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    Cafe Okawari

    4.5 (552 reviews)
    Open • 10:30 am - 7:30 pm
    Updated 3 months ago
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    CAFE OKAWARI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
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    Casual
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    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Okawari

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    Chicken thigh curry and Chicken Katsu Curry
    Maggie W.

    Delicious Japanese cafe that's right by the Caltrain station!!! I got the chicken thigh curry and my friend ordered the chicken katsu curry and lemonade. I grabbed some water from the water station. The food came out very quickly. The chicken thighs were super tender, and the curry was spiced very well. There's a good ratio of curry to rice in this dish. The fukujinzuke was also so yummy!! There's a plethora of indoor and outdoor seating, and we opted to sit outdoors since the weather was particularly nice on that day.

    Chicken Katsu Curry Rice ($21.50) - add jidori egg ($3)
    Cherylynn N.

    I like Japanese sandos the way I like my mini walking clouds... FLUFFY! Sadly, Cafe Okawari wasn't it but more on that later. Since opening in 2019, Cafe Okawari has been on my list to visit. Since they're only open on the weekdays and street parking is i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y difficult, stopping by was a challenge. Fast-casual service with limited seating indoors and outdoors. Bus your own table afterwards. Limited Menu; Specialty - Chicken Katsu Curry & Japanese sandos (sweet + savory). F O O D * Egg Salad Sando w/ jidori egg ($13): https://tinyurl.com/khwxepnc I liked that the jidori egg was perfectly jammy, but the rest of the sando was underwhelming. The egg salad was bland, and the shokupan wasn't as pillowy soft as I'd expected. Instead, it had a drier texture that felt more like American white bread. * Chicken Katsu Curry Rice ($21.50): https://tinyurl.com/cwedbaze + Add jidori egg ($3) The katsu curry was fine but expensive for the portion. Crunchy and tender, the chicken katsu (thigh meat) sat atop a bed of perfectly cooked rice - soft, chewy, and sticky, yet with each grain still distinct. The curry was plain tasting and I wish it came with some veggies. The onsen egg is a must add for that silky richness. IMO, you can find better katsu curry in the city for the fraction of the cost ($15-$18) at Curry Hyuga, Nippon Curry, Fumi, Volcano Curry, etc. S E R V I C E We ordered for dine in (outside) but they packed our order to go. When I brought it up, they basically said, there's nothing they can do. Bummer since parking was so hard. Considering how busy they were, our order was ready in several minutes. Overall, after waiting all these years to try Cafe Okwari, it didn't live up to the hype. I'm obvs in the minority but I wonder if the ratings are inflated because they have a prime location to AI/Tech offices, Oracle Park, and Caltrains.

    Michelle F.

    My favorite sando place in San Francisco. This place has really good savory and sweet sandos. I love getting both and sharing one half with a friend. They are very big portions as well, so I get full even eating three-fourths of an order. You could get drinks elsewhere though... There is seating inside, and there is seating outdoors as well, but limited.

    Egg Salad Sando w/ Jidori Egg
    Francie M.

    A great work lunch spot. I needed something quick so I ordered an egg salad sanwhich and green tea lemonade to go. I love egg salad sandwiches so I had a high bar. This blew me out of the water. It was not too sweet, not too mayo-y, and something about the bread was even better than milk bread in Japan. It was slightly chewier and heartier while still being super soft, and had an indescribable taste - like butter? The green tea lemonade was unfortunately short of the matcha/lemonade flavor. I'll have to come back to try their protein bowls and curry when I have more time Logistics: - indoor and outdoor seating - extremely limited street parking nearby, but walkable from light rail, Caltrain, buses, bike trail - if you order takeout step back outside and they'll hand it through the window

    Eui L.

    Simple and rich flavors, three working male professionals, three different curry bowls, three different styles. Service was quick and efficient. They'll bring the food to you if you eat outside or at the table. Receive over the counter for the bar seating. Ambiance is modern with a nice wooden touch. Plenty of outdoor seating Curry n rice Katsu curry n rice Tender chicken curry n rice $9 curry you can't beat it.

    Sake Cup - pretty easy to drink from this thing
    Amitaabh M.

