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Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Vegan Japanese, Vegetarian, Vegan [Edit]
762 Valencia St(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 252-7825
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Tue-Thu 12 pm - 2 pm
Fri 5 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
699 reviews for Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Dare I say the best miso soup I have ever had."
(in 76 reviews)
"Don't forget it's cash only."
(in 81 reviews)
"Agedashi tofu is my most favorite dish here."
(in 28 reviews)
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699 reviews in English
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Review from Molly M.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Here's my breakdown of stars:
Food: 5
Ambiance: 3.75
Service: 2.75
Overall: 4 stars
Yes, so the woman servicing us wasn't one for conversation and probably said no more than 4 words to us, but since the food was so amazingly good (and vegetarian, extra bonus) I will let that slide.
Decor was simple, clean and quiet...very zen. I would have liked to hear meditative music or something calming in the background, but that's just me. It felt a little too quiet with out it, however it's a good place to eat and read. The location is in the Mission where there are lots of shops and bars nearby. Parking is not hard during the day, but very challenging at night and on the weekends.
I recommend starting with the fired tofu which comes with 4 pieces (if tofu is your thing.) Since it is light and won't fill you up too much. But the spring rolls did look yummy. The vegetable curry, soba noodle soup was amazing and I was blown away by the flavors and how fresh the vegetables tasted. I was dreaming of that soup the next day. I cannot believe it took me so long to go here. I will be back again and if service is better next time I will bump up my star rating to 5!Listed in: Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurants.
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Review from Bodhi M.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2012
The soups were too salty and tasted strongly of MSG. The wait staff lied about the MSG, which is way worse. I read another review where the customer had an allergic reaction to the MSG after he was told there was none! They also said, they never had anyone complain, that the food was to salty before.
It may be that they don't add the MSG crystals themselves, but it is in their Shoyu. I saw that they use a very cheap soy sauce in their kitchen.
The soup was too salty for my friend even after adding two cups of hot water to it. We asked politely if we could return it and they refused. This was slightly disappointing. But then the cook gave us the evil eye for what seemed like five minutes. He looked like Kirk Douglass playing Colonel Dax in Paths of Glory. My friend who is the sweetest little Japanese lady ever was afraid he was going to yell at us. The waitresses were sullen and overworked. This restaurant has problems that run deep. -
Review from Dominic H.
Seattle, WA
1/22/2012
Great food and for a pretty good price. My wife and I got two combos, which meant we could just share four items on the selection menu instead of just two. The soup, the salad, the sake, and all of the food items were awesome. Delicious!
It was packed though - got in right before the rest of the neighborhood.
Great vegan options for sushi lovers!
Cash only. -
Review from Jaye C.
1/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
A superbly unassuming vegan/vegetarian Japanese restaurant in the Mission District (Valencia and 19th), and could very well be easily disregarded as just 'another SF restaurant' if you don't know what this place is about. Ever since my first encounter with LA's Shojin in Little Tokyo, I've been craving vegan Japanese food, and it's a kind relief that I can find it here in my neck of the woods - though it's not as mind-blowing as the former mentioned.
The ample lights & lackluster decor doesn't trump the fact that they do indeed serve hearty and delicious ramen here, so I won't hold it against them for far too long. The soup wasn't bland nor was it overtly salty, and there was just the right amount of vegetables floating around to satisfy even the most stuck up meat-loving Mission District dweller.
Over all, a good dining experience was had, so I'll definitely come by as soon as I'm out drinking in the hipster-central SF neighborhood.. which will probably be this weekend.
P.S. CASH ONLY -- there's an ATM inside the restaurant. -
Review from Natalia C.
Westminster, CA
1/17/2012
Only reason why I give it 4 stars is because I had to get up twice to get our tempura sauce and then pay since they were so slammed no one would come help us...
Other than that- food was delish!
Had the soba noodle tempura soup, the tempura was crispy and included eggplant, kabocha (my fave), asparagus, mushrooms, and broccoli. The soba noodles were cooked to perfection, tender and flavorful, and the broth was amazing, not too salty and just the right amount of sweetness.
It's in The Mission where there are tons of restaurants to choose from, but this one was packed and is fully vegetarian.
