Vegan
Japanese
Delivery
Take-out
San Francisco vegan restaurant serving Japanese food. Menu features various vegetable sushi, appetizers like gyoza and fried tofu, udon and soba noodle, rice bowls, vegetable tempura, seaweed salads. Its first location is in Berkeley. Open Wed-Fri 12:00pm-2:30pm, Wed-Sun 5:00pm-9:00pm, Sat-Sun 12:00pm-3:00pm.
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762 Valencia St (at 18th, Mission District), San Francisco, California, USA, 94110
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 08 Sep 2023 by villain
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81 Reviews
First Review by Baza
Mandelo
Points +60
Yummm 💚🌱 - Edit
Rolls, sake, tea, soup, tempura. Everything vegan and done so well.
Read moreGuest
An.drea
Points +254
My favorite vegan place - Edit
This is my favorite vegan restaurant in the area. My favorites are the Hanagamoku, mushroom noodle soup and Japanese curry. Everything is delicious and full if veggies. Family run Japanese business with another location in Berkeley.
Read morePros: Food is amazing
Cons: They are not available on delivery apps , Parking is kind of hard at SF location
Guest
alexBracht
Points +86
Food that brings Happiness and Health. Love Everything there. - Edit
Always welcomed and never disappointed..
Read moreGuest
imdiesel
Points +18
Reliably good - Edit
Just a solid, no-frills, nothing fancy but dependably good Japanese V fare.
Read moreGuest
villain
Points +8542
Great experience - Edit
Staff is very nice, outdoor dining is cute and convenient with pretty flowers on the table. Food was amazing and we got it super quick, within 5-10 minutes.
Read moreGuest
Andi12
Points +215
Did not care for - Edit
I did not care for this place at all! It gets 2 stars because it’s all vegan, but that’s it. I’m glad others seem to like it, not my taste.
Read moreGuest
amicus
Points +36
Extensive variety of delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes - Edit
Cha-Ya was a great spot for vegan and vegetarian sushi and Japanese dishes! There is an incredible variety of options from sushi to hot pot to noodle bowls. We had an udon noodles with a mushroom medley (Kinoko) and a vegetable hot pot with mushrooms and gyoza (Taku Sui). Both had a great depth of flavor in the broth and the veggies were very well seasoned and delicious. We will definitely be going back the next time we're in the mission to try some of their other offerings!
Read moreGuest
MicheletheTrainer
Points +936
Go Here! My new favorite restaurant in San Francisco-clean and NOT OILY YAY! - Edit
I was accidentally in San Francisco and had the opportunity to eat out.
Read moreNow I have a new favorite restaurant in San Fran, yay!
It was after 8pm and I was looking for a healthy vegan Asian place with non-oily food. Golden Era and Loving Hut both closed at 8:30. I was on the prowl.
I landed at Cha Ya on Valencia, Vegetarian Sushi, and now I’m in love love love with this cozy gem of a spot.
I actually think in all the years I’ve been veg, this was my first all veg sushi place. It’s so fantastic!
It was not cheap, but the service was top, and the seemingly all female wait staff did easily understand and accommodate, “No oil please, no sesame seeds please and no nuts please.” My table only drank water which tasted wonderful (obviously filtered)
My plan was salad, soup and sushi. I was pre-warned that their food comes out very basic, so I knew it was up to me to it up. Each table had shakers of spicy Gomasio with seaweed and soy sauce.
I started with edamame. I asked for the salt shaker. It arrived quickly.
The summary order was edamame to start, then shredded salad (dressing on the side), then soup with “the most veggies” and silver noodles, skewers, then a bunch of varied rolls and some with brown rice.
The menu and the wall featured their specials*.
Not a discount place. My order was enough for three people, but note that it cost like $150. They only take cash and there is an ATM inside, but also there are ATMs nearby in the city too if you want to plan ahead.
Edamame
Senroppon Shredded salad. I could eat 10 of these. This is a great salad to just load up on. (If you’re a purist, this salad did have a few strips of fried tofu decorating the plate’s edge but you can pull them out easily.)
Cha Ya Nabe Vegan Sukiyaki Hot Pot. This was as expected. Very warm, and earthy. Their broth is very tealike and you can tell it’s made with care. Next time I might try the Curry Soup, recommended by the wait person.
Robata (skewers). This was awesome. It featured a lot of a miso bbq-ish glaze.
*Special skewer featuring asparagus that was even better than the Robata. Less sauce, more flavor.
Each skewer plate was 2 skewers.
