As some of you know, I spend most of my time at Kyoto University, where I do my PhD. I know: if you take a look in my Instagram account, it surely doesn’t look like it. But, you know how social media reflects reality – in a very selective way 😉
I must admit that the food halls in the university really surprised me with their vegan options, but eating the same thing every day is a little monotonous. Though I do love to cook, there are times when I can barely stay at home, and although my partner is an amazing cook, he is often busy too. That’s why it is so important to me to have a variety of vegan places around the university. I really love them, since they keep my body nourished with delicious vegan food whenever needed.
Even if you’re not at Kyoto University, these places are just nearby the monthly Tezukuri-Ichi Marketand relatively close to Ginkaku-ji Temple.
So, to share with you this very useful information, I will present some vegan places around Kyoto University in these next two posts. So let’s start!
Sujata
A nice little restaurant near Kyoto University, Sujata is filled with artistic works of the Sri Chinmoy Center and houses a homey atmosphere. The restaurant is managed by an elderly lady that does it all: cook, serve, clean, and smile at you the whole time you’re at the restaurant.
The place is set in a small, two-story Japanese house with tables on the first floor and a Japanese-sitting room on the second. I’m not sure if the restaurant can fit a large group of people, but you can try. The menu offers Indian and Japanese food, which are all plant based.
The concept of the restaurant is inspired by Sri Chinmoy’s teachings, and you can find little notes with inspirational quotes on some of the tables. It helps when you wait for your food! My friend and I waited for some time since it was the busy lunch hour, and the lady behind the counter was the only employee there. But, guess what? It was totally worth it.
We both had the ramen set, which was PERFECT for a freezing January day. We got a great soymilk ramen with salad and tofu meat on the side that you can put in your soup. Even my very-not-vegan friend really liked it. This pure pleasure cost us only 1,000 yen, and actually it was the most expensive dish on the menu.
Besides ramen they also offer three kinds of curry sets, vegan gyoza, samosas, and a few desserts – everything under 1,000 yen! Definitely go there if you’d like some vegan food in a cozy place.
Sunny Place
This one is a small restaurant, and all seats are at the bar. It’s decorated in a warm African/Hippie wooden construction, and you’re asked to take off your shoes when stepping inside, though you sit on chairs (so don’t worry about your knees 😉 ).
The place is owned by Yumi, a very nice Japanese lady (and mother of eight!). I really enjoyed talking with her about the various styles of nutrition she has experienced.
For lunch (it only opens for lunch), there are two sets to choose from that change every few days. I had an enzyme rice, soy-chicken cutlet, salad (with many vegetables!), fried tofu, and miso soup. All of this delicious cuisine was only 1,000 yen!
While eating there, we were also talking with another lady sitting at the bar who seemed to be an acquaintance of Yumi. After a while, another woman came in, and we started to talk about the monthly cooking classes Yumi holds (if you’re interested, you can check out the dates on Sunny Place Facebook). Overall, we had a very nice lunchtime!
So if you’re into eating and knowing the locals at the same time, Sunny Place is highly recommended!
Alright, three places are enough for this time. Next time, expect some more great, delicious vegan places to check out while you’re around Kyoto University.
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Share it with your friends and let me know what you think in the comments (:
2 Comments
jason jett
April 12, 2019 at 3:43 pmA nice post. I visited Sujata several times to years ago. The food was delicious, and the owner adorable. I miss it… I attempted a couple times to dine at Sunny Place, but both times found it closed. I think there was an issue causing it to be closed at that time. Thanks for letting me know about Pelgag. Next time I am in Kyoto..!
bluevagabond
April 23, 2019 at 10:40 amHey! So happy that you liked the post 😃
I just went to Sugata yesterday to tell her about the post – she was so happy!
Hope next time you’re in town you’ll get the chance to eat in Pelgag too – it’s really something.