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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.
93 Reviews
First Review by Baza
Lol638
Points +716
Meh - Edit
Expensive
Read moreLiliputien portions
Still looking for the taste
Guest
AmandaSakiye
Points +3424
The perfect Japanese vegan meal - Edit
Everything was so good. It reminded me of food that my family would make. I’d love to come again. We enjoyed so many dishes. Soba and vegan roll and eggplant roll were my favorites
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-07-23
Guest
VeenaA
Points +93
Wonderful food, great service as always!!! - Edit
Had a quiet lunch here, the hozomaki rolls and miso soup are my two favorites
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-06-27
Guest
mmeghani
Points +665
Outstanding Japanese food - Edit
Outstanding vegetarian (vegan) Japanese food. This restaurant has consistently good food & variety. Our usual order includes miso soup, agedashi tofu, fried tempura sushi roll, and one other sushi roll. The service is great. The restaurant is simple inside but with comfortable seating. Parking is difficult in the Mission District.
Read morePros: Great service, Great food, all vegetarian/vegan
Cons: Parking is tough
Guest
h_shores170
Points +77
A Vegan Gem 💎 - Edit
Cha-Ya is fully vegan restaurant that offers an abundant menu. Top notch customer service. Spacious dining room.
Read moreThe only reason you’ll leave is so you can come back again SOON.
Updated from previous review on 2026-04-26
Guest
MilesVeganEats
Points +592
Good authentic and Healthy Japanese food - Edit
Stop by for a simple meal and enjoying lovely the neighborhood.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-03-15
Pros: 100% vegan., Homestyle cooking, Cozy restaurant with healthy food
Guest
McMallory
Points +2924
Cozy - Edit
As some people mentioned, some items were a little bland, but the food was super comforting. I got the hot pot and while it wasn’t a flavor bomb, it was gentle and lovely. Even though it was a little simple, I enjoyed it very much! The spicy eggplant sushi was also excellent. My dining companion got the vegetable tempura which I frankly always think is a boring dish, but I will say it was pretty light and not greasy at all, so I could tell it was well-made. Everything is reasonably priced and the staff is super nice. It was a cozy spot to get a nice bowl of soup on a chilly evening.
Read moreGuest
Zurv
Points +2423
Authentic Japanese - Edit
Tasty authentic food! Great sushi and miso soup. Good happy hour prices too! Love this place. Amazing eggplant sushi and great soup too. Definitely get the tempura veggies too!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-10-16
Pros: Service, Location, Prices
Guest
GavinEldridge
Points +54
Delicious food, great service, various menu - Edit
Really high quality vegan sushi. I love that instead of leaning on alternatives (like vegan fish / fake meat), they opt to elevate vegetables and tofu using a wide selection of flavors. I’d recommend going for happy hour as there’s a wide variety of choices you get to pick from for only $20.
Read moreService was excellent - our waitress was very helpful and kept our glasses full. She also described some cool details of how sake is made and some of the differences in the production process that determine the sweetness of a sake.
I have been at least four times now and each have been a memorable experience, highly recommend going! All of their menu is great but I’d recommend the kabocha squash roll, the kitsune soup, the cha-ya roll, agadashi tofu, and black sesame mochi for dessert.
Updated from previous review on 2025-06-30
Guest
gettingthere
Points +168
Some good stuff, some bland stuff - Edit
I haven't been here in a million years, but I used to quite like this place. It seems that the prices have raised a lot but otherwise pretty much the same menu, so here goes:
Read moreMuch of the food is very bland. This is Japanese temple food, it's not necessarily aiming to blow your socks off. With that said, I used to really like the mushroom noodle soup, as it was flavorfull and filling without being heavy. I also loved the avocado maki and the eggplant maki, at least back then they were generous with the avocado portions and the eggplant was really nicely seasoned. The tempura was really nice too.
Guest
NickTustin
Points +1305
Not mind-blowing, but very good - Edit
- Kitsune soba noodle bowl - 9/10 great. Kitsune was a little too sweet though.
Read more- Natto small roll - 8.5/10 great
Solid place with a lot of healthy options, peaceful atmosphere, and fully plant-based!
Guest
EshaG
Points +282
Hearty vegan food - Edit
Feels so homey and the food is cooked with love
Read morePros: All vegan, Tasty tofu
Guest
NoahGiddens
Points +143
Amazing sushi - Edit
I may be biased because this was my first time trying sushi but it was amazing!
Read moreGuest
RuthCheesley
Points +136
Amazing food, lovely staff - Edit
I went here with some local friends who recommended it and it didn't disappoint! Everything on the menu being vegan was a huge plus, and the food we had was outstanding! Definitely highly recommended and my favourite place in SF so far!
Read morePros: Great range of authentic food, Lovely staff, Pretty reasonably priced
Cons: It's not massive, so it does get quite busy!
Guest
stephaniel
Points +41
Happy hour is a great deal - Edit
I have eaten at Cha Ya many times and have always have a great experience. I recently tried the Happy Hour combo. It’s a great way to try multiple dishes while eating out alone.
Read morePros: Healthy
Cons: Difficult to get waiter’s attention
Guest
vegansheep
Points +3860
Tasty gyozas - Edit
It’s hard for me to rate this place as I could only order one item on the entire menu (due to intolerances), but the item I did have was great!
