To break from my standard order of their amazing Katsu Chicken, the host suggested Chicken Karaage…read more- which is made from chicken thighs, cooked in a rich sauce, and not breaded (which the Katsu is) - really good flavor and a great recommendation! Will consider this again!

Overall, it was an alright spot for a quick lunch. The Japanese curry was decent--nothing…read moreparticularly memorable, but it hit the spot if you're looking for something simple and filling. A curry katsu dish cost $20 before tips. One downside was the customer service. The woman working the counter came across as unfriendly and didn't seem very welcoming, which made the experience less enjoyable. Also, keep in mind that this is strictly a grab-and-go place. There's no seating available, so you'll need to plan on taking your food elsewhere. If you're just looking for a convenient curry lunch, it's fine, but don't expect much in terms of service or dine-in atmosphere.

Cafe Okawari is my favorite place to get katsu sando in SF!…read more Chicken Katsu Sando - The chicken was juicy and crispy. The bread is soft and pillowy. I also like the pickles! It added a lil bit of depth into the overall flavor. Beef Gyudon - On the pricey side but the portion is decent. Overall on a bit salty side (wish there could be more rice), but I like the soft texture of the beef and the taste of ginger. Went on a Wednesday noon! There was a line but it moved super quickly. Would definitely come back again :)

I like Japanese sandos the way I like my mini walking clouds…read more.. 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.

Dining out during these inflationary times ain't easy, especially in San Francisco! Thankfully…read moreNippon Curry offers a hearty, tasty, and hot meal for under $20...WOW! Ambience is non-descript, soulless, artless, modern, and clean. Service was efficient and robotic, I think the AI-Robots at Google Gemini and Grok have more personality. All good... $17 Tonkatsu Curry...the plate was huge! A thick, wide, juicy, tender, pork cutlet with that signature Japanese crispy crunchy batter embracing each other like a romantic couple on their 3rd date. The lovely fragrant hot, rich, mild brown curry sauce covers it all. Underneath it all is generous mound of steaming hot white rice. +3 Steamed Vegetables...get your vitamins and fiber, and let your bowel movements flow smoothly like Willy Wonka's chocolate waterfalls. The fresh veggies blend in nicely with all that flavorful curry sauce.

Heard really great things about Nippon Curry but ended up feeling meh about it, especially since we…read moredrove here from San Jose. I think it's because I've had better in the South Bay. I do see that the curry is prepared different from other curry restaurants and the curry itself is actually very good. Rice to curry ratio is like 80% rice, 20% curry. CHICKEN KATSU CURRY (3.5/5) - chicken is super thin and I wish there was more. EBI FRY CURRY (4/5) - decent, crispy ebi. I actually enjoyed the panko breading and it went well with the curry. Overall, nice casual spot. I can see why it's popular with locals but I wouldn't go out of my way for this place especially with the likes of Curry Hyuga.

I came here one weekday evening for dinner and ordered the tonkotsu curry rice and the tegone…read morecheese in hamburg steak curry rice. Everything was made fresh to order which was nice, the hamburg steak takes extra time. The curry itself was good, good ratio of rice to curry as well. You can pick spicy or not spicy you want the curry. We got +2 spicy which was fine for us - but if you don't handle spice well it might be considered spicy. The tonkotsu was good portion size, crispy but was a little dry. However, the curry helped with it. For the hamburg steak, it is a beef patty with cheese in it covered in a brown sauce. The brown sauce was a mix of sweet and savory. It came on the side with curry rice. Good portion size. Overall, will be back again to try their other dishes. They have ones that I have never tried before and I saw others ordering different items like mapo tofu curry rice, curry udon, and so forth.

Got the pork cutlet over rice with curry and it was really good. The cutlet was nicely fried,…read moretender, and the batter held up well. The curry itself was flavorful and well spiced, not mind blowing but definitely solid. Portion is generous. Maybe a bit too much rice for me, and I kind of wished there was a veggie side, but no real complaints. Food came out fast and hot. Staff was friendly. Seating is on the smaller side but it wasn't too packed when I went.