Go! -
Review from Jon T.
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
I always hear people talking about this restaurant, asking me if I've been. I finally decided to go recently because I was looking for some light, fresh food. While Cha-Ya was decemt, I was a bit let down overall.
First of all, the interior leaves a little to be desired. My first thought when I walked in was that it reminded me of one of those hole in the wall chinese restaurants you find in every city. It wasn't dirty, but it was sparse. When I say this, I don't mean in the cute Japanese aesthetic way. The tables and chairs were really basic wood sets and each table's only decoration was a bottle of kikoman.
But really, the interior design wouldn't be that big of a deal if the food was really excellent. So I put aside my thoughts and took a look at the menu. While I was browsing through all the items (which looked quite attractive), I also noticed it said they only took cash. This wasn't too much of a shock considering the look of the place, but still annoying.
Back to the food. I decided to order the Cha-Ya Nabe. The mix of vegetables with non-fried tofu seemed exactly what I was looking for. When it first came out, it was extremely hot. As it cooled down, I started eating pieces of veggies from the soup. Most of the vegetables were cooked well, but some of the asparagus wasn't quite right. But what really got me was how flavorless it was. I love vegetables, but anyone can put them into a broth and call it a meal. It seemed like it should have something more of a distinctive taste, but instead it was just a little too bland for me.
I wouldn't be opposed to coming here again, but I won't go out of my way. If I do, I'll be likely to try some of the sushi or a dish that has fried tofu (because at least I know what that will taste like.) -
Review from Yvonne K.
San Diego, CA
1/1/2012
I really wanted to love this place after hearing so many good things about it but I think we just came on an off day.
There was only one waitress for lunch and the later it got, the more people there was and I think it got a little overwhelmingly. We waited a long time before we could get the check and a box. I was in a bit of rush so I was a little irritated by the slow service. Two of the men came out from the kitchen but they did not help her with anything.. It may be time to hire another waitress for lunch rushes..
Anyways, I got the shredded salad which is the size of a big appetizer really. She asked if that was all I wanted, and I said yes because I was thinking about the possibility of me eating a second lunch haha.. Anyways I was there longer than I thought I would be so I finished it before my companions finished their noodle soups and I was left kinda hungry still. It was delicious and almost all raw except for the few edamame that was tossed in it. I thought the dressing was a little too sour for my taste though it did compliment the shredded veggies (which were essentially very thinly julienned).
I also ordered the mochi in red been soup dessert which was okay. It took longer than I thought for them to prepare it. I ordered it after I finished my salad and I think it took about 20 minutes, long enough for me to think she forgot about it, until it came. I would just order that particular dessert in the beginning if you decide to get a salad too. It came with three rectangular pieces of mochi, which felt a little grainy to me. I don't know if it supposed to be like that but having made mochi cakes with Mochiko before, I think they may have used that in making their mochi.
The lunch combination deal is probably a better deal since it comes with two things to try and miso soup and rice. I would order that next time.
Parking was not too difficult since we came day after Christmas and the meters were free! Metered parking is found along this part of Valencia and 2 hr parking can be found on the cross streets in the area. -
Review from Greg G.
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am not a vegetarian, but have been curious about this place for a while. Actually it's good. I came in late at night on Thanksgiving no less. (I didn't eat too much at dinner, go figure). And this place was open.
Lots of sushi options (weird for a veg place). Turns out the sushi is mostly mushrooms and yam. It was pretty cold out so some tempura and some hot udon noodles sounded awesome! Really good broth overall and the tempura was really nicely done. Not too greasy, very lightly battered and very tasty. Udon came out piping hot. Hit the spot soo well.
I would come back for more.
FYI: Cash Only -
Review from Amanda S.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011 2 photos
Cha-Ya never fails to satisfy. Vegan and yum.
I meant to try something new, but when I looked at the menu and spotted the battered portabello, my mouth started watering and I was incapable of ordering anything else. Succulant, juicy mushroom, with tofu, dipped in batter and lightly fried with a fruity kiwi & edamame dipping sauce. Possibly the tastiest combination ever.
