Vegan
Japanese
Take-out
Asian
Breakfast

Est. Dec. 2023. A cafe located two streets from Kiyomizu Dera. Casual vibe with a friendly, warm owner who can speak a little English. Offers traditional Kyoto style Obanzai set, vegan grilled meat set, nachos, Vietnamese pho, and more. Vegan desserts too including parfait and fried banana. Open Mon-Wed 11:30am-8:00pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am-8:00pm.


Venue map for Silver Backs Cafe
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45 Reviews

First Review by ireneshinoda

LaurenC

Points +250

Vegan
18 Sep 2024

A joy to visit

A really special, charming little place off the beaten path. The owner prepared our meal to order. Everything had a personal, friendly touch. This place reminded me of a kind of restaurant from a small town in a different time, when someone who just loved cooking and meeting people could just open up a little welcoming spot.

Everything we ate was excellent and obviously made with love, by someone who cares about animals, the environment, and people. Give this place a visit and leave with a huge smile and a fond memory of a little slice of Kyoto.

Pros: Casual and low-key, Delicious homestyle food, Friendly owner

nick14

Points +1076

Vegan
11 Aug 2024

Must visit

Great food cooked by a lovely owner. A fantastic selection of food and desert. Food all tasted amazing and I would love to go back there.

Pros: Taste of the food, Range of options, Lovely owner

太田研

13 Aug 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

tgardner1453

Points +678

Vegan
28 Jul 2024

Great place

Super nice owner in an easy to find shop that is open late. Many options most of which are a mix of of Asian food or fusion. Prices are a bit high but options and atmosphere make up for it.

太田研

29 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

jollyhoe

Points +964

Vegan
22 Jul 2024

Cute vibes and good food

The owner was so sweet and friendly! And serves us delicious food. He taught us some Japanese etiquette and phrases which was at the back of the menu!

太田研

22 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

XsecretlightX

Points +40

Vegan
21 Jul 2024

Great food, friendly staff

There are many delicious places to try in Kyoto but this was one of our favorites. We got the tempeh and veggie spring rolls, meat set, green curry (lots of cilantro), fruit parfait, and vanilla ice cream. Loved everything and the green curry and fruit parfait were our favorite. I wish we had time to go back and try more. I highly recommend!

太田研

22 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Bobisvegan

Points +167

Vegan
18 Jul 2024

Gorgeous food

Amazing little cafe run by a very hardworking guy who took the orders, cooked the food and then served us! Had a couple of set meals and a Thai curry, all so yummy. Also really recommend the parfait and fried banana puddings. Reasonable price too. Highly recommend

太田研

19 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

tuomoboy

Points +52

Vegan
15 Jul 2024

Delicious all-vegan meals

Wonderful little restaurant in a convenient location close to Kiyomizu-dera and Vegan Minshuku Sanbiki Neko. Seats for about a dozen inside.

The flavors were really unique and tasty! We started with tempe goreng, had vegan grilled meat and vermicelli rice for mains and finished with ice cream and pancakes. Would recommend all of them!

The owner is very kind and with a great sense of humour (he seems to like gorillas a lot!).

Pros: Tasty vegan flavours, The delightful owner, Not too expensive overall

Cons: Some desserts were a bit pricey

太田研

17 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Noah98

Points +596

Vegan
12 Jul 2024

Just wow

Huge fan of this place. The man who runs this place is incredibly kind and the food is heavenly🙌🏻

太田研

13 Jul 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

heavensenttnt

Points +18

Vegan
26 Jun 2024

A must visit

I was wondering how on earth I hadn't been to this place before until noticing it opened up only a few weeks after I was last in town. Instant favorite - so many options for tea and a surprisingly extensive selection of alcohol. The owner was lovely and the food was too good to not finish entirely. Delicious soup, veggies, soy meat and dessert options. Great location to walk to as well as it's in a tranquil part of central Higashiyama.

太田研

28 Jun 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Maumau.happy

Points +23

Vegetarian
15 Jun 2024

Incroyable

Un petit café avec un propriétaire très sympathique. Tout est vegan et c'est très bon. On a adoré 💖

太田研

16 Jun 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

lyndsi.licona

Points +194

Vegan
08 Jun 2024

Worth a visit!

I went there for lunch and got their vegan meat set, which included a soup, rice, salad and a vegan meat, for only 12 USD! Was quite full afterwards and the vegan meat was delicious and juicy. Would definitely go back

太田研

09 Jun 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

mad93

Points +80

Vegan
04 Jun 2024

Lovely cafe

Had a lovely lunch here whilst visiting Kyoto! Had spring rolls, taco rice bowl, and the fried bananas, all so tasty! Great staff as well, thanks 😁

Pros: Tasty food, Great price , Attentive staff

太田研

05 Jun 2024

Thank you for visiting our restaurant.
We are glad you liked our food!
We are looking forward to seeing you again.

booters

Points +114

Vegan
20 May 2024

Best vegan place in Kyoto

Seriously a must try! The owner is so sweet and the food was all delicious. My husband had the grilled set and I had the obanzai set. We had delicious and beautiful strawberry ice cream for dessert. It was a great experience!

Pros: Delicious food, nice environment, Kind owner

ninnin

21 May 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

tadpole

Points +26

Vegan
14 May 2024

Wonderful

Just a short walk from the most crowded place in Kyoto, we had the place to ourselves on a rainy day. It was so cozy and welcoming. The guacamole was creamy and delicious. It paired perfectly with the taco bowl.

