Cassava

Nice to have another fabulous restaurant in the Outer Richmond.
Yuka and her husband rock.
The food is fresh and delicious.
The décor is cute.
Espresso is wonderful.
Cassava has character.

I’ve been here a few times for lunch and I’m a fan. Their sandwiches are amazing. Tried brunch here today though and wasn’t wild about the brunch menu. Very small menu, not much to choose from. Buuuut I did get the meatball /​curry /​rice /​fried egg thing, and it was amazing. PHIL, our server, has an awesome personality. Five stars for Phil. P

An awesome brunch /​lunch find in Outer Richmond with an awesome ambiance + vibe! The Spiced Honey Latte and Bourbon Vanilla Mocha are must tries for coffee lovers and I really enjoyed the waffles for brunch. Such a cool spot. Hope to return on my next trip to SF!

Cassava is a nice little lunch spot with abundant parking nearby (during the week). I enjoyed the turkey BLT, a very small panini accompanied by a very small salad. Though the portions appeared small, they were sufficient without feeling stuffed. My co-​worker had the meatball, curry and rice. Also a petite portion. My sando was pretty tasty, the bread soft and the bacon crisp, but still meaty. I’d come back for a light lunch, not a place for big eaters.

I came here on a Sunday afternoon & to our surprise, there was a 40 minute wait for the indoor tables, but none for the outdoor — which we didn’t mind since it wasn’t too cold & they have heaters over each table!
I opened up the menu & immediately drawn to ordering the Japanese breakfast. I have no idea what it was — but I knew I wanted to try it vs the rest of their American options.
It comes with rice, salmon, fermented beans, seaweed, some sort of pickled vegetable, miso soup, & nato (poached egg & soy sauce) — upon request.
I’ve had nato before so I was pretty familiar with the taste already — but it’s really hard to explain — definitely not for everyone but if you’ve never had it, you should definitely try! You mix in the fermented beans with the egg and eat with some rice. I really enjoyed it — pretty filling too since its mainly rice.
Will definitely be back to try the rest of their brunch options!

Cassava is well off the beaten track if you’re already from the West Bay and your bubble of consciousness is limited severely to the neighborhoods east of Twin Peaks. Nevertheless, it’s worth a visit. You’ll be welcomed with exceptionally warm service, and the quality of what you’ll get, given the prices, won’t disappoint either.
Unlike Western breakfasts full of eggs, meats, and other stuff that’s guaranteed to bust your arteries, Cassava’s Japanese Breakfast just feels so… good for you. All the items and ingredients are authentic, whether the rice, miso soup, picked vegetables, house-​cured ocean trout gravlax, or a soft poached egg served in broth. Quite a nourishing breakfast overall. I can’t wait to try more of their offerings when I’m in the area again.

We came for brunch on a Sunday, and we called to make a reservation the night before so we didn’t have to wait for a table when we came in at 1:30 PM since it was ready for us already.
Service:
The waitress checked on us pretty quickly (asking if we wanted any drinks, giving us water poured from an empty wine bottle) and our food was served to us pretty quickly. She also checked on us to see if we needed anything.
Food:
+ Hibiscus glazed pork ribs hash ($ 17) — It comes with 2 pork ribs, cherry tomatoes, a poached egg, arugula, roasted potatoes, slivers of lemon?, and quinoa. The ribs were, indeed, fall-​off-​the-​bone tender and it had a kind of BBQ-​ish flavor to it, which was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, the poached egg wasn’t runny when I poked it, which is how I like it, but mixing it together with the rest made it taste pretty good.
+ Liege Waffle with Eggs and Bacon ($ 14) — My friends ordered this and it was a waffle with some fruit, ricotta cheese, scrambled eggs with 2 – 3 slices of bacon on top of lettuce. They seemed to enjoy it, and were able to request for the bacon to be extra crispy.
Overall: 3.75÷5 stars rounded to be 4 stars
Would I come back? Probably, if I’m in the area, so that I could try the «Mr & Mrs Croque» Sandwich or the Meatballs in Curry with Rice Fried Egg, that I’ve seen in other reviews.

Can’t believe we haven’t been to this neighborhood gem before now! We will for sure make up for lost time because the brunch at Cassava was top-​notch.
We went on a Sunday morning, sans reservations (for shame!), but they had a few tables available. Service from the hostess was nice, waiter was a little more reserved but it didn’t bother us.
We ordered a spiced honey latte (PLEASE do yourself a favor and try this), a mocha, and two leige waffles&scrambled eggs plates. The lattes were delicious and the waffle plates were scrumptious. Our waffles were topped with a dollop of ricotta and a dollop of (apple?pumpkin?) butter with a sprinkling of fruit. I’m not a huge sweet-​waffle person but I really really enjoyed the lemony flavor of the waffle with the sweet toppings. It wasn’t too sweet. The bacon was thick and crisp, and the scrambled eggs were slow-​cooked and very rich.
Highly recommend coming to Cassava for brunch if you live in or are visiting this part of the city.