    Stumbled onto this place in a mild hunger panic on the way back from the city, looking for something Japanese before jumping on 280. Yelp delivered. Parked easily on the side street, walked in around 3:30 in the afternoon, no hassle. The place has an authentic Japanese cafe feel, the kind where the menu has things you don't typically find at your average sushi spot. I had my eye on the sandos, specifically the Chicken Katsu Sando, but landed on the Spicy Tuna Don instead. Good call. Spicy yellowfin tuna tartare over well-seasoned sushi rice, topped with sesame, furikake, green onions, with a little radish and cucumber on the side. The tuna was very fresh, the rice was on point. Service was quick and polite - they even have an outside window for takeout. One nice detail: a neat dollop of wasabi is pasted along the inside wall of the bowl, which is a clean way of letting you control exactly how much heat you want to mix in. Tasteful presentation, but don't let that fool you. It has a legitimate kick, so calibrate accordingly. Paired it with their Honjozo dry sake cup, which was a nice complement to the meal and exactly the right call for a mid-afternoon bite. The sandos looked great on other tables and I fully intend to go back for the Chicken Katsu Sando - and then go try the wine bar next door to it. which was pretty tempting.

    Chicken Katsu Sando
    Sylvia Y.

    Came here for a late lunch. Cafe Okawari is conveniently located by Caltrain. The inside is simple and not too large but there are a few tables as well as counter seating. Service was very efficient. I got the chicken sando and it arrived to my table less than 1 minute later. I was suspicious at first because I thought they were serving me an old sandwich but I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken was warm, juicy and delightfully crispy. Portion was just right for the price. It was filling but not heavy. I would be back for a quick lunch if I'm in the area again.

    Menu
    Brittany D.

    Japanese sandos? yummmmm, some of the best in town I must say. If I'm in the mood for a chicken katsu sando, I come here. Why? Because it's consistent and just the right amount of crisp. I also love their fruit sandwiches. I think tho the katsu sando is the best texturally with the softness of the bread and the crunch of the katsu. If you don't believe me, try for yourself!

    Iced matcha latte
    Anchal A.

    This review is for their matcha only, not food. Stumbled upon this place and I'm surprised I haven't heard of it before! I got a plain iced matcha and it was so. good. The matcha flavor was strong and the drink overall was creamy. I got it less sweet but did end up adding splenda in it later on. They have a lot of food which smells delish, haven't tried it yet tho!

    Joyce C.

    egg sando was unfortunately not up to expectations... the bread was not fluffy nor soft and the egg filling lacked flavors. it was also very cold. def have had better egg sando in the states. the chicken katsu curry was not bad tho! the chicken was well fried. crispy on outside and juicy inside. curry was your standard curry. not spicy. in terms of service the cashier was nice and the food came out really fast. besides that everything else is kind of self service so it's hard to rate. for seating there was some inside tables and bar seats as well as outdoor seating overall this place was kind of just average. not sure if i would go back

    Chicken Katsu Sando
    Erica W K.

    One of the best katsu sandwiche places in the Bay Area! Cafe Okawari has been on my list for the longest time and I'm glad I finally got the chance to try it. I went on a weeknight at around dinner hours at 6pm and the place was busy but not packed. I managed to find a spot very quickly after ordering. We first ordered at the counter and then the seats are self-served. I got the fried chicken katsu sando with their house soda. The katsu sando is 5/5. The chicken is juicy and tender. The outside is crispy. The pickled cucumber and the lettuce are so refreshing to pair with the katsu. The bread.. let's talk about how amazing it is. The bread is fluffy and milky. What stands out to me is really how soft and fluffy the bread is. I took one bite and immediately know that this katsu sandwich would be bomb. The house soda is just alright, solid 3/5, nothing too surprising. I would definitely come back for the sando again!

    Chicken Katsu Sando + Dirty Matcha
    Jamie T.

    Staff members are friendly and polite. Orders are made fairly quickly. Love that! It's fresh and delicious. My go to is the chicken katsu sando and dirty matcha. Bon appetite!

    Chicken Katsu Sando
    Wendy L.

    Tried the Chicken Katsu Sando since I was in the area and it did not disappoint! $17 feels pricey for a sando, but it was a pretty hefty portion that left me very full. The bread was soft and pillowy, the chicken was super juicy, and there was a perfect amount of thinly shredded cabbage that added the right amount of fresh crunch. I do wish the breading was slightly crispier/thicker, and that there was bit more of the tonkatsu sauce, but those two changes probably would've made the sandwich overall more heavy (I appreciated how light it was despite being a fried chicken sandwich). If you're a saucy, strong flavor type of person, you might find the sandwich too plain flavor-wise, but I'm sure you can ask for some tonkatsu sauce on the side, or order a side of curry sauce to dip your sandwich for an extra fee -- another Yelper recommended this so I might try it next time! I also ordered an iced strawberry matcha latte to-go and it was solid. FYI you can adjust the ice and sweetness (which would be adjusting the amount of strawberry puree they use). I got light ice and default sweetness and the sweetness was just right. The strawberry balanced the matcha nicely, but I wish the drink was a little less milky and that the strawberry flavor came through more. Overall, I'm sure there's other better sandos and matcha lattes out there, but as some reviewers have pointed out, there's not a lot of places that have this casual Japanese cafe-style offering in SF or even The Bay in general, so this place is a keeper! Service was fast during Monday lunch hour -- I ordered my food at the front, sat at the counter, and got my food in literally 3 minutes.

