Restaurants
Due to my very long list of foods I cannot eat, eating out in Japan initially felt incredibly daunting. There’s always that slight unknown when trying somewhere new. However, over time I’ve managed to find some genuinely tasty and allergy-friendly places for both lunch and dinner.
Thankfully, vegan and gluten free restaurants are becoming more common across Japan, especially within major cities. So if travelling here with allergies feels intimidating, hopefully this can reassure you that finding safe food is becoming easier and easier!
One thing I’ve found extremely helpful is checking restaurant websites beforehand. Many restaurants — including fast food chains — provide allergen charts online. These usually list common allergens and may also mention possible cross contamination.
Of course, even when allergen information is available online, I completely understand wanting reassurance directly from a staff member. Sometimes hearing it from the restaurant itself simply feels safer and more comforting.
So below are some useful phrases and sentence templates you can use when asking whether a dish contains certain allergens or may be contaminated.
Using と to List Allergens
In Japanese, the particle と (to) is used similarly to “and” in English when listing items.
Example:
小麦と卵と乳
Komugi to tamago to nyū
Wheat, egg, and dairy
You can simply list your allergens using と when speaking to staff or showing written notes.
Helpful Restaurant Phrases
Does this contain wheat?
これは小麦が入っていますか？
Kore wa komugi ga haitte imasu ka?
Does this contain dairy?
これは乳製品が入っていますか？
Kore wa nyūseihin ga haitte imasu ka?
I cannot eat wheat, dairy, and egg.
小麦と乳製品と卵が食べられません。
Komugi to nyūseihin to tamago ga taberaremasen.
Is there cross contamination?
コンタミネーションはありますか？
Kontaminēshon wa arimasu ka?
Is this cooked using the same fryer/pan?
同じフライヤー・鉄板を使っていますか？
Onaji furaiyā / teppan o tsukatte imasu ka?
I recommend creating little physical cards that the server can pass onto the chef listing what you can’t have along with asking about cross contamination. Also helpful having it written on your phone!
Restaurant lists
Alchemy is honestly the perfect restaurant if you’re looking for somewhere that is both fully plant-based and gluten-free! They offer such a wide variety of dishes, and everything is presented so beautifully.
I chose one of their salad bowl options, which was ENORMOUS by the way, along with the dark salted chocolate almonds and one of their cold-pressed veggie drinks.
This was honestly one of the first restaurants where I felt genuinely relaxed while eating out. Since almost everything on the menu was already suitable for my dietary restrictions, there was very little worry about accidentally eating something I shouldn’t.
Another thing that surprised me was the pricing. Even though the restaurant is located in Azabu, one of Tokyo’s more upscale and luxurious areas, the prices were actually incredibly reasonable for the quality and portion sizes.
This will definitely become one of my more regular spots in Tokyo, and I would absolutely recommend giving it a visit!
Gyu-Kaku is a nice and easy yakiniku-style restaurant, with the all you can eat option being a huge plus for me! They offer a wide range of shabu shabu-style meats along with lots of different side dishes. There’s also an all-you-can-drink option, which is perfect if you’re out celebrating with friends.
The meats are prepared in a variety of different ways, and many normally come with sauces or marinades. However, as someone who cannot eat most sauces, I’m still able to comfortably eat here! That’s because you can ask for the meat to simply be cut and salted instead. This takes away a lot of the stress and uncertainty when ordering.
Another thing I really appreciate is that fresh grills can be changed on the hot plate, which helps me feel a lot safer regarding contamination concerns.
Personally, I’ve never had any issues arise while eating here, and it has become one of my regular go-to restaurants in Japan.
You’ll also notice when booking that there is usually an allergy information section you can fill out beforehand so staff are aware of any dietary restrictions prior to your visit.
So if you’re wanting a fun and easy barbecue-style meal while in Japan, I would highly recommend giving Gyu-Kaku a try!
Mr. Farmer is a wonderful vegan-style restaurant and somewhere I recently had an amazing experience eating at. I ordered the Vegan Green Dish and it was super tasty!
The ordering process is mainly done through a QR code system found on your table. However, because I’m unable to have certain sauces, I was able to call a staff member over and ask for the dish without sauce instead, which they accommodated perfectly.
Along with the food, they also provide different flavoured waters at the front of the restaurant. My personal favourite was the orange and lemon water!
Their desserts also looked incredible. I was honestly too full to try one myself, but my friend (who has no dietary restrictions) ordered the carrot cake and said it was really good!
So if you’re looking for somewhere to get a good veggie top-up while in Tokyo, I’d definitely recommend giving Mr. Farmer a visit!
Mo-Mo Paradise, a sukiyaki and shabu shabu restaurant, is another really fun cook-it-yourself style dining experience. With high-quality thinly sliced meats and fresh vegetables that you can add to your broth, it makes for such a comforting and enjoyable meal.
One thing I especially appreciate is that they provide a separate menu highlighting gluten-free broths and sauces, which makes the restaurant feel incredibly accommodating and much less stressful to navigate with allergies or dietary restrictions.
It’s the perfect place to enjoy a warm meal with friends, especially during the colder months. It’s also one of those restaurants that really helps ease my anxiety around eating out, as I know exactly what ingredients are going into my food.
So if you’re someone who feels nervous about eating at restaurants while travelling, I genuinely think Mo-Mo Paradise is a great place to try!
Sushiro, as the name suggests, is all about sushi! I absolutely love sushi it’s probably my favourite food ever so honestly I’m just as surprised as you that wasn’t the first on this list haha.
I first discovered Sushiro because there was a small takeaway shop beside my train station selling packaged sushi. Later on, I realised it was actually connected to one of Japan’s popular conveyor belt sushi restaurant chains!
One thing that immediately made me feel more comfortable eating there was that the packaged sushi clearly displayed ingredient labels. This meant that by the time I finally visited the restaurant itself, I already had a much better idea of what I could safely eat.
The ordering system was also really helpful, as it includes pictures for each menu item, making things much easier to navigate if you’re unfamiliar with Japanese menus.
So if you’re visiting Japan and love sushi as much as I do, I’d definitely recommend giving Sushiro a try!
Falafel Brothers is such a great spot if you’re looking for vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free options while in Tokyo. Some locations even allow you to build your own salad bowl, which gives you much more control over exactly what’s being added to your meal! Something I always really appreciate when eating out with allergies.
I absolutely love falafel, so this was a very exciting find for me and such a tasty meal overall!
They also had lots of desserts available that looked amazing. I was too full to try any this time around, but I’m definitely keen to go back and try some next visit!
So if you’re after a fresh, filling, and allergy-friendly meal option, I’d definitely recommend checking out Falafel Brothers!
Sizzler was actually a really good fit for me, even considering it’s a chain restaurant. The location I visited was near Tokyo Dome inside the nearby hotel complex.
It was a really lovely restaurant, and honestly had one of the biggest salad bars I’ve ever seen. There were so many different options available for building your plate, along with a full menu of other meals to choose from as well.
However, for those of us navigating allergies and dietary restrictions, I personally think the salad bar is probably the safest and easiest option there.
That being said, I actually think this makes Sizzler a really nice choice if you’re travelling with family or friends who may want more variety in their meals while you still have access to a large range of safer food options yourself.
So if you’re travelling in a group with mixed dietary needs, I’d definitely consider Sizzler a solid option to keep in mind!
