The Chicken Nugget and Salmon Katsu were really good! The breading was light and airy, which made the meal not feel too heavy afterward. The staff was very accommodating, especially with my wife being pregnant. They were attentive and made sure we were enjoying our meal, checking in to see if we needed anything else as well. One thing we definitely want to try when we come back is the Black Sesame Crème Brûlée, but unfortunately, they were out of it. Nonetheless, we had a great time at Kawanoya and can't wait to come back to try more of their food! read more

Kawanoya - Chicken Nugget Katsu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cozy Japanese tonkatsu restaurant.with a hint towards a neighborhood izakaya in the heart of Noe Valley. Since they soft opened three two days ago, I'll be splitting this review in two parts. In the first part, I'll focus on the tonkatsu and the second on the skewers. Kawanoya - Tonkatsu Generous, crispy and juicy tonkatsu. After squeezing the lemon across the meat, you can use the Japanese-style pestle to hand ground fresh toasted sesame seeds and add to katsu sauce. Their tonkatsu sauce is tasty, but I needed to ask for more. Cabbage shaved finely and tasty dressing. Heaping portions of hot rice. It's the perfect meal if you're missing Tokyo. Waitress was friendly. And you can peek through the kitchen to see them hand breading and deep frying all tonkatsu. read more

Kawanoya - Tonkatsu, shaved cabbage, miso soup, and white rice. - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This was the perfect date night! The food was so delicious, best izakaya style bites I've tried in Noe Valley/ Mission area. We ordered a few skewers, a salmon donburi bowl, and a tonkatsu plate but I forgot to take a picture. We walked in and had to wait around 20 minutes to be seated, so better to make a reservation beforehand. Overall great experience. read more

Kawanoya - Pork belly skewer, shishito pepper, shiitake mushroom - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I'm a local and this was our first time at Kawanoya. My husband, son and I enjoyed our dining experience from start to finish, and it exceeded our expectations. Ambience is simple and homey. The quality of the food was outstanding. Katsu is one of our favorites and the preparation was simply delightful, the pork and chicken were moist and the crispness of the katsu was uniquely different from any katsu we've had. We were enjoying our dinner so much that we made it a point to share it with our friends and family. In fact, we're dining there tonight with a friend and again next week with our family. Not featured are the refreshing drinks we had, agedashi tofu, salad, the crispy panko-crusted salmon katsu filet - all absolutely delicious. I told a friend that it felt like I was having a meal in Japan! I highly recommend that you make reservations to secure your dining experience at Kawanoya! Enjoy! read more

Kawanoya - Pork Katsu set - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We found this new restaurant and wanted to try it out. Overall, I think the restaurant isn't ready for prime time yet. Main issue was food running. They have the same person taking orders, making drinks, and running orders. There were severe backups, with food waiting to be served for very long time periods. I could see the chef look through and try to figure out what's going on We had appetizers not delivered within 20-30 minutes and had to check in to see if they remembered I think we were a little more perceptive because we had a kid who was hungry and wanted the tofu appetizer We ordered 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and skewers. Katsu plate - katsu came out cold but was otherwise tasty. It sat there for a solid 10-15 minutes Salmon ochazuke - solid Hot pot rice - this was a bibimbap that was fine, but I probably should have picked something else at a Japanese place Chicken cartilage appetizer - wouldn't order again Tofu appetizer - came after our dinner ended. I asked to check in on it and it still came after we finished our entrees. after it came, we wouldn't order it again Skewers - fine Decor - beautiful, warm, and inviting All in all I'd be open to trying this place again but I really hope they figure out the logistics because it really set a bad vibe for the dinner read more

