Tempura topping curry, a curry of fresh vegetables topped with vegetable tempura with multigrain rice at Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Vegan food, especially Japanese curry, can be hard to find in Japan, but at Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa, vegan diners can enjoy the Japanese culinary classic.
The restaurant is in the Asakusa district in Tokyo, near the Sumida River, and has a perfect view of the Tokyo Skytree across the street.
The owner and all the staff are vegan and may assist customers who are interested in veganism, according to the restaurant website. In addition to being vegan-friendly, all the dishes in the restaurant are gluten-free, so they offer choices for a variety of dietary restrictions.
Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa can seat 14 inside and six outdoors, and dogs are allowed in the restaurant.
I opted for their most popular dish, the tempura topping curry for 1,749 yen, or $11.11, with an organic rooibos tea for 550 yen and a chocolate special for dessert for 800 yen.
It was a delicious curry made of fresh toasted vegetables topped with vegetable tempura with multigrain rice on the side.
The chocolate special, a chocolate rice waffle topped with chocolate vegan ice cream, chocolate sauce, organic cacao nibs and freeze-dried raspberries at Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The chocolate special is a chocolate rice waffle topped with chocolate vegan ice cream, chocolate sauce, organic cacao nibs and freeze-dried raspberries. It was to die for, and I couldn’t tell that it was gluten-free and vegan.
Other food items are tempeh topping curry, a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans; fried soybean meat topping curry, an organic soybean meat topped with their special seasoning made with tahini sauce; and avocado topping curry, which is topped with half an avocado. All those curries are 1,584 yen for a regular potion and 2,035 yen for a large portion.
Drink options are hot or cold organic coffee or tea for 550 yen; apple juice or organic almond and coconut milk for 600 yen; and craft cola for 660 yen, which can be upgraded to a craft cola ice cream float for another 164 yen.
Other dessert options include a sweet potato donut for 300 yen; rice flour waffles in plain or chocolate for 330 yen; and homemade vegan ice cream, a vanilla ice cream made from coconut milk and topped with cashew nuts, maple syrup and cocoa, for 539 yen.
Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Marugoto Vegan Dining Asakusa
Location: 1 Chome-3-13 Hanakawado Taito City, Tokyo 111-0033
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; closed Mondays
Prices: Items range from 300 yen to 2,035 yen.
Dress: Casual
Directions: Four-minute walk from Kanda Station, Tokyo
Online: dining.marugotovegan.com/menu
