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 Mon 5:00pm-8:30pm, Wed-Sun 5:00pm-8:30pm, Sat-Sun 12:00pm-3:00pm. Closed Tue.
88 Reviews
First Review by Baza
andyjng
Points +5999
Yes to Cha-Ya! - Edit
Cha-Ya was an amazing experience incorporating heart healthy Japanese cuisine that happens to be vegan. It goes back to its plant based roots with fresh ingredients and amazing flavors.
Read moreI came upon this by accident as another vegan shop in the Mission was closed the day I visited. I started with their Goma-ae with Broccoli Florets ($6) which was a fantastic, light appetizer. Who doesn't love steamed broccoli with a sesame-tahini dressing to go on top?
Our mains included their Cha-Ya Sukiyaki Nabe ($18) which was a medley of vegetables, tofu, and glass noodles in a sweet-savory broth very reminiscent of the former meat sukiyakis that I had consumed. The presentation was gorgeous, the flavors from the vegetables infused with the broth was a delight, and it made for a very satisfying meal. We also ordered their Sansai Soup Noodle ($15) not realizing we already had noodles in the sukiyaki. It wasn't bad but was too similar to the sukiyaki for it to stand on its own. If I were to go back, I would've ordered a Zaru Soba or something similar.
They have a few outdoor tables available for seating which is perfect on a nice day. Thank you Cha-Ya for your incredible dishes and focus on healthy, fresh ingredients that just happen to be vegan.
Pros: Fresh, seasonal ingredients, Comfort Japanese food
Guest
SergAMox
Points +710
Delicious - Edit
If you want a large healthy meal full of veggies and tofu, this is your place. Fast and friendly service.
Read moreGuest
TobieTusing
Points +65
Kitsune tofu Udon! - Edit
Highly recommend the kitsune tofu udon and Chaya roll. Staff are so friendly!
Read moreGuest
Chachachacha
Points +68
Cute, but food is not good - Edit
I gave this place a few tries, and each time it was equally bad. The idea is great, as there is so much great vegan food in Japanese cuisine — I SO wanted to love this place as a vegan Japanese who lives nearby — but can’t really take their food, sadly. Flavoring is so off, sometimes I was confused what dish it was supposed to be.
Read moreGuest
Conniemm
Points +1953
Will come back! - Edit
We had a great meal at Cha-Ya. As with other vegan restaurants, it was so exciting to have SO many choices! We ended up getting the gyoza appetizer and four sushi rolls which were all delicious. Different plates were brought out one at a time giving us time to enjoy them.
Read moreThe restaurant is beautifully decorated and comfortable. The staff was attentive and helpful.
I had read in reviews that they accept cash only and made sure to have cash but they do have an ATM machine in the restaurant if you don't have cash on you.
I'll definitely come back again!
Pros: great choices, indoor or outdoor seating, pretty atmosphere and dishware
Guest
arlitopups
Points +948
Delightful! - Edit
Delicious unpretentious Japanese food.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-06
Pros: Good wholesome food, Kind staff, Many options
Guest
Nooncares
Points +56
Very good vegan Japanese. Traditional dishes well made though not bold flavors - Edit
Very good vegan Japanese. Traditional dishes well made though not bold flavors
Read morePros: Tons of vegan options, Large sale list
Cons: Traditional flavors lack boldness
Guest
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 +94
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 +9370
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 +977
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 +210
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 +20904
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 +289
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 +1566
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
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