Finally there's a Japanese restaurant in SF that serves authentic tonkatsu!! The pork cutlet at Kawanoya is perfectly fried: super crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, and without that overly thick breading you usually see. Best of all, it's not greasy at all, which is rare for tonkatsu around here. I've been to Japan and Hawaii many times, and this honestly compares to some of the best tonkatsu I've had. I also revisited Ginza Bairin in Honolulu last month and noticed the quality has gone downhill... and I would now much rather have the tonkatsu at Kawanoya! (Tamafuji in HNL is still good tho) I also really liked the cheese katsu, the pork was super tender and the cheese was rich without being overly heavy/greasy. Highlights: - Tonkatsu - Cheese Katsu - Fried Chicken Cartilage - Grilled beef - Grilled chicken cartilage - Hojicha tiramisu - Mont blanc - Hojicha coconut The interior design is also very nice. The restaurant is fully renovated with lots of nice Japanese decor. Seems to be a great place to hang out with friends or come as a family. They're currently in soft opening, so the full menu isn't available yet, but everything I tried was delicious and service was great. I can't wait to come back once the full menu rolls out. TLDR: Amazing authentic Japanese tonkatsu along with great yakitori and Japanese desserts. Nice ambiance. Highly recommend for anyone craving real Japanese comfort food done right! read more

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Wow! This place was sooo good! Saw this place on tiktok and knew I had to try it. Love the interior it was very modern and clean. Came here on a Friday afternoon at 1:30pm and there was no wait! You can make reservation as well on yelp. Got agedashi tofu and chicken karage for appetizer. The tofu was good I would get it again. Would pass on the chicken karage next time because it wasn't crunchy or crispy :( sauce was good. There was only one female server during lunch. Service was decent. Me and my friend both got the signature tonkotsu $28 and it was delicious! Felt like we were back in Japan! We would definitely come back and try other stuff on the menu. Would recommend this place to friends and family. read more

Kawanoya - Signature tonkotsu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

From the beginning it was pure chaos! Nobody greeted us when we arrived for our reservation. We then got sat but nobody came to take our order for a solid 15min. The noise level was just absurd, it was impossible to have a normal conversation. The staff didn't come to check on our table (nor other tables). The food was great but not enjoyable in these conditions. The whole meal there were people constantly opening/closing the front door and waiting inside for ever. If their opening was this week I'd understand but they've been around for 6 months already so I'm not sure what's going on. read more

Kawanoya is a new Japanese spot that opened up in Noe. The space is has a very light, relaxing ambiance. I appreciate the decor, the attention to detail- the lamp shades were really pretty. There's lots of indoor seating, the bathroom is clean too. This is a new spot, they're figuring out the service. This is very common, so I gave the server a lot of grace. One woman is greeting, serving tables (checking on them), running food, this obviously made the service slow, but once again this is common for new spots figuring out the flow. We ordered a variety of skewers to start. They were okay, not really seasoned. The duck one was great! We ordered the Japanese yellow curry with pork katsu and the shrimp katsu. They come with rice, only the shrimp had additional miso soup. The katsu is the star of the show here. Everything is seasoned and fried perfectly with a delicate, crisp crunchy outside. The yellow curry was so delicious and comforting. I appreciate the mountain of cabbage on the side too. The table has sauces and sesame to add additional flavor. It's a little pricey for katsu, but it was super good! I highly recommend coming out to try one of their amazing katsu dishes. Shoutout to the one server running around! She was fantastic, doing the most, serving over 7 tables at once. Don't forget to be kind!! read more

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Decided to give kawanoya a try after searching all over the place for a restaurant to eat at. This place is fairly new so they currently have no alcohol license as of currently. As well as some items on the menu are unable to be made due to limited items.. The ambience was nice and well light with warm lights, the host was awesome and gave us good insight about the food. We tried the coconut hojicha and it was fantastic! The coconut was not overpoweringly sweet just strong in the coconut taste. I ordered the signature tonkatsu and was surprised to found that the quality of chicken used was fantastic. It had a good amount of fat and was moist as well as the crunch from the coating was perfect. I thought it was nice that the tables had katsu sauce there. Overall 10/10 must try again. Arguably one of my favorite katsu places based off quality read more

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Delicious tonkatsu! We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the tonkatsu is juicy and crispy. Very sweet staff too. Highly recommend! Only downside is the long wait so I'd definitely go next time with a reservation. read more

