Looking for vegan restaurants in Ishigaki, Japan?
Ishigaki is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. Although much of the local cuisine centres on meat-based dishes, there are plenty of delicious vegan foods on offer too if you know where to look!
This list includes cafรฉs, fruit farms, ice cream shops and traditional restaurants. And I've covered a range of different cuisines, including Korean, Mexican and Italian, as well as the traditional local cuisine.
In this list, I have only featured the vegan restaurants in Ishigaki that I personally visited and ate at. There are more that I haven't visited yet, some of which I have added to the bottom of the post, and I will keep updating this list as I keep visiting more!
Tips for eating at vegan restaurants in Ishigaki:
- Restaurant opening times can be irregular - before visiting, make sure to check the opening days and times to make sure that you are not disappointed by a closed restaurant! Most restaurants are closed at least one or two days per week, and they are usually not open all day. Some restaurants also have different opening times depending on the time of year - the peak tourist season is during the spring and summer months, so some places might have less frequent opening hours during the winter months.
- Allergies - a lot of these vegan restaurants do have gluten-free options, but if you have coeliac disease, a wheat allergy or are severely gluten-intolerant, I would recommend double-checking at the restaurant to ask about cross-contamination.
- Portion sizes in Japan tend to be a lot smaller than you might be used to in other countries, so be careful that you order enough food to feel satisfied.
- English menus - Ishigaki is popular tourist destination, so the vast majority of restaurants in Ishigaki do have an English menu as well as a Japanese menu!
Tofu Higa
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Freshly made tofu, rice sets, noodle sets, home-cooked dishes with tofu, freshly made soy milk.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but tofu is naturally vegan, and many of the dishes are vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
The restaurant is not gluten-free, but most of the dishes should be naturally gluten-free. Ask to double-check.
Comments:
This restaurant is only open until early afternoon, but it's very popular so they tend to sell out earlier than closing time, sometimes as early as 9am. So I'd recommend going for breakfast!
Pizzeria Il Trecorde
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Pizzas, pasta dishes, salads, appetizers.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but some of the pizzas, pastas, salads and appetizers are naturally vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
The pizza and pastas are not gluten-free, however most of the salads and appetizers should be naturally gluten-free. Ask to double-check.
Comments:
- One of the best Italian restaurants I've tried in Japan.
- I liked that the food was flavourful but not too salty.
- Pizza crust was delicious, pasta and salads were good too.
Vagabundo
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Tacos, burritos, tostadas, salads, salsa, tortilla chips, Mexican desserts.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but a lot of the dishes are vegetarian and vegan, including the desserts.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Some of the dishes should be naturally gluten-free. Ask to double-check.
Comments:
- One of the best Mexican restaurants I've tried in Japan.
- Has a nice vibe and interior decor.
- They have a nice range of vegan Mexican desserts, including ice cream.
- I tried the ice cream cake made using fermented rice, which was delicious. It was lightly spiced and tasted like horchata.
Amurita No Niwa Soshite Ongaku
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Curry dishes, noodle dishes, pasta dishes, salads, appetizers.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but they have a separate vegetarian menu with a lot of vegan dishes. And they are very flexible about catering to different dietary requirements, especially if you call in advance and tell them.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
They are very flexible about catering to different dietary requirements, especially if you call in advance and tell them.
Comments:
Nice vibe, very friendly owners, great that they are flexible about catering towards different dietary requirements.
Re:hellow Beach
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Curry dishes, salad bowls, pizzas, rice bowls.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but a few of the dishes are vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Some of the dishes should be naturally gluten-free, but it's best to ask to double-check.
Comments:
- I enjoyed the Buddha bowl with brown rice, tofu, roasted vegetables and salad with a delicious creamy tofu dressing.
- Their free housemade pineapple tea brewed using their own powdered Ishigaki pineapple is delicious too.
- Nice beachy vibes.
Funakura No Sato
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Traditional dishes from Ishigaki.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but some of the dishes are naturally vegan. And if you call in advance and tell them about your dietary requirements, they can prepare more dishes for you.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
They are flexible to catering to different dietary requirements, especially if you call in advance and tell them.
Comments:
- Great place to try the local cuisine in a traditional setting.
- They have a live Sanshin (traditional Okinawan instrument) performance during dinner time, which is a great experience.
Korean BBQ Teji Teji (้BBQ ใใธใใธ)
Location:
Ishigaki City.
What type of food they serve:
Korean BBQ dishes, salads, rice dishes, noodle dishes, stews, savoury pancakes.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but some of the dishes are naturally vegan and they are very flexible about catering to dietary requirements.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Some of the dishes should be naturally gluten-free, and they are very flexible about catering to dietary requirements.
