Ovo
Japanese
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. 善Zen is an okonomiyaki restaurant. Has English menu with vegetarian options - check which ones of these are or can be vegan. Open Tue-Sun 5:00pm-10:00pm.
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Hanamaki Building, 5 Chome-10-9, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, 160-0022
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Last update on 24 Jun 2023 by doomsandal
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Added by CandieCat on 14 Nov 2018
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82 Reviews
First Review by CandieCat
emmadawnn
Points +29
Yummy Okonomyaki - Edit
I really enjoyed the okonomyaki at Zen. Tucked away in an alley off the main tourist strips of Shinjuku is this small but welcoming restaurant. The options are clearly marked and the food is delicious!
Read morePros: Clearly marked menu, Friendly staff, Tasty food
Guest
DanielSchroppe
Points +353
Great authentic option in SJ - Edit
A bit off from the Shinjuku crowds you find this local okonomiaki place. Vegan and vegetarian options, good sake. The cheese stuff is pretty good!
Read moreI managed to picture the menu - but was too hungry so forgot to picture the food 🥲😅
Guest
fabiane
Points +1198
Tasteful - Edit
Delicious, the place has a typical Japanese okonomiyake image, the staffs are nice, they have a Vegan menu, I tried the Vegan cheese okonomiyake, and it was so tasteful, isn’t so cheap, they charge everything as an extra even the sauce, but it was yummy.
Read moreGuest
Spatthy
Points +58
Very nice experience! - Edit
Very friendly host and very accommodating for us vegetarians; clear english menu (with a special section for vegetarians/vegans) and he explained very well what we could order without fish/meat and dashi (fishstock). It was good food and more than enough! We sat at the counter so we could experience the preparations and we had nice interactions with local customers and the chef.
Read morePros: Easy ordering for vegetarians, Local food (non western)
Guest
kjones
Points +23
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS - Edit
Okinomiyaki is absolutely delicious, there is a vegan option and many vegetarian options. It’s a small quaint restaurant with very friendly staff.
Read moreGuest
Rivai
Points +128
Delicious - Edit
Really delicious. The Staff was really nice.
Read moreGuest
lucybelle18
Points +65
A lukewarm experience - Edit
Staff not very warm. Food ok. Not really worth going unless you’re in the area and really hungry! Omni bf enjoyed it though!
Read morePros: Cozy and warm, Caters to Omni people
Cons: Unfriendly staff, Food was 2.5/5
Guest
AJ_vegan_AUS
Points +230
Delicious vegan okonomiyaki - Edit
Has a 'vegan' menu but a few options aren't actually vegan (egg, cheese, fish), so please pay attention. Staff have good English and you can clarify your preferences on arrival.
Read morePros: Delicious
Cons: Vegan items not actually vegan
Guest
DavidLoader
Points +15
Stranger in a strange land - Edit
Not obvious from outside, but this place has vegetarian options and English menus. Very friendly staff and food was good.
Read moreWe had the hiroshimayaki, vegetable noodles, draught beers and sake!
Guest
horsegirl
Points +176
Okonomiyaki - Edit
SO SO SLOW to come out but it was LIT!!!! Get the tomato one and be sure to specify vegan with no cheese or mayo. It was so good, better than the other vegan okonomiyaki I’ve tried in Tokyo. Also the boys in the kitchen are really cute
Read moreGuest
sylvita
Points +92
Staff takes care of vegan guests - Edit
This place caters mainly to omnivores, so i was really pleased with how well the staff served their vegetarian and vegan guests. Right away, the waiter asked if i was vegan and went on to point out and show me exactly what i could order (one item). I couldnt have any Okonomiyaki as they all include egg, but i did love the yaki udon noodles that they served me. They also gave me a nice bowl of fresh tofu with sauce and onions for an appetizer.
Read morePros: Clear vegan and vegetarian options, Helpful staff
Cons: Cover charge, but you get an appetizer
Guest
KaraLeah
Points +162
Not worth it for vegans - confirmed - Edit
Nice decor but the vegan okonomiyaki was very small, very expensive especially when adding tax, and wasn't that tasty. I waited quite some time for it and was pretty disappointed.
Read moreCons: Small portions, Not tasty, Expensive
Guest
VPhoenix
Points +236
Vegan Okonomiyaki - Edit
Good to have a taste of vegan Okonomiyaki. However the staff tried to cheat on at least 2 costumers with the bill at the end (including us). There is a 220¥ service charge per person (at least that’s what we got charged)
Read moreMake sure to check the bill at the end.
Can not recommend the ginger Okonomiyaki. It taste a lot like ginger. Make sure you really love ginger when buying this. ;)
Pros: Vegan Okonomiyaki
Cons: Expensive, Staff tried cheat with the bill
Guest
Totallynotvegan
Points +152
Not worth it for vegans - Edit
While the food was quite tasty it took an absurd amount of time, and the vegan options were much more slim. The waiter spoke English well and understand what vegan was.
