On the Bridge

Been a favorite of mine since I was a child, really love making the trip out here! I love the loco moco and all its sauces, the curry plates, and the pizza. Really creative food and fun place to be! Service was slow the last time I was there, but it’s been great all the other times and the owner is a kind guy.

I absolutely LOVE ‘on the bridge’ in Japantown SF! I’ve been coming here since I was… 14? 15? And the food has never disappointed! Seating is a little limited (if it’s a busy day) but I’ve never really had to wait too long. Love the fun art and all the Manga throughout the restaurant! The owner and/or chef is SO nice and never makes a bad dish! I got the mentaiko cream pasta this time around and I’ve been thinking about it ever since! Every time I make it to Japantown- this is my go to! Prices are good for food and you get good portions! Drinks are a little pricey but where are they not when you eat out but it’s all very authentic Japanese!

We went there around 8:20 pm while everything else was closing. We ordered the curry rice and vegetable dumplings, the food came out fast. It was decent food for bar food but not great however since they sell a lot of imported alcohol the atmosphere of the bar is great .

WOW! It's pretty awesome that this is located where it's at! Very unique location BUT more importantly, good food, good selection! Food didn't take too long to come out. Sort of tiny --it's a narrow skyway afterall-- but despite the number of customers to compete for attention, the staff were still wonderful to us! I got the Miso Ramen with Chicken Karaage, and it was pretty good. Noodles weren't as springy as I'd like, but the broth was still good. We also ordered the Mentaiko Spaghetti to share with my friend, and it turns out it's the same type of noodles. My friend had the Unagi rice bowl --pretty good. Nice place! I'd come back again! In fact, the whole center is AWESOME! Cleanest part of SF!

Average meal at best. Service was non-existent. We may have ordered the wrong items, but our meal was very mediocre compared to the favorable reviews this restaurant has received. I guess their curry plates are the way to go. We ordered takoyaki and cream corn croquettes for appetizers. Our main entree was cold soba noodles. The appetizers were pretty good, but the soba noodles were horrible. First off, our cold soba noodles came with ice cubes in the sauce and mixed within the noodles themselves. I guess that's their way of cooling the broth. It did not look very appealing and the ice cubes watered down the flavor of the sauce. Also, service was bad. It may have been because we were seated in the corner, but we had to wait over ten minutes for them to bring our check. We waited another fifteen minutes for them to take our cash payment and give us change. However, they never came so I ended up leaving a smaller tip than I would have if they came and gave me change. I didn't have small bills for a sufficient tip, but we couldn't wait any longer. Note: Your bill will have a credit card amount and a cash amount. Their menu states that credit card amounts will be 5% higher, but that wasn't the case on our bill. It was closer to 2.5%.

Came here for lunch while doing some shopping in Japantown. The restaurant is in a very unique location, situated in the middle of a walkway between two shopping centers. There are about 6-8 tables seating 2-4 people, as well as counter seating for around 10. I ordered the Menchi-katsu curry over rice - the portion size was decent, with two large halves of a beef patty, breaded with panko. The menchikatsu was well seasoned, a little dry, but still was soft and melted in your mouth. The curry sauce was a little on the weak side, almost watery in consistency. Service was a little slow, but that was expected, due to the restaurant being crowded. Overall, decent quality - just be prepared for a wait if you go during peak lunch hours

Had a tasty bowl of curry. They had good veggie options. The selection of good Japanese beer and sake is great! Plus, the host was super passionate and friendly to tell us more about the japanesr beers!

The menu here is enormous and a lot of it is very strange since they offer a lot of Japanese-European fusion. I did not give that a try but instead got the pork katsu curry udon. It was AMAZING. So flavorful. Really hit the spot. The restaurant itself is otaku themed which was neat, service was slow and staff was not super attentive. I had a hard time flagging down the waitress for more water. The location is super convenient as it's inside a small mall in Japan town. I would eat here again.