Thought the choices were a bit sparse for brunch… but the food delivered was very good. I was pleasantly surprised with the Japanese breakfast. It was very clean on the palate for breakfast. The soup was great for warming me up on a nippy San Francisco morning and the sides of various pickled vegetables, natto, and seaweed/​lotus chips was really good with the Japanese rice (very glad it was not just regular white rice). We also went with a more traditional Croissant sandwich. It was a bit oily, but still very good.
I ordered a spice honey latte to go with my meal. It was definitely sweeter than how I typically take my caffeine, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Dad and I also shared a panna cotta (cause why not). Again, on the sweet side, wish it was delivered with fruits that were a little more tart rather than sugared strawberries. But the texture was just right as far as panna cotta goes.
They really should check who is allowed into the restaurant though. We had a vagabond wander in openly asking sitting patrons and the employees for free food and drinks. He also called out patrons like myself for «giving him paranoid looks». It was a bit of an uncomfortable situation, and to be honest, I wish the restaurant would have done more to escort him out sooner instead of letting him loiter in the common area touching the shared bottles of water, the glasses, possibly even the utensils. Just my two cents.

Hipster brunch exists in Outer Richmond! Complete with wooden tables, latte art, and mason jars. Who knew?
We shared their spiced honey latte before ordering and it was insanely good. Best latte I’ve ever had. I opted for the leige waffle with a poached egg (instead of scrambled) and bacon. The leige waffle was topped with fresh berries and some type of cream. I either forgot or didn’t know what it was, but it was delicious. The waffle was made perfectly — not too sweet, not too soft. I love dishes with sweet and savory portions because I have a huge sweet tooth. The poached egg was served on a bed of arugula — almost perfect, but the whites of the egg were too runny. The bacon also came on top of greens — good, but far from mind-​blowing. My bf ordered the pork rib hash and loved it. I would not mind coming back for brunch again someday.

The service is great here. The coffee and food is pretty good too. Parking was easy on Saturday around 1p (surprisingly). I’d make reservations just to be safe. We had the Japanese breakfast and the Croque Madam and both were good. I really loved the honey spice latte and pumpkin panna cotta. I would definitely come back.

*** In Short ***
Brunch. Cute. Tasty. Takes reservations. Need I really say more? Okay, fine: if they have it, be sure to try the Merguez lamb sausage.
*** In Depth ***
My friend, who absolutely loves Cassava, has been telling me she wants to take me here since, oh, my birthday last year? So, after more than a year, I decided to just go myself, with a different friend. Oops.
Anyway, I ordered their:
* Merguez Lamb Sausage — This was just divine. Flavorful? Yup. Rich? Oh, definitely. Greasy? Very much so. Delicious? Hells yeah.
* Braised Short Rib «Hash» — Not so much a hash as it was a quinoa and potato bowl topped with a poached egg and fall off the bone tender rib deliciousness.
Cute little brunch spot, with a simple, but fantastic color scheme, and a combination of indoor and outdoor seating. Oh, and my favorite part? They take reservations. For brunch. WIN!
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — We were seated on the border of their in/​outdoor seating, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the interior seating arrangement. If memory serves me, I remember the place being a little on the smaller side, with the border seating actually being the best option. That said, my end of the table was on a slight decline backwards, which made for slightly awkward seating.
Bathroom — Didn’t try.

Cute and cozy! Cassava is tucked away from bustle that normally crowds the Richmond and Inner Sunset neighborhoods but it is a really great find. The atmosphere is really laid back and I love the décor inside, especially the fun urban themed damask wallpaper! We came here for lunch after trying to go to Outerlands and finding it would be an hour wait. On a Monday. I was really glad coming here to find that there were plenty of tables open. You might think that because there isn’t a huge line of people waiting outside, that Cassava must not be that great, but I think it might speak more to how out of the way the location is because the food was great! Boyfriend and I had the honey spiced latte with whole milk, the randwich, and the meatballs in curry with rice.
The tomato curry tasted as you would probably expect it to. It wasn’t anything spectacular but I think it tasted like a fun and interesting take on spaghetti and meatballs. The randwich was incredibly tasty though. The side salad was citrusy and light, and the soft boiled egg inside the sandwich took it from tasty to incredible… yummm. I’m a total sucker for runny egg yolks though! And of course, as many have said before, the honey spiced latte was delicious! I’m not even much of a coffee lover/​drinker. (:
I wish Cassava was a little easier to get to because I want to try more things here, but I think if it was, it would be just as annoyingly crazy busy as all the other popular brunch places. I definitely want to come back again to try out their breakfast menu!