Read moreWe got there 15min after they opened without a reservation and it still took a full 1 1/2 hours before our food even showed up while we watched them flip four other tables in that time.
The portion was very small and very pricey, especially if you do not make a reservation because you get charged a table fee of 500yen.
Pros: Good taste, Waiter understands vegan
Cons: Expensive, Small portion, Absurd wait time
Guest
JordynMary
Points +141
Great place if you’ve missed Okonomiyaki - Edit
Vegan Okonomiyaki! I used to love okonomiyaki before I was vegan but never saw a veg version of it before. So I was surprised when I saw this place!. They asked as soon as we sat down if we were vegetarian and pointed to the veggie menu and when I said vegan he nodded and pointed to the 2 vegan options they had. So good! We sat at the bar which was amazing because we watched them cook but beware they do cook meat as well.. so if you don’t want meat being cooked in front of you, sit at a table. This the the Ginger Okonomiyaki fyi.
Read moreGuest
MooX
Points +37
Excellent care of vegetarians - Edit
The food was delicious and the people welcoming.
Read moreGuest
jol_lee
Points +128
Delicious - Edit
Never thought we could experience vegan okonomiyaki so am thankful for that. Waitress understood vegetarian vs vegan. In fact during our visit we saw many people ordering vegetarian.
Read moreOrdered ginger okonomiyaki and veg Yaki udon
Guest
hannah.jobson
Points +79
Watch them Cook! - Edit
Great for veggies (not sure how good it’d be for vegans) as you can tell them exactly what can and cannot go in your food. English menu with ingredients list so you can swap out what you can’t have. It’s seriously delicious! I had the cheese Hiroshima without dashi. The staff are super helpful and understand the diet and have great English. If you sit at the bar (like we did) you can watch them make your food which is very interesting. They also brought a free appetiser which they made sure was veggie too. If you are in Shinjuku - GO!
Read moreGuest
JackieJans
Points +1228
Vegan okonomiyaki - Edit
Contrary to the other comments, YES INDEED you can get vegan okonomiyaki here and it’s DELICIOUS!!!!! They use mountain potato instead of egg, which is the traditional way of making the okonomiyaki😄the owners are lovely and completely understand veganism
Read moreGuest
Plumesworld
Points +1075
Not many options - Edit
I was excited when I saw this restaurant listed on Happy Cow as I love okonomiyaki but it's more veggie friendly than vegan as you can't get vegan okonomiyaki. I had the udon noodles with veg which was perfectly passable. Staff had very good English and understood what vegan meant.
Read moreGuest
buddhabecks
Points +126
not for vegans- good vegetarian options, classic japanese style - Edit
they had a clearly labelled veg options, but only 1 style of vegan noodles that were not that great. vegetarian options very good! waiter speaks english well
Read morePros: tasty vegetarian food, traditional japanese tables
Cons: only 1 vegan option , vegan option not that good
Guest
zanscat
Points +84
Okonomiyaki :-) - Edit
Cute little restaurant with super friendly and helpful staff. A few nice side dishes too.
Read morePros: Clearly labeled menu with English
Cons: Didn’t get to cook at the table
Guest
justintran
Points +16
Very delicious vegetarian/vegan okonomiyaki - Edit
The Staff is very friendly and corteous. They know the differnence between vegetarian and vegan and they ask specifically which ingedrients are ok. The food was very delicious but the servings are a bit small.
Read moreGuest
katecow
Points +17
Best place for vegetarian okonomiyaki! - Edit
Very kind accomodating staff and clear English menu that lets you know exactly what's vegetarian and vegan. Honestly couldn't recommend this place highly enough, I'm not the biggest fan of Japanese food but I LOVED the meal I had there. I would give it 5 stars if the site would let me, fantastic!
Read morePros: Delicious food, Clear vegetarian and vegan options, Great staff and overall atmosphere
Guest
sando25
Points +48
Very accommodating - Edit
This place had very nice staff who went out of their way to understand our dietary requirements. We were the only ones there when we went (a bit late) and the food was quick and delicious but a bit pricey. Would recommend if you are in the area.
Read moreGuest
Tomo Okabe
Points +831
Okonomiyaki in Shinjuku - Edit
It’s hard to find vegan okonomiyaki in japan but Zen has done a pretty good job making it accessible for vegetarians and vegans that visit this part of the city.
Read moreAlthough there are not many vegan options and it seems a bit plain but def worth your time and trouble if you are in the neighborhood.
The staff do not speak English well but they understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian so that was pretty nice.
Guest
SarahStone
Points +58
Very veg friendly and helpful - Edit
Staff were eager to make sure I had plenty to eat as a vegetarian and their menu makes it super easy to check ingredients. Veg udon was delicious and the green tea and plum wine was incredible. Highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
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