Between 12 and 2 it comes as part of a lunch special, which means miso soup and rice, all for about 9 bucks.
Winner.
Apparantly the soba, udon and sushi dishes are also delicious, but I don't know if I will ever have the willpower to try them. -
Review from Jennifer H.
11/5/2011
This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in the world and I have been craving it ever since I left San Francisco.
Cha-ya serves prime veggie Japanese food and has soups to die for. The restaurant gets really packed, so either go during off-hours or prepare to wait for a bit. I have tried multiple dishes here and they all have been amazing. I wish I knew how to make some of their dishes on my own, because they are that good!
The interior is very basic and they tried to squeeze in as many table as possible and it could still be more if looking at the demand. Also, Cha-ya only takes cash (they have an ATM inside, but it charges a fee). -
Review from Cerina C.
San Francisco, CA
12/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've wanted to try this place for a while. So when my SO and I had a night off, we came here. It took a while for us to look over the menu. After 15 minutes we decided on:
Cha-Ya Roll - deep fried goodness
Mushroom Soup - all the mushrooms in one soup!
and the 21.50 Combination Dinner (we picked stuff eggplant and a vegetable broth) -yummy!
Everything was pretty much aesthetically pleasing. Service was good (: Will come back soon. -
Review from Charlie Bolognese Z.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2012
Vegan Japanese food isn't as boring as you'd first think. Anything you order will be made with good ingredients. You're bound to get good food if you stick with the soba, udon, and special rolls. The special rolls in particular have a lot of flavorful, interesting vegetables.
On the downside, service is often very slow, the menu has a lot of mediocre options (the "moon custard" was audaciously bland), and I'm bound to be hungry half an hour after eating here.
This was the first place I dined out when I moved to SF, so it holds a special place in my heart. I return somewhat regularly. I just wish it were good enough to justify more. -
Review from Cody W.
Berkeley, CA
12/3/2011
I have been to the one in Berkeley. Slow service, but this one is absolutely horrible in the service department.
My miso came out quickly, then my colleague's meal came out. After 10 minutes of awkward looks the server comes out and says my lunch will be out soon, something about the kitchen being backed up with phone orders. Another 15 minutes, my friend is done eating and here comes my steamy soup bowl. And they don't even care.
It is nice to not have to sort the menu for vegetarian items, but the service is a hassle.
No tip! -
Review from C P.
Fremont, CA
1/1/2012
Delicious!
Highly recommend the three sushi combo which includes three types of sushi (we got daikon, spiced cucumber, and eggplant), miso soup, and a spicy cucumber salad. We ended up liking the sushi so much that we just kept ordering more of it. I don't recommend the nigiri rolls though; they were good but seemed to be a bit expensive for the quantity.
The pot stickers were also very tasty! Definitely planning on coming back here again. -
Review from Sadie G.
Oakland, CA
11/6/2011
This place is an all-vegetarian Japanese restaurant! Awesome! Unfortunately, it was just "meh" tasting. We love veggie-sushi, so we got a few rolls to share. Cory and I didn't even have to fight over who got the last veggie-tempura pieces of sushi... he could just have them.
The restaurant itself is kind of tight-packed, lots of people eating here. The kitchen is huge... bigger than the dining area.
I really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn't the sushi just wasn't that great. We won't be coming back. -
Review from Josie L.
San Francisco, CA
9/8/2011
The good: Chira Ae, the seaweed salad and many great vegan dishes
The bad: Bright lighting, boring ambiance and that WAITRESS who seems SO MISERABLE! (every time). What's her true calling? If she were a wedding planner would she be joyous? A piano tuner? A cat sitter? -
Review from Tom I.
Astoria, NY
Awesome. Traditional Japanese are vegetarian, and cha an did great job following traditional style cooking implementing in modern age.
Very authentic Japanese meal. All traditional Japanese meal do not have any meat, and this place really delivers both traditional and new age with great balance.
My dengaku was perfectly prepared, just the right amount of sweetness and good amount of rice & miso soup.
Preparation was rather fast (lady said 15 min, ready in 8min!)
Service, on the other hand, was not so friendly and rather fast food venue attitude which was disappointment.
