The intentions are good, but the result does not fulfill them.
Always a pleasure to eat here. Chris and Yuka put so much thought and love into everything that comes out of their kitchen, it is truly like being invited into their home.
Everything on the tasting menu was outstanding, but I have to say, I am obsessed with the fried chicken now!
After a month of American food, this place was amazing! The plates combined fine tastes and are served with a friendly smile. The focus of Cassava is clearly on quality and creativity. We enjoyed it!
Simple menu. Nice mix of brunch classics (eg. waffles, eggs and bacon) and more unusual dishes (eg. Japanese breakfast bowl). They were able to adapt menu items to be gluten free. Relaxed atmosphere. They did not seem accustomed to/particularly welcoming to children.
Tasty local food in a friendly neighborhood bistro setting. Extra points for careful and thoughtful presentation. Short dinner menu with enough variety to suit most appetites. I was welcome to sit at a sidewalk table with my border collie. We were happy to return for a second visit.
Fantastic neighborhood restaurant. Delicious food. Interesting wine list and the day we went, the wines were half price. Can't be beat
Again, a fantastic dining experience!! Great ingredients cooked simply( in an elegant way) with such flavor. Looove this place!!
I went on a Sunday night with two friends (one visiting from North Carolina, the other from San Francisco), and we all had the Tasting Menu (which the entire table must choose, by the way). Such a deal! Each of the four courses was excellent and the service could not have been warmer or more professional. Truly a lovely evening. This is my first visit for dinner (I had lunch here a couple of weeks ago), but it will not be my last.
We are ecstatic to have them in our neighborhood. The food is delicious, they always remember our names and welcome us warmly, and they take beer seriously! The menu is small but I've never ordered anything there that wasn't really good.
Cassava was delicious and the service was fantastic. I would come back here every weekend for brunch, if I could. My only complaint was ventilation. The place is super small, so after being open for a few hours, the smoky air was a bit strong from the kitchen. Nothing to prevent me from coming again though. So yummy!!
This is a nice place in the outer Richmond. Great people & service. But the food is just okay - the problem being it's pretty bland. We really felt like they could spice it up a bit. The friend chicken was boring as hell. Just battered thighs. Even the packaged karage coating you can buy in Japantown is much more flavorful. The DiStefano salad was ok. Not much there for $13. The Quinoa Porridge was really disappointing. The corn they over-added made the dish taste like corn porridge. The other flavors simply were not able to come through. I defy anyone to tell me otherwise, and for $23. No. Not even worth it. I expected more. Way too many 5 stars given for this place. Come on people, be real - It's 3 stars at best until they can create flavors that make you think, wow! I wonder how they did that...
Attentive service and accommodating. One person at our table requested vegetarian substitutes for her tasting menu and was very happy with the alternatives. Wine pairings were interesting--I've not had a sake with a fish course at any other restaurant. Cornish game hen was tender, moist, and particularly delicious.
Everything was delightful, we split a bottle of Chardonnay and enjoyed the tasting menu. It was our first time here but will not be the last, looking forward to the next visit!
Wonderful staff and friendly people. You get the feeling that the people who own and operate this restaurant have a passion for their work and a desire to deliver the best possible customer experience. It is a small restaurant, which prevents a broad menu, but the choices that were offered were interesting and tasty. Suggested wine parings were thoughtful.
Delicious food and wonderful service!
Often come here for lunch before or dinner after a show at the Legion of Honor and this past weekend was no exception. Cassava never disappoints and actually gets better and better. Recent dinner was fantastic with kudos to the entire staff ( waiter, runner, busser) led by the very gracious owner/manager Yuka ( her adorable hubby is the chef). Makes me feel like I'm in a charming European village.
Started off with new Blood Orange Margarita made from sake tequila and it was a total winner. Perfectly balanced and very refreshing. We split a very pretty and tasty Stone Fruit Salad starter and then moved onto perfectly cooked Salmon on a bed of corn and tomatoes and Yellowtail served in a bowl over lentils with peppers and watermelon rind which gave it a nice tang without overwhelming the delicacy of the fish. Ended with the very light Panna Cotta . Wine list here is always great too- not your usual California suspects, but a mix with European offerings by the glass and bottle that clearly have been chosen for their compatibility with the menu.
Cassava is an absolute gem! Incredibly creative and delicious food, with such attention to detail. Everyone is so friendly, service is great, and the prices are reasonable. Been there for both dinner and brunch and both were outstanding. We'll be back soon!
Consistently well done. The four course menu and pairing was on point.
