Vegan Izakaya Masaka — Vegan kara-age (plant-based 'fried chicken') and vegan gyoza

Vegan Izakaya Masaka

© Syced · CC0

A fully plant-based izakaya in the basement of Shibuya PARCO serving vegan 'fried chicken', gyoza and lemon sours, with no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or honey, so the fish-dashi trap does not apply. It is not gluten-free, as the mock-meat batters and soy sauce contain wheat.

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Diets our editors confirmed in person· English menu / support

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Vegan

私はヴィーガンです。肉・魚・卵・乳製品は食べられません。

Watashi wa vīgan desu. Niku, sakana, tamago, nyūseihin wa taberaremasen.

I'm vegan. I can't eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy.

  • 出汁に魚やかつおは使っていますか?Is there fish or bonito in the dashi (stock)?
  • 野菜だけで作れますか?Could you make it with vegetables only?

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Details

Nearest station
Shibuya Stn
Cuisine
Vegan izakaya
Price
¥¥
English menu / support
Signature
Vegan kara-age (plant-based 'fried chicken') and vegan gyoza

Vegan Izakaya Masaka takes the classic Shibuya after-work ritual — fried food, cold drinks, a low table to lean into — and rebuilds it without a single animal product in the kitchen.

The room sits in the basement of Shibuya PARCO, tucked into the Chaos Kitchen food hall about five minutes from Shibuya Station, and it leans into a retro Showa-era izakaya look: warm lighting, close-set tables, and the kind of clatter that makes a room feel alive rather than hushed. The name itself is a wink — "masaka" is what you say in Japanese when something seems impossible, and the joke is that the karaage genuinely tastes like it shouldn't be vegan. It is built from soy protein worked into a fibrous, chicken-like texture and fried to a shattering crust, served alongside gyoza and rounds of lemon sour — the two dishes that turn up on nearly every table. Regulars also point to the karaage with tartar sauce, deep-fried maitake mushroom, and a properly spiced mapo tofu as reasons to keep coming back.

Because there is no meat, fish, egg, dairy, or honey anywhere on the menu, the usual dashi worry that trips up vegan diners elsewhere in Japan does not apply here — kitchen and stock are animal-free by design. It is not gluten-free, though: the mock-meat batters and the soy sauce base both carry wheat, so gluten-avoidant diners should ask before ordering.

Practically, the room is small — 27 seats — and it fills fast once the evening a la carte menu starts at 3pm, with waits stretching past an hour around 6:30. Walk-ins are fine at lunch (sets run noon to 3), but for dinner it is worth booking ahead through Tabelog. Cards, IC cards, and QR payments are all accepted, so there is no need to carry cash.

Last verified Jul 2026

Hours and details can change — please confirm before you visit.

UMAMI HUNT Editorial
  • Japan-based editorial team
  • Primary sources, cited
  • Variable facts dated

The UMAMI HUNT editorial desk. We work from primary sources and date every claim that can change.

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