There are a number of locations around Japan that are on any cinephile’s bucket list when they visit. A couple of months ago, we visited one of those movie locations in Tokyo.
The “Kill Bill” restaurant otherwise known as Gonpachi is a large restaurant in Tokyo famous for inspiring the fight scene, “The Bride vs The Crazy 88” in the 2003 film. It’s a well-known Izakaya for travellers with a western twist and they also happen to have a vegan menu too.
Whilst the interior of the restaurant is pretty impressive, there are a few reasons I would say it’s not worth the visit for vegans. Let me tell you more!
At a glance:
V/VO: Vegan options
How to order: A server will come and take your order at the table
Payment: Card and cash accepted- payment at the end
Reservation required?: Yes
About Gonpachi Nishiazabu
Before Gonpachi got so famous, it was known for its handmade soba noodles and grilled skewers. But since Quentin Tarantino stepped foot into this restaurant and got inspired to film that fight scene, it’s now known as the “Kill Bill Restaurant” and a notable tourist attraction in Tokyo.
The Gonpachi restaurant
The restaurant is lively and fun and most of the staff seem to be able to speak English here. As you walk in, the whole staff greet you and shout “welcome” in Japanese – Something they do every time someone new comes in.


The space is impressive too, with a large restaurant spread out over two floors full of wooden features, bamboo, lanterns, Japanese roofs and taiko drums making it look stereotypically Japanese.

As it’s a very popular restaurant and tourist attraction, reservations for bigger groups are a must – you don’t get to choose where you’re sitting in the restaurant. If you’re a single diner or a couple they probably will be able to seat you but if you don’t want to be turned away, I would advise making a reservation to be on the safer side.

One of their large kitchens is in the middle of the restaurant where you can sit around. It’s a great seating option for single diners. They also have normal tables and chairs, booth seating as well as a large area upstairs with traditional tatami floor seating which would be great for a larger party.
Vegan menu at Gonpachi

At Gonpachi they have a separate English menu with a few things that could be made suitable and you will have to ask for the vegan menu as it’s not handed out automatically.

Gonpachi (for vegans) is known for its vegan sushi so we were excited to try it! However, when we first visited for lunch, they didn’t have it on offer which was disappointing. I did get to try it for dinner when we visited for the second time, though.
Assortment Vegan Sushi (6pcs)

6 pieces of sushi topped with avocado, seaweed and quinoa, shitake mushroom, Japanese ginger and possibly garlic chives. I enjoyed trying this sushi and seeing how each one tasted. Although I wasn’t keen on every single one, it was fun to explore these different tastes and they’re so visually pretty too!
Price: ¥1,485 (£8.23/ $10.66)
Vegan Roll

These were vegetable-filled sushi rolls topped with avocado, very creamy and tasty!
Price: ¥1,320 (£7.32/ $9.47)
Assortment of Grilled Vegetable Skewers

Grilled okra, small yellow cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato and leeks. They were just grilled with no flavour so they were pretty plain.
Price: ¥1,320 (£7.32/ $9.47)
Assortment of Vegetable Tempura

The tempura was nice and crispy and came with matcha salt which elevated the taste. Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) is my all-time favourite tempura.
Price: ¥1,386 (£7.68/ $9.94)
Seiro Soba

These are cold soba noodles that you dip in the tsuyu (sauce) and top with green onions. The noodles themselves were fine but the tsuyu was just so plain, with no flavour whatsoever which was disappointing.
Price: ¥880 (£4.88/ $6.31)
Kake Soba

Both soba dishes are on their normal menu and I asked if they were able to make the broth and dipping sauce without any katsuo dashi (fish stock) which they said they could.
Unfortunately, once again this dish had no flavour, it was just a noodle dish in warm tasteless broth. It was very unsatisfactory.
If you’re planning on going to Osaka, visit this restaurant for great soba dishes, you won’t be disappointed!
Price: ¥880 (£4.88/ $6.31)
Things that are close to Gonpachi
- The National Arts Center, Tokyo | 9 min walk
- Roppongi Hills | 7 min walk
- Mori Art Museum | 12 min walk
- Shibuya Scramble Crossing | 32 min walk, 16 min train
- Shibuya Sky | 30 min walk, 15 min train
Other vegan options close to Gonpachi
V = Vegan, VO = Vegan Option
- Afuri – Roppongi | VO | 9 min walk
- Two Dogs Pizza House & Taproom | VO | 15 min walk, 10 min bus
- The Brothers Corner – Minato | V | 12 min walk
- Te Cor Gentil テコールジャンティー | V | 22 min walk
- Itosho | V | 24 min walk
How to get to Gonpachi Nishiazabu
Address:
1-chōme-13-11 Nishiazabu, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0031, Japan
Nearest station:
9 min walk from Roppongi Station
16 min walk from Omotesando Station
Open:
Monday to Sunday 11:30 – 3:30 am
Phone:
050-5443-1691
My thoughts on Gonpachi
The first time we visited, we were a group of vegans and unfortunately, it was a letdown. We wanted to go to the restaurant, being fans of the film, but they didn’t have the main item, vegan sushi.
So the four of us ended up ordering the soba noodles off the normal menu as well as the grilled vegetable skewers and rice, which were flavourless and plain.
After not having a great first experience I was reluctant to go again. However, we had more family coming to visit (we were the only vegans this time), and knew they would like the whole vibe of Gonpachi.
It was also a very convenient place to come with our schedule, especially as a group of 6 with mixed diets. So I pushed my initial thought to one side to give it a second chance. Luckily they had vegan sushi this time, hooray! Which was nice and the others in our group thought the place was great.
The only issue was I found the staff a little rude and unprofessional. We had to call them back twice when we were ordering the drinks and dinner, as they would just walk away before we had finished relaying them our order.
Is Gonpachi worth the visit as a vegan?
If you’re a big fan of the film and want to go for the atmosphere and don’t mind eating sub-par Japanese vegan food then maybe it’ll be ok for you. And I can imagine as it is the centre of Tokyo, with the capacity to hold large groups, it could be a great place to suggest for work parties or parties in general for those with mixed diets.
However, being quite a touristy restaurant in Japan, the prices are hiked up. Although it would still be considered a cheap meal out in England, for the quality and the quantity of vegan food we were served, I find it rather expensive and not worth the money.
The only good thing I can say about this restaurant is that I appreciate the interior. Unfortunately, it’s not somewhere I’ll be returning to in a hurry, and I feel sad that a restaurant with such a big hype was a letdown.
As there are much better food and restaurants all around Japan, I personally wouldn’t waste your time and money coming here! If you’re after a traditional Japanese experience, I would highly recommend you check out this fully vegan restaurant in Tokyo!