Cha-Ya San Francisco

delightful food & such a cute spot! wandered in on a saturday afternoon and immediately got a table + hh menu.we did a hh combo with chaya roll, gyoza, and agedashi tofu. the gyoza were well seasoned but tasted clean & simple (a theme here). i completely forgot Cha Ya was vegetarian because the gyoza tasted like they had pork or some other meat!The agedashi tofu was good but not great-- I personally like a chewier crust/skin and a milder sauce. the bottom sauce was a bit salty for my taste.The Cha Ya roll was also good-- it's a warm sushi roll, more like a tempura rice roll than sushi? Delicious in its own right, but the rice was a little mushed for my liking.i LOVED the veggie medley udon. it was just what i was hoping for-- something warm, savory, clean, and comforting. the broth was rich with flavor but not heavy at all, and the veggies were all perfect in the soup. the udon was a slightly thinner and softer noodle which I still enjoyed.we did get rushed a bit to leave as I think they were closing before dinner, but overall, I'll definitely be going again.

As a vegetarian, I was very excited to try a restaurant dedicated to vegetarian Japanese food! Visited Cha-ya on a Sunday around 7pm as a group of 5 without a reservation. Was able to get seated quickly but the tables were close together, making it feel a little cramped. Our waitress highly recommended the spicy eggplant roll so we got that to share and then we each got the vege-tofu curry. We asked if we could take our food to go, and the restaurant graciously accommodated.Spicy eggplant roll (3.5/5): Flavor wise, it was pretty good although very simple! Not very spicy either. I don't think it's worth $12 for this. There are only 6 pieces and $2 for a little bit of eggplant and rice seems rather expensive. Vege-tofu curry (3/5): The udon noodles were overcooked and somewhat mushy. The broth had a subtle curry flavor to it, but could have used more seasoning/salt so we ended up adding soy sauce and sriracha and that definitely helped. I liked the vegetables (cauliflower, mushroom, broccoli, etc.) - they tasted very fresh.Overall, the meal felt clean and healthy and the service was good, however, I probably wouldn't return to Cha-ya as the flavors and value didn't quite match the price.

Love this authentic, cute & small establishment. The food is fresh and different from other Japanese restaurants.love the vegan vibes and the kind hearted service. Although slow they are nice people. Always disliked the chairs in there but like that corner booth. I usually dine in at this small mission staple. 4/5 Food4/5 Service 3.5/5 Ambiance

Cha ya was our first stop after giving birth to our daughter. The food is so healing and nutritious that I could feel my insides realigning as I ate. The service is great and fast. It feels like you're coming into a family's home for a filling and delicious meal! It was busy but still easy to get a table and feel well attended to. Our newborn loved the chatter of many happy diners at adjacent tables!

This is a cozy Japanese restaurant with a vegetarian Japanese menu. The assortment of vegetables in the sukiyaki was delicious and visually appealing! My husband enjoyed the broth in the soba noodles with mountain vegetables. Highly recommend the vegetable tempura as it comes piping hot to your table and all the vegetables are fresh and crisp.The service was great as well. We tried a sake pairing and the waitress was nice enough to also recommend another dry sake for us to try.

Nice place for veg Japanese food. We tried the vegetable tempura appetizer, cha-ya roll, kabocha pumpkin roll, and veg tofu curry with udon noodles. The rolls were delicious and had house made sauces on them. The curry had a light flavorful broth. Unfortunately, the noodles were a little overcooked as when we tried to pick them up they would break between our chopsticks. The vegetable tempura was tasty and had a nice assortment of vegetables. Should note that our veg tempura appetizer came at the end of our meal and only after we reminded the waitress. Not sure if it's a one off or something that happens regularly. Aside from that the services was fine. Not a bad place overall.

Pros: delicious, clean, healthy, happy hour menuWhat a wonderful and unique spot to grab lunch or dinner. The food is clean, simple, and delicious. The service is attentive as the restaurant is run by a Japanese (NOT Chinese, Korean, etc) family that clearly cares a lot about the food, service and atmosphere that they create. The broth for their udon/soba is very clean and perfect on a cold day. Very generous happy hour menu as well. Valencia is still recovering from Covid and I really hope Cha-Ya continues to be a presence. For those of you who are skeptical of vegan Japanese food, you should definitely give it a try!

As a vegan in love with food I cannot dissuade people from going here enough. The food is completely tasteless. I got a soup that was watery and filled with unseasoned root vegetables. It isn't Japanese minimalism where they highlight one thing well, it was devoid of any flavoring agents what so ever. There is good vegan and vegetarian San Francisco, just not here.

Was really impressed to see an all vegetarian/vegan Japanse restaurant anywhere. It was my first time and they were running a $20.00 special that was just what I was looking for. Very fresh and high quality ingredients sets this sushi apart. Very good service, a rather large selection and reasonable prices leave little not to like about this restaurant. If you like Japanese cuisine but aren't a fan of seafood or seafood smells, etc. then this is going to feel like finding a long lost friend. All the rolls that I had were tasty. Service was very competent and if you ask for a suggestion they will try to lead you in the right direction. Stop by...

The food here is good and simple. A nice option if you want something delicious and filling but doesn't give you the meat sweats. The service is excellent. The space is just cramped but it's SF, what do you expect? Most places are cramped. Parking sucks but you already know that.