Loco Moco w/ the creamy mushroom sauce is sooo flavorful.. still thinking about it___________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Japanese people in Japan eat a lot of food that does not get served to Americans in Japanese restaurants. The "product mix of Japanese restaurants" is based on what a set of Korean restaurant entrepreneurs thought that they could sell to Americans in the 1960s and 1970s. A lot of the choices were based on dishes that both Japanese and Koreans like to eat - such as sushi and chicken teriyaki. a) Even in the 1960s and 1970s there were Japanese dishes that did not show up in this standardized product mix. Fancy alternative forms of tofu and hot pots were conspicuous examples of what was a long list of omissions. One of the biggest omissions is curry. Curry is not just an Indian and Thai thing. Curry is as Japanese as cherry blossoms and kabuki theater. Japanese curry is mild and typically sticks to a relatively constrained range of spicing and flavors. It is often a convenience food served by busy moms when they don't have time for a fancy cook. There is store-bought factory-made instant-curry and there is pride-of-the-kitchen artisanal chef restaurant curry. A good locally made restaurant Japanese curry is great great eating. b) Japanese food changed over time just as American food has changed over time. The "original menu" Korean-Japanese restaurant menus ossified in time never taking any of these new developments into account. In particular, the standard American Japanese restaurant menu ignored the fact that Japanese food globalized. Asian adaptations of Western dishes are not empty imitations of Western recipes. Virtually every Western dish they experimented with got a rethink. The food you get in a "Western" Japanese restaurant is unlike anything you could get at home. You get unique and distinctive Japanese dishes. ********* On the Bridge specializes is these two great omissions of the American Japanese standardized restaurant menu. They do curries. They do globalized dishes - as they are served in Japan. I am sure somewhere someplace in the US there are other restaurants that do this. But On The Bridge is the only establishment that I know of that specifically speaks to this niche. User Alert: Just because a dish is rarely served in the United States does not mean that dish will be an amazing taste sensation that will change your life forever. Both Japanese curries and Japanese globalized food tend to be comfort dishes. They would go in the same category with America's macaroni and cheese or Britain's scotch eggs. You are always happy when you eat them - But you would not go out specifically to treat yourself to these if you just got a major promotion at work. This is simple hearty everyday fare. * * * I had a typical dish off of their menu. Chicken and mushroom spaghetti. It was just what it sounds like. Spaghetti with stir-fried chicken, sauteed mushrooms, scallions and some diced tomatoes. It was not "red saucy" by any stretch of the imagination. It tasted like a chicken and mushroom omelet where someone swapped out the eggs for cooked spaghetti. I was perfectly happy to eat it. But the sky did not open up revealing Mount Fuji and Mount Rushmore melding in a cosmic transubstantiation while John Philip Sousa hoisted the Rising Sun. The sky did not even open up to reveal Sailor Moon. It was a nice lunch of chicken, mushrooms and spaghetti. Later that day in Japantown, I WOULD have a coffee croissant that opened up the universe to reveal divine visions. (Anderson's Bakery if you really want to know.) * * * Still lunch is lunch and comfort is comfort. If On the Bridge were anywhere near my house, I would eat there all the time.

I hate to negatively review restaurants that look like they're an institution but this place just really missed the mark on my visit. Nothing tasted good and the chicken in the pasta dish tasted old and on the verge of going bad (as someone who has frequently tasted too-old chicken while learning to cook in college, I would know what bad tastes like). Tuna salad was ok. Place is mostly non-Asian weebs but that is to be expected in Japantown on a weekend. It was also a huge pain to flag anyone down, even just to get a seat. Will not be back!

