Vegetarian Curry at Coco Ichibanya

Coco Curry is a popular Japanese curry chain in Japan serving Japanese curry rice (often known as katsu curry abroad). It’s a must-eat for me on every visit to Japan – especially as a late breakfast after a night of karaoke!

There are branches everywhere. It’s a delicious, satisfying meal and you get a large serving for a very reasonable price. But the best part’s how you can customise your curry and choose your spice level and toppings!

Vegetarian Curry Options 

Vegetarian dishes can be difficult to find in Japan, especially if you want to try genuine Japanese food. Japanese curry’s usually made with meat stock by default, so it’s fantastic that Coco Curry offers a completely vegetarian curry sauce.

You can customise it with whichever toppings you like – there are several vegetarian options (listed belo) – so there are CHOICES (a novelty for vegetarians eating out, especially in Japan!).

When you order, you can choose your spice level from zero to twenty. Be warned: levels five and above are seriously spicy and not for the faint-hearted.

The menu has several different languages, including English, with photos of each dish so you know what you’re getting. If you don’t speak Japanese, you can point to order! Some branches have a touchscreen for ordering – you can change the language to English.

To double-check you’re getting the veggie curry, you could say the Japanese word for vegetarian: “begetarian” – basically the same but with a b sound instead of v – easy! It’s not understood everywhere but at Coco Curry they’ll know what you’re talking about.

Vegetarian Toppings

You can add as many as you like (you pay per extra topping, but it’s not expensive):

• Mixed vegetables
• Sweetcorn
• Aubergine/eggplant
• Egg: scrambled, hard boiled or soft boiled – good for extra protein.
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Natto (fermented soy beans) – notorious for being an acquired taste!
• Garlic bits
• “Delicious and spicy garlic” – this comes in a separate pot; the sauce changes the taste of the curry when you mix it in. They’re right – it is pretty delicious!

You can also add a half portion of the toppings.

There are side salads if you’re feeling in need of more veggies!

The basic curries on the menu (before toppings) are all under 1000 yen (£6.70, $8.79) and you get A LOT, so it’s excellent value. If we’re going for lunch, I’ll usually get the smaller portion of rice.

Watch out: there are several meals on the menu that look vegetarian, but they aren’t. The regular curry sauce contains meat stock or even chunks of hashed meat. To get the vegetarian sauce, the safest way is to pick one of the curries from the menu that says “vegetarian” and customise it by adding the toppings you want.

Coco Curry Menu

Here’s a link to the full menu book, in English.

Some branches now have touchscreens to order:

What’s it Like?

My favourite is the vegetarian curry sauce with vegetables, because of the potato, but there are lots of options, including tomato and asparagus (pictured below). 

My must-have topping is cheese, which is really stringy and makes it quite messy to eat but adds to the texture. Phil’s not a fan, but I like it! Other delicious toppings include spicy garlic, garlic bits and boiled egg. You can also get a salad on the side for extra health points – the sesame dressing’s delicious!

The rice is really fluffy and delicious – it’s that magic Japanese style rice that sticks together without being sticky or the least bit stodgy – and you get a lot of it.

The vegetarian sauce has a slightly different colour to the regular sauce:

See what it’s like in my video (sadly I have to tell you the cat keyrings were limited edition, but keep a look out for special promotions like this!)

Is Coco Curry Spicy?

Curry at Coco Curry is genuinely spicy! If you don’t like spicy food, order regular (spice level zero), or one from the “mild” levels, which are sweet (contains honey).

The spice levels used to go up to 10, but now they’ve been extended to 20, which is wild to me as anything 5 or above is seriously spicy. I can eat quite spicy foods, and I’ll usually go for 3, which has a satisfying, spicy kick. If I want a little spicier I’ll go for a 4 – that’s the hottest I’ve dared to try! My friend who once won a chilli eating competition managed a level 5.

To “unlock” the higher levels, you have to finish a level 5 first. I always wonder how they know – do you get a special card…?

Is it Vegan?

I checked the allergy information on Coco Curry’s website and it doesn’t contain dairy products or eggs, but it’s produced in a place that also handles milk. I also read that it contains a small amount of honey, so whether it’s vegan it depends on your individual dietary preferences. Curry from the mild levels definitely contains honey.

Special Winter Menu

If you’re in Japan in winter, you might be lucky and find their special soup curry on the menu. And there’s a vegetarian version, woohoo! It’s served with rice on the side, and has lots of veggies. See what it’s like in this video:

More Vegetarian Food in Japan

Being vegetarian in Japan as a tourist isn’t easy – but it is possible! There’s lots more in my videos on my channel in this playlist.

I also have a list of restaurants with vegetarian options (many are also vegan). It focuses on Japanese styles of food (not just brown rice and salads!), and is designed for meat eaters and veggies travelling together.

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