Vegan Kaiseki in Tokyo: Authentic Dining Experience in Roppongi

2025.02.18

The menu for February, 2025

Tokyo Vegan Heven

Tokyo is known as a global culinary capital, offering a wide range of traditional Japanese dishes such as sushi and ramen. In recent years, the city has also expanded its dining options to cater to vegan and vegetarian guests, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the richness of Japanese cuisine.

In fact, Japan has a long history of plant-based culinary traditions. Influenced by Buddhism, shojin ryori (Buddhist temple cuisine) emerged as a meat-free dining style, and for centuries, the consumption of animal products was discouraged. Within these dietary restrictions, Japanese chefs honed their skills, mastering the use of tofu, fermented foods, and seaweed to create complex and flavorful dishes.

We invite you to experience a special dining journey that showcases Japan’s traditional culinary techniques, using seasonal ingredients to create visually stunning and delicately crafted dishes. By focusing on the natural essence of each ingredient, you will discover the depth of umami and the refined flavors of Japanese dashi (broth).

Whether you have dietary restrictions or not, we hope you take this opportunity to immerse yourself in the profound beauty of Japanese cuisine.

Vegan Kaiseki

Rooted in the principles of the tea ceremony, kaiseki follows a structured and artistic approach to dining, emphasizing seasonality, the natural essence of ingredients, and visual harmony. Each dish is carefully curated to reflect nature’s beauty, creating a refined cultural experience.

Read more: What is Kaiseki cuisine?

Traditional kaiseki typically relies on dashi (broth) made from bonito flakes, and the courses often feature seafood and other animal-based ingredients. However, this can pose challenges for vegan and vegetarian guests.

At Ise Sueyoshi, we believe that the beauty of kaiseki cuisine should be accessible to everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions. With this in mind, we began developing vegan kaiseki in 2016, striving to maintain the authenticity and depth of traditional Japanese flavors while ensuring that guests with plant-based diets can fully enjoy this exquisite culinary art.

Challenge Meets Tradition

While honoring tradition, vegan kaiseki also embraces the evolving needs of modern dining. The greatest challenge in creating an authentic vegan kaiseki experience was developing the perfect dashi (broth).
In traditional Japanese cuisine, dashi is fundamental and is typically made using bonito flakes or other animal-derived ingredients. However, vegan kaiseki requires a plant-based alternative that still delivers the depth and complexity of flavor that defines kaiseki cuisine.
Japanese cuisine already has kombu (kelp) and dried shiitake mushroom dashi, but “suimono” (clear soup) is considered the essence of a kaiseki meal. Since it relies almost entirely on the pure flavor of dashi with minimal seasoning, developing a suitable vegan dashi posed a significant challenge.
Chef Yuuki Tanaka’s Vegan Dashi Experimentation
Chef Yuuki Tanaka of Ise Sueyoshi embarked on a journey to craft a vegan dashi that would uphold the refined flavors of kaiseki. His process involved various trials:

Dried Mushrooms:
- In addition to dried shiitake mushrooms, he experimented with homemade dried enoki mushrooms to create a deeper umami flavor.
- However, the resulting broth was too strong, disrupting the delicate balance of the full kaiseki course.
Tea-Based Dashi:
- Since tea naturally contains umami components, he explored using different tea infusions as a base for dashi.
- Unfortunately, the bitterness and strong aroma of tea made it unsuitable for the subtle, refined flavors of kaiseki.
The Final Solution: Burdock & Jerusalem Artichoke Tea
- Chef Tanaka discovered that burdock tea (gobō-cha) and Jerusalem artichoke tea (kiku-imo-cha), which do not contain traditional tea leaves, provided a mild yet rich umami profile.
- By combining kombu dashi with a small amount of burdock and Jerusalem artichoke tea, he achieved the ideal balance of umami, aroma, and clarity.

This breakthrough led to the creation of the vegan dashi that now serves as the foundation of Ise Sueyoshi’s vegan kaiseki, ensuring that every dish remains true to the philosophy and excellence of traditional kaiseki cuisine.

Savor Seasonal Delights

Kaiseki cuisine is a reflection of the seasons, capturing the essence of nature in each dish. In spring, plates are designed to evoke the beauty of cherry blossoms; in summer, they convey a refreshing sense of coolness. Autumn dishes feature warm colors reminiscent of falling leaves, while winter brings comforting, hearty flavors. Each course is carefully curated to harmonize with the time of year, offering a multi-sensory journey through Japan’s changing seasons.
Japan is blessed with an abundance of seasonal produce, making it a paradise for vegetable lovers.

Spring: Mountain vegetables (sansai), known for their fresh, slightly bitter flavors.
Summer: Juicy, hydrating vegetables like eggplant and cucumbers, perfect for hot weather.
Autumn: Nutty and earthy flavors from tree nuts and mushrooms.
Winter: Root vegetables, rich in umami and perfect for warming dishes.

At Ise Sueyoshi, Chef Yuuki Tanaka works closely with local farmers from his hometown, ensuring that each vegetable is at its peak ripeness and flavor. By carefully selecting and preparing these ingredients, the dishes bring out the natural taste of each season.