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    2 months ago

    GREAT FOOD AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. Ella was very helpful and had great energy! If you're in the area you should definitely stop by.

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    4 months ago

    I love their katsu plate and sando! The food comes up fairly quick with reasonable price! Good for a try if you live closeby!

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    Cafe Okawari Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Cafe Okawari

    Can one order and pay for a loaf of milk bread by itself?

    I don't know what do you mean. In my opinion, you should try and it's really delicious!

    Can the onsen tamago bowl or potato croquettes / curry be made without onions or garlic?

    The onsen tamago bowl can be made without onions and does not have garlic in the dish. The potato croquettes dont have onions or garlic in them. The curry cannot be made without onions.… 

    Hey is your chicken halal? What brand halal is it?

    Due to supply chain issues we are not using Halal chicken at this time

    What brand oat milk do they use?

    Califa Farms

    View All 8 Questions

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    First time here for coffee! It's quite a popular shop and you see many sitting inside or waiting in…read moreline. Luckily we didn't have to wait a long line. It seems like there's also an upstairs but did not get the chance to check it out. I got an iced latte with their almond macadamia milk, and they're also so nice to do complimentary cold brew! So we got an extra drink for free. Trying the iced latte, it was pretty disappointing lol. I thought it would be similar to like a Hawaiian style latte with macadamia milk, but it was a lot lighter than I thought. It was definitely very nutty, but it also just tasted like water down latte. Honestly not much going on with the drink, but it does taste lighter in general. Crazy have to pay $1.50 more to add on this milk. Overall, its alright. I do like the natural lighting coming into the shop, but nothing too special.

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    Brief Summary: - Located in Dogpatch…read more- Close to a MUNI stop - Impressive interior that is comfortable and relaxing -- so many seats yet they're so full - Suggested to enter early because the known pastries sell out fast - Quiet ambience with mild to quiet chatter Sohn is a memorably good place to relax with my friend on a weekend afternoon. It was perfect for the slow, introverted energy duo. We arrived later than estimated but that is alright for the weekend meetup, so we have noticed that most of the pastries or food that we saw on yelp photos were sold out. However, they still offered the sandwich on a crispy pastry. (I chose the meat patty). It was also very popular, so there was a 15 minute line from the door. When it was our turn, the staff asked if we prefer to sit on the lounge, and to be frank, that was the spot I wanted to sit. When I saw browsing through the photos and saw the lounge space, I thought, wow, I would like to be there, so in a way, my little dream came true. When we arrived in the lounge, there were three guests sitting but near finished. In a few moments they left, so this corner was --for a good long while -- a spot to ourselves. This area had 2 couches, one large table, a small one, and 2 more comfy single sofas. It was stationed in a corner, so there was a balcony view to peer down the first floor. There was a tiny standee with the QR code, so we ordered iced lattes (it was a hot day that day) and the two patties. We also ordered a large cookie. In the order of food arrival, the sandwiches arrived first and the cookie was next. It took a while for the coffee to arrive. I remember the patty was so juicy, I was being careful not to let it drip. It was a hearty good hamburger in a way. Generally, the lounge experience was exactly what we wanted, so it was the highlight of our meetup. I recall chatting about lots of things, catching up and sharing some metaphorical tea.

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    Saying that the SF bakery landscape is competitive is an understatement, yet Loquat managed to…read morestand out in both the quality of its baked goods as well as its cafe ambiance. My first priority was to try Loquat's famous babka, but the petite pink mahlab cake was also calling my name. I selected the salted chocolate babka to enjoy at the cafe and took the mahlab cake home to enjoy later. My friend and I lucked out because a table for two opened up right as we ordered. My babka was plated on a dainty ceramic dish, which matched the old-school European cafe vibes. The babka was light and fluffy, yet the outside was crisp and buttery like a croissant. The salted chocolate layers folded into the pastry were the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and the chocolate tasted high-quality. One babka could have probably been split into two servings, especially if you want to try multiple items, but I didn't leave behind a single crumb. All around us, the other diners seemed to be enjoying a full-scale brunch with savory pastries and what appeared to be a Turkish breakfast platter. It all smelled wonderful, so I'll have to explore more of the menu on my next visit. I enjoyed the mahlab cake a day later and was amazed that it retained its delicate and light texture. The icing was lightly flavored with orange, cherry, and floral notes, and the presentation was so elegant. The cake was the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon cup of tea. While I'm on a mission to try as many of SF's bakeries as I can, I am looking forward to returning to Loquat.

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