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May's Coffee Shop
Category: Restaurants Restaurants [Edit]
1737 Post Street(between Buchanan St & Webster St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights
(415) 346-4020
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Claudine is a casual eatery and wine bar, gourmet pantry serving seasonal, globally inspired fare crafted with local ingredients by acclaimed chef… read more »
120 reviews for May's Coffee Shop
Review Highlights
"oh yea, and a taiyaki is a nice lil snack treat."
(in 73 reviews)
"The sweet dough is perfect with the red bean paste."
(in 13 reviews)
"Their spam musubi is one of the best ive ever tried."
(in 23 reviews)
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120 reviews in English
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Review from Eva H.
1/5/2012
I love stopping by to get the perfect-sized snack when I'm around Japantown: taiyaki!! For just a couple bucks I get the cutest dessert ever in the shape of a fish.
The nice girl at the counter pops the taiyaki in the toaster for a few minutes, out comes a crispy, warm waffle filled with gooey rich nutella and banana slices!
CASH only! -
Review from Jenny Q.
San Mateo, CA
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
I think I'm gonna buy my own taiyaki maker off Amazon since I already have pancake mix and red beans at my house. I used to LOVE the taiyaki here but they no longer make it fresh, unless you happen to go in the early morning. Which I never do.
I dunno, the toaster just kinda ruins the experience for me :( Still tastes good but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
Is it just me, or has the size of the yummy spam musubi shrunk ? -.- -
Review from Gabby N.
Palo Alto, CA
12/12/2011
I always go here to get my taiyaki :] I have never ordered anything else so I can't help you if you're looking at the rest of their menu. First of all ask for a freshly made one! Who cares if it takes an extra 10 or 15 minutes, wait! It is worth it!
I've tried the chocolate and red bean. If you've got a pretty big sweat tooth get chocolate and if you're more traditional red bean is the way to go. These cute little japanese pastries are shaped as fish and when freshly made are nice and soft and doughy with yummy hot filling on the inside.
If you do get it fresh, and after reading my review you better only order it if its fresh, then be careful not to burn your tongue! -
Review from Drew T.
1/29/2012 1 photo
Yummy taiyaki and great drinks. Good place to stop and people watch and get a treat that you probably have never tried.
-
Review from Edward H.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2011
I love the open air feel of this little coffee house inside the Japantown Center mall. This place has a certain feel of community which I find very inviting. May's Coffee Shop has a pretty diverse menu with some local Hawaiian comfort food like Loco Moco or their Portuguese sausages & eggs combination plate. Try the shaved ice, especially on a hot day. They also have Spam Masubi! If you're not into the Japanese cuisine, May's is a good choice for a breakfast, lunch or snack.
One of the other reason why I like this place... I LOVE SPAM... And can get whatever amount and combination to satisfy the Island-boy in me! -
Review from Shirley P.
San Francisco, CA
4-stars for the yummy spam masubi and quick breakfast eats for Japantown. Portuguese sausage or spam, eggs with rice or crisp and buttery hash browns- yes, pleeease! The spam masubis or hot dog masubis are constantly made and refilled, so they're always fresh. Breakfast/lunch items are always made to order, so it comes to you piping hot...
Speakin of hot, the taiyaki is not! In search of taiyaki that was more filling than the bite size ones sold at Sweet Breams, I decided to try May's palm sized taiyakis. These fishies are pre-made and sit there til purchased. If requesting it warm, they'll toast it up for you. I was disappointed that these things tasted like undercooked Bisquick pancakes with filling - even after reheating.
Whatever you get, wash it down with a Hawaiian Sun- plenty of flavors are available. Pass on the taiyaki and end your meal with some shave ice! ;) -
Review from Elliott N.
San Francisco, CA
Accessibility (Parking / Wait Time)
1/1 Star: Lots of street parking and a parking lot. No wait.
_____
Service (Waiter / Cleanness / Ambiance)
1/1 Star: Nicely lit with natural light. Mostly clean. Cafe style dinning.
_____
Taste (0=Not Edible / 1=Edible / 2=Good (average) / 3=Must Try!)
1/3 Stars: The taiyaki is a hit or miss. If your lucky to get one fresh it's the best you'll ever have. If not then hopefully they toast it enough to make it crispy and don't just give you a soggy one or a cold one.