Rolls_all notable and I’d order them all again. Each came with wasabi and very fresh tasting ginger:
Vegan Roll
Garden Roll
Nigiri Brocollini---what an adorable idea. This was super enjoyable and the only photo I took.
Starlight roll—so great with brown rice and avocado.
A guest ordered the Veggie Tempera Roll. It was the only
Pros: Understood special allergies & not oily, Healthful and fresh and clean, Excellent food and friendly staff
Cons: Be prepared, cash only
Guest
deanutbutter
Points +180
Flavorful and beautifully presented - Edit
I was overwhelmed by the number of choices on the menu. Eventually I decided on the Dengaku, which was grilled eggplant, portobellos, and tofu with miso barbecue sauce. The vegetables were grilled perfectly, the sauce was delicious, and it garnished with edamame and plated beautifully. The gyoza starter was also very good. The servers were friendly and attentive. I thought the prices were reasonable - $7 for house hot sake, many entrees $16-18.
Read morePros: Lots of choices, All vegan - no worries about egg in tempura, Vegetable-centric entrees
Cons: Cash only
Guest
JonJon
Points +20635
Good Japanese food at high prices - Edit
Cha-Ya offers vegan Japanese food that is nicely prepared. I got mushroom and tofu fritters after a miso soup and ice cream for dessert. The miso soup was good but not exceptionnal, the fritters were very tasty, plenty of different flavors but the portion was not huge for the price. The ice cream were good, made in the Asian way. The place is quite pleasant and the staff is friendly. The major critic I could give is that prices are quite high for what you get. But depending of what you choose in the menu, it can worth it.
Read morePros: 100% vegan, nice place, friendly staff, good food
Cons: pricey, cash only, not huge portions
Guest
Elaine5003
Points +36
Meh - Edit
Not bad, but it sucks that it’s cash only and I thought it was pretty pricey for the portions. Not great if you are gluten free also.
Read morePros: Interesting cuisine, Authentic Japanese food
Cons: Small portions for the price, Cash only, Not many gluten free options
Guest
lvincent67
Points +88
No organic - Edit
Even the tofu is not organic. Almost nothing gluten-free.
Read moreGuest
Greenstone
Points +96
Grateful - Edit
I love this restaurant here and in Berkeley. Everything I have tried is delicious, fresh and beautifully presented. The three seaweed salad is very tasty!
Read moreGuest
ellesmera
Points +233
Healthy - Edit
One of the healthier places to eat out and load up on vegetables. Good variety of Japanese dishes. We had some excellent sushi, Soba noodle curry soup, Chinese broccoli with savory sauce. No frills atmosphere also means no wait time and ability to linger. Friendly staff.
Read moreGuest
PlantbasedTB
Points +269
Charming, delicious food - Edit
This cash only vegan Japanese place is great! Tasty, good service and chill atmosphere. No reservations and sometimes you have to wait but one of the best vegan places in the city.
Read morePros: Good options, Fully vegan, Chill atmosphere
Cons: Cash only , No reservations, Slow to refill water
Guest
rickaroons
Points +35
Two words: Deeeeee Lish!!! - Edit
OK we focused on the sushi side of the menu tonight. We had an avo roll (the standard by which you can at least get an idea about a lot of sushi restaurants), an eggplant roll, and a seaweed salad roll, along with a tempura roll plate, and the inuri thing that looks like a twinkie but tastes amazing.
Read moreAll of those items had us saying wow repeatedly.
Somehow we had a little room left, so we had the sundae, which has two scoops of soy vanilla ice cream. One scoop has a matcha green sauce and the other has some magical adzuki sauce. Both were just more wow than everything else.
The service is friendly, the water is room temp, they don't accept credit cards. Those are just observations- not sure what the absence of ice is about, and I'd love it if they'd join the modern world and accept credit cards. There is an ATM IN the restaurant, which seems cheesy and out of place.
Nonetheless, the food more than makes up for the lack of ice in the water and the fact that you have to pay cash. There are worse inconveniences in life.
Pros: Every dish was great. , Service is very friendly, The dessert, almighty Zeus, the dessert!!! Yum!
Cons: Credit cards not accepted, no ice water
Guest
Vegang12
Points +719
Vegan sushi! - Edit
Pretty good sushi choices. Inside is intimate. Good service. Reminder - cash only.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2019-06-22
Guest
jtyburski
Points +1095
Amazing Vegan Japanese! - Edit
There are plenty of sushi places in SF, but Cha-Ya is one of the only places where you can get solid vegan Japanese cuisine. And unlike Shizen (which don’t get me wrong, I also love), Cha-Ya won’t break the bank.
