Hidden Gem Alert: plant planet’s Cozy Vegan Magic
- Josefa-Lisa
- May 11
- 5 min read
Updated: May 19
Tucked away near Gakugei Daigaku Station, Plant Planet feels like stepping into a dreamy, plant-covered hideaway straight from a fairy tale—only this one serves fully vegan, gluten-free magic on a plate. From the cozy, art-filled interior to the carefully crafted curry and stew lunch sets, this café offers more than just food—it’s an experience you won’t want to leave.
About plant planet
plant planet is a fully vegan and gluten-free restaurant near Gakugei Daigaku Station in Tokyo.
Tucked away in a side street about 15 minutes by foot from the station, once you approach the café, you are greeted by a magical atmosphere. The rustic building overgrown by lush, green plants, and looks like it came straight out of a fairy-tale!
But the magic doesn`t end there. The cozy restaurant is quite large. The wooden furniture with each table beeing different but still going together amazingly, elegant ceramic plates and mugs contribute to the relaxing ambience.
The walls to the left are decorated with the owner and chef's stunning art, adding colour and making this place feel very special. You can see inside the large kitchen at watch the chef carefully creating your dish.
For lunch, you can choose between four lunch set menus: 2 item set (vegan butter chicken curry and mushroom cream stew), stew set (mushroom cream stew), spice curry set (curry made from 18 kinds of spices), and the butter chicken curry set. They come with a drink of your choice.
While for lunch you can only choose between those four dishes, there is a larger menu in the evening. It includes a range of appetisers, several kinds of pasta and three kinds of dessert.
The restaurant is famous for their special carrot cake, which usually has to be reserved beforehand.
Drink menu:
Foods I tried
I went to plant planet twice with friends, once for lunch and once for dinner. So, I got to try several of the wonderful dishes.
おまかせの美味しいやつ (omakase no oishii yatsu)
Translated literally, the name of this appetiser means “delicious meal selected by the chef.” Naturally, that piqued our curiosity—we had to know what kind of dish it was. When we asked the chef, he playfully refused to tell us. Apparently, it’s a mix of his favorite ingredients and changes depending on what he feels like on that day, if I understood correctly. You won't find out until the finished dish reaches your table. Isn’t that such an intriguing concept? Of course, we had to try it.
What arrived was the best broccoli and potatoes I’ve ever had in my life. The broccoli, including the stem, was buttery soft, had a hint of smokiness, and was seasoned to perfection. The potatoes were crisp and well-seasoned with paprika. Both were served on a creamy white sauce with a slightly sweet flavour. I had no idea broccoli could taste this good!
Butter Chicken Curry
The flavourful butter chicken curry came with rice and had a buttery texture and rich taste. It is tomato and coconut based and easy on the stomach. So delicious! It was topped with roasted veggies like pumpkin, broccoli and aubergine, as well as some fresh sprouts and spices. It was one of the best Japanese-style curries I had so far!
Spaghettini with roasted tomatoes
It might sounds exaggerated but this probably was the best pasta I ever had in Japan. The prerfectly cooked spagettini came with a flavourful tomato sauce and lots of soft, slightly sweet onions. Nut pieces in the sauce added an interesting texture. I ablsolutely loved it! Usually the dish includes mushrooms, but on request the chef kindly made it without for me.
Apple Jasmine Pound Cake
The moist pound cake was freshly baked and absolutely delicious! The fluffy texture, juicy apples, and fragrant jasmine made for a perfect combination. It came with a rich cream on the side.
幻のヴィーガンキャロットケーキプレート (“The Legendary Vegan Carrot Cake Plate”)
This popular carrot cake is usually limited to reservation, but we were lucky they had some for sale that evening.
It was different to any kind of carrot cake I had before. It had a denser texture and wasn't super sweet. It was topped with a kind of lemony yoghurt cream, decorated with dried flowers and lavender. It came with a rich, thick cream and some syrup on the side. I can see why it is so popular!
Moon Chai
The Moon Chai was sweet and super spicy! You could really tasted that it is home-made and all spices are carefully chosen. According to the menu, the craft chai simmers or over 12 hours with organic spices from India, which vary depending on the season. The chai can be purchased, so that you can recreate this yummy drink at home.
When I went again in the evening, I really wanted to have their chai again. Because I don't even get a wink of sleep if I drink black tea at night, I asked if the tea is decaf. I planned on ordering rum milk instead I cannot have the chai, but the chef kindly offered to make it with a caffein-free rooibos tea base. It had a completely different flavour than regular chai, but it was super yummy in its own way! I highly recommend asking for it if you're sensitive to caffein.
All in all, everything was super delicious and the atmoshphere was amazing! While the restaurant is on the pricier side, it is definitely worth a visit!
Details
Price span
650¥-2500¥
Hours
Monday, Wednesday:
11:00-15:00
Thursday-Sunday:
11:00-15:00, 18:00-21:00
Closed on Tuesdays
Address
〒152-0002 東京都目黒区目黒本町２丁目３−１ 1F
Online store
Tel.:
05031384946
Reservation
@veganshop_plantplanet
What is Veganism?
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.“
- The Vegan Society
Reasons to choose vegan alternatives:
Protect animals from suffering horrendously and getting killed
A whole-food plant-based vegan diet has the least environmental impact
A whole-food plant-based vegan diet is extremely healthy and can help reversing various diseases like type 2 diabetes or heart diseases.
For people, as a vegan diet requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and dairy diet.
PLANT-BASED: A Guide to a more Sustainable Lifestyle
Check out my Kyoto Sightseeing x Vegan Food Guides
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