_____
Overall Experience
3/5 Stars
_____
Pictures
Shop front during Halloween: http://www.yelp.com/bi... -
Review from Andrew C.
9/18/2011
A dandy little spot located inside Japantown's mall that serves taiyaki. What's taiyaki you ask? It's a Japanese fish-shaped cake with filling. The cake is usually waffle batter. The most common filling is red bean paste, but this place also serves chocolate and chocolate w/ banana filling.
I've been coming here with my family since I was a kid and it's nice to see this place is still in business. Their chocolate and chocolate w/ banana fillings are good, but I'm a fan of the original red bean. The soft yet crunchy waffle batter compliments best with the sweet red bean paste. This dessert reminds me of my childhood and remains a modern day favorite of mine! It's a great snack to go grab on the go. -
Review from Theodore O.
Pacifica, CA
8/5/2011
I walked by this place today as I was wasting time in Japan Town. Fish shaped pastries? I couldn't resist.
I ordered a red bean taiyaki and it came out piping hot for me - I was lucky. When I took a bite of the pastry the red bean paste was exposed and a magical red bean popped up out of the pastry and told me squids have three hearts. http://www.youtube.com...
Not really, but it reminded me of that video. The pastry was light and flaky and the red bean paste was spot on if you like that flavor.
Try it out - or bring someone a surprise and watch their face when you say "how about a fish pastry?" -
Review from priscilla h.
Oakland, CA
9/20/2011
I wanted to give Mays 2.5 stars, my bf wanted to give it 3.5 stars, so we compromised at 3. If you're looking for a casual bite to eat in the Japantown mall, then Mays is an obvious choice. It gets points for that since almost everything else is a full restaurant.
But the spam omelet with rice at $7.95 was way overpriced - you could make it at home for $2. The taiyaki is $1.50-$1.75, which is not overpriced compared to similar things I've had, but...it's not very good.
I feel really guilty saying that because my friend who is Japanese and kind of grew up around here loves the taiyaki at Mays. They buy a bunch and freeze it at home just so they can have it whenever they want. And my bf has nostalgic memories of taiyaki (as well as being a Japan-ophile) and was so excited to even find a place that made it.
But I thought it was meh. I'm sure it would have been better piping hot than the room temperature ones we got, but even then, I didn't think it was very good. There's a place in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles that sells red bean pastries, not fish-shaped but essentially the same idea (although maybe the fish shape is the main selling point?) . The quality and consistency of their dough is better than Mays, and you are almost guaranteed to get a freshly baked one because they make them in small batches throughout the day. I'm more than willing to spend $1.75 on those.
So I guess if my bf gets another craving for taiyaki, we'll be back. But if I get a craving for a yummy Asian sweet, you'll find me elsewhere. -
Review from Christal Y.
Syracuse, NY
7/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Taiyaki.
Cold, old or fresh? Still yum. They always sell out, so I had to jump at the chance to buy them even though they just toasted them for me :( Is it too much to make them fresh one at a time?
The sweet dough is perfect with the red bean paste. Much better than the San Mateo taiyaki that people line up ages for. Sometimes you can tell how good a product is by how good it tastes when ...old and cold. I need to stalk this place for a fresh batch. Ugh it's like real fishing isn't it?Listed in: Must Visits, YATTA!
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Review from rosquete b.
Belmont, CA
8/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Informal breakfast/snack place with spam, etc.
Loved the taiyaki with red bean filling; they also have chocolate & chocolate banana -
Review from Christine L.
San Jose, CA
6/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cold crisp food just isn't normal. If you had to choose between hot/cold fries, hot/cold corn dogs, hot/cold egg rolls, etc., you'd pick HOT, right?
I saw the signs for taiyaki, and my bf was really excited about them so we ordered one to go. It was pretty quiet in the late afternoon, and I was slowly pulling out my money bc I thought the guy would make a fresh one, but he was back in two seconds with a cold fish! :( I was way disappointed! Are these meant to be eaten cold? I admit to not knowing much about them, but my thoughts jump to walking on a crowded street somewhere in Asia, with some man/woman working a cute cart and hella people crowding around waiting for their nice hot whatever food to come out!
