Vegan
Japanese
Beer/Wine

Vegan izakaya est. 2019. Serves typically two main dishes of kara-age and gyoza. Does not accept reservations. Between 12-3pm, only lunch sets are served. May stop accepting customers during busy days if maxium capasity is reached. Open Mon-Sun 12:00pm-9:30pm.


Venue map for Izakaya Masaka
© OpenStreetMap contributors

347 Reviews

First Review by Tomo Okabe

mapogoma

Points +25

Vegetarian
18 Jan 2025

Amazing vegan karaage

Amazing vegan karaage and Mapo Tofu

matkong123

Points +81

Vegan
17 Jan 2025

Gas

Can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said

PlantBasedCooking

Points +58

Vegan
14 Jan 2025

Great little place, heavy on deep-fried

Great place. We are here right now, everything is delicious, even the non-vegan family enjoys it. We had the Mapo Tofu, Tempura green beans, deep-fried Shiitake mushrooms, spicy potato wedges, and Gyoza. Much of it is deep fried, but that's probably what kara-age is. #Veganuary

Pros: Great food, everyone enjoyed it , Quick service , Very central, in the heart of Shibuya

Cons: Too much deep-fried, Too much salt

NikalausChandler

Points +28

Vegan
14 Jan 2025

#japaneats

We tried the Kaarage Tartar and Yuzu Pepper, both were amazing! The sauces were decadent. Highly recommend both! #Veganuary

Pros: Fast, Delicious, Price

Cons: N/A

JoshWyatt

Points +18

Vegan
05 Jan 2025

INCREDIBLE Karaage!

I went for lunch and had a serve of 6 gyoza (¥800) and 4 Szechuan karaage (¥850), for a total of ¥1650 which I thought was justified given the quality of the food.

There were a variety of other karaage flavours but I was feeling like some spice today and they certainly delivered with the Szechuan karaage! The karaage was super crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, had spectacular spices and flavour, and a lovely textured “chicken” inside (which I suspect is some variety of soy product). It came with a side of shredded cabbage (or perhaps it was lettuce?) to help wash down my tears of the delicious spiciness.

The gyoza was also exceptionally good, with a lovely slightly-charred bottom for a bit of crunch; the top was nice and soft to accentuate and complement the crunchiness.

If you’re even slightly interested in karaage, I can’t recommend this place higher!!

Food aside, the staff were very polite and professional. The dining area was VERY small, with roughly 8-10 tables in total so don’t sleep on this place?

Pros: Karaage

Cons: Limited dining area so might have to wait

Vegan.ginenGuåhan

Points +53

Vegan
03 Jan 2025

Best Shrooms I ever had

I love how the menu is so simple and delicious. I came here because of the highly rated food and they did not disappoint. I’m glad they opened a second location in Kyoto. #Veganuary

Pros: Deep fried Maitake mushrooms was my fave , Great customer service and staff, The whole menu is vegan!

TurnipForPlants

03 Jan 2025

LarsMueller

Points +354

Vegan
01 Jan 2025

Very delicious

Nice cute vegan izakaya! A bit pricy but everything was delicious😄

luigurl7

Points +324

Vegan
31 Dec 2024

Best Vegan Karaage I've had in Japan

This is nice to find after walking plenty in the busy streets of Shibuya. This is located in the Parco depato, in their chaos food court near the toilets (there is a map of the stalls on the east side if you get stuck). This is a small place, but at least you have an idea how long you might be waiting as you can clearly see inside and there is a waiting list by the entrance. They also have seats for those on the list. If you come in between late lunch and early dinner, you may not need to wait long. The downside is that a lot of the menu items were sold out when I went for late lunch. But I got to try their mapo tofu (which I've never had before). It was nice. I also had the fried mushrooms which was amazing, and of course, sichuan Karaage. It was sooo delicious! And the texture of the non-meat was great! I've tried a handful of Karaage at other vegan places and this is the best for me. Even after refrigerating.

Pros: The food, Clear expectations on wait time

Cons: A lot of sold out items for late lunch

paigebishara

Points +76

Vegan
31 Dec 2024

Worth going for the karaage

The karaage was absolutely delicious!!There are a few flavours to choose from, we ordered the teriyaki mayonnaise one. We also ordered the deep fried mushrooms, mapo tofu and green bean tempura. The tempura was pretty bland and the other meals were yummy but nothing spectacular - I wish we ordered more of the karaage!! Super great to see a fully vegan restaurant though!