I always passed by this place and wanted to try it so finally and coincidentally, on cherry blossom weekend I made plans with a friend to eat here. They use a queing system for open seats so you literally have to just wait in line to be seated. I'm not sure how busy it usually is but we waited maybe 30 mins as it's a small restaurant. My friend and I both ordered curry and a corn cream croquette! The flavor of the croquette was quite good! It had a hint of curry and I believe its dairy free which is pretty unique. My only complaint/comment is the outside breading was a bit thick and heavy which ends up being my comment for all their fried things... I ordered the menchi curry (breaded and fried beef patty) and my friend ordered shrimp. I personally was not a really big fan of the curry sauce, it was very thick and so vegetabley instead of smooth. and as I had mentioned for the croquette, the breading was too thick and overly crispy for my liking. I really wish i tried the pasta instead, I feel like I would've enjoyed that much more, but for the curry there are other better places in the area.

First, I'll mention some of the positive aspects of our visit. I really enjoyed the decor with manga all around, photos, and drawings on the wall. They have a unique menu with many interesting options. The service was nice and overall my group had an enjoyable experience here. Something that we could not quite understand was the portion sizes. For the base price of around $19, for example, I was given a meager amount of spaghetti, which was lightly dressed/topped. My friends who ordered the mentaiko pasta felt similarly. Unfortunately, we left hungry.

Rare find of Yoshoku in US :) Love their comfy staple food! Food to me is more unique than taste. Ambiance is great if you like Ghibli, anime, and cool japanese sake bottles!

One of those places I've walked past countless times growing up and still hadn't been to until last weekend. And in the end, it was just alright. Went on a Sunday afternoon and got seated right away. We decided to sit at the counter, which is visually interesting with all of the anime collectibles set up, but it could also use a good dusting and refresh. Staff were friendly enough but a little cool. The older man (going to assume he's the owner) was very friendly, however, and chatted with us for a short while when he came out from the back. Food here is really expensive for what you get. Big prices, small portions. My brother and I split the croquettes, which were very good and pretty standard size. Crispy on the outside, soft and creamy inside. But my portion of curry don was really small and I was still pretty hungry at the end of my meal. I'm also confused by the menu's spice levels. It can go all the way up to some insane level of heat, according to what's written, but for the curry I was just asked if I wanted mild, medium, or spicy. I went with spicy and my dish had zero detectable levels of heat. That was the mildest, most un-spicy curry (Japanese or otherwise) I've ever had. I'll give the curry this much: it had a flavor that felt very homey and definitely wasn't a cubed or packaged curry. It claims to be homemade on the menu and I think that's accurate. True comfort food. Just not a whole lot of it. My husband liked his okonomiyaki and mentaiko pasta, but the pasta was an especially small serving, too. He easily finished both. Not sure I'll be back here again. On the Bridge is an institution and I love supporting our local, longtime businesses. But this wasn't a great first impression.

Like many others, we've passed by this spot many times and it always intrigued me. We decided to stop by on a Saturday for a few small bites. It was 2 of us and we got seats quickly at the cute bar area. The staff was welcoming and the older Japanese man was so kind and funny. We ordered beer, wings, and shrimp pops. Everything was really good! I would return to try their other menu items!

Every time my bf and I go to Japantown, there's always a long line outside the door for this restaurant and one day we were lucky to have snagged a table. The waiter/host warned us that they had a table available but there would be about a 15-20 min wait for food, which we were ok with. They have a vast menu with different options like pizza, pasta, ramen and curry. We were curious about the Japanese pasta and pizza but we decided on the loco moco and chicken katsu curry don. We also ordered the takoyaki and a couple of alcoholic beverages. I enjoyed my chicken katsu curry don and liked that it came with an egg. My bf liked his loco moco. We both left our plates clean! The takoyaki was good also. I ordered a melon soju cocktail, which was really sweet but still good. The interior has a homey bar vibe to it and we were able to greet and thank the owner (I think it was the owner). They also have old Japanese manga books lining the walls and they play anime on the TV's. I will definitely be back to try their other food items!

I was craving Katsudon so I visited this place, and I'd say the way they made this dish is okay, but not special enough for its price really. Flavored, but not flavorful. It's somewhat okay enough. Service isn't much to talk about, but they do get the job done, which is all that matters.