Overall I was very happy to eat here And can't wait to try again.
CASH ONLY, btw. -
Review from Sachin T.
San Jose, CA
11/19/2011
A tasty vegetarian sushi joint in the city.
I was impressed with this place despite going in with high expectations. I honestly can't remember what I had tried but every roll I had was well worth it.
I would highly recommend it if you are vegetarian and love sushi.
Don't forget it's cash only and the ATM there charges $5 bucks a pop so bring cash! -
Review from Allison M.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Large selection, delicious, friendly service!
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Review from Scott B.
San Francisco, CA
12/8/2011
Loved the food. Had the dinner combo with Dengaku and the Cha-Ya Nabe. Very friendly service. Also, go for the Shochu with grapefruit. A tart, refreshing alternative to Sake.
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Review from jane n.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2011
Refreshing change for vegetarian parents and boyfriend. They all loved it!
I'm no vegetarian, but I enjoyed this place as well!
The waitress is prompt, but not too friendly. The decorations are lacking. The furniture not too impressive.
But come here for JUST the food and you won't be disappointed! Nice presentation, good variety. Everything was very yummy.
I want to go back and try it all! -
Review from Jessica C.
San Francisco, CA
6/27/2011 5 photos
Cha-NO!!
$9 for TINY vegetarian sushi rolls, of very average flavor and quality, and a lot of them are fried. Please!! I could really make these myself! Well, MAYBE the Vegan Roll was kinda good but that's because I don't have these ingredients on hand - "a large roll" with spinach, atsuage tofu, cucumber, broccolini, seasoned shiitake and kampyo gourd, pickled burdock, and pickled ginger, I swear it didn't contain all these stated ingredients though.
DO NOT be fooled by the menu descriptions - "A large roll"...LOL LIES!
The seriously tiny Cha-Ya Roll (which consists mostly of deep fried batter and mushy rice) comes with some kind of special house made sauce - I was totally not a fan of it. The sauce was very thick, sticky, sweet, and had a strong spice-y / herby flavor.
Agedashi tofu was very unlike other Agedashi tofu that I've had. Three large, fat rectangular pieces of tofu, that had less fried skin than usual. The special sauce was very flavorful too...I liked this Agedashi tofu even though my friend didn't, maybe because I love plain & raw tofu.
Very bland bland bland watery noodle soup. There was NO seasoning in there. It seriously tasted like the kind of soup that you would make for yourself if you had a cold and your sinuses were stuffed so you couldn't smell or taste anything. The vegetables in the flavorless soup were also flavorless (guess that makes sense), and there were barely any in there. It seemed like they were just plopped in there for decoration. What is the point of going to a vegetarian restaurant that gives you tiny vegetable servings?
The redeeming piece of heaven - The large square piece of VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE with 2 layers of chocolate frosting - such a rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate explosion. You can't even tell it's Vegan. I wonder where they got it from. (I wonder if it's even Vegan) -
Review from kim n.
10/19/2011
Now while I appreciate the focus on vegetarian fare, it's very hard to get really good flavor. I wouldn't have known better with the agedashi tofu. It was very tasty and their broth is as rich as ant other dashi inflected rendition. The soba sushi while intricate didn't offer me a whole lot of wow. I was here for a quick early bite since I had a small lunch but was en route to a dinner and show shortly after. Perhaps I will need to figure out what their true signatures are and have a full meal sometime. The agedashi tofu however is a good indication of what they're capable of.
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Review from Leah R.
Brooklyn, NY
11/6/2011
I go here every time I am in San Francisco.
The food is delicious although the portions have shrunk since I was last there a few years ago. My favorite is the 'moon garden' which I like for it's very simple treatment of veggies and a custard-like texture that feels very homey. It is not for people looking for big flavors. The agedashi tofu and eggplant dengaku are excellent for that
I think the reason the waitress is less than friendly to everyone is she is the only person I've seen in the front of the house. Also, it seems to be the same person each time and I thought she would have left since the last time I was there. If the restaurant invested in another server, I bet it would pay off in repeat business. -
Review from a. m.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2011
This place made me feel yucky on the inside, the wait staff here treated me as though I was such an inconvenience to them, as though my mere presence was an offense.