I'm not really a fan of red bean filling so I went for the choco-banana fish! Sadly the head and tail ends were void of any good filling, and I was still hungry when I finished! The choco-banana filling was actually pretty good though, and maybe if I got a fresh one or toasted it, it'd be a little better.
Ate my pricey lil taiyaki and decided I'm never buying a cold one again. I didn't actually realize they sold food here until I went up to order, and prices looked pretty good. I wanna try their shave ice! -
Review from Kris L.
5/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
My family has always come to May's Coffee Shop during the Cherry Blossom Festival to get shaved ice. It became a tradition to get shaved ice whenever we were at the festival. In fact, the lil sis still gets her shaved ice every time we're at the festival.
The only other reason I come here is to get their red bean Taiyaki for my mom. She loves red bean. They're best when they're fresh, not as good when they've been sitting in the display case. But just take them home, pop them in the toaster for a couple of minutes and they'll taste great again. -
Review from Victor G.
Oakland, CA
2/22/2011
May's had a taiyaki sign so i tried a couple. taiyaki is cooked waffle batter in a fish shape filled with sweet fillings.
menu: curry, katsu, curry rice, taiyaki,,,,
taiyaki
- red bean (1.50) : barely sweet, lumpy beans, not much filling
- chocolate (1.75) : not a lot of chocolate, lots of "pancake" dough
sweet chocolate taste.
-banana chocolate? (2)
temaki:
-taiyaki premade, sitting around waiting to be bought and eaten. thus soggy.
-taiyaki tasted like waffles
-size of taiyaki about the same as a computer mouse.
-disappointing? a little.Listed in: japanese sweets/deserts
-
Review from Tammy C.
3/6/2011 1 photo
(See pic)
You learn some place new everyday, even for the most obvious place that you have been to many times.
We were out in Japantown when I was told there were a few places behind the main corridor of restaurants.
May's Coffee is known for the baked cakes and we had 1 "fish" with red beans. It's fresh and was very aromatic. The taste was just okay, however. I kinda wish it to be a bit more crisp on the edges.
It's a cute place among a bunch of other food places at this end of the mall that you can sit and relax. -
Review from steven m.
Daly City, CA
Updated - 11/29/2011
What a surprize to discover May's tasty curry. I've had many types of curry around J-town and never gave Mays a thought of having one of the best curries around until I tried it. I suggest anyone who is a fan of curry to discover this hidden savory dish. Mays cafe has been around since the early 1960s, and to me a landmark in Japantown. It's menu has gone thru quite a transformation since those early days, and with tasty dishes like curry, noodle soups and even some Thai dishes makes Mays Coffee Shop not your average burger joint, although the burgers there are awesome, too
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Review from Clarence A.
Daly City, CA
2/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
4 stars I have only tried there shaved ice and I think I will come back for the shaved ice
The closest thing they have to shaved ice here in the bay as opposed to flying down to Hawaii and trying Matsumoto's or Aoki's haha
folks here work quick, they are friendly and are all smiles for little kids, 2 flavored shaved ice runs 3 bucks not bad at all they also have an option for ice cream i think it was 5 bucks ice cream sits on the bottom shaved ice on the top with 2 flavors. Definite spot to hit up when your craving shaved ice here in the bay and dont want to fly all the way to Hawaii.
shaved ice **** got to go back
price $3 you can't beat that unless your in Hawaii
service ***** all smiles happy to help kids and adults
ambiance *** in the open for everyone to see nothing fancy small spot inside next to several shops -
Review from Joan K.
Berkeley, CA
5/19/2011 2 photos
Went to check out Japan town with my roomie && we ended up in some mall. LOL There were lots of yogurt booths, crepe booths, etc. BUT May's Coffee Shop (I didn't even know it was the name) stood out the most to me because of the Taiyaki!!!
I normally don't call in Taiyaki... I call it boong uhh bbang (I'm Korean.) LOL okay, anyways... I LOVE this stuff. Every time I go to Korea (during the winter time --which is like RARE), I usually buy like 4 of these. With that being said, May's Coffee Shop had yummy Taiyaki! tehe
It was not as cheap and delicious as what I've tried in Korea BUT it was A-OK! AHA I got the Red Bean && OMG let's just say, I want some nowww ^^ -
Review from Jeff C.
