Otis! — Restaurant in Hiroshima

Wow! This little Mexican restaurant is a gem of a find. We are in Japan with our vegetarian son who also has a dairy intolerance and it has been a struggle to feed him while we've been here. Hiroshima is the first place we've found vegetarian options. Otis, which is just across the road from our airb'n'b and the first place offering vegan options. So here we are, checking it out, and I can tell you all it is wonderful. The atmosphere in this quaint little restaurant is 100% magical, it takes me back to another time, it is unique. The music is absolutely brilliant, presumably from the immense album and CD collection that sits on the shelves around the bar area. Any space is filled with books. There appears to be signatures all over the white papered walls, whether from customers or bands that have played here, I don't actually know (live music is played here, instruments can be seen around the room; a promise of great nights to come). I love this little restaurant, it is inclusive, authentic, welcoming, and cosy. Oh, and the food 😋🤤! We had chicken enchiladas which were SO delicious and had SO much chicken inside them. Our son had bean chilli and vegan cheese, the first meal that had no egg in it since we arrived lol Thank you for a stress free meal for all of us and a lovely relaxed atmosphere to spend an evening on...

Not a bad atmosphere, very relaxed background music and friendly owner. The walls are scribbled on with quotes and some amazing drawings, adding to the flavour and seemingly mysterious background of the owner who reminds me of a sailor with many stories to tell. Alas, I was not privy to them, though I would have liked to have had the opportunity to strike up a chat with this Japanese oldtimer.

However, the food portions were small and its pretty expensive for what you end up getting. The chicken was pretty dry (chewy) in the enchiladas, the nachos were just tortilla chips with some random cheese gooped over it, in a less than satisfying amount. Definitly not a real mexican style, but if its tex-mex style portions that are supposed to be small, then I made the mistake of thinking it'd be more. The service was great though, and should be noted.

Finally, saw a cockroach climbing up the wall behind some upside down dried flowers. That pretty much ruined the meal for me combined with the above dissappointing features.

Food not too great. Atmosphere, owner...

So happy I found this place last minute! Being vegan in Japan takes a lot of research but Otis! made it easy, there are signs in English and Japanese with vegan cheese available and vegan cake etc so you know they understand and the food will be prepared seriously.

I got the bean enchiladas with vegan cheese, it was small (2 tortillas) and just beans for the filling, but it's very tasty! I would recommend if you're hungry to get 2 dishes. There is also a "light" menu with smaller dishes so that would be a good option too!

A great place to go with mixed company. My hubby isn't vegan so he also enjoyed the enchiladas but got beef and real cheese. It was the perfect portion for him since he had already had a snack just before.

The staff is attentive and kind, our water was always refilled! Thank you for the delicious...