My partner and I ordered the short rib and duck skewers to start, tonkotsu and salmon ochazuke for our main meal and two yuzu lemonades. The short rib was okay. The duck was great though. We both liked our entrees and drinks. The yuzu lemonades had a strong yuzu taste which we love. If you're walking in on a Friday night, expect to wait a very long time upwards to an hour or two and once you're seated, you'll be waiting quite a bit as well. There's two waitresses that clean the tables, pick up the food, make the drinks and tend to the waitlist. My partner had his food much earlier than I did and was done with his meal by the time mine arrived. read more

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Went here yesterday to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday early and it was amazing! We got the tomato salad, katsu curry, agedashi tofu, four yakitori (two pork belly, one gyutan, and yuzu chicken cartilage), a blood orange highball, and yuzu lemonade. The yakitori were beautifully cooked and not dry at all! I love how the flavors were simple and it really made the type of meat stand out. The agedashi tofu and tomato salad were very good starters (add chili to the tofu for a nice little kick)! The katsu curry was crunchy, cooked perfectly, and a great main dish to close out our dinner. Loved the blood orange highball, but I think the yuzu lemonade was the star between the two drinks! Definitely would come back here for the amazing food, service, and beautiful ambiance (decor and styling of the restaurant was stunning also)! read more

Kawanoya - Katsu Curry - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Wow, that's what I want to start with! This restaurant reminds me of the very authentic Japanese cuisine I had in Tokyo! For real, even the rice was so moist and soft, the tasty Japanese rice! My four years old daughter normally would not eat rice, but this meal she finished all of her rice herself. The skewers were simply amazing, all my past Japanese skewers memories came back! The Hokkaido scallops were moist and fresh; the chicken cartilage was moist and crunchy. The grilled duck is a must try; they are able to make the duck skin crispy and yet not oily at all. The duck meat was tender and super yummy. Appetizers wise, this time we tried the soft shell crab and the tiger prawn with mango tartar sauce. I've tried many softshell crabs and rarely are they evenly crispy all the way through. Some parts are usually soggy and some crispy. But not here, every part of it was crispy and delicious! The tiger prawn was indeed giant and crispy, dipping it in the mango tartar sauce was so refreshing! As for the main courses, we tried the signature tonkatsu. It was fantastic, crispy and moist. My kids loved it so much that they finished the whole tonkatsu set by themselves! We also tried the grilled sea bass. It was so tasty as the fish skin was crispy and the fish was so fresh and moist. We instantly demolished it and we had to order another set of grilled sea bass. Definitely a must try! Overall, I think food is amazing and price wise, it's very reasonable as well. I would definitely recommend this Japanese restaurant, and I will be back for sure! read more

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Horrible service. Didn't honor reservation kept saying 15 more mins until it was 40 mins over . Total waste of time. Should've gone to regent Thai across the street instead read more

I've been ordering takeout food here for a few months, perhaps every 2 or 3 weeks, since they opened and have ordered a variety of things. My experience has been outstanding most of the time. I mainly rotate through three of their fish dishes, all of which are five star: The Gindara Saikyo-Yaki is a grilled fish with a miso glaze. It is so tender and flavorful. The Ichiyaboshi Theadfin is a whole partly-dried fish. I initially got it because I've never seen it before, but it is quite good so I keep getting it. The flavor profile is milder than the Gindara, but it's a nice change of pace. And I've recently added the Unagi Donburi to my rotation after trying and loving it. It comes with a slightly sweet sauce. I notice they seem to still be experimenting with presentation. When I last got the Gindara, it came with a (very) small green side salad that used interesting lettuce and several small veggie incredients. It was much more interesting than the typical salad that is served at a Japanese restaurant. I enjoy their eggplant miso skewers and okra tare skewers and get them every time I get one of the above fish dishes. I've also tried and liked their tamago skewer. I've had the mushroom skewers and zucchini skewers and, while there's nothing wrong with them, I didn't find them particularly interesting. I've had their hojicha tiramisu a couple times. As I strongly dislike anything with coffee, I appreciate their tea version. It's good, and the hard chocolate base is top-notch. Their wakame salad is good. As I said, my experience has mostly been outstanding. Here were the glitches: My second time there, they got my order wrong and gave me the threadfin rather than the mixed mushroom ochazuke I had ordered, possibly because I also mentioned how much I had liked the threadfin. When I finally did order and receive the mixed mushroom ochazuke, it got boring rather quickly as it was mushroom after mushroom after mushroom. The one time I tried the salmon ochazuke it seemed that the salmon was underdone. Full disclosure: They've comped me extra skewers a number of times as well as a dessert. I did not request the comps and they did not offer them in exchange for a review. read more

