On the Bridge

This place is a heaven for anime lovers! Their focus is definitely the decoration and ambiance. The army of figurines, bookshelves of manga, and not one but TWO TVs playing Miyazaki films all scream otaku.I ordered the mentaiko (cod roe) spaghetti, and I'm glad I did. The pasta had a good bite, and the sauce was simple but well executed. A delicate balance of salty, creamy and a hint of sweetness typical of Japanese style spaghetti. I felt luxurious eating it!My boyfriend ordered the unagi don. It was a solid, comforting bowl of grilled eel over rice, exactly what he wanted.Service was good, our server was prompt with taking our orders. We came a little before the lunch rush, by the time we left (~1pm on a sunday) the cozy restaurant was full. Next time I really want to try something from their extensive menu of craft Japanese beer.I only deducted a star because the portions were smaller than I'm used to, but the price didn't really reflect that. Also, because the storage shelving spilled into our corner of the bar. Normally I wouldn't care about things like putting a storage shelf in the dining room, but between the price and the fact that the decor is their schtick, it did take away from the overall experience.

I have tried many of the places in Japantown and hadn't tried On The Bridge. It's totally adorable and feels like you're dining in Japan. There's bar seating and about 8 tables for two or four. We were seated right away. We ordered beer and when it came, ordered edamame, vegetable curry, and sizzling vegetable platter. It said the entrees came with salad. The edamame came and then the curry for one of the three of us came. We waited and got water. The very kind owner/chef came over with my vegetable plate and told me it was too hot to touch. Don't touch. It was a large platter that was generous with vegetables including a slice of eggplant, some onions, a couple mushrooms, and lots of cabbage. It had big chunks of tofu, and I think the platter must have still been cooking the tofu because it was really burned. It was too burned to eat and our server wasn't present to know until she dropped the check. There are more details that will be helpful deciding if this is the place for you out of all the choices in Japantown. One thing to note is that the bill had a $1.00 charge for the box and bag to pack up the charred tofu. Also, the bill said there's a $3.00 service charge for credit cards. Overall, it's a cute restaurant that serves pizza, spaghetti, udon, and ramen. If you're not in a hurry and don't mind the extra charges then fine. We asked for an extra plate to share, but it never arrived and I wonder if that's for the better because we could have been charged for that, too.

Every time my bf and I go to Japantown, there's always a long line outside the door for this restaurant and one day we were lucky to have snagged a table. The waiter/host warned us that they had a table available but there would be about a 15-20 min wait for food, which we were ok with. They have a vast menu with different options like pizza, pasta, ramen and curry. We were curious about the Japanese pasta and pizza but we decided on the loco moco and chicken katsu curry don. We also ordered the takoyaki and a couple of alcoholic beverages. I enjoyed my chicken katsu curry don and liked that it came with an egg. My bf liked his loco moco. We both left our plates clean! The takoyaki was good also. I ordered a melon soju cocktail, which was really sweet but still good. The interior has a homey bar vibe to it and we were able to greet and thank the owner (I think it was the owner). They also have old Japanese manga books lining the walls and they play anime on the TV's. I will definitely be back to try their other food items!

Been wanting to try this spot. We always pass it by. So happy we did this time. The food was great! The staff was friendly and fast. I think the owner even took our orders. Older gentlemen. So cute. Will be coming back to try other dishes.

I was looking forward to trying out this curry spot in SF japantown, but the curry was really lacking in flavor. Not only the katsu was bland, but the curry itself as well which was disappointing. On the other hand, the takoyaki was flavorful with a nice crisp. Don't expect too much service as they do the bare minimum and you go up to pay. Something that stood out was that they have book shelves next to the tables lined with old manga books which was cool.

Just got a small app while I was here and it was really tasty! I've been wanting to come here after seeing that Patti Smith had stopped by a couple of years ago. They seated us even though they were about to close. The owner/chef has such a fun, vibrant personality and the ambiance is really fun too. Nice staff too!

Came on a Friday night and waited for 15 minutes before getting seated. We ordered the Agedashi tofu (3/5 - very soupy), udon with shrimp tempura (3/5 - there was way too much random vegetables and greens) and a mango cocktail (4/5). The udon took a long time to come because the kitchen forgot my dish. My friend basically finished her entree by the time by dish came. As a result, service is mid.

Everything was so good! We shared gyoza, chicken karage, fries with curry dip, and takoyaki (not pictured but just as delicious). Nice, quiet ambiance and good vibes. Definitely will be back!

My go to place for Japanese comfort food. Situated literally in the bridge of Japantown, this is a tiny restaurant serving hearty western-style Japanese food. My favorite is the hamburger steak with a side of korokke (croquettes).

I love coming here for years and it is still a great place! Very nostalgic. The place hasn't changed but I mean that in a good way. I like that it stays true to their originality when there are so many new restaurants opening up. This place is known for their curry and their spaghetti, so that's what I usually order. I ordered the garlic butter fries, which was so fresh! You can tell they didn't just popped open a bag of frozen fries and air fried it or something. And to top it off with the curry sauce really hit the spot. Also ordered the vegetable curry, which really hit the spot. For something so simple made it that much better. I really enjoyed that curry, and each of the vegetables really complement that. The curry wasn't overwhelming or anything. It was just right! Also ordered the Menchi katsu which is a fried meat cake and it had a ton of spices! It was really good. I would say go for the curry's and katsu and you won't be disappointed! That is what they are known for!As for service, it may be a tad slow, but once you wave them down then it's fine. There were only two servers and a full house at the time. But not too bad!