The food won't blow your mind, but it hits the exact spot of comfort food and binder menu hominess that I always want when I go to Japantown. It's mall food court food, but in a cozier space with stuffies and manga and Miyazaki playing on a nearby screen. The staff were friendly, and food was delivered quickly. I ordered the seafood gratin - bit heavy on the cheese, but pretty generous with the seafood, and seasoned well. My partner ordered the katsu curry, which was also delicious. Wonderful, homey place.

I was looking forward to trying out this curry spot in SF japantown, but the curry was really lacking in flavor. Not only the katsu was bland, but the curry itself as well which was disappointing. On the other hand, the takoyaki was flavorful with a nice crisp. Don't expect too much service as they do the bare minimum and you go up to pay. Something that stood out was that they have book shelves next to the tables lined with old manga books which was cool.

I love coming here for years and it is still a great place! Very nostalgic. The place hasn't changed but I mean that in a good way. I like that it stays true to their originality when there are so many new restaurants opening up. This place is known for their curry and their spaghetti, so that's what I usually order. I ordered the garlic butter fries, which was so fresh! You can tell they didn't just popped open a bag of frozen fries and air fried it or something. And to top it off with the curry sauce really hit the spot. Also ordered the vegetable curry, which really hit the spot. For something so simple made it that much better. I really enjoyed that curry, and each of the vegetables really complement that. The curry wasn't overwhelming or anything. It was just right! Also ordered the Menchi katsu which is a fried meat cake and it had a ton of spices! It was really good. I would say go for the curry's and katsu and you won't be disappointed! That is what they are known for! As for service, it may be a tad slow, but once you wave them down then it's fine. There were only two servers and a full house at the time. But not too bad!

I recently went to On the Bridge with my beloved. On the Bridge was made famous when punk poetess Goddess Patti Smith went here & raved about it. I am a longtime Patti Smith fan & was curious to check it out with my beloved. On the Bridge is literally on the bridge of the second floor of a mall in Japantown. We loved the vibe here with anime on the wall & heaps of anime books on the shelves. It is a nice vibe & that is one of the best parts of dining here. Service was just fine. While the menu wasn't too veg-friendly our server recommended the Udon for the best choice of a vegan option for us so we each ordered an Udon including Sansai Udon & Oroshi Daikon both customized to be fully & completely vegan. We added tofu We got two separate bowls to share a bit of each. Overall it was quite alright aka tasty & nourishing. Wish there was more vegan options to be had yet the few vegan options that were available aka namely the recommended ones that we had were quite alright. Arigato

I have tried many of the places in Japantown and hadn't tried On The Bridge. It's totally adorable and feels like you're dining in Japan. There's bar seating and about 8 tables for two or four. We were seated right away. We ordered beer and when it came, ordered edamame, vegetable curry, and sizzling vegetable platter. It said the entrees came with salad. The edamame came and then the curry for one of the three of us came. We waited and got water. The very kind owner/chef came over with my vegetable plate and told me it was too hot to touch. Don't touch. It was a large platter that was generous with vegetables including a slice of eggplant, some onions, a couple mushrooms, and lots of cabbage. It had big chunks of tofu, and I think the platter must have still been cooking the tofu because it was really burned. It was too burned to eat and our server wasn't present to know until she dropped the check. There are more details that will be helpful deciding if this is the place for you out of all the choices in Japantown. One thing to note is that the bill had a $1.00 charge for the box and bag to pack up the charred tofu. Also, the bill said there's a $3.00 service charge for credit cards. Overall, it's a cute restaurant that serves pizza, spaghetti, udon, and ramen. If you're not in a hurry and don't mind the extra charges then fine. We asked for an extra plate to share, but it never arrived and I wonder if that's for the better because we could have been charged for that, too.

