Rhea’s Cafe

We ordered the fried chicken sandwich and the tuna sandwich. We were very impressed by every detail. From the selection of bread to the temperature of each dish and the quality of the meats, the nailed every culinary detail at a very reasonable price point. Staff are pleasant and efficient. The place is very clean and inviting. We will definitely be back to explore more items on the menu.

I read good reviews and decided to try this place. So far I’ve discovered they don’t care to do business or want customers. I went there at 10 AM and was excited to try the brunch menu esp one of the katsu sandwiches, but as I ordered they tell me the sandwich guy is not in and might show up at 11ish. No one else could make these sandwiches? Why have it on the Bunch menu and why say you are open at 9 AM if half the menu cannot be made unless the «sandwich guy» decides to show up. So I decided to go somewhere else and come back later. I did at 3 PM. They tell me they are closed. Your sign says NEW HOURS, 9AM to 4PM. Its 3:00 and you are closed? So, two strikes in one day. We are never going to try this place and if any one ask my answer is don’t do it. Uncertain hours and inconsistent staffing leaves a foul taste in my mouth and its the only the I got to taste.

This place is delicious! It’s a shame it took me so long to find this place.
I usually order the mixed greens with fried chicken, which is super delicious. The fried chicken is amazing! And I order the chicken katsu sandwich for my boyfriend, and he loves it.
Prices are reasonable considering the quality and taste of the food. I ordered a chicken katsu sandwich for my brother before and he loved it as well.
I tried placing a phone order for pick up the last time I came here. I called 7 times. No answer, which gives reason for taking a star off of the review. But will definitely be returning to this place.

I had a craving for chicken and waffles as I was driving to my home church this morning today… luckily my friend read my mind and we’ve decided to come here.
The chicken from the chicken and waffles has some spice to it but not overwhelming, maybe a slight tingle to it if you’re used to eating spicy food. It’s not mostly batter so that’s also a plus. The waffle is on the thinner side almost like a eggo but bigger. Sad thing is that it’s only available on the weekends so plan your days accordingly.
Service seemed a little short handed but we were served promptly and politely.
Parking can be challenging to get as it’s crowded around this neighborhood.

You would have a raving fan, but the hours you have posted on Unilocal were not updated for the holiday. The same goes for your posting on Postmates, Facebook, and Google Search. In the age of online food ordering and using Mobile to find out about information, this is essential to your reputation. A sign in your window does no help to your online customers except piss them off.

Rhea’s café was a nice spot for lunch. It’s relatively small, so I wouldn’t bring a large group to dine in. Two people would be ideal. You order at the cashier stand instead of having a wait staff take your order. I ended up ordering their Korea Skirt Steak Sandwich, which was pretty good and the portion was generous. I wanted to try their chicken and waffles, but that was unfortunately not available that day. I’ll definitely be back to try it again!

If you’re looking for a tasty, hearty, casual place for brunch on the weekends without a crazy wait (such a rare commodity in SF), Rhea’s Café is definitely one of my recommendations. Or if you’ve got a craving for a fried chicken sandwich, this would be the place for you. Salumeria and Sightglass Coffee are also down the street if you still got some room in that belly after to pick up some snacks/​coffee on the way home.
Rhea’s Café is essentially a sit-​down, restaurant version of the original Rhea’s Deli & Market. If you’re just looking for their popular sandwiches and don’t mind just taking out, stick with the market since the sandwiches are a tad cheaper and they have more sandwiches there. But if you want to catch up with friends in a sit-​down place that has a clean diner-​type feel and don’t mind the few buck premium for some of their deli sandwiches, head on over to Rhea’s Café.
For brunch, they have a selection of sandwiches including some of their popular (ex. Katsu sandwiches, Korean Steak Sandwich) and other more brunchy items.
I’ve been here over a handful of times now, and my go-to’s always come back to the fried chicken:
* Chicken Katsu sandwich: For $ 11, you get the sandwich plus a side of greens, chips, or potato salad. If you’re like me, when the plate comes out, you’ll look at it and be like «DAMN this thing is big, I’ll probably have leftovers to take home». Then 15 mins later, you look down at your plate and realize the monstrosity is gone and all in your stomach. I like that the bread is nice and toasty, there are multiple layers of katsu chicken and the sauce is hot enough to give it a good kick (I got «hot» last time and it wasn’t too bad if you like spicy foods). If ordering the greens on the side, I’d say to ask them to go lighter on the dressing though.
* Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich: For $ 12, you get the same as above but with juicier buttermilk fried chicken instead. Rather than having multiple layers of chicken, this sandwich just has 1 thicker piece of juicy chicken. This is usually the hubby’s go-​to, and the bites I usually take from him are all delicious though I prefer the toastier bread and spicier sauce from the Katsu sandwich.
Believe we also had french toast and waffles here one time, and those were pretty good as well.
Overall, not my favorite brunch place in the city, but the combination of the hearty food and variety, sit-​down setting, and minimal to no-​wait nature of the restaurant make this a solid choice for getting your nom on, especially on the weekends.

Everything about Rhea’s Café is good. Super friendly staff, and the best food ever! I had the Pork Katsu Sandwich and my friend had the Fried Chick Sandwich, we both had potato salad and a pickle. The sandwiches are huge and i was plenty full just eating half. Delicioso! Will def go again.