Finally got a chance to eat here in person and it was absolutely worth it. The food was great as take out/delivery, but getting the tonkatsu plate straight from the kitchen was just amazing. I spent 4 months in Japan when I was younger and this brought back wonderful memories of eating in Tokyo. We also had some skewers, which were excellent as always, the tomato salad, which was nice and refreshing to start things off, and the cheese the mushroom (portobello cap with cheese, shizo, and crispy garlic). That was a surprise hit since he really weren't sure what to expect when we ordered it. Well worth it. The space itself is very nice; small enough to feel cozy but I never felt crowded - even with a party of 8 seated next to us. Even packed (on a Tuesday night!) the noise levels were surprisingly mild. I never had a problem talking to my wife, and the buzz of everyone around us helped the space feel more alive. read more

Kawanoya - Pork tonkatsu plate with brown rice. I already ate the tomato and squeezed the lemon of the pork - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here on a Wednesday evening and it wasn't too busy. We had reservations, but probably didn't need it. Tried their signature tonkatsu and their tiger prawn tonkatsu. Both were really delicious and cooked perfectly. Really liked the sesame dressing that they provided for the shredded cabbage. The portion sizes were small considering the price, but understandable knowing how expensive it is to run a restaurant in Noe. My only real complaint is that they somehow ran out of both the cheese tonkatsu and the fried tofu katsu (on a slow Wednesday night at 6:30pm). Perhaps it's because they're still new and figuring out their inventory / food prep? Decent restaurant regardless. Will probably try some other tonkatsu spots before coming back. read more

Best cheese tonkatsu in the valley. They added a mortar and pestle for you to grind your own sesame seeds. Service was quick. It was very clean inside. read more

Kawanoya - Cheese tonkatsu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came here to celebrate a friend's birthday. We ordered the tonkatsu, curry, and salmon ochazuke. All of our main dishes came out cold and lukewarm. One dish you do not serve cold is a ochazuke. Informed the waitress and they made my party a replacement. We sucked it up and ate the curry and tonkatsu cold. Also ordered a coconut matcha and I found a dead fly in my drink! Told the waitress immediately after I had only taken a few sips of it. She offered a replacement but at this point, I am fed up with every dish and drink being a disappointment, I declined and informed her to take it away. When the bill came, I was SHOCKED to still be charged for a $8 drink that had a dead fly in it, when I didn't even drink it and had the waitress take it away. Paid the bill and still left a 15% tip, but NEVER COMING BACK. read more

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Went for the pork katsu, but the highlight was definitely the duck skewer. So flavorful and the fat was rendered perfect. Great value for your money, the katsu portion was huge and came with rice, miso, cabbage, and more. Ambiance was very nice and the service was quick and friendly. Highly recommend! read more

Kawanoya - Pork katsu meal - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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the tea soup was delicious beautiful presentation with beakers to pour and perfectly tender salmon great skewers make sure to try the sauce duck a bit chewy great eel skewers read more

Kawanoya - bar - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Such a quaint neighborhood spot with cute decor. The ambiance was warm and inviting, perfect for a quality casual meal. We had the beef donburi, prawns katsu, and some skewers, everything was wonderful. According to the waitress, this place is only 2.5 months old, so I imagine they'll get even better once they have more experience under their belt. We'll absolutely be back. read more

Priscilla the waitress was phenomenal. She and her co worker took care of the whole busy restaurant in incredible fashion and ultimate attentiveness. The food was delicious. The Tonkatsu, karage, everything was authentic and tasted the great. The indoor decor is stunning and tranquil. The music perfectly matched the vibe of the decor. 10/10 outstanding! read more

