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Restaurant located near JR Nara station. The owner is the chef who also teaches vegan cooking and gluten-free cooking. Offers a daily lunch set comprising several dishes like salad, steamed vegetables, and fried items: set comes with brown rice and soup. A la carte dishes like ramen and udon are available. For some items you will have a choice between dairy or non-dairy. Note that the vegan food is also gluten-free; halal options are available. Night time is kaiseki cuisine with reservation required. Open Tue-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm.
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Last update on 25 Mar 2026 by EmmaCebuliak
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Added by Junjie on 05 Jul 2013
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104 Reviews
First Review by JesseD
EmmaCebuliak
Points +1890
Recommended Vegan/Vegetarian Spot in Nara City - Edit
I've been here once for dinner and once for lunch, and both times enjoyed it a lot.
Read moreYou'll have the best experience if the woman owner is there, as she is genuinely so friendly, enthusiastic and careful about the food. She likes to explain what each dish contains and where the ingredients are from.
They describe the cuisine as a Japanese-Chinese fusion, which mainly consists of rice, miso soup, and an assortment of accompaniments like veggie patties, and veggies done a variety of ways. Although not everything is fully vegan, they've always been very careful to make sure my food is vegan.
The second time I went with a friend, it was raining, and she lady insisted on giving us a ride to the station in her car on her own way home.
If you're in Nara, it's definitely worth a visit!
Remember you need a reservation for dinner.
Updated from previous review on 2016-08-23
Pros: Food is nice, Lunch price is reasonable, Very friendly owner
Cons: A bit far from Nara Park, Dinner is on the more expensive side
Guest
mgates000
Points +19
Hidden Gem - Edit
We were so happy to come across Kinatei on our trip to Nara! Eating vegan in Japan can be difficult without proper planning and finding this place was refreshing. The food was great and the friendly owner shared helpful tips on how to avoid animal products used in common Japanese dishes. The set lunch menu was both filling and delicious!
Read morePros: Food, Atmosphere, Customer Service
Guest
flexo
Points +20
Even got a photo of us! - Edit
We came here in April this year after finding it on the happycow app; the tourist centre at the park also knew about it. It would probably be a bit tricky to find without GPS.
Read moreWhen we arrived we discovered that we'd just missed the lunchtime opening hours, but as it happened the owner saw us outside and opened up again just for us! (We were so happy; it seemed like Nara has very few restaurants!)
The owner was very friendly and we loved the map on the wall on which she had us put a sticker on our hometown.
The food was also delicious. I can't remember what we paid since were just happy to have been fed after a busy day in Nara!
When we had finished eating the owner looked up train times for us, and seeing that we were going to miss one, even drove us to the station after locking up. Thank you so much!
Pros: Great food, Extremely friendly owner
Guest
DJK
Points +69
Wonderful Delicious Experience! - Edit
What a great experience and fantastic meal. We visited for lunch in early July and had the set meal. The owner, Yoshiko, is a delight. She speaks multiple languages and runs the restaurant with her daughter. The food was absolutely delicious and plentiful. And, on a super hot day, she offered to give us a ride to the temple area, which was incredibly kind of her! Highly recommended all around!
Read moreGuest
AdamGrahhs
Points +25
absolutely amazing - Edit
I don't know where to begin. The food was absolutely delicious, portions were perfect and the owner not only speaks English but is very nice and actually drove me to see a temple because she didn't want me to have to walk to far inn the heat!
Read moreGuest
Suu
Points +411
Really Good vegan! - Edit
Really great restaurant with the Best manager. He talk in english and a very Good spanish! I'm spanish and i was really surprised. Really Good food with a soy "fish" amazing!
Read moreGuest
Berlin10967
Points +17
also felt ripped off - Edit
also felt a bit ripped off. We expected much more from this place after reading all these 5 stars reviews. We booked the cheapest dinner menu for 3.000 ¥ which was quite dissapointing. The food was ok, but not excellent. At every other vegan/veggie place in Japan I had at least the option to get brown rice - at this place you get white rice without getting asked.
Read moreFor me Nara is not a place for vegans/vegetarians compared to Kyoto
Guest
Mariana.C
Points +16
Lovely place! - Edit
The owner is the chef, she is a beautiful person. She speaks English and Chinese very well. She cooks with organic vegetables. Offers a lunch set which includes a few different dishes, served with brown rice and a soup. And my favorite vegan fish.
Read moreShe makes the best miso soup I have ever tested.
Loved this place!!!
Guest
JoshuaStefane
Points +90
Great vegan food in the heart of Nara - Edit
I live in Nara, so it's nice to have a vegan restaurant close by.
Read moreThe set menus that are offered are usually filling and always quite tasty. The curries are also great.
My one issues is that the owner can be a tad too talkative sometimes. This is fine in certain situations, but there have been times when my friends and I would have preferred to have been left alone.
In any case, if you're in Nara, check it out.
