Enjoy Izakaya even as a Vegan | Vegan Izakaya Masaka

Dec 24, 20243 min read

Updated: Jan 5

Have you ever been sad about not being able to experience part of Japanese culture due to being vegan? Izakaya are one of the things I always wanted to try out in Japan, but they don't usually have vegan options. I once went to a regular Izakaya, ordering what according to the menu was just veggies and tofu, only to find out it all came with either meat broth, fish sauce or bonito flakes. Ugh!

If you want to have the experience but want to be safe, check out Vegan Izakaya Masaka in Shibuya! It is a 100% vegan Izakaya in Shibuya, on the B1 floor of Shibuya Parco.

About Vegan Izakaya Masaka

Like in a regular Izakaya, you can get a variety of small dishes to mix and match and share with your friends, as well as alcoholic beverages. They have many dishes to choose from, so I bet there is something for everyone!

The Izakaya opened in 2020 and has been popular ever since, so better calculate in long waiting times to get in! There is a list in front of the entrance where you need to write your name and how many people you are with, after that you can wait in one of the seats outside the restaurant. (If you don’t have enough time, I recommend checking out the ramen place Jikkasei Meisho on the same floor as Masaka which has a few vegan options or the vegan restaurant Falafel Brothers on one of the upper floors of Shibuya Parco).

The only thing that makes the experience less authentic is the Izakaya’s popularity with foreigners. Besides the staff an friends I went with, I never saw any Japanese customers. I wonder why, since soy meat options have been becoming popular with heath-conscious Japanese.

Once you are seated inside Masaka, you can see the menu stick on the wall (like in traditional Izakayas, which is so cool!), but you can also check it via the QR-Code on your seat with your phone. You also order via the QR code with your smart phone.

For lunch, you can choose a lunch set for 1500¥ that includes karaage with your sauce of choice: sichuan mala, teriyaki mayonnaise, green onion salt lemon, tartar or yuzu pepper sauce. The set can be ordered until 15:00.

They also have lots of other dishes, like tempura, noodles, spring rolls, mapo tofu, vegan shrimp, gyoza, onigiri and more! Each dish is a bit small, so I recommend going with friends and sharing a bunch.

Dishes I tried

Karaage

The most popular item at Masaka is their karaage made from deep fried soy meat which comes with five different sauces. I tried both the green onion salt lemon one and the tarter one.

If Masaka wasn’t an entirely vegan restaurant, I would have thought my order got mixed up because the texture was so meat-like, I was shook! It was nothing like any soy meat I ate before. It was savory, chewy, juicy and just like real meat. Perfect for vegans who miss the texture of meat and meat-eaters alike! I don’t think anyone would notice the karaage is vegan. I personally, however, never liked the texture of meat, so this dish while tasting yummy is a pass for me.

I really enjoyed the sauces tho! The spring onion one was a little tangy and juicy, while the tartar one was really egg-like!

Spring rolls

I absolutely love spring rolls, so I had to go and get them as soon as they were announced as a new menu! They were super crispy and filled with veggies.

Spicy potato wedges

These crispy potatoes were seasoned really well and so delicious! I definitely recommend them.

Fried NOT Shrimp

I never ate real shrimp in my life, so I cannot judge how authentic they were. According to my friends the texture was similar, the taste however quite different, but still yummy. I personally didn’t like the chewy and glibbery texture, but loved the sweet and sour sauce they came with.