VEGAN GYOZA — Restaurant in Tokyo

I arrived on a weekend afternoon just before opening time. I ordered the ¥2500 set of 11 gyoza pan-fried. Honest review below.

Pros: The owner is super friendly and working hard to run a small business. The ¥2500 set of 11 gyoza allows you to try all the flavours. Recommended for first timers. If you’re a second timer, you can choose your favourites and pay for them individually. The set really fills you up. The owner said if you’re hungry, you’ll manage all 11 and I’ll wrap up any remainders for takeaway. That was appreciated and I did finish them, but I didn’t need dinner that night. Nice outdoor seating on the deck. Not sure if this requires a reservation, but you might want to ask. The ingredients were high quality and everything was clearly handmade. Of the 11 gyoza, 6 were tasty. I particularly remember the ginger miso and Chinese chives. The different coloured wrappers is a nice touch. I haven’t seen that before. Everything is vegan, down to the drinks. It’s great to see more vegan options in Japan with the tourism influx. Make a reservation, or come early and queue up. Reservations are prioritised and the owner takes your order according to when you arrive because the gyoza take 15 minutes to make. Some people have complained in the reviews about waiting ages to order, but I think this is a great system. If you’re in a rush, this isn’t the place for you.

Cons I don’t think the owner intended this but it has become a tourist place (with tourist prices). There was only one table of Japanese people and me as a Japanese resident. All other tables were foreign tourists. The most likely reason why it’s become a tourist place is ¥2500 for a meal is prohibitively expensive for a local resident. We typically don’t pay more than ¥1000 for lunch. 5 out of the 11 gyoza were completely bland. I particularly remember the green pepper and coriander as having a generic flavour and lack of seasoning. I saved the kimchi for last as that’s my favourite and it was a huge disappointment. Kimchi is supposed to be spicy and there was zero flavour, let alone spiciness. I overheard the people at the next table saying they felt ripped off by the drinks. It was ¥700 for a lot of ice. I didn’t order a drink, but I could see what they meant. The gyoza wrappers are too thick and heavy. It does fill you up, but I’m more used to a lighter texture. The information sheet says you don’t need any dipping sauce. I strongly disagree. The gyoza really need a vinegar-based dipping sauce to cut through the heaviness. I suspect that might also be why half of the gyoza came across as bland. I understand the owner wants customers to appreciate each flavour, but I’m sorry to say they really do need a dipping sauce. Several reviews also mention it, even overwhelmingly positive reviews. The owner really does need to take this feedback on board and offer a dipping sauce. It would take the gyoza to the next level. The location is in the middle of nowhere, which can be a pro or con depending on how you look at it. It’s a 12-minute walk from Nippori Station which is where you take the airport train. The terrain is not suitable if you’ve got suitcases. If your suitcases are being delivered to/from the airport however, no issues.

Overall, I don’t think I’ll be back. Unfortunately it’s not good enough to warrant the tourist price tag, speaking as a local resident. It pains me to say this because I really wanted to support this small business.

I understand the owner takes care to make everything by hand, but there are a number of ramen chains doing equally good vegan gyoza for half the price. I hope the owner starts to listen to the feedback about the dipping sauce too.

Tip: Anywhere in Tokyo charging more than ¥1200 for a meal is a tourist place. Local residents draw the line at ¥1000. It’s even called ‘the ¥1000 wall’, especially with ramen. With the weak yen, the wall has been broken recently, but only slightly. Therefore, you don’t need to spend more than ¥1200 for a good...

Disappointed

I was really disappointed with my experience here. I feel like the positive reviews might be from desperate vegans who have been struggling to find options during their stay in Japan. After days of searching, they stumble upon this place and are so hungry that anything seems amazing.

Usually, when a restaurant says "no sauce needed," it's because the dish is bursting with flavor on its own. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. The gyoza skins were dry and completely bland, making a dipping sauce essential. They even had a note saying you wouldn’t need it, but trust me, you do. When I asked if they had something spicy or salty to dip them in, the server insisted that the gyoza had enough flavor on their own. She even mentioned that the black-skinned gyoza had chili oil inside, so I asked if I could get some chili oil on the side. She declined.

I tried to take a bite, but I couldn’t stomach it. The gyoza were just unpleasant to eat, in my opinion.

The strawberry soda was another letdown. It wasn’t listed on the menu that it came topped with cream, which I didn’t think paired well with gyoza. To top it off, after just two sips, the drink was basically gone. I understand that drink portions in Japan are smaller, but this was extreme. You can see the portion size in the photo—barely anything there.

I asked for the bill almost immediately. I just wanted to get out of there.

On the positive side, the restaurant is easy to access by train, and the interior is charming. They also have air conditioning and outdoor seating, which is nice. That’s the only reason I’m giving them a star. But as for the food? Never again.

I understand that creating flavorful vegan dishes can be challenging, and we vegans can be critical. But in my opinion, these gyoza lacked flavor entirely. I’d rather heat up some vegetable gyoza from Costco, HMart, or any chain store before coming back here.

It might be cute for Instagram, but I won't even bother posting about this place. It was a complete...

So… a very conflicting review. Let’s start with the positives.

Positive: An amazing concept. Love the focus on veganism, health, color and using natural ingredients. Also I personally like the idea of a restaurant serving just one item - it usually means it’s good enough for the place to survive.

Beautiful restaurant space with an outdoor patio and inside area. As always a typical Japanese restroom as well.

Dumplings were delicious - VERY filling. It did get repetitive towards the end and I think some vinegar or cucumber appetizer etc would be a nice break. A good matcha latte as well.

Now… the moment of truth. This was the slowest and most agonizing service I have ever experienced and I felt my patience being tested on another level.

It was a 25-30 minute wait for a table, 15 minutes to take the order and another 20-40 minute wait for your food to arrive. (Legit I’m not even exaggerating the time frame. One guy was seated a few minutes after me and got his meal right as I finished mine - and I took my sweet time with it)

Well, it makes sense since one single person is doing EVERYTHING - including leading customers in, cleaning the table, passing the menu, serving water, taking orders, serving orders, packing takeaway orders, collecting payment and then seeing (Japanese) customers to the door. I even noticed her manually writing table numbers on each receipt as customers are waiting.

While her effort is admirable, it’s evident that the restaurant desperately NEEDS another hire or some form of technology.

Like maybe a QR code to order, self service for water, self pick up from the counter or SOMETHING. Absolutely ANYTHING to speed up the process even slightly.

I also must add that I did notice a slight hint of favoritism towards white skinned people vs other tourists which was like… wtf.

So, while I’d love to return, the thought of spending up to 2 hours for this meal is very daunting and I...