tax, standard dine-in price) by its exact name. Ordinary Japanese curry is a poor bet: most commercial roux blocks are built on animal fat, and many restaurant sauces lean on bonito (katsuo) dashi. Marugoto Vegan Dining and CoCo Ichibanya were re-checked against their official pages on 13 October 2026; for Bakumatsu Curry, the latest primary source we found is its October 2025 opening press release.

Vegan curry restaurants in Tokyo (re-checked October 2026)

Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa (1-3-13 Hanakawado, Taito-ku — one minute on foot from exit 5 of Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line) describes itself as "a 100% vegan and gluten-free restaurant," and its reservation page states that every menu item is vegan. Curry is a regular part of the menu — the restaurant has featured an avocado curry, for example — so you do not need to interrogate the sauce. Opening days and lunch/dinner service change through the year, so check the official site's opening-day calendar before you go, and reserve through TableCheck if you can: it is a small room.

Bakumatsu Curry (幕末カリー) is a vegetable soup-curry specialist run by ALL FARM, the company behind the organic restaurant WE ARE THE FARM. According to ALL FARM's press release, it opened on 10 October 2025 at 1-28-11 Shōtō, Shibuya, as the first shop of a new line. We could not find a 2026 primary source confirming that it still operates at that address, and later listings disagree with the release on its address and hours. The operator says its soup stock uses no animal ingredients and draws its depth from more than ten kinds of seasonal vegetables, many grown on the company's own farm in Sakura, Chiba, and the curry is served in a custom-made clay pot. The release does not say the whole menu is plant-based — dinner adds small vegetable dishes, and there are toppings and drinks — so confirm toppings and sides with the staff. Check the shop's current location and hours before making the trip.

Outside the big cities: the chain fallback

CoCo Ichibanya, the nationwide curry chain, has one item it describes as using no animal-derived ingredients: order the CoCoICHI vegetarian curry (ココイチベジカレー, ¥683 including tax at standard stores, checked 2026-10-13) by name, because the regular sauce is a different product — and note that some stores price it differently or do not carry it. The full ordering rules are in our CoCo Ichibanya vegan guide.

Why ordinary Japanese curry usually isn't vegan

Curry that looks like "just vegetables" is usually built on a commercial roux block made with animal fat, dairy, honey or gelatin, and many restaurant sauces add bonito (katsuo) dashi. The brand-by-brand labels are in is Japanese curry vegan?.

How to order curry safely as a vegan

• Ask directly: "Vegan desu ka?" (ビーガンですか？) or, more specifically, "Katsuobushi dashi wo tsukatte imasu ka?" (かつお節だしを使っていますか？ — "Do you use bonito dashi?"). Staff at dedicated vegan spots will know exactly what you mean; at general restaurants, the dashi question is the one that actually matters.
• At curry chains, ask whether the roux is house-made or a boxed product, and whether a plant-based item exists on the menu — at CoCo Ichibanya, that means the vegetarian curry by name.
• If you're cooking at home or shopping, look for roux boxes explicitly labeled vegan or "no animal-derived ingredients" in English rather than assuming a familiar brand name is safe — formulations vary by SKU.

Japanese curry doesn't have to be off-limits. With a couple of dedicated restaurants, a chain option ordered by its exact name, and the right two questions in your back pocket, it's one of the more reliably satisfying vegan meals you can find in Japan.

Marugoto Vegan Dining's details and CoCo Ichibanya's price were checked against official pages on 13 October 2026; Bakumatsu Curry's details come from its October 2025 opening press release. Hours, menus and prices change — confirm with the restaurant before you travel.