San Francisco, CA
I used to come here a lot and get an order of the fish shaped cake with the red bean paste filling. I got the a two other flavors the other day and they don't do it as the red bean one. Those were the chocolate filling and the chocolate w/ banana filling. Going to japantown makes me pig out which usually consisted of mochi from across the street., then ice cream crepe from Sophis, and a to-go order of the red bean filling cake.
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Review from Rita S.
Novato, CA
12/29/2010
JAPANESE WAFFLE SHAPED LIKED A FISH AND FILLED WITH SWEET BEAN PASTE?
Huh? What? Sounds weird.
Once you see Taiyaki being made, you'll be a fan. Crispy on the outside, warm and sweet on the inside and oh so good. -
Review from Nokie N.
San Francisco, CA
6/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
On the weekdays... After 3PM the spam musubi always sold out!!!
On the weekends... Taiyaki is sold out...
Note: Taiyaki (Japanese fish shaped pancakes, common filling is red bean paste)
Why must those 2 items be so good... and sold out??
(Maybe because I ate them all?) -
Review from Mona W.
Although it is a coffee shop, you can only get the simplest brewed coffee here. You won't even find latte or cappuccino on their menu. They do, however, offers all kinds of stuff you can eat with (or without) your coffee. Curries, ramen, burgers, sandwiches, spam musubi, and the best of all, taiyaki!
I had their Chocolate Banana Taiyaki with my mid day coffee fix. Coffee was...er..well... alright I guess. I can probably make better coffee at home. The taiyaki was good. It was hot and fresh. There were nice chucks of mushy bananas in every bite filled all the way to its tail.
Taiyaki is something only good when it's freshly made. If you find any of those sitting on a cold display case, do yourself a favor and pass on it.Listed in: Asian Desserts
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Review from Meuy S.
Oakland, CA
4/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Soggy taiyaki.
I was so disappointed, possibly even upset, after the first bite. There was no crisp, no crunch, and the batter was so bland. Maybe things will be better next time. Or maybe they won't... -
Review from Janetto L.
San Francisco, CA
Taiyaki + spam musubi are 2 things near and dear to my heart, I grew up on these things and always dragged my parents to j-town on the weekends just to stop by at May's. On hot days + during Cherry Blossom festivals, they also have their shaved ice machine out. This little coffee shop pretty much brought a little part of Japan + a part of Hawaii to us San Franciscans.
As a little girl, taiyaki was too hard for me to pronounce so I made it a point to name them my "red bean fishies." The moment I turn that corner and walk towards the Sanrio, the sweet aroma of the taiyaki batter filled my nose. As my parents waited in line, I always stood by the glass counter, watching the workers pour the sweet buttery pancake-like batter in the cast iron fish shaped molds. As the batter starts to brown, a heaping scope of azuki paste was dropped into the center of each mold. The thought of getting my hands on a piping hot red bean fishie always made my mouth water. I was mesmerized by the art.
Fast forward to 20+ years later, May's may still be the only place in SF that makes their own taiyaki, but the quality and freshness is not the same. They have added different variations through the years like their chocolate and choco-banana, but the original is still my favorite. Prices are still somewhat reasonable, but no matter which day of the week I go, even on busy weekends, the taiyakis are all pre-made now. The poor fishies are sitting out cold on the wire cooling racks. They may be "fresh" from that morning, but it's definitely not the same as when you get them right off the taiyaki grill. The workers are always very nice and offers to microwave them for me when they see the disappointed look on my face, but you and I both know that is not the same. Yeah, the microwave may warm it up, but the batter becomes chewy and rubbery....definitely not how a taiyaki should be treated! In recent months however, I've noticed a small toaster oven near by, maybe they've started toasting it for people now...? Not exactly sure, but I normally just take my cold fishies home and pop them into my toaster when I'm ready to eat them. They still beat the frozen kind I can get at Nijiya, but again, not the same as the good o' days.
It's been years since I've had one of their spam musubi so I cannot even tell you how much one of them cost these days. You definitely have to go early for those, they only make a small batch each day and they are usually out by the time I get there in the afternoons.