The buttermilk fried chicken sandwich is easily one of the top 3 best things I’ve eaten this year.
You can be cynical and chalk that statement up to a closeted life, pure hype, or sheer craziness, but that is what I am going with because it feels so true to my soul, I’m saying er, writing it.
Unapologetically. Because its true. So good. Wish I was eatng it now.
I love fried chicken along with everyone else in the world. Having crisp, hot, juicy, fried chicken breast with spicy cold coleslaw on great bread is everything good in the world. This sandwich sticks to your bones. I like that too.
I will close this glowing review with something for management and all of us to chew on. You know… with our brains.
When I go to places like this, I feel a wash of panic as I get ready to leave becuase I never know if I am supposed to tip. I mean, I walked in, ordered and paid my food at a register, took a number, and my food arrived but no one checked on me, or brought me other things.
Stuff like this is why I have BOTH anxiety and insomnia.
I didn’t want to be unkind, rude, or appear unappreciative, so I left a tip under my plate. Someday I will get to the bottom of this ongoing dilemma with so many places that are set up this way.
Until then, try the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. Thank me later.
Seriously, one of the top 3 best things.
Abundant street parking so really there is no reason for you to wait another day.
Go. Eat. So good!

If you are craving fried chicken, this is your spot. I haven’t seen that much fried chicken on a plate probably ever. I ordered the fried chicken and waffle and my boyfriend got the fried chicken sandwich. I could only eat half of my order because there was so much chicken which is such a shame because it was so good. We will definitely come back but next time we will split :)
The only thing I didn’t like was the macaroni salad that came as a side with the chicken sandwich. It was just meh next to everything else. Regardless I highly recommend!

I’ve been to Rhea’s on two different occasions and both times I’ve ordered the fried chicken sandwich. It is massive. Impressively huge. For $ 12, its a killer deal especially with the side they provide (I always got the green salad, also really simple and delicious).
The service is timely, the staff has always been nice, the ingredients are fresh; for a sandwich joint I couldn’t ask for much more. The interior is pretty tiny but we’ve never had trouble finding a place to grab a seat. I might not bring the whole office here, but a couple friends or co-​workers and you’ll be in for a good lunch.

Very delicious fried chicken sandwich among their other tasty offerings. All sandwiches I’ve tried have been very good and deserve the $ 10+ price tag. But fries are so so.
The biggest downside is lack of seating.
My sandwich gold standard is All Star Sandwich in Cambridge, MA in terms of taste, creativity, and comfort/​space. If anyone else has been there, you’ll know why that is five stars and this is four stars.

Cute little restaurant where you order at the counter and take a number. The sandwich was huge (could feed two pretty big eaters)! I definitely want to come back here to check out the chicken and waffles.

How many times must I ask for extra cheese on my sandwich? Three, four times? Does Rhea’s not understand the concept of extra cheese? I guess they do as they are happy to make me pay for it at $ 1.50 per extra cheese requirement.
But then they give you barely a sliver of cheese for $ 9 … Bread and lettuce sandwich for $ 9. Rhea’s sucks.

I was driving through the Mission with my uncle when we randomly decided over to pick up breakfast– just because we happened to be at the corner of Bryant and 20^th, our choices were either Rhea’s or the liquor store across the street. We opted for Rhea’s, obviously, and although it doesn’t look like much from the outside (or the inside for that matter), it ended up being a great choice.
One thing that wasn’t ideal was that they only had 4 menu items available for brunch. I wanted to try their breakfast sandwich but they were out of bread (huh?). This ended up being juuuust fine, though, because they DID have the chorizo hash and that turned out to be amazing. The portions are humongous, and I got two little pieces of sourdough toast and a fresh mixed green salad with my entrée. I got this to-​go, and it was ready in under 10 minutes. I’ll definitely be back!

Good people bombass fried chicken sandwich.
The garlic fries are awesome too. Love the whole clove garlics.

Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich
Beef Sandwich (listed right under Buttermilk Sandwich)
BOTH ARE AWESOME.

Vegetarians, rejoice!!! Considering there’s pretty much zero, nada restaurants in the area that are vegetarian friendly, I was surprised to walk into this cute little sandwich shop and see «VEGETARIAN BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICH» on the menu. And of course I ordered it, and it was amazing. And on top of that? Their garlic fries are perfectly crispy, not too think or thin. My coworkers got Katsu sandwiches and Korean steak sandwich, and they all loved it as well.
They aren’t cheap with portions; sandwiches are huge, fries come in a giant basket, and they’re pretty fast and efficient if you avoid the lunch rush.
I’ll be back soon to try the vegetarian steak sandwich!

Great friendly service! My fiancé & I walked in (w/​the door wide open) & we were informed that they were not yet open but that we could totally order & hang out… Bonus point for sure! We’ve been to their location in Valencia but this is definitely a place that you would want to eat your sandwich instead of taking it to go (we took it to go though lol) great atmosphere!!! We got the Korean skirt steak sandwich medium spicy — such a good call!
Review update:
My bridesmaids & I had Rhea’s when we were getting ready for my wedding… Everyone loved everything they eat! The #1 favorite was the Korean skirt steak sandwich.
You guys are awesome!!!

Rhea’s Café on Bryant is just like the Rhea’s Deli on Valencia.
(But cleaner.)
(And with tables and chairs.)
(And a seriously satisfying Breakfast Sandwich with runny egg, bacon, and veggies on a squishy Acme bun. With pickles!)
(And a nice mixed greens side salad with slices of fennel and rainbow radishes.)
(And counter seats with a view of adult and kid friendly beverages.)
(And cute kiddies instead of hipsters.)
So yeah aside from that, they’re exactly the same.