Cha-Ya Vegetarian Restaurant

If you happen to be looking for healthy food before or after spending time in Dolores Park, head over to Cha-Ya for excellent vegan and vegetarian Japanese small plates. On the bustling "Valencia Corridor", several blocks of Valencia Street in the Mission district that are dotted with independent stores and trendy restaurants, Cha-Ya is a local favorite.

The food served at Cha-Ya is modern Japanese vegetarian and vegan fare that was influenced by "Shojin Ryori", or Japanese Buddhist cuisine. Specialties include vegan sushi, vegan sukiyaki, numerous types of traditional soba and udon noodle soups, and stuffed eggplant tempura. The Cha-Ya Roll, a tempura sushi topped with a soy ginger glaze, is the firm's signature sushi roll. All of Cha-vegan ya's dishes are created using Zen culinary techniques. Lamps that resemble Japanese paper lanterns are used to light up the small, cozy dining space. Numerous residents frequently dine here due to its relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. The window counter chairs that look out onto Valencia Street are preferred by solo diners.