Read more: Winter Delicacy – Kabu-mushi (Turnip Steamed Dish)
Discovering Japan’s Winter: Three Essential Experiences to Savor and Explore

Beyond the Meal

At Ise Sueyoshi, we have continued to refine and enhance our Vegan Kaiseki offerings even after its initial introduction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we dedicated ourselves to further developing depth of flavor, visual aesthetics, and overall dining experience, ensuring that every guest enjoys a truly remarkable meal.

Each dish in the course has been carefully reassessed, focusing on its role within the overall dining experience. We meticulously examined the balance of flavors, textures, and richness, ensuring that even plant-based dishes provide a satisfying and fulfilling experience.

As a restaurant that specializes in creating memorable dining moments, we have also revisited our presentation and plating techniques, aiming to enhance the element of surprise and delight in every course.

Whether or not you have dietary restrictions, we invite you to indulge in a visually stunning and unforgettable Kaiseki experience at Ise Sueyoshi.

For more about our vegan and gluten-free philosophy, please visit this page.

A Space for Serenity

At Ise Sueyoshi, we offer an intimate and exclusive dining experience with only ten seats in total—five at the counter and five in a private dining room. This limited seating ensures that each guest enjoys a serene and personalized atmosphere, making every visit a truly special occasion. For those seeking a more private setting, our individual dining rooms provide the perfect space to relax and immerse in the moment.
Exceptional Service Beyond the Meal
We believe that hospitality is just as important as the cuisine itself. Our team is well-versed in English service, making Ise Sueyoshi an ideal choice for international travelers visiting Japan for the first time. Guests can enjoy detailed explanations of each dish in English, along with insights into Japanese culinary traditions and culture, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of Kaiseki dining.
Multilingual Menus for a Deeper Experience
In addition to our English-speaking service, our menus are available in six languages:

English
Spanish
French
Italian
Traditional Chinese
Korean

Each menu features the day’s full course and ingredients on the front, while the back side includes cultural insights and Kaiseki dining traditions in the respective language.
Designed in the form of traditional Japanese origami, many of our guests take the menu home as a memorable keepsake, adding an extra layer of cultural appreciation to their dining experience at Ise Sueyoshi.

Kaiseki for Everyone

At Ise Sueyoshi, we offer not only vegan Kaiseki but also traditional Kaiseki courses featuring seafood and premium meats, allowing guests at the same table to enjoy different dining styles tailored to their preferences.

For our classic Kaiseki courses, we incorporate high-quality Japanese ingredients, including such as Wagyu beef, Ise lobster, Fugu (pufferfish), Maguro (bluefin tuna).

These ingredients are prepared using a harmonious blend of traditional techniques and modern culinary innovations, ensuring an unforgettable dining experience.

Accommodating Special Requests with Care

Beyond our vegan and vegetarian options, we are happy to accommodate special dietary requests, including:
✔ Gluten-free options
✔ Allergies request
✔ Other dietary restrictions upon request

Many guests choose Ise Sueyoshi for special celebrations, such as anniversaries and birthdays. One of our signature experiences is the Shiogama (Salt-Crusted Dish), a beautifully presented dish that adds an element of surprise and joy to any special occasion.

And interestingly, many couples have chosen Ise Sueyoshi as the setting for their marriage proposals—a testament to the truly intimate and memorable atmosphere we strive to create.

Read more about our celebration:
Tokyo Honeymoon: Savor Japan’s Most Celebrated Traditions

For more about Fugu delicacy and its unique culinary experience, please visit this page:
Poison Fish: Exploring Fugu, Japan’s Most Expensive Delicacy

A wonderful Kaiseki experience!

Nov 2024 • couples

My wife and I came to Ise Sueyoshi on the last night of our 10 days in Japan. It was the best meal we had and is both an incredibly delicious and interesting menu and a great cultural experience for those visiting Japan from abroad (though the Japanese couple who was also there seemed to really love it too!). Chef Yuuki and his team are very talented and showcase food from his local prefecture incredibly. Just totally exquisite vegetables, broths, sashimi and shushi cuts, desserts, and more. My wife is vegetarian and really enjoyed her vegan menu as well. Don’t miss it!

We are proud to continue delivering an exceptional dining experience that earned us the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2024 award, ranking among the Best Restaurants in Tokyo. Our commitment to excellence in service and our dedication to offering the finest kaiseki dining experience in Tokyo remain unwavering. Discover more about our journey to becoming one of the best restaurants in the city[here].

Visit Ise Sueyoshi

Location: Conveniently located 12 minutes from Roppongi Station and 8 minutes from Hiroo Station.
Hours: Open 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM, reservations only. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Book Your Experience ☟

Reservation Page

Conclusion

At Ise Sueyoshi, we humbly invite you to experience a dining journey that caters to all dietary needs. Whether you’re vegan, halal, or have specific preferences, we are here to create a memorable and inclusive dining experience for you, especially for special occasions like a honeymoon.

Looking ahead to 2025, we promise to continue striving as the “Best Kaiseki Restaurant,” delivering unique culinary experiences that reflect the beauty and depth of Japanese culture. Reservations are now open through the end of 2025. We encourage you to plan early and join us for a special dining experience. May our dishes and hospitality create cherished memories for your journey.

Vegan Kaiseki in Tokyo: Authentic Dining Experience in Roppongi | 伊勢すえよし

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