花菜 — Restaurant in Hakone

Stunning! Food was incredibly fresh and beautiful in every way. The service was very impressive as one remarkably kind woman ran the whole show herself and even took the time to try to chat with us despite our inelegant attempts at speaking Japanese.

A must visit for vegans and vegetarians. Don't be daunted by the meat on the menu. As we began ordering the owner realized we were seeking out vegan/vegetarian and began making recommendations and even politely prevented us from over ordering. We were grateful for her advice as we have big appetites and would have added on more had she not given us the gentle warning.

Two of us enjoyed fried lotus root, the best, biggest, and freshest fried garlic, a cold tofu salad decked out with piles of fresh microgreens, cucumbers with miso, a quick pickled sweet and sour cabbage, a just spicy enough pumpkin curry with naan and two bottles of hot sake for about 6,500 yen total. My only regret is that I didn't take my phone with me to take pictures of the gorgeous food. So far this has been my favorite...

I never feel the need to leave a review. Tonights meal was one my wife and I will NEVER forget. First ones in for dinner, and the woman who runs the whole show told us the sashimi on the daily specials was very, very good. When I tell you she was underselling. OH MY GOD. I’ve had fantastic sushi in the US, fresh squid in Greece, nothing compares to what I just ate. My wife and I almost cried during dinner realizing we may never eat a meal like this again. As more people wandered in, we took joy in watching their faces as their food arrived and they took their first bites, realizing what we just had. We followed her recommendation on the sashimi, as well as the fried squid and the garlic chicken… We want to move down the street and eat there every evening. DO NOT miss the opportunity to dine at this establishment! I will be dreaming of that meal for years to come 😋...

We were recommended this place by our hotel manager. The lady was kind enough to invite us in 30 minutes earlier than the opening time. We're vegan, which in Japan means an every day struggle when travelling. We were given a good selection of options and all we're really good quality. We especially recommend the fried potato with hijiki, they're like potato croquettes. The prices are really reasonable as well, especially compared to vegan only...