Banwarou

An oasis in Yokohama where the owner knows the meaning of vegan from the outset. When we entered, he asked if we were vegetarian, first thing. Around 20 vegan/​vegetarian dishes available, aside from the usual omni-​fare. They seem to get a good amount of vegetarian or vegan visitors, so they are quick to explain all of the safe ingredients they use. As well, they mentioned that they wash the cookware before preparing the vegetarian food, so they seem very conscientious. The owner appeared to have a limited command of English, but enough that any English speaking westerners could pull off an order, though Japanese is recommended. Vegetarian options are clearly displayed on the wall, so you can point to what you want. They don’t use preservatives so some dishes are seasonal.
As far as taste, we found all the dishes we ordered to be quite satisfactory. It’s not fancy, but it was tasty, and the friendly, informative relationship they are cultivating goes quite a long way. Would definitely go back, when in Yokohama.

This is a hole in the wall in the very best sense, charming and run-​down, with tasty food. Tucked away on a side street next to Kanteibyō (one of Chinatown’s two large temples), Banwarō is a pretty unassuming place compared to the touristy restaurants with touts trying to lure you in. You can find it by looking for the yellow sign with the name in Chinese/​Japanese and by the word «vegetarian» in English on the door.
I’m no expert in Taiwanese food, but I sure like what they have here. And I love the fact that there’s lots of vegetarian food (a rarity in Chinatown), and that you can trust it’s really vegetarian, since much of it’s done in the traditional Buddhist vegetarian style.
The Taiwanese owner – a super friendly, chatty fellow – doesn’t really speak English (so he says), but there’s enough English on the walls and photos that you won’t have trouble working out what you want if you don’t speak Japanese or Chinese. It’s listed on the Happy Cow website so he’s used to getting travelers/​tourists who don’t speak Japanese.
(Bonus: Non-​smoking!)