Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. A local sake bar offers the Japanese equivalent of tapas, with many different choices on a menu of flash cards. About a third are vegetarian, and the friendly owner speaks English well enough to discuss choices for vegans. Has an English menu with photos. Accepts reservations until 6:30 pm. Seating is limited. Open Tue-Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm.


Venue map for Itoya
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29 Reviews

First Review by raveedratner

gemmaw9

Points +67

Vegetarian
15 Oct 2024

Amazing experience!

Such a great spot! The food is delicious, and the owner is so friendly - she even gave us a sheet with common Japanese phrases, including how to ask for vegetarian food!

elinerenne_

Points +510

Vegan
08 Aug 2024

Recommend!

Cute and cozy restaurant, the food was amazing and very delicious. Half of the menu is vegan, there were a lot of vegan options. Owner is very friendly and helps you choose the food and sake, also gave us a card with Japanese translations for common situations!

TES23

Points +16

Vegan
18 Jun 2024

Excellent food in a cosy environment

First-rate vegan options in a tiny bar/restaurant that only has a counter (9 seats). The owner has various flash cards to show the vegan options and was very considerate of dietary requests. They ask that all patrons order one beverage, but it wasn't a problem to bring my teenage daughter. There is a mix of more common dishes (gyoza, onigiri) and more unusual dishes (fried yam, wasabi-flavored seaweed), but all the flavorings were sublime. If you're vegan, this one is a must!

d.vegan

Points +836

Vegan
04 May 2024

Very good

Pretty unique dishes I haven't seen in many other parts of Japan!

ערן

Points +16

Vegan
17 Apr 2024

Great authentic food

There is a separate menu for vegans (with lots of options)
And the owner is so nice, she even trach me to ask for vegan food in Japanese.
If you are vegan and you want to eat good Japanese food sith no worries come here

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-17

Pros: Vegan giyoza, Fried grilled tofu, Natto with melted rice

Banaan

Points +41

Vegetarian
17 Apr 2024

Delicious and very accessible

Delicious meal, great service, very easy to select vegetarian or vegan dishes, highly recommended! Would give 5 stars if allowed.

נעמהגורודנציק

Points +17

Vegetarian
02 Apr 2024

Greate vigan food

Many options, very good food, friendly woman chef

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-02

TessaMcgilvray

Points +44

Vegan
23 Feb 2024

Best place I’ve been in Japan!

Wow so many vegan/veggie options to choose from. The owner speaks good English and the menu cards are very clear. I had noodle stir fry, miso and sake. Definitely recommend for an authentic dining experience.

Pros: Vegan options clear on menu , Authentic experience , Lots to choose from

MylesP

Points +20

Vegan
20 Dec 2023

Bravo Itoya

What a treat. Run by one woman, who I can only describe as a superstar. Offering a pretty comprehensive vegetarian and vegan menu, with some very easy to understand cue card/flip cards. Food was wonderful, and not too expensive. Highly recommend.

Pros: Atmosphere , Food, Hospitality

trogdor1978

Points +35

Vegan
20 Oct 2023

10/10, plenty of vegan food

Excellent local food items, anything you'd want to try while visiting Matsumoto. Vegan/vegetarian menu clearly labeled in English, more than enough to eat! Went back two nights in a row. Run by a sweet old lady who speaks great English. Worth a visit!

Pros: Many options , Local and fresh seasonal food menu

Gruenkern

Points +49

Vegetarian
18 Oct 2023

Great tiny restaurant

It is a really tiny restaurant with only 10 seats, all around one counter. The dishes are like tapas, so you can try different ones and easily share.
I would have never found or tried it without Happy Cow recommendation. The owner is very friendly and speaks English. You can choose from 15-20 dishes that are vegetarian/vegan. They are clearly marked on cards you get for choosing. Just mention you are vegetarian/vegan. The food is delicious and it is such a relief to just order japanese food without problems 😃
As this is a pub you have to order one drink per person with the meal. Be prepared to chat with the other guests.