I'd rank it a 3.5 I had a delicious salad, relatively pricey, but understandable given it in the Japan town center. The ambience is nice. They have a TV they played spirited away and there's really cute decor. The reason I gave it a 3.5 was because the service wasn't the best. I was waiting at the front for a while when there were some tables open, and I had to ask to sit down, but they told me to wait a little bit more. Once we order the food, it also took quite a while for the main dish to come, which was the Katsu curry. I understand they wanna make it fresh, but there is no warning that it would take at least 20 minutes for the food to come out. my friend end up eating their meal before mine came out.

Just got a small app while I was here and it was really tasty! I've been wanting to come here after seeing that Patti Smith had stopped by a couple of years ago. They seated us even though they were about to close. The owner/chef has such a fun, vibrant personality and the ambiance is really fun too. Nice staff too!

Restaurant in the West Mall [Japantown, San Francisco CA] It was a full house. Seating was limited when we arrived but there was some space at the long bar area so we said okay. S-L-O-W! Took a while for everything! Took awhile for someone to take our orders, took awhile to serve our food (like a long while), took awhile for someone to hand us our check even after we were long done eating, took awhile when I requested for a receipt... and no one checked on us. The bar is facing where employees go back and forth from the kitchen to the cash register so they can clearly see and can easily check on us. I had to exercise patience. Poor customer service on their part. They seem to specialize in Japanese-style pasta and Katsu but my daughter was set on trying their Locomoco which she enjoyed very much. I ordered the Shrimp Tempura Udon. It was okay. I ate a little bit of it but daughter finished the rest. LoL she was hungry. This restaurant is located at Japan Center's West Mall in San Francisco. Instagram: @sfonthebridge Review #3376

This is a decent spot to go to in Japantown, especially when all the more popular places have super long lines during peak dinnertime. I've always been able to get seated immediately. I recently got the pork katsu curry don, which was fairly tasty. However, I wish it was spicier. I ordered the curry with medium spice, and it tasted more mild than medium. I also got the matcha IPA beer, which I really enjoyed even though I don't usually like IPAs. Service was friendly, although it took a while for some of the food to arrive. The inside of the restaurant is also uniquely decorated. This isn't my first choice restaurant in Japantown, but it's a decent backup choice on a busy weekend evening.

Been wanting to try this spot. We always pass it by. So happy we did this time. The food was great! The staff was friendly and fast. I think the owner even took our orders. Older gentlemen. So cute. Will be coming back to try other dishes.

I was so intrigued by the menu here that I had to give it a try. I loved the decor and ambiance, cute and cozy with manga lining the walls. The menu was kind of confusing, I wish it was more descriptive because I couldn't really understand what the fusion-y dishes really entailed. For this reason I ended up playing it safe and just ordered the tofu curry. The curry was okay, far from the best I've had but not bad either. The vegetarian curry sauce is mild by default, and it was a little too bland for me until I requested hot sauce. I tried a bite of my friend's vegetable spaghetti and it actually seemed pretty good. If I were to return, I'd give that a try.

I've been coming to Japan Town for a long time and have seen this spot a million times, but always passed it up. Well today we tried it out and was actually impressed. Their alcohol selection is huge and menu is pretty diverse. It's like eating a nice home cooked meal in Japan. I always forget how popular curry is in Japan. Overall great food and would come again.

Disappointed first time having a cold soba with no wasabi and there is no variety of tempura

Came on a Friday night and waited for 15 minutes before getting seated. We ordered the Agedashi tofu (3/5 - very soupy), udon with shrimp tempura (3/5 - there was way too much random vegetables and greens) and a mango cocktail (4/5). The udon took a long time to come because the kitchen forgot my dish. My friend basically finished her entree by the time by dish came. As a result, service is mid.