Read moreGuest
jollieduck
Points +3596
Warming and tasty Japanese - Edit
This place is cozy and delicious. I loved both items I got, especially the kitsune (sweet tofu pockets) udon bowl. The broth was so tasty! Looking forward to going back.
Read moreThey take credit cards but prefer cash.
Guest
sterrcole
Points +92
Great place with so many options! - Edit
Great high-quality vegan Japanese food! The menu has a wide range of options and they have a really good lunch special where you can get half orders of three things on the menu for $16. The service was great, the women working there were so sweet and caring, you can tell they take a lot of pride in serving their customers! They also give you a QR code to scan so that you can see pictures of each of the menu items which was really helpful. The gyoza and the cha-ya roll were to die for! Excellent place, will definitely go back when I’m in town 😁
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-04-28
Pros: All vegan , So many options , Great service
Guest
maltman23
Points +6862
Very good vegan Japanese - Edit
I really like this place. I ate here all of the time when I lived in San Francisco. The menu is really big -- full of flavorful, filling vegan Japanese food. The staff is friendly, and the service is good.
Read morePros: Excellent vegan Japanese food, Friendly staff, good service
Guest
serenalovesplants
Points +108
All vegan!!! - Edit
Everything here is delicious and there are so many options! Definitely recommend
Read moreGuest
pklehm
Points +153
Great vibe, great food - Edit
Great food in a soothing ambience — friendly, very helpful staff. What’s not to like? A respite from the urban SF mission.
Read morePros: Food’s very good, Friendly staff, Atmosphere
Guest
m@earthville
Points +10769
Uniquely creative take on Zen temple cuisine - Edit
Cha-Ya has been a favorite of ours for over 20 years (starting with the original location), with mouth-watering creative adaptations of shojin ryori, the traditional Zen temple cuisine focused on mindful preparation of plant-based ingredients in harmonious combinations, with mouth-watering results. Cha-Ya is best enjoyed with a group so that one can try many different items. Thanks to the salubrious ingredients, it’s a place one can feast without feeling heavy afterward.
Read moreHighly recommended. Enjoy!
Guest
The_vegan_itch
Points +52
Awesome atmosphere! - Edit
The tempura fried sushi was INTENSE! And I'm a total sucker for good udon, absolute beauty of a place. Very much worth the visit!
Read morePros: Right off the street, good for people watching. , Very quiet, good zen ambiance. , The best dang sushi I've ever hsd
Cons: Our chop stick game got some pratice.
Guest
hydomel
Points +496
Delicious agadashi, impeccable service - Edit
The agadashi tofu was immediate swoon worthy, so delicately flavoured. Then I had the hot udon noodles soup with tempura veg - the soup was a bit bland but the tempura veg on point. A definite A coming again place on the whole. Peaceful vibes sitting outside.
Read moreGuest
hailseitan9
Points +325
Good place - Edit
Pretty good food here. Friendly staff. Portions were a bit small, but I guess that’s SF.
Read moreGuest
Gopala108
Points +5939
Traditional Japanese Vegan Cuisine in SF - Edit
I grew up in a martial artist family. I started teaching karate in Japanese at the age of 13. I have backpacked around Japan. I would love to visit Japan again.
Read moreOne of the most challenging things traveling in Japan was the language. There is Western Comforts like in the West yet followed Happy Cow in Japan to get some amazing vegan meals as don't think Yelp was in Japan when I was there.
Enter Cha--Ya! Cha-Ya might be my new favorite restaurant in San Francisco. A few years ago when I lived in the East Bay went to Cha-Ya there yet now in the Mission went here today for lunch.
I went with the Cha Ya Delight seasoned brown rice bowl. It comes with carrots, kombucha pumpkin, broccoli, lotus root, cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, atsuage tofu, hijiki seaweed, yamamoto, shinzo and ginger.
The ingredients are fresh, well presented, and found the dish nourishing. It was healthy and came with a miso soup. The cuisine is based on traditional Japanese cooking popular in Buddhist centers in Japan I found and reminds me of that. So you might find the food a bit bland yet don't worry you can easily add a little soy sauce and chili powder like I did to give it a bit more flavor.
Vegan, vegetarian, and vegetable forward is the wave of the future right Now. I have been vegan 22 years now and seen the evolution of the movement. Many fast food restaurants now offer Beyond meat and the impossible burger yet it is refreshing to find places like Cha-Ya offering healthy and wholesome traditional cuisine.
For a trip to Japan in San Francisco come here. I look forward to coming back with friends to explore more of the menu that includes various sushi, noodle soups, tempura, and traditional salads that would be good to order family style.
Thank you Cha-ya! Arigato. I look forward to returning soon.
Updated from previous review on 2023-05-31
Pros: Traditional Vegan Japanese in SF, Friendly Service!, No reservations needed
Cons: Food is a bit bland yet can spruce it up, portions could be bigger
Guest
SaraStrickler
Points +153
Amazing curry udon - Edit
One of my favorite spots in the Bay! The vege tofu curry with udon noodles is my go-to order, with delicious broth and fresh veggies. Definitely worth a visit!
Read moreGuest
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