Comments:
Best Korean food I've tried in Japan - they get the recipes from a Korean colleague based in Korea, so it's very authentic.
Kabira Farm
Location:
Kabira.
What type of food they serve:
- Juices and jams made using their own homegrown fruits.
- Passion fruit juice, passion fruit juice drinks, mango juice.
- They also sell their own passion fruit jams and bottled passion fruit juices.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but most of the drinks and the jams are naturally vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Everything should be naturally gluten-free, but ask to double-check.
Comments:
- Award-winning passion fruit juice and jams. Definitely worth a visit if you want to try locally grown passion fruit.
- Very friendly owners, and everything tastes amazing because the owner is very fussy about quality.
- They also sell passion fruit seed oil, a beauty product made using the leftover seeds from making the passion fruit juice.
- They also use the leftover passion fruit skins as a natural gelling agent to make their jams.
Ishigaki Island Fruits Land
Location:
Sakieda.
What type of food they serve:
Ice creams, fruit juices, kakigori (shaved ice), freshly cut fruits - all using fruits grown on the nearby farm.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but most of the food is naturally vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Most of the food should be naturally gluten-free, but ask to double-check.
Comments:
- The dishes they have vary depending on the season and the fruits available.
- Freshly cut fruits may not be available at all, depending on the season.
- I had the dragon fruit and guava ice cream, and both were delicious.
Hikari Rakuen
Location:
Hirae.
What type of food they serve:
Fresh fruit juices, fruit milkshakes, fruit smoothies, kakigori (shaved ice), freshly cut seasonal local fruits.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but most of the food is naturally vegan, and the milkshakes and smoothies can be made using soy milk instead of milk.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Most of the food here should be naturally gluten-free, but it's best to ask to double-check.
Comments:
- Great place to try the local fruit!
- I tried the purple sweet potato milkshake, guava milkshake and shaved ice dessert with mochi, red beans and brown sugar syrup.
Nuchigusa Cafe
Location:
Arakawa.
What type of food they serve:
Curry dishes, samosas, salads, smoothies, tea and coffee drinks.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but a lot of the food is vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Most of the food should be naturally gluten-free, but it's best to ask to double-check.
Comments:
- Relaxing vibes next to a yoga studio.
- Curry dishes were very flavourful.
Miyara Farm (ๅฎฎ่ฏ่พฒๅ)
Location:
Arakawa.
What type of food they serve:
- Fruit juices, soy milk drinks, kakigori (shaved ice), herbal teas, peanut tofu, bean desserts.
- They also sell housemade jams using fruits grown on their own farm.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but most of the foods are naturally vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Most of the foods should be naturally gluten-free, but ask to double-check.
Comments:
- Great place to try a local specialty (peanut tofu and bean dessert) - it's quite similar to the traditional desserts in nearby Taiwan.
- The housemade jams are delicious and make excellent gifts.
- Their specialty is homegrown guava juice, but this depends on the season.
Mirumiru Honpo Main Store
Location:
Arakawa.
What type of food they serve:
Ice creams with local flavours and local fruits.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but a few of the flavours are naturally vegan.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Ice creams should all be naturally gluten-free, but ask to double-check.
Comments:
- Great place to try ice creams made using local fruits.
- I tried the mango and pineapple flavours, and both were delicious!
Smoothie & Bowl Neo-Earth Cafe Roots
Location:
Ibaruma.
What type of food they serve:
Fruit smoothies, Buddha bowls, raw vegan cakes.
Is the restaurant fully vegan?
No, but most of the food is vegan and the smoothies have vegan milk options.
Gluten-free + allergy-friendly?
Most of the food should be naturally gluten-free, but ask to double-check.
Comments:
Smoothies are beautifully presented, and made using local fruits.
Ishigaki City Public Market
- One of the shops here called Fruits of the Sun makes fruit juices using local fruits.
- Most of the items in this shop are naturally vegan.
- I had the fresh mango juice, which was delicious.
JA Okinawa Farmers Market Yaeyama Yuratiku Market
- Great place to buy local fruits and vegetables.
- This locally made brown rice drink was delicious.
- They also have some naturally vegan local mochi-based desserts which were great too.
Other vegan restaurants in Ishigaki
I didn't get to try any of these places, but they also all offer vegan food:
- Ananda Kitchen - Kabira. Closed during winter months.
- Umaru - Kabira.
- Joo Chiat Cafรฉ - Kabira.
- Ishigaki Sun Farm (็ณๅฃๅณถSUNใใกใผใ ) - Hirae.
- Ishigaki Sunset Cove Hotel and Restaurant - Nosoko.
- Nonbili Cafe - Miyara.
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