I am a pretty easy-going and aware diner - what on earth did I do to warrant this? I served tables for awhile when I was younger so I've seen the whole spectrum of customer behavior and try to be considerate towards wait staff, but from the looks one of the servers here was giving me you'd almost think I had insulted her family or something. Even if the food was off-the-charts good (it was closer to 3 stars), I would never be able to bring myself to return to this place /sigh -
Review from Leo L.
San Francisco, CA
4/21/2011
Oh NO! My first 1-star review? If you want to get to the point, I give 1 stars to places where it's safe to say that I won't be returning.
I've recently began my journey towards vegetarianism and have tried many places. Unfortunately, this one didn't impress. I don't know what people are raving about in terms of "tastiness" but the majority of their plates are pretty bland (unless you're a fan food that taste like steamed vegetables). The tofu is tasty mainly because of their glazing sauce. In short, you're paying a little extra for just their special sauce.
Overpriced. Not as delicious. Under-staffed. I'd rather dine out at places like Loving Hut than return here.
My gf was also not impressed with this place either, and as punishment, I slept on the couch and glazed my own knuckle. :( -
Review from Brent C.
7/8/2011 4 photos
I've been on a mission to try all the great vegetarian/vegan places in the city and this was definitely on my radar. The first time we came here the line was long and it was cash only so we just went elsewhere.
The second time we came here prepared. The menu was amazing. It was so hard to decide what to eat because there was just so many items on the menu that was unexpected. We ended up trying quite a few things: shredded salad, vege tofu curry, vegan sushi, and deep fried breaded vegetables. The only thing I didn't like was the shredded salad. It was amazingly presented when we saw other people's dishes so we added this to the list last minute, but there was just something in here that had a bitter taste I did not like. But otherwise everything else was really good. My favorite was definitely the deep fried breaded vegetables. I was just expecting something like tempura but this was far better than that. And as expected from Japanese restaurant, the service was delightful.
Cha-Ya is definitely one delicious vegetarian restaurant. It's a great alternative to our usuals like Sipz, No Worries, and Golden Era. -
Review from Stumbalina b.
San Francisco, CA
7/18/2011
I'm back on board.
Previously, I tried to like Cha-ya, but always felt let down by the lackluster noodle dishes and ho-hum soups. But, I've returned again, and this time I tried the sushi and I'm pleasantly pleased. I played it safe with an avocado roll, eggplant roll, and the cucumber salad. Next time, I'll plunge deeper and I hope that all my bad memories will be erased.
Onward! -
Review from Kedar D.
6/26/2011
I really don't get the appeal of Cha-ya (and I've been to the Berkeley location as well). Sure, it's a vegan Japanese place, and vegan Japanese food is hard to find. On the other hand, the food here is pretty bland and basic (it seemed like half the menu consisted of either simple sushi rolls or batter-fried vegetables)---this is probably a function of the fact that it's shojin-ryori Buddhist cuisine, which seems almost akin to macrobiotic food in my opinion.
There are no curries (and Japan does have curries, you just rarely see them), no spicy dishes; everything is either batter-fried, or broth-y type dishes. Seasonings are not allowed, it seems.
My friend and I shared an order of potstickers ($7) which were okay, but oily. We also had their spring rolls which were, go figure, batter-fried and had no inherent flavor on their own. We were given a sweet dipping sauce on the side, but I didn't like the flavor of it, and switched to the potsticker soy-based dipping sauce they gave instead.
In short, nothing here will "hit the spot"---all the vegetables are either raw, fried or steamed and seemingly never seasoned. They're also cash-only. -
Review from Kimberly S.
San Mateo, CA
4/16/2011 3 Check-ins Here
After reading so many great things about this place and finally trying it out, I am happy to report that it is all true!
For a vegetarian/vegan place, the menu is quite extensive! Who knew there were so many ways to prepare vegetables?? It took a while for the bf and I to peruse the entire menu and decide. We had the veggie salad with tahini-tofu dressing, mushroom miso soup, and the broiled eggplant with miso glaze.