May's - I know it may be time consuming, but do us all a huge favor, bring back the freshly made HOT tayakis!! -
Review from Hanna H.
1/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
YUMMY FISH WAFFLES!! CUTE CUTE CUTE AND DELICIOUS. I can eat one everyday. The outside is crispy pancake batter (they toast it for you when you order) and it's filled with either red bean, chocolate, or banana/chocolate. I would go with the banana and chocolate. SOOOOO FREAKIN DELICIOUS. Buy 12 get 1 free. Cash only.
5 stars for the Taiyaki, 3 stars for the saimin. The noodles were decent but nothing special. -
Review from L w.
Berkeley, CA
4/11/2011
Good places require consistency. Good places require good food. This one has neither. I really don't like giving bad reviews, especially for places in Japantown, but geez... 2 pieces of ramen noodel in some sort of weirdo soup base and 3 pieces of fishcake does not a dish make.
The 2 Mexicans (who probably were the ones that made rude sounds at me while I was walking through the center the week earlier) who were cooking in the kitchen in the back should've clued me into the fact that I should not have eaten here. Ugh.
SO many other awesome places to spend your hard earned money in Japantown. This is definitely not the place for it.
Plus cash only. It just gets worse. -
Review from Kylie L.
7/5/2011
I recently had my first freshly made Red Bean Taiyaki and it was just ok. I was pretty disappointed when I bit into it. Maybe it wasn't HOT or maybe my expectations were so high, it just wasn't as WOWing as I would have expected. Good thing they're not $$$ but if it's like this next time, I don't think I can give them 3 stars.
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Review from Stephanie D.
Alameda, CA
The absolute closest to feeling like a hawaiian local joint on the islands for a plate lunch style meal. My favorite is the portuguese sausage eggs & rice. Throw in a hawaiian sun and a taiyaki & don't forget the steroidal spam musubi. Always have to have one on the go for a snack later in the day. Whether it be breakfast time to late lunch I can always count on May's for making me feel all islander inside!
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Review from Denise L.
San Francisco, CA
2/14/2011 1 photo
So sad to give this place sub-par stars, because I truly adore this place.
This review is strictly for May's spam musubi. As a kid, they were my absolute favorite. May's musubis were known for their large size and yummy sauce, but I came back here recently and they definitely shrank in size. Womp womp -
Review from Steven B.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Taiyaki! It's so freaking hard to find this in SF especially fresh ones.
Flavors they have are chocolate, red bean, and chocolate banana. Buy 12 and get 1 free and they take cash only.
When it's piping hot and fresh, it tastes awesome. When it's cooled down, tossing it into a toaster oven makes it great again. -
Review from Taylor A.
12/2/2010
I'd never eaten a taiyaki, nor had I ever heard of one til I was walking through Japantown Mall one day. A pancake filled with chocolate and banana? Yes please! It was crispy and delicious for only a few bucks!
I ate one while watching the two old white fish tank cleaner dudes try to catch koi out of the fake ponds. They were really bad at it, but hilarious while they were doing it.
Taiyaki #1 good yum yum. -
Review from Stacey L.
San Francisco, CA
7/17/2010 6 Check-ins Here
5 Stars = $1.50 Red Bean Taiyaki
3 Stars = Food
I've had items off their regular menu once or twice with my coworkers. However, their Taiyaki should have it's own separate review. Never fail, whenever I'm in JTown I HAVE to get the red bean taiyaki. Usually I'll grab 1-2 right after lunch as I'm headed back down to the parking lot. I'll say I'm here at least every week or so. The only bad thing is that they tend to run out early. If I'm ever here for dinner, I'll try to drop by beforehand but 50/50 they're already sold out for the day. I'd say stick with the red bean. I wasn't a huge fan of the chocolate nor the chocolate banana combo. Buy 12 get 1 free. If you plan to reheat them later, be sure to toss it in the toaster oven rather than the microwave. This was it will stay crunchy.Listed in: Hole in the Walls
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Review from Mei C.
San Francisco, CA
9/19/2010
It's a nice place.
Tip 1 : Bring a good friend or two who also enjoys something new to experience.