Pros: good set menus, friendly, location
Cons: owner too chatty :)
Guest
JamesW76
Points +1467
Lovely - Edit
This place belonging to the charismatic Yoshihana is great. There is a lunch set either vegan or veggie and a few other choices. It's tricky to find (follow happy cows pin on the map rather than the address!) and you will be rewarded.
Read moreGuest
Shanghai Sally
Points +349
really fun evening - Edit
We had a wonderful vegan feast here. Everything was presented with such love and care. The owner narrated our meal telling us where everything was sourced - she was very proud of her food - rightly so. It was great not to have to think and have everything bought to us - and have everything vegan ! Very enjoyable !
Read moreGuest
Vanessa S
Points +13
Great Japanese Vegan Food - Edit
We were very happy to find this vegan restaurant in Nara. We were only visiting Nara for one day to see the temples and palace and Kinatei is the only vegan restaurant in town.
Read moreWe walked from the temples downtown to Kinatei and it took us about 20 minutes. The food tasted great, warm and comforting. Perfect on a chilly and rainy day. It was the best Japanese style meal I had in Japan. I particularly liked that the meal came with a variety of dishes (bento style). My favorite was the mushroom soup.
The owner was working and her mother was there as well. Both were very sweet and pleasant people. They were so friendly, that the owner offered to drive us to the palace so we would have enough time to see the grounds before closing.
Pros: Variety of food, Japanese style, Nice staff
Guest
Tbms1992
Points +131
Lovely food served by a lovely lady! - Edit
The food here is very special, the woman who runs it plans each dish and sources all organic ingredients! We came here for both lunch and dinner. The lunch was very yummy with delicious miso soup, pickles, a tasty potato cake and a salad. Dinner was elaborate fare including ten or so dishes including vegan sashimi, vegan "chick'n" nuggets, seared soy meat which looked like almost exactly like a fish steak (complete with nori "skin") and other amazing things. The lunch was around 1600 yen and dinner 3000 (worth it as its basically a private banquet). The lady even drove us back to our hostel as it was snowing! Would definitely go back.
Read moreGuest
LisaLisaLisa
Points +423
Not my favourite place - Edit
Pros:
Read more* everything's vegan
* mostly organic
* serves traditionally Japanese food
Cons:
* the lady talks the entire time, and sometimes you just want to talk to the friends you're with or just have a nice and quiet meal
* the lady has a very short memory and we have the same conversation several times and I have to keep repeating things (eg. you're from Germany right? I'm from from Belgium -- ten minutes later -- you're from Germany right? no from Belgium -- ten minutes later -- you're from Germany right?)
* dinner is expensive
Pros: everything's vegan, mostly organic, serves traditionally Japanse food
Cons: lady talks the *entire* time, same conversation again and again, dinner is expensive
Guest
ThomasAppleyard
Points +211
A delightful meal and lovely evening. - Edit
Thus was a really special meal - very delicious at each of the many steps along the way. It's the kind of place where you want to sign the guest book at the end of the meal.
Read moreGuest
LaiNamKhim
Points +370
Great Traditional Japanese food - Edit
This is the only vegetarian restaurant in Nara and you really shouldn't miss it because the food is really great.
Read moreWhat is special is that it serves traditional Japanese dishes, which is not easy to find as many vegetarian restaurants in Japan serves either Indian or Western style dishes.
The owner speaks English and explains all the dishes. She also speaks Mandarin pretty well.
I stayed in Nara 2 nights and had 3 meals there.
The lunch sets were 1500Y plus tax, which comes with 4 dishes, a drink, organic brown rice and fruits.
I found the organic brown rice very fragrant and tasty -- so good you can it on its own.
Dinner is by reservation only. I didn't reserve, but I was told during lunch that the restaurant would be opening in the evening because she had two reservations. I decided to drop in when I came back from my temple tour in evening.
I was glad I tried the dinner. It was a multiple course dinner, including rice, miso soup, udon, salad, tofu, nuggets, "fish", burdock root etc, all served on beautiful little plates -- more than 10 dishes in all.
The dinner was expensive -- 5000Y inclusive of tax. But it was really satisfying and well worth it.
It's just a short walk from the JR station/central bus station, so it's quite conveniently located.
Pros: Great tasty wholesome food, Traditional Japanese food, Friendly owner speaks many languages
Cons: Dinner is expensive
Guest
KleinBiket
Points +81
We'll definitely come back ! - Edit
The food was delicious, organic and local ! The lady was very nice, she was very friendly and told us how the dishes were made. We could get extra rice, soup and tea for free.
Read moreThe restaurant isn't far from the station, and it's lovely, we'll definitely come back !!
Pros: organic local food, vegetarian & vegan food only, very nice staff
Guest
Nancy Cadet
Points +1149
Friendly, healthy & vegan - Edit
Location: At JR Nara station main exit, turn right. Walk past Comfort Hotel to Toyota rentals & car dealership , a few blocks down the wide street in front of the station . At the corner where Toyota is located, turn left . The cafe is one and a half blocks up the side street you have turned on, on the left. There's a sign "Vegetarian " outside.