Pros: Variety of food, Friendliness of the owner, Atmosphere

KristinaLR

Points +177

Vegan
10 Oct 2023

Authentic sake bar

So happy to have tried this little place in central Matsumoto. Would not have found without Happy Cow and thrilled to know that we coudl confidently exect lots of vegan options. Right away the owner asked if there was anything we didn't eat and spoke excellent English. I was given the vegan menu cards, which included about 15-20 dishes. It was hard to choose, but we went with the wasabi with sake lees (unlikely to get another chance to try a dish like this), the fried rice with mountain greens, somen noodles (hot or cold), fried tofu skins, and fried purple yam. Everything was great and came quickly even though it is a one woman operation. Also had a delicious local sake. Everything tasted great. Arriving around 5:30pm we had no trouble finding two seats. We also struck up a conversation with the people seated next to us. A very nice atmosphere.

Pros: vegan menu options are very clear, atmosphere

CupcakeKruimels

Points +13

Vegetarian
30 Sep 2023

Cozy and friendly for everybody.

SEATS: We were very fortunate there were 2 seats available for us. The limited spaces is 8 seats, so dont try to go here with 4 or more people.

OPTIONS: Vegan and vegetarian options are available. You get a set of 12 to 15 cards with dishes from which you can choose. The dishes itself are good for sharing with someone else.

The owner is a friendly woman who does her best trying to speak English. She will try to talk to everybody, and she will be interested to hear where you are from.

We recommend the homemade Yuzushu with soda.

dreamyavocadooo

Points +38

Vegan
07 Sep 2023

Yummy vegan options

おいしい!ありがとう!Lovely place lovely vegan option and the owner is the loveliest person, curious to get to know you! Also speedy preperation on what I had. You have to get a drink if you there as its a Japanese pub😄

Pros: Yummy Vegan options, Welcoming, Atmospheric pub

FrankRietkerk

Points +33

Vegetarian
13 May 2023

Itoya

Small bar-like restaurant at which all sit at one counter. The restaurant is run by a Japanese woman who cooks and serves simultaneously. I reckon about ten people can sit there in total. The food was great and the host was most kind. Offers around ten vegetarian options and around six to eight vegan options. Be sure to check the opening times to avoid any unnecessary disappointments. I advise going early or calling to reserve if you want to make sure to have a spot, as the place has limited availability.

Updated from previous review on 2023-05-13

Pros: Great food, One of the few vegetarian friendly restaurants, Great atmosphere

Cons: Small place so seating is limited

Daniel.gilmour

Points +11

Mostly Veg
12 Apr 2023

Massive choice

Excellent food. Great vegan options. Good way of trying a lot of Japanese food in small portions

Pros: Lots of vegan option , English speaking

EllieHudson

Points +30

Vegan
03 Feb 2023

Amazing

Happy cow only allows me to give it 4 stars as it's not fully vegan (!?) but they deserve a 5.

It's been really difficult finding suitable vegan food in Japan. When I walked into this tiny little restaurant, she asked if I was vegan or veggie and I could have cried with happiness.

She gave me around 30 flash cards, showing vegan food, a picture of the item, description and price.

Really nice homemade drinks too. I went for a Yuzu and soda.

It was a holiday here so she gifted me with beans (I was to eat as many beans as my age), handmade origami, and common Japanese phrases. So so kind.

2000¥ for dumplings, soba noodles and a non alcoholic drink, very reasonable :)

Pros: So many vegan options, Speaks very good English, A really kind, lovely human

LizSackley

Points +15

Vegetarian
12 Jun 2020

What a relief

Living in Japan has been a struggle. Tokyo is cool, it outside it’s so hard to find a place that gets it. This is a place that gets it, authentic and friendly to boot.

Pros: Lots of veggie choices

YasminG

Points +22

Vegan
04 Oct 2019

מקום מעולה לארוחת ערב + בר

בר/מסעדה קטן ונעים עם אוכל מקומי מעולה. מבחר צמחוני/טבעוני גדול מאד, הכל היה טעים. הכל הוכן במקום על ידי בעלת המקום החביבה, שמדברת גם אנגלית.

