Pure Cafe, Minami Aoyama

Whether you are vegan or just interested in finding a nutritious and delicious place to eat, I absolutely recommend Pure Cafe. It’s an oasis of calm in the backstreets of Aoyama, where you can enjoy a delicious meal while taking a step back from your day. Located on the first floor of the Aveda salon and spa, it serves delicious vegan food made with seasonal organic produce.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Pure Cafe also serves organic coffee and delicious vegan cake throughout the day. The interior is light and minimalist but still comfortable, and has a quiet, relaxed buzz. Pure Café is always busy, but the turnover for seats is quite fast, so you never have to wait very long for a table. I like to watch the constant stream of people walk past on the busy Minami Aoyama street from one of the bench seats in the front window, but if you are meeting a friend there are plenty of tables as well.

The cafe can be a little hard to negotiate with a stroller. I have been able to pull mine in behind the bench seat and eat while my baby sleeps, but if the restaurant is really busy or you have more than one stroller with your group, it may be difficult to find space.

Pure Cafe is a particularly popular lunch spot, with a variety of sets combining delicious, fresh and healthy salads, soups and sandwiches. Each of the lunch sets come with a choice of drink (organic coffee, organic Darjeeling tea, medicinal tea or orange juice), and prices range from ¥1,150 to ¥1,300

More often than not when I visit Pure Cafe, I order the grains salad plate (¥1,200). A recent plate was comprised of spring minestrone soup, a green salad, a large plate of chirashi (rice and assorted vegetables), a small fig biscuit and a medicinal tea. The chirashi was a delicious and colorful grain-based salad filled with carrots, watermelon radish, snow peas, tofu, shitake mushrooms, tempeh, green beans and green peas. All of the dishes on the grains salad plate are freshly made from quality produce and expertly seasoned. It is a truly delicious, nutritious lunch with zero guilt.

I also bought a vegan apple and earl grey muffin to take home. The unusual flavor combination definitely got my attention, and I have to say this was the most delicious muffin I have eaten in a really long time. So good in fact, that I think it warrants a return visit to Pure Cafe next time I have a craving for a delicious afternoon treat. In the future when I visit Pure Cafe, I will definitely try more of the sweets.

If you are looking for something to take home or to work, Pure Cafe now has a to-go menu including a sandwich box (¥840), a salad box (¥840), or individual salads, sandwiches, soups and vegan sweets. The cafe also includes a small shop area with some interesting cookware, cookbooks and cooking items for sale.

Pure Cafe consistently delivers a genuinely delicious lunch, packed with fresh, seasonal vegan ingredients. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy the food here. If you are looking for a delicious, healthy and enjoyable meal, definitely give Pure Cafe a try.

The Deets

Address: 5-5-21 Minami Aoyama Minato Tokyo

Tel: 03-5466-2611

Open: Sun-Sat, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (last order 10 p.m.)