Great brunch spot with unusual brunch selection. The food was fantastic. Small space, but well designed.
The Japanese breakfast was interesting and good, but there was a bit of an overload of potatoes on the pork sausage dish. Those potatoes were also very bland. Service was fine. The restaurant itself is super cute, inside and out.
Brunch was great! The pork shoulder open face sandwich was so delicious and the coffee is excellent as well. Service was attentive too!
cozy neighbor hood restaurant with creative cuisine. I recommend this restaurant and would visit agian.
One of our favorites in SF. Every dish is made with heart! You will not be disappointed!
I went outside of my normal radius for dinner in an effort to find a new restaurant that I had not been to before with a friend who also works in the arts, and is equally interested in new places. The location is a drive west of Pac Heights, away from the Fillmore, towards Ocean Beach and near the Balboa Theatre.
Cassava is a real find. Truely. The view is beautifully open to the street and designed invitingly. The walls were painted a peaceful lavender blue and I noticed so many beautiful aspects of the space, beginning with the plantings outside on the sidewalk the length of the large windows and dining tables. The staff was lovely and friendly, helpful. The presentation of each course was spectacular and artful, portions were generous and delicious. We both had salad and roasted halibut. The wines offered as pairing or individually were curated thoughtfully. The quality of the food reminded me of Chez Panisse and The Progress, it exceeded both of our expectations. Looking forward to going back again soon!
The service can be improved. Our appetizer didn't come out and they didn't even apologize about it.
Heads up: the restaurant doesn't seem to be very well ventilated and so by the end of our meal it had been pretty full of smoke. If you have breathing difficulties, might not be the right place for you.
Food was good except for one dish the Korean Chorizo which seemed like the chef forgot to salt it. It had absolutely 0 flavor. I was disappointed.
Sweet place with yummy friendly food!
Cassava always manages this perfect dance of comfort and innovation and freshness. Endive salad with rye crumbles was outstanding, quinoa mushroom porridge as simultaneously fresh and warm and soothing. Duck confit with corn three ways (creamed, niblets and amazing heirloom corn polenta) was so good it was a challenge not licking the plate.
Lovely, comfortable neighborhood restaurant. Never disappoints. The staff is friendly, accommodating and attentive.
Love Cassava! Had the sea bass. It was delicious! My aunt had the chicken, which she loved. Great service too.
This cute little gem in the Outer Richmond is a true underrated superstar in the SF dining scene. Run by the enthusiastic & amiable husband-and-wife team of Kris Toliao and Yuka Ioroi, Cassava features a creative menu using only the freshest of ingredients and it always delivers with a lovely range of options. Tantalizing starters like the Di Stefano Burrata and Little Gem Lettuce served amongst peaches and arugula certainly does well to get those taste buds flowing right and smartly portioned to not overwhelm before great main course options such as Scottish Loch Salmon atop farro, Sonoma Coast sea beans, English and snow peas or a half range chicken so moist and flavorful its of fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth caliber. And it would be a wise decision to make room for dessert like the sensational cherry lemon verbena panna cotta. It's well worth noting they feature a lovely beverage list with a great assortment of wines, sake, as well as a handful of beers and house cocktails. There truly is something for everybody and it makes for a cozy, charming, delicious dinner. But its not just dinner, they do a very nice weekday breakfast & lunch as well and the weekend brunch is not to be missed with such options like a wonderfully presented Japanese breakfast, as well as what may be perhaps the tastiest waffle you'll ever have. It's creative options like this which makes Cassava such an awesome choice. While the food speaks for itself, what tops it all off is the attentive & wonderfully friendly nature of the entire Cassava team where you are valued here not just as a simple restaurant patron but like family. Cassava is a true shining star!
The food was okay but not flavorful enough.
Small menu, but creative dishes worthy of patronage. Thoughtful, small wine list. Only negative-no decaf.
Cassava was great. The cornbread was to die for. The menu was varied and creative. I am vegan and they were able to accommodate my diet.
I've eaten here four times for dinner and brunch, and I love that many menu items change. There are several staple choices I want to try, and will one day, but there is always something new and exciting that ends up winning out.
Thank you Kris, Yuka, and Staff!
I love this restaurant. The only thing I don't like is that their chairs are not particularly comfortable!
Fantastic food and coffee--spiced honey latte
We had a delightful meal. The wait staff are low key and attentive. The menu is inventive. The way the dishes are presented is charming. The food is delicious. This is our second visit. I can't wait to go again!
A labor of love in outer richmond. The food ranges from very good to spectacular and every plate contains something different and unique.