Cons: Long wait time - gets very busy

kelseyjaynex

Points +3189

Vegan
30 Dec 2024

The karaage 🤤

On the basement level of Parco shopping mall in Shibuya, among a maze of other eateries. It seems super popular (for good reason!), we got there 10 minutes after opening and it was packed. It’s tiny and there aren’t many tables, but you can add your name to a book at the door and queue outside if it’s full.

My partner and I tried the gyoza and a couple of the karaage dishes. The karaage with tartar sauce was incredible. Japanese style tartar sauce apparently has finely chopped egg and this vegan version was sooo legit! Dishes are cheap but small, I’d get more next time. Definitely recommend.

Pros: 100% vegan, humble & authentic izakaya vibe, very affordable

tofuflorence

Points +205

Vegetarian
28 Dec 2024

vegan izakaya in tokyo

visited on 28th march 2024
not a very large menu, but i was very grateful to be able to try traditional japanese izakaya dishes turned vegan. the food was good, not the best i had on my trip, but the environment was perfect and portions were good sizes.

Updated from previous review on 2024-12-28

Pros: good atmosphere, convenient location, rare opportunity to experience a vegan izakaya

LAsagneRaiders

Points +58

Vegan
28 Dec 2024

I think about this place all the time now

I went here a few weeks back(two days in a row). The chili garlic tofu is absolutely incredible and is a must order. Only dish I would say to avoid is the vegan shrimp, the sauce is phenomenal but the vegan shrimp is bland either way. Try the sauce with anything else you order though. THE SPRING ROLLS. I'd move here if I could. I want one of the plates. If the owner reads this, I'd love a plate.

Pros: Excellent food, Amazingly priced

Cons: Vegan shrimp

perillaprincess

Points +74

Vegan
26 Dec 2024

LOVELY

I LOVED the spicy karaage here!! It was so savory, delicious, and umami-packed - pow pow hello flavor town!! Wasn’t a fan of the mayo lemon flavor but the spicy karaage more than made up for it. They’d sold out of the gyoza basically around opening time — fine, twist my arm I’ll go back 🤪

Pros: Food, Staff, Ambiance

Cons: Sold out of gyoza

vheegan2

Points +492

Vegan
25 Dec 2024

One of my favourites in Tokyo

Went here a few years ago and then returned this trip. Was so impressed on both occasions. The karaage comes in different flavours and is delicious. The gyoza dumplings are top tier. A number of different vegetables have been used to create some gorgeous salads and side dishes. I’m certain I’ll be back here on any future Tokyo trips.

Blacktigerdog

Points +276

Vegan
21 Dec 2024

all day iyakaya at Shibuya Parco

Thought I’d try something new and went to Izakaya Masaka which has always been recommended to me.
It was surprisingly crowded on a week day, and by a very young and loud crowd
I ordered the recommended black vinegar fried soy meat recommended by the shop and… Not what I expected…
Finished it up wondering if it was safe for a human to absorb that much condiment at a time. I LOVED tenzo's black vinegar flavored fried soy rice bowl, and expected something similar but nope, nothing close. Gyoza🥟 weren’t bad but better options in Tokyo.

Pros: all vegan, open all day

Cons: Tokyo has better tasting options, I dislike underground venues

Aavachan

Points +651

Vegetarian
18 Dec 2024

Great karaage, but lack of sake

Great Izakaya food for veg. People. The Karaage was really good! It's made with soy meat, so if you are not into that, I recommend the deep-fried mushrooms that tasted similarly. Fun to see so many vegan places nowadays in Japan, it wasn't the case back in 2009.

They don't have too fun drinks, so if you want sake I recommend going to the Sake bar on the same floor!

Pros: Selection of food

Cons: Atmosphere is a bit noisy , Uncomfortable plastic chairs, No sake

KMR607

Points +400

Vegan
16 Dec 2024

No-frills izakaya

The karaage was good, we preferred the citrus topping, over the heavier mayo-based ones. Service is minimal, you order on your phone and only deal with staff when paying. Not a place to spend a long time.

highlandmoo

Points +249

Vegan
30 Nov 2024

Great Izakaya Experience

First time we came at 8-9 pm and they weren’t accepting any customers anymore, so next time we made sure to be there by 7pm.
We had luck with no waiting time. We tried many different side dishes, because we thought they would be very small, but the portions were very filling👌🏻
A really nice opportunity to experience izakaya and try some vegan dishes.
Would totally recommend the gyoza, spring rolls, spicy vegan karaage and fried maitake mushroom.