Tip 2 : Something to try might be the chocolate pancakes if you're hesitant. The spam sushi and the plum sushi is also very very good. I forgot what they called it.
Tip 3 : Be sure to check out the neighboring book stores and shops. There are some beautiful window displays to see as well.
I'm definitely dropping by again. -
Review from Vivian H.
I don't know where else to get taiyaki in the city, so I guess that alone earns May's Coffee Shop 3 stars.
May's is a Japanese/American "booth" inside the mall that I have passed by on numerous occasions without giving it a second thought. They have both Japanese and American food.
Sadly, the taiyaki are not fresh off the pan. They were big (the only other time I've had taiyaki, they were the size of dollar coins), but cold without the semi-crispy outside. They also advertise chocolate and banana chocolate on their menu but they didn't have any of those.
$1.50 each and no tax, so that's a pretty good deal. -
Review from Karen Y.
San Francisco, CA
Ah May's Coffee Shop...I used to come here all the time when I used to work in Japantown many summers ago. It's a cute little stand diagonally across from the Sanrio store that sells breakfast, noodle soups, and burgers among other items (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Prices are very reasonable and they have a seating area with tables and long benches. The bf and I ordered a few things:
spam musubi ($2.50) - I think you would be lying if you said you didn't like spam. The piece of spam was browned with some teriyaki glaze and had just enough rice underneath so that it balanced out the saltiness of the meat. The rice was perfectly sticky so that it didn't come apart and it was quite filling too...hits the spot for me every time! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
wonton min ($6.95) - This dish was just all right. The soup wasn't very hot and the noodles were few. The wontons were good though and the BBQ pork added flavor to everything. Not worth the price I don't think. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
taiyaki ($1.75) - I was craving this the moment my eyes laid upon it. Taiyaki is basically a fish-shaped biscuit/cake with chocolate or red bean filling. We chose the chocolate one which cost 25 cents more but boy was it yummy! Eating them fresh was the best with the outside being slightly soft but not soggy. The chocolate on the inside was melted and not too sweet either. Perfect way to end our meal! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
I have not tried their other menu options but wouldn't mind coming back to do so. Yay for spam and chocolate filled fishies! -
Review from Steve L.
1/10/2010 2 photos
It was the week of New Year's, and the family, one of my daughter's friends, and I took a drive up to San Francisco to walk around J-Town, and the Japanese Cultural Center. We arrived around lunch time, and we were looking for a place to eat.
Many of the restaurants, such as Mifune, Sapporo-Ya, and Isobune were crowded, and we really wanted something pretty quick. May's Coffee Shop has been in the Center as long as I remember (and that covers a lot of years!). It's a popular place for a lot of the older folks, especially Nisei, to meet and catch up with each other. A mix bag of items on their menu. They have sandwiches, burgers, breakfast, shave ice, taiyaki, saimin, plain and spam musubi, donburi, and the day we went, they had a special of corn beef and cabbage. One orders at the register, grab a table, and wait for your order to be called (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
The day we went, we ordered:
-Musubi: OK, just rice with salted plum in the middle
-Spam musubi: Also OK, but was on the salty side. The teri sauce may be been too salty.
-udon: a veggie udon with Napa cabbage. Plain, no complaints from my youngest
-Katsu don: tonkatsu must have out in the warmer trays too long, because it was pretty tough and chewy by the time it was cooked with the eggs and onions, then placed on top of a bowl of rice. Filled the tummy, but it also was just OK.
-French Fries: Kids wanted them, and they were good and crispy.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Overall, lunch was OK. I should have ordered some of their taiyaki. They looked good, and reading recent reviews of May's, Yelpers do like their taiyaki.
Should have known better. -
Review from Miika m.
1/7/2010
Manfriend vs Boyfriend = Tai-Yaki
I have a tendency to trust the manfriend more than the boyfriend. Why? Simply put, the standing issues of trust. Yes, that's right. I trust the manfriend over a bf anyday and let me state the reasons why:
1. I could care less what a manfriend is doing at the moment.
2. He's reliable for one thing and we all know what that is.
3. I could care less what he is doing on the side. Just make sure to always always utilize protection.
4. No strings mean an easy way out.
5. You never have to say "I'm sorry"
The Tai-Yaki is the manfriend-incarnate. You can consume it immediately or keep it stored and out of the way until you've got the urge.
