Kaju Foods
Categories: Grocery, Coffee & Tea, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond4454 California St
(between 6th Ave & 7th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 225-4730
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch
- Alcohol: None
194 reviews
Neighborhood: Cole Valley
"Sorry, Gil, but I love this place. It's got your San Francisco-crepery essentials: chalkboard menus, savory and sweet crepes, woodsy…" read more »
24 Reviews for Kaju Foods
Very cute place. Simple coffee, tea and food/snacks that will help you pass the afternoon. What's even better is that there is FREE WIFI. Too bad there is no restroom for customer use. The girl working behind the counter was nice enough to let me use their private restroom because I was about to pee in my pants.
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this is a tiny, cuuuuute cafe on the corner, filled with tiny, cuuuute little packages of yummy treats. the owner was super sweet and friendly. annnnnnd, i would totally go back for breakfast/lunch and some free internet time.
I was charmed by this place even before the food arrived. They have the cutest porcelain fish salt & pepper shakers. The cookies are wrapped in a cute Asian fashion. The atmosphere is relaxed, casual and bright. It has a European feel (must be that jar of Nutella on the counter). They serve organic coffee and a few items on the menu have an Asian twist (it's Korean owned).
Brunch is served all day and they have scrambles, homemade granola, quiche, fresh fruit, and eggs with sushi rice. For lunch they have 11 sandwiches (all toasted, made with organic bread and your choice of chips or salad, with a discount if you just want the sandwich to go), soups, meal sized and side salads and homemade chicken pot pie. They also have pastries.
I had the cheesesteak sandwich ($7.50) with mixed greens. The presentation was artful (see picture). Delicious! Imagine a generous amount of flavorful, thin slices of beef in a bulgogi sauce complemented by raw red onion, tomato and lettuce, on a toasted soft sesame roll. It's not huge but a decent size. The mixed greens were topped with a sweet, thick dressing (raspberry), Parmesan, and some hot sauce (interesting - I liked it but felt the dressing was a little sweet for me but I don't like raspberry dressing). The latte was served in a pretty china cup with roses - tons of foam, smooth flavor (I do wish it were stronger though). What a lovely idea to serve coffee in pretty china cups.
They have plenty of plugs if you want to hang out for awhile and enjoy the free wi-fi. The service was wonderful. Parking is tough in that area though. It's mostly 2 hour or metered parking. Cash only.
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I live across the street where I can watch the girls working all day.
Ashley, you are my sweetheart and the best barista EVER.
Good food and a great cup of coffee. They open at 6am!!!
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I adore this place for its ambience, music, amazingly friendly staff, tasty food. It's a little pricey, but they use supposedly all organic ingredients, so it's all good. Besides sandwiches bagels and coffee, they also have lots of sushi and snacks, but I have yet to try any.
I usually go there for weekend lunches and get a chicken sandwich or a BLT. Both are under $8 and just the right size.
Ashley and Seiko are super friendly and always make sure everything is just to your liking. I feel like the only weird thing about the place is the curtain that separates you from the kitchen. Somehow it feels like you're so close to the kitchen but you have no idea what's going on back there.
All in all, It's a great neighborhood cafe. I only wish they were open later.
I remember when I came here when they first opened, and I thought it was just adorable! Ashley, the owner was soooo nice and welcoming.
She offers organic and fair-trade coffees. Really good.
Amazing sandwiches. I've had the cheesesteak. Totally yummy. Sorta like a korean style beef (bulgogi) sandwich. Each sandwich is toasted and the bread is homemade too! They even had homemade potato chips. Yum.
All the sweet goodies were individually wrapped with handwritten tags. You know, it's the little things.
They've added some more chairs and couches, and now they're open til 8 on the weekends! and Did i mention free Wi-Fi??
p.s. if you're craving a little bit of korean food, they've got those korean vegetable rolls. (damn, haven't had those since h.s.) memories......
man, i remember when this place used to be a small korean grocery store. my bro and i would always get some sushi rolls there after school, so i was slightly sad when i found out that they closed down. so i walk into kaju at 6am to see what took over our favorite little place for snackage and i am greeted by ashley, who happens to be the daughter of the korean couple running the store before. i asked her is she had the rolls that we oh-so-craved and she said, "yes, how many do you want?"
i said, "give me six rolls."
she looked at me like, "what?! really? it's 6am! nice!"
we chatted about business and fair trade. i love that it has wi-fi and amazing sandwiches from what i hear. i'd love to come back and check it out again.
i'm usually never up at this hour, but i didn't think that anyone would be up at 6am, let alone serving me tasty delights that remind me of my high school days as a young lad.
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Checked out this place today based on yelp reviews.