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-30

Araya_Purple

Points +34

Vegan
29 Nov 2024

Trop bon !

C'était super bon !
Nous avons pris des karaage, du mapo tofu et du tofu à la chinoise (bon, on les a mangé avant que je prenne des photos).

J'enlève une étoile car, nous sommes venus vers 19h30 et tout était sold out à part deux-trois plats...

neiviv

Points +21

Vegetarian
28 Nov 2024

Come for the karaage!

We really loved the kaarage with tartar sauce. The other standout was the deep fried mushroom. We also ordered the chilli prawns, but that was much hotter than expected - wouldn’t probably order that again. The grapefruit highball was very refreshing and delicious, although there was a small incident where the waitress gave us the wrong item (lemon instead of grapefruit…). This place accepts card, but does support paywave/contactless payment

Pros: All vegan, Large menu, Nice izakaya feel

Cons: Some hits and misses, Long queue, Space is small

Nalin

Points +96

Vegan
25 Nov 2024

Best karaage!!

It’s got fairly basic decor and not great ambiance, but omg that karaage!! The gyoza was ok, the mapo tofu was great! But that karaage! I’ll be dreaming about it I’m sure! We got the Szechuan, and although it didn’t really have that Szechuan mouth numbing quality of heat, it packed so much flavour! And best texture, crispy outside, juicy and soft inside. So so so good!

Pros: Best karaage!! , Great mapo tofu, Food was quick

Cons: Was too quiet. No music, Decor a bit plain

mchaza

Points +144

Vegan
22 Nov 2024

Not too heavy vegan chicken

The chicken was not overly dense which can be a common issue with mock chicken. The toppings were also delicious.
Go for the chicken.

Pros: Chicken

Cons: Pretty much only chicken

jonasgulliksen

Points +109

Herbivore
22 Nov 2024

Inconsistent menu

This truly is a must visit, but the menu is very inconsistent and varies from quite bad to some of the best food I have ever tasted. For example, the Tartar Karagee is one of the best dishes I have ever tasted in my life, whilst the macaroni salad is one of the most cursed things ever. I heavily recommend getting the cucumber salad with ginger and spring onion since the menu is heavily oil based. Not to mention that it was delicious as well. The gyosa is not worth it, there are so many gyosas around Tokyo and there are far from the best. The shrimp and potatoes are great, but I recommend asking for mayo next to the potatoes! The fried broccoli is very lame.

This place definitely is a must go, but not all of it is great!

vegankiddos

Points +133

Vegan
22 Nov 2024

Perfectly Fried

Everything here is fried, but so perfectly that it’s not greasy or heavy, just crisp. Definitely order some veggies because you will crave something green once you start eating. We got the fried broccoli, macaroni salad, maitake mushrooms, spicy potato wedges, mapo tofu, and the spicy karaage. The non-alcoholic beer was a great complement to the food, and provided a very wholesome Izakaya experience.

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-22

Pros: Macaroni salad was super tasty!

luru

Points +48

Vegan
19 Nov 2024

Good "kara-age"

Inside Parco shopping center (B1 level at the foot of the escalator). Everything I tried was good.

avowebster

Points +29

Vegetarian
18 Nov 2024

Delicious all-vegan menu

Echoing others’ comments below. This place is delicious. Cucumber salad and karaage particularly good. Well worth the wait in line to get in. It’s in the basement level of a big mall complex.

hwing

Points +1112

Vegan
17 Nov 2024

Lucky to have tried this vegan Izayaka food before closing

Original post on 2024-11-16

Took a few minutes to locate the restaurant which is in the basement of the PARCO shopping center (see photos attached for extra guidance).

The restaurant staff were very kind to seat me and my partner for dinner 10 minutes before closing at 9pm (despite having a sign posted outside the restaurant that indicated they were closed for the day). Very easy to order via English menu through QR code.

Small portions but super affordable! They were sold out of some items but we were lucky to try the following items:
- Fried maitake mushrooms
- Mapo tofu rice
- Karaage teriyaki with mayonnaise
All were scrumptious! Wish I could have tried even more of the menu.


Had to come back once more for my final meal in Japan before my flight. It was another excellent dinner. Was lucky I could be seated right away with their last available table as a walk-in. Re-ordered the Karaage Teriyaki with mayonnaise. Tried two new items: gyoza dumplings (12pc) and single scoop of mango ice cream. The dumplings were just okay but the 12 pc portion size seems substantial. The mango ice cream was very good!

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-16




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