I was amazed how many different vegetables were included in the salad - loved the variety! The tahini-tofu dressing was more like a creamy dip rather than a dressing. The tahini flavor was subtle, but we liked it. We liked it so much we tried to make our own at home afterwards =)
The mushroom miso soup was definitely flavorful and darn good! Light, clean broth with an assortment of mushrooms. One order was just right for the both of us. And the eggplant with miso glaze was just as delish as the rest of our meal.
However, I didn't like that we had to pay a pretty penny for a pot of tea. About 6 bucks a pot? They did have quite a few flavors to choose from, but I would have been happy with the standard (and typically free) green tea.
Other than that, I really liked this place! Felt like I did something great to my body by coming here for dinner. And I didn't have the feeling of having ate too much, overindulging, or needing to get up and go to the gym in the morning. Then again, two hours later I was wanting something a snack, or even a burrito.Listed in: Japanese Eats
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Review from jean w.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2011 1 photo
Cha-Ya is inexpensive and good. The food is always presented beautifully, on lovely Japanese stoneware dishes. On several occasions I've been moved to take a picture of the colorful, carefully sculpted vegetables on my plate. Not a huge fan of the fluorescent lighting, but
overall a very solid place. -
Review from Arrrrgh R.
San Francisco, CA
10/5/2011
I have been getting quite fat lately and decided that I really need to cut the amount of meat i was eating from my diet!
The decor is very simple/non-existent - but I found it quite relaxing. The food itself was good. I had the soba with various types of seaweed and other veggies. All the vegetables definitely had a distinct flavor, which goes to show that great flavor does not need to come from proteins alone.
My one complaint is that the prices were higher than I expected and I had a hard time finding items that were not fried/tempura battered on the menu. A lot of their rolls were indeed fried - which I love, but I am trying to be healthy here! -
Review from David K.
San Francisco, CA
11/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place has great tasting food and the staff is super friendly, the only reason I am giving it a 2 star is because I am allergic to MSG and they told me the food does not have any but I got a reaction after I ate it, not saying its MSG but I am was not too happy with my experience. Food tastes great wish I didn't have a reaction, probably will not be going back.
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Review from Evan J.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2011
I loved the Curry Noodle soup and could not get enough of it. I am now obsessed with figuring out how to make my own Japanese curry.
For the most part eating here (once I got the food) was a great experience. Their were a couple of downsides however. ChaYa is cash only. In this world today I rarely have cash. I am on such a tight budget that having to take out extra from the ATM is frustrating to me. Maybe that will be fixed in the future so they will accept at least bank cards. ChaYa was a little more expensive then my go to veggie restaurant Loving Hut in the Sunset. For my favorite Wonton Noodle Soup at Loving Hut it is $6.95 and the Curry Noodle Soup at ChaYa was $10.50. Although I really loved the food saving $3 for soup is a lot when you are on a budget. ChaYa wil be a special and delicious treat!
I would rate ChaYa 4.5 out of 5 stars.
5 for food flavor, presentation, and delightfulness
4 for Cash Only, and Price (it was still good for the amount of food you received) -
Review from Mel P.
5/23/2011
I've always wanted to come here and so I was excited when I was being treated to dinner for my birthday! The staff was really nice and helpful and patient when we trying to figure out what to order!
I ordered the Soba Salad. It was colorful and almost too beautiful to eat. On the bottom were the noodles and dressing...not too heavy...just right. On top was a beautifully arranged assortment of veggies and seaweed. So good. And it is filling, too. I almost couldn't finish it! Will definitely come back to try more! Love! -
Review from Joe B.
San Francisco, CA
8/3/2011
I love this place. Super yummy vegetarian food.
I also like its cult-y feel. And the tacky pictures of menu items on the wall. Only complaint used to be that their dishes were always all just lukewarm. Like they'd just bee sitting around back there. But they seemed to have gotten that under control.
Anyways, eat here! You won't regret it. -
Review from David S.
2/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Seriously. I have no idea why I did this to myself or subjected my friend to this. I've got nothing against veggie food and often eat it when given meat options...but really, this was a bad idea. I invited my friend to dinner to catch up thinking "hey lets try that veggie sushi joint - that sounds like fun". But, honestly, the fun ended there.