The Japanese curry is delicious. It cooks after you ordered, so the pork katsu is hot and fresh…read more I ordered it medium-spicy, and it wasn't too spicy luckily. The portion size is huge.

It's been ten years since my last review of Volcano. I'm happy to report that very little has…read morechanged and I'm so happy for that. I'm happy that even after coming here for almost 20 years that very little has changed. It still tastes the same, the prices really haven't changed much, and the place still looks and feels the same. The only major change is that they charge for the pickled daikon (I think it's daikon, but I'm not totally sure). They used to just give you a small amount, but now if you pay for it they give you a good portion of them! My go-to here has always been the Chicken Katsu over Japanese curry, medium spicy, with zucchini, eggplant and sausage if they have it. It's still an excellent plate and the Japanese curry is rich and delicious. I love this place and I hope it continues to be here for many more years!

My favorite spot for comfort food! It's never too busy and…read moreyou can just walk right in. It's super convenient that they have call buttons on each table for the waiters so you can take your time before you're ready to order. I love all the katsu curry's but the most important tip is to get a dome egg added on top of the rice!! It's like making it an instant omurice. So tasty!

Friendly service and huge portions. Got the chicken katsu curry udon which was just okay (very…read moresalty but also not enough flavor at the same time) so maybe I should have ordered the curry instead! The potato salad is also yummy. The chicken katsu didn't wow me which was surprising since I've heard people rave about it. It seemed like standard katsu to me, though the portion is huge and the noodles are nice and bouncy. Also very affordable price point for the portion size. Lots of seating inside at this location and they are open pretty late.

I'm a sucker for small mom and pop shops like this! The inside isn't anything to write home about…read moreand you'll leave smelling like oil but the food is worth it! The lady working here was also super nice and friendly. Chicken katsu curry 4/5 The fried food here is so good. Delicious katsu. Curry was a little too sweet for my liking but warm and hearty. Spicy tuna roll 3.5/5 Not too spicy. Tasty, pretty standard, Agedashi tofu 4/5 Light and fried nicely. Soy sauce was delicious and paired well. Tempura 5/5 Probably the best and lightest tempura I've in the states. Comes close to being in Japan! Overall, definitely will be back when I'm craving tempura or katsu. Have to support small businesses like this!

We had a warm and hearty lunch here. We actually had planned to eat at one of the Chinese…read morerestaurants across the street but didn't want to deal the wait, and this spot was quaint and quiet. The food took some time, even though we were the only party at the time that we ordered, but you can tell that it is made of fresh and with love. As someone who enjoys eating flavorful meals, but is also very conscious of healthy choices, I was very grateful that they had grilled chicken curry option since it normally comes fried only, and that you could opt for brown rice instead of white rice. My chicken curry dish was so hearty and flavorful, the curry is housemade and the chicken was very tender We also ordered a chicken Katsu Bento, which was both juicy yet perfectly crisp. It comes with a little bite of soba noodles and a bite of macaroni and that small salad . Order at the counter , and there's a handful of indoor tables The tonkotsu ramen was also delicious - came with two super huge slabs of juicy pork belly and the broth was scrumptiously rich . Glad we ended up here for lunch !

A neat hole-in-the-wall cheap eat in the midst of Downtown. Be warned they will pack that curry to…read morethe brim!! And for the flavors and amount, the price is well worth it. Curry has a nice fruity sweetness to it, perfectly complementing the ebi I ordered. Must try if you're craving good curry but don't want to spend too much

This is a sit down, casual dining restaurant. Staff are friendly and casual, and the food is good…read morebut not great. If you want a satisfying Japanese curry, this will definitely hit the spot. Personally, I wouldn't be craving this later, but I would go back if I was in the area and hungry. I also found that this curry is more along the lines of American spicy versus Japanese spicy. I don't handle spice well, but usually a hot Japanese curry is barely spicy. However, here the mild was in a very comfortable zone while the medium was bordering on too spicy.