Onari Yokocho is perhaps one of the most special restaurants I’ve ever been to in Japan. It’s not that the food there is bad. In fact, I rather liked what I ordered when I was there. Rather, what makes it peculiar is the fact that it chooses to serve vegetarian and vegan dishes considering how meat-centric Japanese cuisine and I would think the regular Japanese palata is.
Onari Yokocho in Kamakura: A Real Treat for Vegetarians and Vegans
So this is what greeted me when I went to Onari Yokocho during my stay in Kamakura. The front of the shop was teeming with these posters advertising the restaurant’s various dishes. At first glance, I honestly thought that this was just a run-of-the-mill restaurant that probably had a dozen reviews and then gained some notoriety. Turns out, I was wrong in my assumption.
In case you’re wondering what places you can visit in Kamakura, well…there are lot to see in this beautiful place. I would recommend Kotoku-in, Hokokuji Temple’s Bamboo Forest, Hase-dera Temple, and Kamakura Kokomae Station just to name a few.
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As I moved closer, I saw that the facade of the front of the shop was actually quite clean. It was really just the posters and signs that really gave off this chaotic vibe. Of course, this might have also been intentional as I do know some tourists prefer that kind of ambience. I personally am not a fan but I do get where they might be coming from.
When I did enter I found the place to be rather comfortable. Despite being busy, I got my order taken and was seated rather quickly. The setup here is kind of like an izakaya where the cook is preparing the meals as he receives the order and customers (at least those on the bar stools) then get to see him prepare the dishes in real time.
While the restaurant heavily advertises its vegan and vegetarian meals, I decided to play it safe and got the Nigiri Sushi set (tuna rib, medium fatty, and salmon), an order of eel sushi, and all this accompanied by miso soup. These were delicious by the way and more importantly, they tasted really fresh. Apparently, the restaurant sources their seafood daily from the Yokohama Market.
Menu
Here’s the cover of Onari Yokocho’s menu. I will say that I appreciated them posting their Wi-Fi info on the menu for customers like me to connect to. The restaurant also has this promotion where you get free sushi if you leave them a review on Google Maps. If you’re really hungry then you’d do well to leave a review and get that order of sushi.
I will say, the vegan section of the menu really looks appetizing. If they didn’t include the dishes’ names and descriptions then I’m pretty sure I’d mistake some of them for regular meat dishes. The Tonkotsu-style Veggie Ramen is the one particular dish on this menu that I really wanted to try out.
Of course, I did end up getting just the regular Nigiri Sushi set (for JPY2900) since I thought that was a much better deal. If budget wasn’t a consideration, I probably also would’ve gotten the Luxurious Tuna Bowl or maybe even the Salmon Teriyaki Bowl. That said, the Nigiri Sushi set still ended up being quite delicious. The included miso soup was also okay although I would hesitate to call it exceptional. Aside from the food, this part of the menu also includes drinks included with the set meals.
This section of the menu features a la carte orders of sushi. I thought the prices for individual orders of sushi were more expensive which is why I decided on just getting the Nigiri Sushi set meal. If I had ordered the sushi individually I would have needed to shell out 2680 and I would also have to pay for the miso soup and my drink. Anyway, I also added an order of eel sushi for JPY800 since I was craving it at that time. Other than what I ordered, I was also considering getting the vegan/vegetarian sushi but the price seemed like it was more prohibitive. For what it’s worth though, I think the pricing for the vegan dishes was kind of understandable considering their seasonal nature and freshness.
In case you weren’t too keen on the sushi and vegan options then you might want to check out the a la carte section of the menu. The appetizers and fried food section here had some of my favorite dishes that I was tempted to add to my order. I was particularly checking out the Japanese fried chicken orders as well as the appetizers that had Shirazu (essentially whitebait).
I will say that I more than enjoyed my Onari Yokocho dining experience. While not the best tasting, I still think the restaurant’s food was worth the money. The sushi was not only fresh and delicious, it was more importantly, relatively affordable. I also liked that the restaurant has an English translated menu which made it really easy to communicate my order to the staff. If given the chance, I’d really love to try out the vegan dishes next time around.