I've been coming to May's Coffee Shop ever since I was a little girl being carted around the Bay Area for my weekly classical piano lessons, Joy Luck Club style. Not for the food, mind you, but for the Tai-Yaki. A standing fixture amidst the tenant cycles of Japantown, May's is the proprietor of ready made food for the tourist on the go. Their prime source of attraction?
The Tai-Yaki (read the excerpt from this blog, something I follow : http://blog.japantimes...) is a sweet baked good that is enjoyed quite often on my visits back to visit the relatives when out exploring the countryside (add in Tako-Yaki too). They are simple baked sweets, the equivalent here would probably be the doughnut. In California, May's Coffee Shop is the only place I know of to obtain these delightful Dorayaki (two mini pancakes sandwiching a pat of Azuki bean paste) copy cats, especially when hot off the molded fish cake maker (like a waffle maker). Tai-Yaki, In the shape of a fish (sea bream = "Tai". grill/pan fried = "Yaki") is a molded baked cake, like a waffle that surrounds a mound of red bean paste (Anko) and pressed together. The results? A donut, waffle like outer shell with red bean filling.
I usually leave with six in a bag, more points if they are hot off the grill. During my walk to Kinokuniya, I easily manage to put away two within minutes. My other four? I store them in the fridge and pop them in the toaster for a quick sweet snack when the craving strikes.
May's Coffee Shop also serves strange takes on Hawaiian style foods, such as the Saimin and the spam/rice rolls lined strategically near the register, but I've never ever ordered anything other than the Tai-Yaki. Why change when I've been rewarded with something consistent and reliable?
Ittadakimasu! -
Review from Nobu K.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2007
It's just over priced Japo Junk Food.
Every single items in this place are CRAPY SHIT, reminds me of that "Omatsuri no Yomise", the festival night-booths for summer, fall and New Years, located local Shinto Shrine. They have all crappy candies over sweeted w/ corn syrop deep fried shit, and you'll pay a LOT!
But, we understand that it's a festival, only few days in a year, so we'll know that everything is over priced.
The problem is, I do like the junk food. I always wanted them when I was kid but I couldn't have them because it was too expensive, my mom didn't say yes and told me that I have to wait after the festival over, then the price goes down, and I can have that. But, that doesn't make any sense does it? for a little kid. No, hell no it didn't. I hated my mom.
But I think this place is festival for every single day!
Dumb you!
Even though I do like those Japo rip-off junk food, but not for everyday!
If you giving us such a junk, make it a bit more reasonable.
What the FXXX happened?
I believe they could do better than that.
Every time I am walking by, I hear my mom say, " Nobu, wait after the festival over, OK? OK!"
and I said out loud,"No, it's not OK, MOM!"
.............................................sigh. ..................
FXXX!
May's is in the never ending festival, forever.Listed in: Japan Town!
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Review from Ed U.
Right after I get off the elevator from the garage in Kintetsu Mall, I often lose my bearings until I see May's in the open area of the J-Center. It's just a glorified snack shop with a lot of lunch-style menu items, but it's kind of a touchstone for me...a J-Town institution of no-nutrition dining.
I tried the $5.25 Won Ton Min for lunch, which has several won tons, three slices of pork and saimin noodles in a scalding hot broth. Since I have no patience, I burned my tongue (or more accurately - "I bun muh tun"). My chopsticks couldn't quite master the won tons, so the meat kept falling out of the skin. I hate when that happens.
Ambiance is not a priority here, though people-watching is if you want to see either legions of Japanese senior citizens sitting on the benches or spiked-out youngsters with their dye jobs hanging around the counter. The benches are not too comfortable...perhaps to replicate the POW experience in Guadalcanal.
FOOD - 3 stars...hearty stuff and let your arteries fend for themselves
AMBIANCE - 2 stars..."Bridge on the River Kwai" meets Denny's
SERVICE - 3 stars...not in a hurry there
TOTAL - 3 stars...quick, relatively cheap lunch is certainly more convenient than the rest of the mallListed in: Memoirs of a Geezer, Saimin, Ramen and the Holy…