I recently visited On the Bridge and was extremely disappointed by their service. Ive been here once before and the food was decent, but what ruined this experience was the attitude of the older female waitress working that day. From the moment I walked in, the staff member was dismissive making it unwelcoming, and I can be understanding if its a busy time and overwhelming but only 1 other party of two people were present. This experience became more out of pocket when the waitress had the nerve to rudely tell us to give her back the menus we left on the table when my friend and I decided to leave. Ending it with a "dont ever come back." Restaurants in SF are a dime a dozen so dont waste your cash here. Anyone going to Japantown, save yourself from this place and go to any other spot for curry. If anything, go to Kui Shin Bo on the opposite side.

My go to place for Japanese comfort food. Situated literally in the bridge of Japantown, this is a tiny restaurant serving hearty western-style Japanese food. My favorite is the hamburger steak with a side of korokke (croquettes).

This place was ridiculous. My partner and I came in before the dinner rush. We sat down, and our server forgot about us 20 mins into sitting, finally a different server came and took our order, but yet again we waited an hour for our food. No one was attentive enough to even check up on us. I got the Katsu curry dish, and my partner got udon cold noodles. Just a few things to point out that was completely absurd during this visit: 1. My katsu came out before my partner's COLD udon noodles? How long does it take to make something cold... We were waiting an hour. 2. When we told our server, they only offered 50% off instead of comping our whole meal so we just declined to even have the udon noodles because that's cheap and ridiculous 3. The egg on my Katsu.. was like cut in half or something? lol It's unfortunate that the service we got from the kitchen and staff was 0/100 because the food was decent and the place is cute. They could have easily apologized and comped our food to make up for the lack of service. Never going back again!

Everything was so good! We shared gyoza, chicken karage, fries with curry dip, and takoyaki (not pictured but just as delicious). Nice, quiet ambiance and good vibes. Definitely will be back!

Walked around japantown and came here for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant is mainly bar seating on the left side with a couple tables on the right. They have studio ghibli movies playing on the TV so my friend and I watched the end of howls moving castle and requested kikis delivery service. The service was incredibly nice!! I ordered sweet potato fries, tuna poke salad, and fried tofu. The tuna was super fresh and the overall meal was good. This is a great casual lunch spot especially if you've been walking around the stores nearby.

Loved the ambience and the staff. My veggie noodle dish was fresh and delicious. My husband's burger and curry dish was surprisingly not heavy and had great flavor. Don't know why we waited so long to try this spot!

I have been to Japantown many times and I guess I have never explored it. This place is a gem and yes I highly recommend it. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is welcoming. Please understand there can be a wait. But I found it is worth the wait.

On a recent trip to Japan Town, my friend and I were famished as we skipped lunch. On the Bridge is right beside the Kinokuniya bookshop and on my friend's recomendation we stopped by. Okay, so I understand that it's San Francisco, but why was the vegan gyoza $9 for just 6 paltry pieces?!? Also, while the chicken katsu was ok, it was nothing amazing either. The cutlet wasn't crunchy, and the curry was thicker than I was used to, and only had a slight hint of spice. I didn't try my friend's vegan ramen, but they really enjoyed it, so I assume it was good! Overall, I would probably go to Marufaku right in the same shopping level instead if I was craving ramen, but this place definitely had good vibes especially with how cute the owner was and all the manga, albeit in Japanese that you can read in there!

Honestly a really good find for me! We were all tired from driving around SF and had some time to kill, so we stopped by and it was definitely a great experience! The moment you step in, it screams nice casual outing (have no rizz so I went with siblings instead). As a closet weeb, the tight-spaced, manga-filled diner like setting definitely has a nice ring to it. It feels cozy and they always play some nice music to go with the ambiance. There wasn't a lot of people around either so service came in pretty fast. As for the food, they had a great selection of food and beers! Since I always seem to have great taste, my unagi don did not disappoint. It was very soft and had that nice smoky, fishy flavor I look for in unagi. My siblings, on the other hand, did not have the same amount of luck. My brother's chicken katsu don wasn't too bad. The curry was pretty good and the chicken was krispy, but could use some flavor. As for my sister, yea she definitely missed. Wish the curry udon was thicker and the chicken was soggy. At the very least, that miso soup really healed my broken soul. My food was really good, but what really caught my eye was the beer selection. I was taking a look at their wall and they had a pretty impressive selection of drinks. As a self-proclaimed beer connoisseur, I jumped and giggled like a little girl when I saw the Kyoto White Yuzu bottle on the menu. I can probably talk all day about why I love Japanese and German craft beers, but let's just leave it at that and say this restaurant is pretty good. The Kawaba beer is also one of my new favorites (shameless plug)