Great sandwiches - they are pretty good sized - so come hungry. I had the turkey avocado sandwich and my hubby had the meatball sandwich - both super tasty - they come with a salad or chips; we also both had pastries - the apple danish (perfect flakiness - and warmed to perfection), and a banana nut muffin (hard as a rock according to my man). Drinks were good - a decaf latte and a green tea - total was $25.
Very attentive and nice staff - basically one girl. She did everything - took order, prepared drinks and food, served food, and did it quickly.
Nice decor, chairs at the tables weren't super comfy - the chairs were so tall my man's feet didn't reach the ground. Could mean I like short men or the chairs were made for giants. My feet hit the ground ok, so maybe I'm a big girl?
All in all, good cafe - I'm coming back for more.
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korean owned cafe. Kalbi sandwich is good.
why make the espresso drink in the back?
cute fun interior.... del sole a block down isnt the "coolbeans" that it used to be. literally speaking.
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When I ask the owner if food are homemade, she says "Yes. I make everything, sweets, salad and pot pie." Later when I was in the cafe, she came in with bunch of packaged food. I saw COSTCO brand food. Huge plastic container of potato salad, muffins, and cookies.
I like their sandwiches, but I do not recommend fruit salad!
She used berries from a pack that half of which were mold...without washing! She doesn't care so much about keeping clean...
If you ask them to use bathroom, you can tell.
The cafe is extremely dirty....
Her kid often plays on a cutting board with shoes in backside.
If you do not care these matters, go there and enjoy COSTCO food!
I love this place so much I signed up on Yelp to write my first ever review for them. The atmosphere is a perfect blend of open-ness and cozy-ness. The staff are some of the most genuinely friendly people I have met, and their new expresso machine makes yummy soy lattes at a price much less than the generic chains. On the weekends I've gone in for brunch and never been dissapointed with the food. All around this is the perfect neighborhood cafe.
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This place is Adorable. Great ambiance, quiet , but great music and great food. I especially appreciate that some of the snacky items are something other than sugar-loaded pastries--Ashley makes sushi rice wraps with veggies and tuna--perfect with tea!
Don't come all at once. But she deserves your business.
I stumbled across this local coffee shop by accident and I have to say it is the best 'hidden treasures' I have ever found. This small, personally owned/non chain, coffee shop offers more than expected when it comes to varieties of food, from sweet tempting goodies (in both grown up and child sizes - BRILLIANT!), to fresh fruit, hot link sandwich (my favorite), hand made sushi, bagels, salads, pastrami and mesquite chicken. The setting is intimate with winning personalized touches. The staff makes a point to know your name and makes you feel right at home. Owner Ashley Lee and the ever present Seiko will assure you have everything you need. Toss in free wifi and up beat music, and you would be hard pressed to find a better local place to either work or just hang out. Another can't miss touch is the water dish for your dog. They don't leave anything to chance!
Check it out!!!
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so i keep going back even though the i'd prefer my americano fresher, stronger, tastier, and at $0.25 less elsewhere.
Ashley is SO nice and the entire production is so k-chic i love it. i haven't had much in the food arena, but friends have and they love it-- esp the bulgogi cheesesteak sang-wich.
major complaint with my coffee has to be that the espresso isn't always fresh-- i think there is a pre-brewed stash of espresso in the back.... doesn't make for a very flavorful or bodied americano.... :-\
do note, it's hit or miss. that random gamble keeps me going back every so often.
gotta try that bulgogi sang!
This is a place where everyone (well, Ashley behind the counter with her humongous smile) knows your name.
My boyfriend and I found this little jewel our first week moving to San Francisco. Ashley greeted us with her warm smile and made us up some breakfast since we didn't have a working kitchen yet.
I ordered the Japanese breakfast - sushi rice with two sunny side up eggs. Very yum.
My boyfriend ordered the eggs with sundried tomatoes - yum again.
Both dishes came with toast - very filling but it did take quite a while to make. This is a good place to just hang out and chat with Ashley or whoever is behind the counter. Free WiFi make it more condusive for hanging out. Last time we went there, over a month ago, they only took cash so don't forget to hit the ATM before going.
Ashley wants this place to feel homey and be a part of the neighborhood and she's doing a good job at it. She has her art hanging up around Kaju adding her personal touch.
I live above this little hidden treasure and have watched the place get busier and busier.
One of the best things about this place is the variety. They've got great coffee, drinks, hot/cold sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, salads, bagels, sweets, treats, sushi, cookies....I could go on and on.
The place is cute, cozy, quaint and peaceful...the exact opposite of the Starbucks down the street.
AND lastly, the two girls who run it are total sweethearts.