Kawanoya has a beautiful interior with simple and clean lines and it looks like a restaurant one might encounter in Japan. But this is not so much a Japanese restaurant as a restaurant created by a fan of Japanese food. It is not so much an izakaya as a restaurant that offers an eclectic menu. My experience here was dream-like: things appeared perfectly normal until one notices that things were slightly off. Instead of the ubiquitous Japanese wooden chopsticks, there were the metallic Korean chopsticks and rounded spoon. The counter to the side looked like a sushi counter with a glass refrigerator that would normally house a fish selection but it was empty. People sitting at the counter were eating something, but it wasn't sashimi or sushi. The ochazuke came with what looked like an old fashioned coffee siphon instead of a teapot. Despite the off-beat feel to the place, the menu items were intriguing and so we ordered a couple of appetizers and main dishes. Here is where the pacing derailed our dining experience. First it took some time for the waitress to take our order. The first appetizer to arrive was some sort of seafood salad that was a tad overdressed. The waitress also brought over a mortar and pestle and instructed us to grind sesame seeds at our table. We didn't quite understand why the sesame seeds needed to be ground. Soon thereafter, my companion's house special tonkatsu arrived. It looked crisp and delicious. These two items were followed by....nothing. After waiting 20 minutes, we inquired as to the status of the chicken cartilage appetizer and my main course - the duck chazuke. My companion explained that he did not want to eat his meal alone but the tonkatsu was getting cold. The waitress got a little exasperated and said that the ochazuke takes longer because the tea had to be brewed. I told her that was nonsense. Tea does not take so long to make. Besides, if the ochazuke was actually going to take that long, they should not have made the tonkatsu until both dishes were ready to go. The restaurant owner then rushed to our table to smooth things over. He got both the chicken cartilage and the duck chazuke to come to the table soon thereafter. Unfortunately the cartilage was too bony (not crunchy) and the duck was too gamey in the chazuke. To the owner's credit he took the chazuke off our bill without our prompting. In reading other reviews, it appears that the pacing here has been a problem with other diners. Perhaps Kawanoya is still working things out as a newish restaurant. We wish them luck - it is a beautiful local restaurant and we would like them to succeed. read more

I hate to leave bad reviews for small businesses, but our experience at Kawanoya was just so bad. We were excited to try a new neighborhood restaurant that had just opened and had pretty good reviews. We arrived around 5 pm. and they were busy, but we were seated fairly quickly. We ordered a few appetizers, drinks, and main dishes. Everything was fine so far. The drinks arrived, and the appetizers came out one by one. It took a while, and it was fine. Then my boyfriend's main dish arrived. They dropped his plate off, and I thought mine would follow shortly. I told him to start eating! I waited while he enjoyed his. He felt bad eating in front of me while I sat there waiting. About 15 minutes later, I asked the busy waitress, "Is mine coming?" She checked and said they needed more time. Another 10 minutes passed, and I asked another waitress, "It's not ready yet," as my boyfriend finished his meal. I saw my dish waiting at the counter. I called the waitress over and asked again. She looked over, saw it, and brought it to me -- without the miso soup that was supposed to be included. She said she would bring it. ( which never came)  I started eating my grilled fish, and it was completely raw and inedible. I got the attention of a waitress and told her, and she said oh sorry, I will cancel it. No, can I get you something else? We just asked for the bill, and brought the wrong bill? The person I assume is the owner saw us looking around for someone to help. He said they were short-staffed, people were sick, and someone had a bad back. He removed my fish from the bill but apologized. I totally get it, running a business is hard, finding good people is hard. But this was probably one of the worst restaurant experiences. I feel that if a business messes up this badly, make it right and ensure your guests feel valued. We are really bummed we won't be going to Kawanoya again. Thank goodness I had leftovers at home to eat when I got home. read more