Read moreMenu and ambiance : We had the lunch special with tea/coffee (1500 yen) with rice, miso soup with mushrooms, tofu stuffed pepper, green salad, pickled veggies , Mixed veg sauté , veg tempura. Everything was fresh and delicious . The multilingual owner is friendly and welcoming , explaining the sourcing of her all-organic produce. She insisted on driving us to Nara Koen even though there were still several customers having lunch ! A great, heart warming experience .
Pros: Vegan , Organic, Friendly
Cons: Might be hard to find on side street
Guest
mittimithai
Points +21
Super great - Edit
My family and I visited Kintaei during our visit to Nara. Nara itself is incredible and the owner provided us with a simply fantastic meal.
Read moreHard to say much else, you simply must eat here while visiting Nara.
Guest
LouiseBjorkenskar
Points +20
Friendly Place - Edit
Had a nice talk with the owner. They have different food every day. Mostly japanese/chinese. Very nice place.
Read moreGuest
Meander
Points +185
Very friendly, great food - Edit
I think this is the only vegan/vegetarian place in Nara, so it's a no-brainer really. The food was lovely and the owner is very friendly and energetic, and very conscious about food and its origins. She drove us to Nara park afterwards and later even helped us retrieve the mobile phone we had lost.
Read moreGuest
Midorichan89
Points +70
Excellent food a short walk from Nara station! - Edit
We were warmly welcomed by the host, who was a very friendly and nice lady who spoke good English. The food was really good, and she explained what everything was. The venue was also cozy. We had a good time there, and were treated really good. Thank you for the warm welcome and an amazing meal! Go here if you're in Nara, I can really reccommend it!
Read morePros: Taste, Friendly athmosphere, Great food for low prizes
Guest
leftyeye
Points +61
Amazing food and place - Edit
Kinatei is a great place to have vegan food. Everything was delicious and Yoshiko is amazing. She explained everything to us in English.
Read moreHer husband is great too! He spoke Spanish with us. They are both so kind..
After we had lunch she even drove us to the deer park.
If you visit Nara, don't miss Kinatei!!
Pros: Delicious food
Guest
Immenor
Points +13
Welcoming & Delicious - Edit
We found this place on happy cow and were extremely happy that we got the chance to visit it while passing through Nara! The food was delicious and it was wonderful how we were able to talk a lot with the owner. I'm vegetarian and my partner is vegan and what restrictions we might have was the first thing that was asked. We were able to have a great time talking with the owner in Japanese and English, in which we learned a lot about how the food was made and their family's vegetarian lifestyle. After she drove us to Nara park and we fed the dear some vegetable left overs, and then she drove us to large temple. Thanks to her hospitality we were able to explore Nara, get to make new friends, and have amazing Japanese vegan food.
Read morePros: vegan , super friendly , personal
Cons: None!
Guest
michelledesu
Points +196
Fantastic place - Edit
We visited Kinatei today and were blown away with the delicious food. The owner is very knowledgeable about what is in the food as well as where it comes from. It was fantastic to eat real Japanese cuisine as a vegan.
Read moreAfter an amazing lunch she drove is to Naramichi so we could see the old town Nara sights.
Today was one of our best days in Japan thanks to her. She also made us a bento each for dinner as well. Best vegan restaurant in Japan!
Pros: Great value, Excellent English, Delicious food!
Guest
Jkouma
Points +16
Great vegan or vegetarian food - Edit
Went to Kinatei for dinner, the food was amazing and the owner was very nice. She spoke English very well and explained all of the dishes and what was in them. The service was great also. After dinner she offered to give us a ride back to our hotel and even made some rice balls for us to take for breakfast the next morning since it was hard to find vegetarian/vegan food in the area. It is centrally locate about 5 minute walk from the JR Nara station near the Toyota dealership. If you are in the area I would absolutely recommend you make a trip to this restaurant, it had some of the best vegan food i have ever had.
Read moreGuest
alicejoyk
Points +8
Vegan food made with love - Edit
I can't recommend Yoshiko's restaraunt enough.
Read moreMy boyfriend is vegan and we were thrilled to find her restaurant.
Definitely a must for any vegetarian/vegans seeking the friendliest place in Japan.
She speaks incredible English and is excited to see you.
Every dish is hand crafted by her. I'm not even vegan and I was very impressed.
She doesn't just want to feed you her food but genuinely wants to be your friend and goes out of her way to get to know you.
1500円 for the lunch set, I was stuffed after. She gives you as much rice as you need and the miso was great.
Dinner is by reservation, she says it's even better.
Where to find it: When you see the Toyota building, it is on that side street, turn left before passing the Toyota car dealership from the Nara station.
Updated from previous review on Saturday March 28, 2015
Guest
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