Pros: המון מנות צמחוניות וטבעוניות, אוכל מקומי טעים ביותר, אוירה נחמדה מאד

groggyjoe

Points +32

Vegan
18 Sep 2019

Great and friendly!

All vegan foods are written on nice little flashcards and the owner understands the meaning of vegan food :)

Very tasty and great to get to experience this izakaya culture usually only reserved for non vegans !

ToraKo

Points +463

Vegan
28 Jul 2019

Traditional atmosphere and good food!

I love the Japanese Izakaya culture and find it a rare pleasure, since they usually serve fish and meat based tapas only.

However in Itoya I had between 10 and 15 dishes to choose from, so home made with local ingredients by the lovely Itoh-san, who was very much aware of what veganism is and what we can actually eat!

She was careful to speak slow and easy Japanese for me (so I don't know if she speaks English, sorry - although the menu is fully translated so you'll have no problem ordering), she have me a lot of travelling advice and kept me company while I ate, which as a solo traveller I appreciated!

The food was very good, the wasabi here tastes amazing! I also had some homemade plum liquor which was delicious too.

I paid with card (!!!)

Pros: Any vegan options, Knowledgeable and helpful staff, Credit / debit cards accepted

Cons: A little on the expensive side

Cec_dh

Points +76

Vegan
01 Jul 2019

Amazing experience

After living in Japan for almost a year this was by far one of my favourite meals. This little sake bar is charming and the owner was so welcoming, friendly and patient with our basic Japanese- the English menu was a great help! I loved being able to go out with non-vegan friends and be able to eat in a traditional Japanese place without having to compromise on food quality! A must visit if you’re in Matsumoto.

Pros: Traditional vegan Japanese food, Small traditional bar , Friendly owner

Cauliflower

Points +169

Herbivore
28 Jun 2019

Loved the place and the friendly lady. We enjoyed the food very much.

Lovely food, nice atmosphere and very friendly lady behind the counter. I liked how practical the english menu on flash cards was and how everything was explained so I understand now much better. The lady was very helpful she also gave us a paper with useful japanese words so we could ask for the bill and say thank you and goodbye in japanese too.

Pros: English speaking owner, They know about vegan/vegetarian diet, Authentic japanese but clearly explained in eng.

umeboshi

Points +165

Vegan
03 May 2019

Best vegan food in Japan

This is a very nice small Japanese sake bar. The ower was super friendly and provided us with cards with explanations of the food in English. The food was divine. You should definetly go here if you are in Matsumoto you will not regret it. Just let them know that you are vegan and you will enjoy the best vegan meal you can have. We ordered natto, bean curd, gyozas, miso soup and onigiri and they were all delicious.

Pros: Many vegan optiins

Cons: None

nattolady

Points +208

Vegan
04 Apr 2019

A brilliant gem with most charming owner

Excellent small sake bar with wonderful food and the most accommodating owner. Food is excellent and lots of veggie and vegan options. The owner is very aware of veggie and vegan needs and just so friendly and helpful! A real treat!

Pros: Many vegan options , Lots of veg options , Super friendly owner and nice atmosphere

Cons: Not much seating only at the bar so best to book

Nameuser

Points +185

Vegan
14 Oct 2018

Cool place

A small and cozy place. Nothing is labelled as vegan but the owner can veganise a lot of the dishes. Very tasty but a bit pricey.

nomeathagrid

Points +69

Vegan
26 Jun 2018

Amazing little place to try lots of different dishes

Lovely little restaurant and bar. I went with my parents who eat meat but there were plenty of vegetarian options and she could make things vegan. Also very accommodating for my mother being gluten free. Very friendly. Very good English. Picture menu cards in English. Homemade umeshu was delicious, as was the homemade apricot juice. Had lots of different dishes. I finally tried natto and liked it.




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