A surly and somewhat bitter wait staff rudely waved a gesture for us to sit at one of the two empty tables. We sat towards the back. The table next to us had a very interesting pot of colorful veggies, pot stickers, and a light broth. It looked very pretty. We decided to get that. And some tofu custard with some, wait for it...., veggies. And one ume-kyu sushi roll (plum paste & cucumber).
Now, really, what I wanted was Tempura Udon. But, as I thought about it. The best part about tempura is the shrimp. You know that pile of assorted goodness but a few shrimps to make you go "oh man that's the stuff" as you sample fried yams and carrots. You savor that shrimp. Eat it slowly between bites of fried veggies. And after a few chomps of the veggies, you go back to a bit of shrimp and say "oh man thats good". Without it, why order tempura at all? So I didn't. And, as I thought about it in situ...what is udon if not a chewy rice noodle in a secondary dashi stock; made from shaved, dried bonito flakes, to give dimension and flavor to the soup itself and into the noodles. Again, so I didn't.
The roll came out first which was nice enough despite its lack of the shisho leaf...which you kinda need in this roll to give some of that nice bright punch to the musky plum paste.
The custard came out second. This was the most vacuous thing I have ever ate. Just a tofu custard, somewhat warm, with over steamed veggies on top. It came with some rice on the side, thankfully, which, when mixed, gave it *some* texture. Well, the under-cooked yam also provided texture I guess.
The dish of potstickers and veggies came out next. This was simple enough, potstickers in a light broth. A shake of the Nanami Togarashi on the table helped out by adding flavor. Really, it had none before that shake of pepper.
The whole while, with the staff ignoring us (and the tables around us), I had plenty of time to catch up with my friend. And I suppose the lack of flavor and texture meant we could spend more time talking and less time eating. That's a plus, right?Listed in: Places to avoid....
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Review from Ciara M.
San Francisco, CA
3/25/2011
Cha-Ya is a decent, yummy, and affordable lunch option. With all of this nasty rain pouring down 24/7, I've been hankering warm soup and broth for every meal. Here's where Cha-Ya really delivers. Their noodles in a a light vegetable broth are so tasty, and chock-ful of fresh vegetables, so you feel like you are doing a body good by chowing down here. My personal fave is the Sensai noodle bowl with fresh vegetables, bracken and woodear mushrooms. I'm salivating just thinking about it. The portions are huge (for me at least), so I can always pack up the remainder and have a second round at home - score!
A lot of reviewers seem to be let down by this place as a dinner option. It's not a good dinner place, end of story. It's got no charm or character, and it's not a great place to conduct a conversation, so don't bother going there if you're going out to socialize. -
Review from C M.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2011
I LOVE Cha-Ya and eat here several times a month. It's one of my favorite spots in the Mission.
The best of the best: Veggie Tofu Soba Noodle Soup. Delicious broth and noodles, served piping hot with seasonal veggies usually including snow peas and pumpkin. Yum.
I also love the TonchiNasu (stuffed eggplant tempura with a ginger glaze), which is served in a sweet sauce that I find addictive.
The Moon Garden (Steamed tofu custard topped with seasonal vegetables) is really unique and I think it's awesome (although I know others who disagree).
I generally skip the sushi, as it is on the expensive side. Cha Ya doesn't have much going for it in terms of ambiance or service. The waiters are nice but usually super understaffed - basically it's just two women who run around like crazy trying to cover all the tables. Plus it's cash only, which is a drawback. However, the food is so stellar that I'm happy to give Cha Ya five stars. -
Review from Renee T.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
My mother works for the health department and (relatedly?) refuses to eat sushi, so taking her to get Japanese food was never an option... until now.
Pros:
* wide variety of non-sushi Japanese food (though I think vegetarian sushi is available as well)
* huge portions of delicious soups
* perfectly cooked udon
* lots of different vegetables in every dish
* all vegetarian
* quick service
Cons:
* a bit expensive for the quality of the food
* a little bland--spice it up with the condiments on your table
* cash-only
I'm sure I'll be back when it's soup weather again, but if it weren't so close to my apartment I'm not sure I'd make the effort.