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i'm completely in LOVE with this place! i went in on a cold, rainy morning for a quick cup of coffee... i walk in and i feel as if i'm in a completely different world... it was probably the cutest and quaintest coffee shop i have ever seen; i fell in love instantaneously!
so i have yet to try the food, but believe me, it smelled and looked delicious! from what i got, it looked like there was only one person, Seiko (i hope i spelled her name right!), and she was serving (and making!) the breakfast to the one (and only) family seated in the small cafe. i got a whiff of the egg scramble... looked and smelled quite tasty! i actually bought a mocha instead of a cup of coffee... and let me tell you, it was, by far, the BEST mocha i have had in a verrrrrrry long time.
but what sold me on this place was the AMAZING customer service. Seiko made some small talk, which usually i hate, but this was different... it was sincere (i thought sincerity was lost in the world!).
so all in all, i have found myself a new cafe to seek isolation from the world; to chill the fuck out, turn up my ipod, read, and be alone with good food and coffee... i'm happy as hell!
UPDATE: i was hanging out at the 540 club the other day when Ashley, one of the other owners of the cafe, stopped by with the rest of their yummy rice rolls that they didn't sell that day. yet another reason to love them! oh, i also got a breakfast sandwich to go this morning and called about 5-10 minutes ahead of time. i get there and Seiko is just pulling it out of the oven... perfect (not to mention delicious!).
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Wanna know how I start my Monday mornings?
I get up as grumpy as an old man and start my 5 minute commute to the Presidio. On the way up California street, I stop by Kaju and order myself a yummy Mocha from the friendly gal behind the counter named Ashley. As soon as I take my first sip while walking back to my car, my eyes light up.
Man...what a horrible life, huh?
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I work nearby, and stop in for the random breakfast or lunch. The service is quite possibly the most friendly in the entire city. Good terriyaki cheese steak, great coffee. Would have given a fifth star if the chairs were at all comfortable.
I really want this place to do well because it is has a great atmosphere and friendly, genuine owners/employees running the place. Even when I walk by this place on the way to the bus in the morning, I get a smile. The food and coffee is very good and each meal is prepared carefully. Hence my concern...the counter-only service can be painfully slow, which is okay if you're in no hurry and want to read the paper, but too slow if you simply want some organic coffee to set you on your way. I hope they can figure out a way to balance their personal touch with slightly quicker service so that they can survive.
Seriously, for all the free wifi places in the city, I haven't been able to find one that's actually nice, or has decent food. This place is adorable and a great place to study or just hang out. There aren't too many chairs but I've never seen it busy enough where it mattered. I was almost reluctant to Yelp Cafe Koju because I want it to stay a hidden gem, but oh well. I haven't tried the food yet but the coffee and tea was better than most around here (I'm a Starbucks girl ie no coffee connoisseur). They have really cute snacks, fresh hardboiled eggs, yummy little pastries, some sushi, and they even have a vat of Nutella on the counter to put on... whatever I guess. Their breakfast dishes look delicious with very modern asian-inspired presentation. Really cute, very zenlike ambience and the girl behind the counter is always super friendly. So what if it has slow service - go to Starbucks if you want a Venti mocha to go.
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Serves organic coffee.
Good sandwiches but a bit on the pricey side. I tried the terriyaki beef cheesesteak. That and a cup of joe cost me$9.00.
They recently expanded the seating inside and have tables outside on the 7th Avenue side. Nice place to have lunch and enjoy the "sunshine".
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Coffee shop that's been open for about 6 months now. They serve organic coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. All the sandwiches i've tried are great (meatball, pastrami, and teriyaki beef). It's a great place to relax and surf the net if you have a labtop. The service is also very friendly.
A quiet Sunday morning walk past Mountain Lake led us to this place. Actually, I saw it from the bus one day and thought: YAY ! another cafe to check out :-) WOW, I don't know what I expected but this was a really nice surprise! This is NOT just your basic bagel place. It has an Asian edge. So, you're thinking - "Asian-? for breakfast?!" and I'm telling you YES !! I had 2 sunny side up eggs over the yummiest "sushi" rice, (just white sticky rice with the perfect amount of slightly sweet rice vinegar) a side green salad, a couple of slices of banana and toast. (I didn't even need the toast) The big guy had a scramble with Sun dried Tomato and green onion and a side of bacon. Our order was taken, prepared and delivered (to an outside table,) by Seiko, an energetic, cute Japanese girl who has an obvious flair for food and personal style. If this place gets the attention it deserves, they will need to have some more help, but as it is now, you can pick where you'd like to sit, and relax. Sitting inside, you may feel a bit like Alice in wonderland, after she shrunk down to small size, because the chairs are really wide ! great for big butts ! The atmosphere is bright and clean and cute in there, and the seating outside is cute too, even though it's right on California and 7th. on a Quiet morning that's okay.
Now all week I've been thinking about those perfect eggs on that rice, and I can't wait to go back!
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