We had a wonderful day exploring and were making our way back to the station when we saw a sign that said ‘vegan’ in Arashiyama! Coming across a vegan cafe or restaurant like this doesn’t happen that often so I was shocked, yet equally pleased! Of course, I had to immediately go in!
Musubi Sweet Factory is a cafe serving home-roasted coffee and 100% vegan and gluten-free desserts. They are one of the top-rated bakeries in Kyoto!
After seeing the vegan sign, we all got a bit excited and carried away. As well as ordering a drink each, we ended up ordering 5 cakes between the four of us.
Let me show you what we got!
At a glance:
V/VO: Vegan
Payment: Card and cash accepted- payment when you order
Reservation required?: No
How to order: Order at the tills
The space
The cafe is light and open with accents of wood and a wooden interior used throughout the space. You have options to sit either at a table and chairs or sit on sofas at a lower table, which we chose to do.
The menu at Musubi Sweet Factory
At first, looking at the menu I thought it was quite expensive until I realised I was looking at the vegan sweet and drink price and then it seemed pretty reasonable!
The cakes are all laid out in a lit cabinet and they just looked so nice, which made our decision-making very difficult and resulted in us getting 5 cakes… ?
If you’re exploring Kyoto, you might also like it here!
What we ordered
Strawberry yoghurt tart | いちごヨーグルトタルト
This strawberry tart is lovely and sweet, and I like the idea of the jelly on top of the tart which would have created a nice layer and texture for your senses. However, on this tart, the jelly felt a little rubbery which I didn’t love. Although, it did have a lovely base and crust!
Set: ¥1,120 (£6.52/ $8.14)
Take out: ¥670 (£3.90/ $4.87)
Matcha tofu cake | 京豆腐のお濃茶ケーキ
Although I like matcha tea and lattes, I wouldn’t have ordered this ordinarily. However, I’m so glad I tried it.
I was surprised by the creaminess of this cake and the matcha flavour that didn’t hit you in your face like I was expecting. It was subtle, creamy and super delicious! This makes me want to try more matcha-flavoured desserts!
Set: ¥980 (£5.70/ $7.12)
Take out: ¥530 (£3.08/ $3.85)
Lemon yoghurt cheesecake | レモンヨーグルトチーズケーキ
Compared to some cheesecakes I’ve had previously, this was much heavier and thicker. It’s creamy and sweet yet tart with a good biscuit base.
Set: ¥1000 (£5.82/ $7.26)
Take out: ¥550 (£3.20/ $3.99)
Chocolate tofu cake | 京豆腐のチョコレートケーキ
Velvety, chocolatey and rich. This is a great choice for any chocolate lovers and a great pairing with coffee!
The different texture of the creamy cheesecake top with a sponge bottom was a really nice combination.
Set: ￥980 (£5.70/ $7.12)
Take out: ¥530 (£3.08/ $3.85)
Raspberry yoghurt tart | ラズベリーヨーグルトタルト
This was my favourite out of them all. The sharpness of the raspberries and the sweetness of the tart was a great combination. It made me keep going back for more and more spoonfuls!
This was similar to the strawberry tart however the jelly on top was much softer and the texture was similar to a thicker jam consistency which I thought was much nicer.
Set: ¥1,050 (£6.11/ $7.36)
Take out: ¥600 (£3.49/ $4.36)
Musubi sweet and drink set
I ordered an iced coffee and asked for some milk which came on the side. The coffee was full of flavour and great to pair with all the cakes!
We also had organic rooibos tea which came out in a teapot with a nice cup and saucer.
Musubi blend coffee (hot/cold): ¥480 (£2.79/ $3.49)
Organic rooibos tea (hot/cold): ¥580 (£3.38/ $4.21)
Things that are close to Musubi Sweet Factory
- Explore Arashiyama
- Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama | 2 min walk (from the bottom of the mountain)
- Tenryu-Ji Temple | 7 min walk
- Togetsukyo bridge | 1 min walk
- Gio-ji Temple | 25 min walk
Vegan options close to Musubi Sweet Factory
V = Vegan, VO = Vegan Options
- *Musubi Cafe | VO | 6 minute walk
- Tenryu-ji Temple Shigetsu (Shojin-ryori) | V | 11 min walk
- eX Cafe (wagashi, matcha drinks with soy milk) | VO | 6 min walk
*Musubi Cafe is a healthy Japanese cafe with desserts, lunch sets and a dinner menu which has vegan options owned by the same company. All desserts at Musubi are 100% vegan and gluten-free! According to HappyCow, they have curry, pasta and a taco rice set that is all vegan as well.
How to get to Musubi Sweet Factory
On Google Maps, it comes up as “Musubi-an” instead of Musubi Sweet Factory
Address:
51 Arashiyama Nakaoshitacho, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-0004, Japan
Nearest station:
6 min walk from Arashiyma Station
Open:
Monday to Sunday 11:00 – 18:00 (LO 17:00) Sometimes closes on Tuesdays
With historic temples, beautiful gardens, a bamboo forest and a monkey park, Arashiyama is a popular tourist destination attracting people from all over the world. Although they have lots of cafes and restaurants, it’s unfortunately still lacking in vegan options.
That’s why I was so pleased to have just stumbled upon Musubi Sweet Factory, it’s the perfect place to come and have a rest after all the exploring in Arashiyama. If you’re after something sweet this is the perfect place to come! If not, walk 6 minutes away to their other cafe which serves vegan lunches and dinner sets!
Please let me know if you know of any vegan options in Arashiyama!