My favorite item on the menu is the garlic locomoco! The texture of the meat is easy to eat, soft, chewy, and garlicky. It is perfect and comforting to eat with the rice and egg. The food takes awhile to be ready after you order, so make sure you have enough time to sit and wait. It's a casual spot, good for small groups, and prices are not bad compared to other places in San Francisco. I enjoy watching tv and looking at the stuffed animal while I eat. The location is also great!! Since it's inside of Japantown, you can walk around or get dessert at another spot after your meal.

One of our favorite restaurants in the mall. Friendly staff and great food. I recommend their pastas, my favorite the Napoli

I cannot tell you how many times I've gone here but I've come to visit by myself just to go to Japantown and make sure that I go with an empty stomach so I can stop to grab my favorite Creamy Mentaiko Pasta from On The Bridge! It's got such a "feel-at-home" vibe when you step in. If you're a fan of manga or anime they've got it all around the restaurant. It's not a huge place but it's just right! The Nakamuras have been such amazing hosts at their yoshoku restaurant. They always make sure all those who sit at their tables are taken care of and leave satisfied by the delicious food and drinks! This is a spot I'd recommend to all who have a chance to visit Japantown in SF! There's so much more to recommend. Menu has a variety to choose from food to beverages! Love it here! Gochisousama deshita!

This place is a heaven for anime lovers! Their focus is definitely the decoration and ambiance. The army of figurines, bookshelves of manga, and not one but TWO TVs playing Miyazaki films all scream otaku. I ordered the mentaiko (cod roe) spaghetti, and I'm glad I did. The pasta had a good bite, and the sauce was simple but well executed. A delicate balance of salty, creamy and a hint of sweetness typical of Japanese style spaghetti. I felt luxurious eating it! My boyfriend ordered the unagi don. It was a solid, comforting bowl of grilled eel over rice, exactly what he wanted. Service was good, our server was prompt with taking our orders. We came a little before the lunch rush, by the time we left (~1pm on a sunday) the cozy restaurant was full. Next time I really want to try something from their extensive menu of craft Japanese beer. I only deducted a star because the portions were smaller than I'm used to, but the price didn't really reflect that. Also, because the storage shelving spilled into our corner of the bar. Normally I wouldn't care about things like putting a storage shelf in the dining room, but between the price and the fact that the decor is their schtick, it did take away from the overall experience.

It was okay food. Great spot if you want a lot of sake and beer options! We had the Locomoco and the Tofu Don and while it was okay, it wasn't awe inspiring and need to go back. It was good and we were hungry so it worked out fine. The service was good. He didn't hover and was friendly enough when he interacted with us, but he didn't go out of his way to be bubble all that much.

Just had a craving for some Japanese home cooking so got oyakodon. Oyakodon meaning parent and child so has chicken cooked with egg in broth with some onion and mushrooms over rice. Simple sweet soy sauce flavoring with fluffy almost runny egg and just cooked chicken filled me up. Sometimes simple is best and after a long day of work, great to eat quickly, get some shopping done and head home to rest for another day of work.

When my boyfriend and I went, we were so excited to try their katsu curry (he had to convince me someone told him this was a good spot). When we got there, there were only two other parties of two to three people in the restaurant, but for some reason we still had to get the server's attention to even begin an order. She was very dismissive, and charged us extra to share a plate (which is understandable) but it took forever to get our meal and to get the bill. I don't think we'll be coming back again due to the service.

