Santa Cruz, CA
Keepin' it #plantbased
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Location
Santa Cruz, CA
Yelping since
June 2009
Look no further for vegan ramen than here at T's Tan Tan, one of the coveted spots for plant-based folks and those exploring.
HUGE Note: just like it's sister location in Ueno, you must pass through the ticket gates in order to access T's Tan Tan.
Since this is located inside Tokyo Eki, you might experience a bit of a wait. I waited about 10 minutes in line as a solo diner before being seated. There are a lot of Japanese and international folks dining here, so you're going to listen in on a lot of different languages.
I ordered their current special set which was their take on Thai Khao Soi and included a little cheesy rice bowl you can create using the broth after the noodles were done. I also got a side of their gyoza because they were great at the Ueno location.
As expected, the food here is great. Ramen quality if top notch and their rotating specials lived up to expectations. For less than ¥2000, you're going to have a great meal and know it's fully vegan.
Despite the annoyance of needing to enter through the JR gates, it's worth it on a stopover to your next destination. I'd plan to drop by for a meal if you're transiting between two different points on the JR line so it doesn't feel like you're wasting money just to gain access.
Henna Cafe is one of the most gimmicky coffee shops you'll find in Japan. A robot prepares your drink and requires little human power to work (aside from them refilling ingredients). It's more so the spectacle of it all rather than the quality of the coffee or matcha you order.
My matcha latte tasted fine from an instant powder version, so it really doesn't do much in terms of quality. However, if you're looking to record a show for friends, this might be worth the trouble.
Drinks take about 5 minutes to prepare. You may be better off going to a conbini or finding another barista to prepare a higher quality drink.
LINIO is a cozy, laid back cafe close to Akebonobashi Station. They serve up a variety of vegetarian and vegan friendly dishes that are clearly marked on their menu.
Coming in on a weeknight, it wasn't busy at all and made for a calm dining experience in the heart of a busy area.
We tried their Hishio Seasonal Vegetables and Soy Milk Gratin (both about ¥1400), as well as their Vegetable Risotto (¥1430). All of our dishes were vegan which was so nice to see in Tokyo.
The seasonal vegetables were a delightful starter. Seasoned well, although a bit too salty for my taste. The gratin and risotto were delicious and creamy, packed with a lot of flavors and medley of seasonal veggies. My favorite of the night was definitely the risotto so I'd recommend that for sure.
A great place for plant-based diners but also for anyone looking to have a different meal than the usual take-out that Japanese convenience spots often offers.
We were recommended to try this coffee shop after leaving our ryokan Eidaya, as the owner handed us complimentary ¥500 drink tickets. No way we would pass on the offer so we stopped by for a quick drink.
The shop is tiny so there's only space to order to-go, but how cute it was to see an Aussie inspired coffee shop. The owner was very sweet and was very vested in preparing the best coffee or tea drink for us.
I'm not a coffee drinker so they offered us tea instead. I had a matcha latte with oat milk and my mom had a hot yuzu tea, both of which were perfect for the winter.
Thank you lift up for the great pick-me-up on our way out from Kusatsu!
Aoyama is a shop in Kusatsu that specializes in Gunma soba and maitake tempura, local delicacies that you'd find in the prefecture. As one of the few shops opened in the winter in the early evening, this became our default dinner location.
We each got the same soba-tempura set which came out to about ¥1800 a person, which is honestly quite steep for the quality of food we received. I get that it's a tourist spot but it seems a bit overpriced. Nonetheless, we ate our dinner and went on our way to explore the rest of the town.
Service was interesting because at first, they told us they were full but didn't indicate whether we could wait for an open table. It seemed like they weren't as friendly towards non-Japanese tourists but I was able to speak enough to communicate that we were willing to wait... Hopefully others that come here don't get that same vibe or experience.