The owner was so kind and friendly. This is the type of place I would eat at multiple times per week if I lived nearby.

ninnin

15 May 2024

Thank you for visiting our store.
It was raining and a little cold.
We are glad to hear that you are pleased with our service.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Zeberka12

Points +1592

Vegan
13 May 2024

Mouthwatering 💚

Everything was extremely delicious!
Loved every bite of it 🤤

ninnin

14 May 2024

Thank you for visiting our store...
We are glad you like our products.
We will do our best to make your visit even better.
We look forward to seeing you again.

arnowi

Points +8

Non Veg
26 Apr 2024

Absolutely amazing

The owner likes joking around and is great fun. The dishes are incredible. We had the Obanzai set and the grilled (vegan)meat set. Both were very tasty and flavourful. I wanted more so I ordered a fruit parfait which he prepared and brought with much care. It also tasted wonderful and it was beautifully decorated with the apple and orange on top cut into what seemed like bunny shapes.
This is definitely a must visit when you are in Kyoto!

Pros: Super tasty, Very friendly and fun owner, Food prepared and presented with much care

ninnin

27 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

HasokaAoldmanKrieg

Points +331

Vegan
24 Apr 2024

Fun owner, great food

Fun spot for the whole crew vegan and non-vegan. The owner is great. If you're in the area go here for sure. It is not upscale at all, but is tasty.

ninnin

26 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

kaleifornian

Points +194

Vegan
23 Apr 2024

sweet experience

the chef/owner was very kind and the food was so good! i opted for the vegan meat plate with a side of veggie spring rolls. 10/10 the flavor was incredible.

ninnin

24 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Victum88

Points +20

Vegan
20 Apr 2024

Excelente lugar! El dueño es un muy buen cocinero!

Mi última cena en Kyoto la tuve en este café, y fue muy agradable :)

El menú no es de los más económico, pero es bastante llenador, saludable y delicioso 😋
Hay muchas opciones para comer, además de postres y bebidas. El dueño es muy amable, ojalá más personas conozcan este lugar, realmente merece la pena!

(Consumí el set de vegan grillet y helado)

Visita obligada si andas por el Templo Kiyomizudera.

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-20

ninnin

22 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Hot_Kev

Points +16

Vegan
10 Apr 2024

Great food and great owner

Had a wonderful and flavorful meal here. One of the best we had on Japan in two weeks!

The owner was very kind and welcoming.

ninnin

11 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Yolanda

Points +1862

Vegan
07 Apr 2024

Grateful to have found Silver Backs Cafe

We had a long day with lots of walking (20,000+ steps!) so were very grateful to find this wonderful vegan cafe enroute between visiting Sanjusangen-do (Hall of 1001 Buddhas) and Kiyomizu-dera (the 'stage' of Kyoto). These two are top sights in Kyoto but it is a bit of a walk between them so Sliver Backs is well positioned to take a break between these visits.

The owner is very welcoming and smiley. We felt relaxed in this cafe. We were surprised to find ourselves to be the only guests so it was a bonus not to have to queue or squish into the cafe like we have had to do at other places.

We had the cheese spring rolls (very delicious), meat meal set (also very delicious) and the parfait (extremely delicious!).

Pros: Cheese spring rolls, Welcoming host, Excellent location between two top Kyoto sights

ninnin

07 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

ninnin

Points +30

Vegan
05 Apr 2024

2/2514pm-18pm

On this day, it is reserved from 14:00 to 18:00, so you will not be able to enter even if you come to the store.

Updated from previous review on 2024-02-17

Pros: obanzai meal set, grilled meat meal set

LouieDane

Points +11

Mostly Veg
03 Apr 2024

Delicious

The vegan grilled meat set was incredible, as we're the 'cheese' spring rolls and tempeh started. Obanzai set was also very nice, though we preferred the grilled meat. I would 100% recommend.

ninnin

03 Apr 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

AleRosa

Points +97

Vegan
31 Mar 2024

Yummy food

The food is great! I've been here twice, ordered different meals, and was not disappointed at all! Everything was delicious. The two different persons I went with (one not vegan) were also satisfied and happy. The owner is very friendly too😄The restaurant is cozy and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Pros: I could leave my bicycle at the entrance, It's possible to pay separately and by credit card

Cons: No cons!

ninnin

31 Mar 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Antsoldier

Points +92

Vegan
27 Mar 2024

Great food

Great food, lots of options, very friendly and funny owner.

We had the spring rolls, guacamole, vegan meat menu set, gagao rice and chocolate parfaits. Everything was very delicious.

Updated from previous review on 2024-03-27

Pros: Food, Owner, Funny

ninnin

29 Mar 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

NickTustin

Points +921

Herbivore
26 Mar 2024

Excellent

- obanzai - excellent!
- vegan grilled meat set meal - excellent!

Fully vegan place! The guy is the only one working, friendly guy

ninnin

27 Mar 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.

MaureenJ

Points +36

Vegan
22 Mar 2024

Lovely place

The owner is such a kind person! He really deserves lots of customers. Every bit of the plate is made with effort and love. Definitely would recommend this place.😄

ninnin

23 Mar 2024

Thank you very much for your visit.
We also received the highest evaluation and will work even harder to encourage you.
We look forward to seeing you again.




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