TLDR: solid food and ambiance but be prepared to wait 30+ minutes for your food. Don't come too hungry!!! I've been here a few times now when craving Japanese Italian food. I've gotten their Neopolitan pasta, mentaiko pasta and hamburger steak. The foods always been good and the service very friendly but because they're pretty short staffed (guessing only 1 guy in the kitchen) so food takes a super long to come. I've definitely seen frustrated customers walk away. But that being said, I do like coming here for the cozy almost retro vibes and supporting a long standing Jtown restaurant

Decent spot for Japanese comfort food located in the Japantown mall! I got the pork katsu curry. It's not the most flavorful curry I've had and wish it came with some pickled veggies, but it got the job done. I do like that it comes with a perfectly cooked runny egg. I've tried the mentaiko spaghetti and would definitely opt to get that instead. The location is very convenient and there is a certain novelty of literally eating on a bridge. Note that the tables are pretty small, so not the best place for large groups.

Tax was higher than 8.625 which is incredibly wrong. Do not come here! Food lacked seasoning.

I was too lazy to whip up pasta after a long day of work and really wanted pasta so its nice this place is here, they have a mass variety of sake and the pasta was soo soo good, I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants pasta, eel rice, or a good katsu, or simply a drink at there bar, its a hole in the wall.

Tasty comfort food, low key service, cozy ambiance with vintage manga lining one wall.

Japan town is beginning to get busy again with new stores and updates going on. In my years of going here this store has survived and thrived to keep their doors open especially during the covid pandemic. I came here to purchase a drink since the closest vending machine I went to is broken and all the lines in the stores are crazy long. I came in and ask the girl working here if it's ok if I can just purchase a can of soda. She said sure. Now there's another older lady in the cash register next to her who told me there's a vending machine down the hall and that I can purchase my drink there. I told her it's not working, looked at me with annoyance and said "it's not working?" Then proceeded to tell me to go to the market down the corner and I can get my drink there. So with frustration told her I just wanted a drink and this is a restaurant that serves them. As if they don't want my business at all. She asked if I'm paying with cash and said yes! So finally she gave me my drink, I gave her my cash, and irritatedly gave me my change. I was so confused about what had happened and why was an attitude needed with me purchasing my drink, (1 can of soda to be exact) from this place. The younger lady was nice, but the older lady with her displeasure towards me was not really needed. With my experience here and the way I was treated, i don't think I'll be going back.

Tucked away in the alley of Japantown Mall's bridge, this small restaurant is the spot for a tasty comfort meal. We ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry and Locomoco over rice. Both were so delicious. The Katsu had a crispy breading with spicy curry sauce poured over. The Locomoco was like a deconstructed burger. Meat patty was soft, juicy, and soaked in a savory gravy. While the dishes were simple, they had good flavor. Portions were generous, and I still managed to finish it all. The inside is decorated with a lot of personality. The shelves of plushies and books give it a cozy, at-home feel. Complete with the TV streaming Kiki's delivery service. Can get a little cramped eating at the bar area. But overall: solid food, fast service, and good vibes.

Didn't not had a good experience and maybe open to try again in the future - understaffed. There were open table but wasn't able to be seated after 25 mins - meal quality was just okay. Ordered curry pizza and the dough was not cooked. Leaving raw dough underneath the curry - okonomiyaki was also just okay.

The service was superb!! But sadly that was the best thing @ this restaurant. We sat @ the bar which was a nice change compared to where we would usually sit @ any given restaurant. We ordered two curry chicken katsu. The chicken came out @ okay temperature maybe. I actually didn't try it out initially because the curry sauce was straight up cold. We notified the server and he took it back to ask the kitchen to reheat. It came out better but was not perfect. The other issue is that the curry was a bit more bland than I am used to. I guess that might be good if someone was on a lower sodium diet. I still ate everything because I was actually really hungry and not the type that wastes food. Most likely I won't come back here in the future. If did maybe I might try one of the spaghetti dishes instead.