Love this new restaurant in Noe Valley! Beautiful, spacious interior. Clean bathrooms. Lovely service. Wonderfully prepared dishes. Especially loved the signature tonkatsu and prawn skewers (these were complimentary from the kitchen, didn't see them on the menu). The yuzu lemonade was tasty and refreshing. Bonus is that they're kid-friendly too! read more

Horrible experience! What is suppose to be a fun family dinner on a Friday tonight turned miserable when we realized the order we placed for our kids hadn't been made yet and it had already been close to an hour since we placed the order. Two of the waitresses walked by several times and never questioned why the adults had their food but not the kids. It wasn't until we asked about the kids' order that the waitress realized the chef hadn't prepared the food yet. Horrible service, small person sizes, and no initiative in making this right. We paid $120+ for a dinner that we didn't actually enjoy as a family. Avoid this place unless you're willing to wait several hours for your food and spend your night following up with restaurant staff about where your food is. read more

Very juicy, crisp tonkatsu with great skewers in nice ambiance. Glad this opened in the neighborhood!

Really cute restaurant that just opened in our neighborhood. Everything from the food to decor was aesthetic. For food, we got the ochazuke with salmon and the sizzling stone pot rice. Salmon was cooked perfectly with a crisp skin and paired well with the dashi broth. Overall, we enjoyed everything. Next time we'll try their signature tonkatsu. read more

New restaurant in the neighborhood. Great place to hang out with friends delicious food. It has great ambiance and great service. Will be back soon! read more

We loved it, even my younger daughter loved her meal, everything was very fresh, tasty and light, we will be back

Brought my family of 4 with young kids. They forgot to make 2 of 4 orders. The 2 they forgot were the kids. Made for a very long and tough Friday night. Completely destroyed evening after leaving. After spending $120 and waiting an hour here and not eating we got pizza next door. read more

Wow they just are in soft opening mode but everything was so smooth and perfect, and clearly shows how much care the team has taken in every detail - from the decor to the food to the presentation to the service was just impeccable! Excited to come back! read more

had two grilled skewers (scallops and eal) both were well done. Then had tonkatsu (which comes japanese style with miso soup, rice and grated cabbage. As In Japan you grind your own sesame seeds and add the tonkatsu sauce to dip it in. SO had curry which was also good. I'll go back, and would like to try the ochazuke. They are still getting their kitchen rhythm together (and it was busy) but everyone was nice. Space is open and not too noisy, I have had some amazing tonkatsu in small places in Japan (where it's all they make, you order it by size and get a beer with it). This was a 4.5 of 5 on that amazing scale, but a 5.0 compared to what I have found in the US so far. read more

Food was incredible. Ambience was great. Service slow as only one server. Was great for us as we like to dine out slow but for others might be a problem. read more

I was excited to try this new Izakaya restaurant. The tonkatsu was delicious. It was both tender and crispy. The grilled shishito peppers were also superb. Agedashi tofu had too much bonito flakes and was kind of hard. Four stars for the food. Sadly, minus 3 stars for the service. Hospitality was really lacking. Not sure if it's because they are new. It took about 45 minutes for food to be served. The couple next to us who ordered after us were served first. Main courses came out before small plate appetizers. The sake came out when we asked for the check. Also the wait staff failed to advise that one order of sake was for 2...or maybe 4 people. Good wait staff ought to have their customer experience in mind. Also it came at the end of the meal and not at the beginning. We ordered this before the food came. There were no attempts to apologize or remedy any of the problematic poor service. Not sure that the food was good enough to return. Disappointing. read more

Hidden gem if. you don't mind a little overpriced and slow service. Kind of new, 2 months, and still working out kinks I think. Need better training of staff on menu and condiment preparedness. tonkatsu reminded me of Japan; curry tonkatsu was lacking in curry flavor and just tasted like gravy. Veggie skewers were good but two shitake mushrooms on one skewer for $4? Tonkatsu dinner the same with or without cheese... Ambience and interior nice. read more

Great ambience. Food was all delicious. Skewers were great both veggie & meat. Katsu was cooked perfectly.

We have to visit this restaurant every week. They have delicious food. The ambiance is great. Service is great.