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Vegan restaurant in a traditional machiya-style house close to the Nishiki market, est. since 2016. Its flagship location is in Okinawa. Features contemporary vegan-meets-shojin cuisine using organic local vegetables, millet, and prepared condiments like vinegar, miso, and soy sauce. Has set menus with options from Japanese Shojin and Italian to French and Oriental. Three dinner plans are offered: a chef’s special vegan sushi course, a 9-course meal (last call 7:30pm), a 7-course meal (last call 8pm), and a 6-course meal (last call (8pm). Has a pairing menu with premium sake or natural wine. Reservations recommended. NOTE from owner: "We regret to inform you that we will be closing down on Jan 27, 2019. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of you. Things are changing so rapidly, we decided to focus on delivering a organic & peaceful message from our home Okinawa. We’re looking forward to welcoming you in Okinawa."
87 Reviews
First Review by Timbob
andreawe
Points +653
heaven!!! - Edit
Completely vegan restaurant and the food was AMAZING! We highly recommend it! Also the staff is lovely, we will come back.
Read morePros: completely vegan
Guest
Skutbag
Points +144
Best place we ate in 2 weeks - Edit
Contemporary Shojin cuisine with a fair price for the quality, variety and ethos. There is a branch in Okinawa as well apparently, and at the time of our visit the Kyoto branch had been open for only 2 months or so.
Read moreYou wouldn't have known though, the whole team are obviously passionate, friendly and knowledgeable about everything they do. Our host spoke perfect English (and presumably Japanese and his native Italian as well) and gave a full description of each dish as well as bringing the tapas options to view before ordering.
We had tapas to start. I had a pasta dish with a Japanese twist while my partner had the faux-fried fish tofu (something we have tried back in the UK).
The wine list looked very nice but the house white was perfectly good too and a fair price. It was slightly hazy but this was deliberate as they did not use conventional finings to clear the wine (I am used to hazy homebrew wine however I thought I would note this for other diners who might be concerned about veggie/vegan wines).
Chocolate cake for pudding and I had a sake (which again was described expertly by our server.)
The ambience is very nice inside with a good view of the kitchen. We turned up fairly early for dinner which is probably advisable if you aren't making reservations. There is another well reviewed vegan place in Kyoto that the one time we visited was already fully booked before opening - I can see this place doing just as well.
Even for a low-moderate budget, it is worth treating yourself here at least once if you are in Kyoto. We look forward to coming back... at some point!
Pros: Excellent quality, Excellent service, Excellent wine
Cons: On the pricey side for us (but worth it), Could get very popular
Guest
Cleothecrazybovineuk
Points +18
Amazing food, wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff :-) - Edit
I am visiting Kyoto for the first time and went straight to HappyCow to find a vegan place to eat - I liked the description of Ukishima Gardens and following the link to their website gave me an idea of the menu. I got a little lost trying to find them and it is easy to miss the restaurant as there is no signage to the front of the building yet - Gladly, I was lucky and managed to get seated and settled. The restaurant has a lovely clean and basic feel to it, it is open plan and you can see the food being prepared. The food was fresh and made to order; it was flavoursome and rich. The presentation was fantastic and the staff were friendly and informative about the options available. It is slightly on the pricey side and the portions could be a bit bigger (especially for a piggy like me!) but I would definitely return again. It was a treat and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience - Thank you!
Read morePros: Vegan ;-) , Food Presentation Atmosphere Choice of dishes St
Cons: A little on the expensive side but I'd still recom
Guest
Brinielou
Points +169
Great place, but pricy - Edit
Recently went to Ukishima. The staff were all lovely and our server spoke English and was very polite and went through the menu for us, explaining the options.
Read moreBeautiful look as well, with a nice garden in the middle.
Food was great but for 3 tapas, 2 mains and beer it was ¥5,100, I haven't had to spend that much in Japan yet. Definitely worth it.
There is a spicy tofu tapas that is incredible and the rice pasta was lovely too
Pros: Nice Atmosphere, English menu and speaking, Great Food
Cons: Pricing for portion size
Guest
MelissaMartin
Points +17
Elegant, delicious and peaceful must-visit - Edit
We decided to try Ukishima Garden on our first night in Kyoto.
Read moreIt wasn't just a good choice; it was the perfect choice. From the moment we walked in the door of this all-vegan restaurant, we were thrilled. The exquisite interior, which features an elegant inner courtyard garden, fostered a relaxed and refined atmosphere.
Still, the star here was the food. For vegans arriving in Kyoto from elsewhere in Japan -- where, as we know, dining options can often come down to "sure, I'll have my third plate of cold soba today," Ukishima Garden will be a revelation.
The menu featured an exciting array of options, including small tapas dishes, appetizers and well-crafted mains, representing fusion of Japanese, Okinawan and global cuisines. The famous vegetables of the Kansai region are featured prominently; everything is expertly prepared.
On our visit, we tried all of the tapas, three mains and several desserts. Of the mains, the vegan Okinawan taco rice was a delight, but the real star of the show was a vegan version of Japanese fried fish, made of millet wrapped in nori with a creamy sauce. It was buttery (figuratively speaking!) and comforting. Finished off with a matcha tiramisu and an interesting purple potato vegan ice cream, it was a spectacular meal.
The bill came to $9,300 yen -- not bad at all for three people, in a meal that included nine different tapas dishes, a glass of wine, a beer, three mains and three desserts.
Service was polite and knowledgeable, with an English menu. The wine was nicely paired with the flavours of the available dishes. The all-female staff were a joy to watch, as they calmly and confidently prepared the dishes. A true revelation in the heart of Kyoto, and a restaurant we look forward to visiting every time we return to tnis very special city.
Updated from previous review on Thursday April 14, 2016
Pros: Culinary Creativity, Beautiful Interior, Serene Atmosphere
Guest
Timbob
Points +26
Beautiful Food - Edit
This is a beautiful restaurant near Gion Shijo and Sanjo Stations. There was a nice variety of Shojin and fusion dishes on the menu. All were of superb quality. The directions on the Happy Cow website are quite accurate, however, be careful searching for Ukishima on the Google Map app as it will lead you to a distant parking lot! It is on the expensive side, however, worth it for the quality of the food and the atmosphere. I highly recommend Ukishima!
Read moreGuest
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