Hiroshima’s Best Vegan Burger

Having a great vegan burger is a real asset for any restaurant as all diners regardless of lifestyle choice or religion can enjoy eating it. The current Vegan burger crown goes to the central modern-minimalist bistro, Vegimo.

Vegimo actually boasts two ‘Vegan Burgers’ on their vegan menu. The one pictured above is their ‘absence of burger’ called a NoNo-Burger. This is made with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables in a Vegan Burger style. The other is the vegan favorite- a Yaki-Fu burger which is filling and flavorful. The Fu is made of baked gluten flour which actually has a long history in Japan as it is a traditional meat-alternative often used in Buddhist Shojin-Ryori (traditional vegetarian food). The burgers both come on nice vegan rolls, savory vegan dressings and sauces and comes with a side of chunky fries and soup of the day at lunchtime for around 1,000 yen. 

Vegimo has a nice atmosphere with a clean, minimalist modern aesthetic with open kitchen and stylish restroom. Most vegetables used in this shop are local and organic. There is also a good selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and soft drinks. Vegimo seems to have the largest selection of vegan options on its regular lunch and dinner menus in Hiroshima’s city center. Actually, more than half the menu is consistently vegan. This reliability may be one of the key factors making this restaurant the favorite for international visitors who follow a plant-based diet.

While many other eateries offer vegetarian burgers which may include egg, butter, dairy products- Vegimo is the only place to have an entirely Vegan burger always available on its regular menu. A close second for a Vegan burger is at Hawaiian themed Nalu Cafe. Nalu Cafe’s Vegan burger is tasty, but they do not always have the vegan bread in stock, so it is often a good vegetarian option. Worst case scenario, vegans can enjoy this Nalu burger on its own with a nice side salad or french fries if the vegan rolls are not available.

As mentioned before, there are many other city center vegan and vegetarian options available at eateries in Hiroshima city. Some stand-outs are the macrobiotic vegan lunches available at Croissant Marche. The vegan and vegetarian Tex-Mex options at Otis! The vegan and vegetarian lunch plates at Triple, Cantina 23 and Kissa-Saeki. 

Eateries which have a good understanding of the needs of vegetarian and vegan diners are at Nagataya Okonomiyaki, Warung Matahari, Molly Malone’s, Kemby’s, Kanak, Roopali in addition to certain “Vegetarian” branches of the national chain CoCo-Ichibanya.

For a wider selection of vegetarian and vegan options, a 15-20 minute journey outside of the city center brings you to the 100% vegetarian Saishoku-Kenbi. Saishoku Kenbi has one of the largest selections of vegetarian and vegan dishes on offer in the Hiroshima area as well as a well-stocked shop. 

Thanks to the increase in international tourism, more and more vegetarian and vegan-friendly places are popping up all the time in and around Hiroshima. So, if you have a favorite, please let us know! Many standard eateries are also becoming flexible enough to allow off-the-menu ordering “Niku-nashi” without meat and “Sakana-Nashi” without fish too.  Vegan and vegetarian diners in Hiroshima still need to have patience, however, as there are still many eateries which lack a clear understanding of the needs of vegetarian and vegan customers.

Vegimo on Google Maps

jjwalsh

Writing about Hiroshima for over twenty years. Co-founded GetHiroshima in 1999 and founded the sustainability-focused InboundAmbassador business in 2019. Monthly CleanUp and Seeking Sustainability event organizer, guide workshop facilitator, online content creator and tourism destination consultant. Passionate about promoting solutions in Japan for people and the planet.