Read moreCha-Ya has an impressive menu of sushi, curry, and other Japanese staples. You can’t go wrong with anything, but their specials are incredibly good. The vegetable curry in particular is excellent, and can easily be shared given it’s plate full of veggies, rice, and croquette, and a side of cucumber salad!
Be warned: this place is cash only :/
Pros: Huge selection of vegan japanese, Affordable (by SF standards)
Cons: Cash only, Can get busy at times
Guest
MandrillusSphinx
Points +301
Met our needs - Edit
It was a clean vegan sushi experience with no surprises. The place was nearly full but we still got a table right away which was nice. The single rolls we got were great but the flavor profile in the sushi combo was a bit flat. The cucumber salad was a pile of cucumbers. It’s a cash only joint. The staff were friendly and on point. I’d absolutely go back.
Read morePros: Good food, Nice staff, Vegan
Cons: Cash only, Not super creative with flavors
Guest
coolman756
Points +68
Pretty great - Edit
The food I had there was delicious. There are lots of options. The staff is friendly, too. Note: the restaurant advertises itself as being "vegetarian" but it's vegetarian as in "strict vegetarian", i.e. vegan.
Read moreGuest
Neusein
Points +159
great selection and great taste!! - Edit
really amazing choice of japanese classics! quiet athmosphere. good for people watching :)
Read moreGuest
Laxsill
Points +112
Good but expensive - Edit
This place has good food but also a bit expensive. A lot of exciting small courses and sushi on the menus but the pot and bigger courses were mediocre. Go for the sushi if you come here. And bring cash. They didn't accept cards.
Read morePros: Smaller courses were great
Cons: Cash only
Guest
daroff
Points +1613
Yummy Japanese Vegan Delight! - Edit
Delicious vegan Japanese restaurant in the Mission neighborhood. Dishes are bery healthy and simple without heavy sauces. We loved the Special Miso, the tempura, the moon garden, and the ChaYa Delight, and the Dengaku was particularly amazing. With only a dozen tables a line can firm to be seated. No credit cards - cash only.
Read morePros: delicious , very healthy
Cons: cash only
Guest
NatalieSaslow
Points +90
Amazing - Edit
The Udon was so good and was very filling for only $12. The servers were very kind and friendly.
Read morePros: great food , friendly staff, quick service
Cons: only cash
Guest
shelly
Points +293
Great lunch time specials - Edit
Overall, a great place for all audiences with the best miso soup on the planet.
Read moreThe lunch specials are a great deal; for first time goers, the Cha Ya Nabe is a good start.
The beauty of offerings lay nestled within the miso based items; as such, I would recommend steering away from the sushi and veering towards the noodle bowls with broth.
Pros: Miso, Lunch Specials , Staff Friendliness
Cons: Cash Only , No Music - music would help atmosphere
Guest
lolacooks
Points +181
amazing healthy japanese food - Edit
This place was great all around. The food was delicious; it was light and healthy so we ordered many things to share because it wasn't too filling. The ingredients are all very fresh. We ordered sushi, udon noodles with seasoned tofu skin, grilled veggies with miso bbq, sea vegetable salad, and finished with chocolate mousse cake and soy vanilla ice cream. The service was great too; the japanese ladies who run the restaurant were all very sweet and accommodating. Service was extremely fast; some food came out within minutes of ordering. Highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
alexandra_vegan
Points +1549
Should be rated 5 Stars! Perfect restaurant. Delicious sushi. - Edit
We went there for lunch on a trip to San Francisco (to see The Mission & Castro districts).
Read moreEverything was so delicious so we came back the same day for dinner :)
First I want to say the place is very clean and neat, something you rarely see: on the way to the bathroom you can see the whole kitchen and storage area.
The service was perfect: the ladies were so friendly and helpful, they didn't rush us and made us feel welcomed. Also the service was fast and our food came out quickly.
The food was delicious and fresh!
I particularly loved the sushi and the sushi combo lunch which has a good price (2 dishes of choice and miso soup for 12$ without tax).
For lunch we both got the sushi plate which includes miso soup, Ten Bou (vegetable and tofu tempura) and Gyoza.
For dinner we got the Vegan Sushi, Sansai Noodle Soup.
I will definitely go back, Cha Ya is just perfect.
Pros: perfect service and atmosphere, clean and neat, delicious sushi
Cons: doesn't accept cards, must pay cash
Guest
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