Hatsuzakura Opens in University Heights With Traditional Japanese Comfort Food and Desserts | Eater San Diego

"A slice of Japanese cafe culture has landed on Adams Avenue with the cafe's public debut on Wednesday, July 5. Proprietor Sakura Kadoya — who previously worked next door at her parents' Michelin-starred sushi bar — opened the spot with co-owner Reymond Palisoc as an updated take on the Japanese kissaten, a retro tea house, serving classic desserts and snacks alongside homestyle famiresu (family-restaurant) dishes. Kadoya’s master sushi-chef father consulted on the menu, which features his karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken) recipe and comfort plates such as yakisoba and omurice, plus fusion items like Napolitan — spaghetti in a sweet tomato sauce with bacon — and doria, a baked gratin of buttered rice smothered in cream sauce and cheese that comes with either shrimp or chicken. There are also onigiri and Japanese sandos, homemade sweets including kakigori (Japanese shaved ice topped with matcha or fresh fruit), mochi ice cream, custard pudding with caramel sauce, skewered glutinous rice-flour dumplings called dango, and anmitsu (chilled jelly, fruit, and red bean paste), and the all-day cafe offers wine and beer as well as drinks like hojicha lattes and melon soda floats. The cafe is located at 2123 Adams Avenue in University Heights and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m." - Candice Woo