Pretty decent, but not sure I’d return again. I had this place bookmarked for awhile, so the SO and I decided to make the trek over for a Saturday brunch. We arrived around noon or so and had 20 minute wait which isn’t so bad. They’re very good about actually taking your phone number and then just texting you when they have the table ready so you can walk around to kill time!
It’s a pretty small place, but has a chill hipster vibe with nice décor. The one qualm I did have with the space is that it’s an open kitchen so it’s literally right next to all the seats and as a result, the place smelled very kitcheny… so oil smells etc which is not so great.
They have a pretty simple menu but everything on there is good. We got the smoked salmon appetizer, the SO got duck salad, and I had the traditional Japanese breakfast. Portion sizes are pretty large and filling — the appetizer was basically the same size as the entrée so you could have gotten two apps and probably been fine. Smoked salmon was good, it came with an arugula salad. The SO thought the duck was decent, and the Japanese breakfast was decent — simple, albacore was pretty delicious, the side dishes were yummy, but it wasn’t quite AMAZING. I’ve had better Japanese breakfasts at other places.
Overall, it was a decent experience, but none of the food was that mindblowing. Good place for a one time brunch, but not quite outstanding enough that I’d want to come back. Service was good, price was $ 60 which is a little on the high side but what you get for a hipster brunch place I guess.
tldr; decent, but not exceptional cuisine. okay for brunch but I’m not dying to come back soon

Worthwhile visit if you’re living in this area. Always popular on weekends for brunch. I haven’t yet tried their weekday menu nor their dinner menu.
Notable dishes: Liege Waffle, Duck Leg Confit Salad, and Hibiscus Glazed Pork Ribs «Hash» Bowl. I was so taken by the meat, it tastes so fresh and the duck leg and pork ribs fell right off the bone and were bursting the flavor. I’ve also had the Japanese Breakfast, which came with many items and is the cheapest, but it didn’t stand out in comparison to the other plates that I listed. Most of the meals are incredibly healthy and have a home-​made feel.

I’ve been here for brunch twice and I think 2.5−3 stars is appropriate. It’s pricey, food is ok, very few choices, service is pretty good, the décor/​ambiance is definitely the best part.
It’s a really pretty restaurant, but I’m not interested in paying for pretty. I would rather have better food and more menu choices. We won’t be going back.

This place is very cute and sort of classy, so it’s definitely a nice date place. Imagine going to a little French bistro, and you’ll get the vibe of this place.
They serve water in recycled wine bottles and mason jars, they actually have linen napkins, a small pot of plants to décor the table, and their menu has a French touch to it. Extremely charming.
It is a nice option to have a special brunch. But be ready to sit on the outdoor tables, since the place is quite small and popular.
So far, I have tried the liege waffles (an amazing dish, very fulfilling, and really yummy) and the «mr. & ms croque», which I think it’s a new interpretation of the croque monsieur and croque madame you can eat in France. Both were delicious.
People say the meatballs are amazing. Since they were out of it when I was there, I will definitely have to come back to try it.

Came here for lunch after a walk at Land’s End. My friends and I ordered the liege waffle with maple ricotta ($ 14) and the japanese breakfast ($ 13).
The liege waffle was so good. It was caked with the kind of crispy sweet texture on the outside and chewy/​cake-​y on the inside. SO GOOD with the maple sauce and ricotta. I also tried some of the bacon — it was thick sliced and CRISPY! Props for a perfectly prepared bacon.
The japanese breakfast is an assorted platter of small dishes — some seared albacore, miso soup, seaweed, flavoured bean sprouts, poached egg, and natto. The natto is available by request since it’s a very unique flavour and usually only an acquired taste. I personally did not like the natto… too strong of a smell for me. The other items were all pretty good and refreshing for a light lunch. I wanted to note that all of the items (excluding the seared albacore) would probably be offered for free at hotels in Japan. They’re all very basic and traditional breakfast items. However, obviously Cassava is in SF so the prices reflect that.

Brunch is my favorite meal of the day, and Cassava does it fantastically.
My small and only gripe is that a waitress mispronounced one of the menu items. «Croque» (a French word) in «Mr. and Mrs. Croque» is pronounced like the word «crock», not «croak».
Now on to all the good!
I recommend going here with a group of 4 or less, just for the convenience of getting seated. However, I went with a group of 5, and we were seated almost immediately.
I actually said «wow» after my first sip of the Bourbon Vanilla Honey Mocha. It’s a very well made drink, almost like drinking a cup of melted chocolate. (Don’t go for this if you’re looking for alcohol in your drink, though. Bourbon vanilla is a species of vanilla.)
I ordered the Liege Waffle, [with] Maple Ricotta with Eggs, which also comes with bacon and a salad. The waffle is sweet and moist ad beautifully-​decorated with fresh berries. The scrambled eggs were very fluffy but a bit salty. I’ve slowly become a fan of bacon, and the bacon strips were thick cuts that I enjoyed.
I can’t wait to come back to get the curry meatballs and chocolate mousse!

What a HUGE disappointment.
Ordered: Japanese Breakfast
Smoked trout w toast
Desert Japanese yam crème brûlée
All I’m going to say is:
–They made us wait 10 minutes for a table even when we had reservations AND there were 2 empty tables! We saw 3 girls walk in and got a table. B*@#!
–Pricey for TINY portions
–Shell in my poached egg from Japanese breakfast tray
–Miso soup in Japanese breakfast had brussel sprouts? WTF?! If it was good, than that’ll be acceptable.
–The pickled bean srouts and cucumber was Butt salty
–Okay tasting food, NOTHING special
–Smoked trout w toast nothing special.
–Only upside was the crème brûlée
–Service was SUBPAR. The girl was barely there, but was quick with our bill.
NEVER EVERY again. MUY MUY MALO