YakiniQ Cafe

relaxed vibes all around, very spacious, quiet café to do some work on a weekend or read a book. There are about 10 tables and a nice couch setup in the middle. Snacks/​coffee are great — I had the lavender cookies. If I lived in SF this would probably be my go-​to!

My personal favorite coffee shop/​study spot in the city. The staff is very pleasant and likes to get to know their customers. Plays light music, a mix of acoustic covers of top 40 songs and classical music. Great place to catch up with an old friend over coffee (or a sweet potato latte) or catch up on your reading/​studying.
Note: you may not have access to a wall charger on busy times like the weekends/​some weekday evenings. There is technically an «hour limit» to a table next to an power outlet, if you don’t mind asking a stranger to evacuate their seat for you and then receive occasional death glares from them for the rest of the day

Stopped in on a rainy sun afternoon and got a delicious cup of ginger honey tea. Almost every seat in the café was taken by ppl on their laptops or reading books. Environment was very cozy and warm especially on a rainy day. Will come back to try their other drinks and baked goods.

The sweet potato latte is a must for all sweet potato lovers. The flavor is rich yet far from being artificially. The only other place I tried a sweet potato latte in San Francisco was Joy’s Place and both were delicious. We also got the green tea shaved ice. It is not the very soft shaved ice (bingsoo) or snow, so the textual was not what I expected. This is regular shaved ice you would expect on your ice cone.
The café itself seems like a regular study/​work spot. There is not much chattering. The interior design is very comfortably and welcoming, kind of like a large living room! The staff was also friendly.

Cozy and homely café that is tucked in Japantown.
It’s pleasant to get some productivity out of this place while sipping on their latte specialties. They have scrumptious pastries and a variety of macarons to choose from. There are outlets and complimentary wifi. I enjoyed their potato latte and the tidbits of potato, gave the drink a bit of a texture. Their green tea match latte is nice if you want to lay off the coffee caffiene.
With their communal seating in the center, it’s a great place to gather and chatter as well.
It’s a calming and quaint spot.

I will admit I was in Japantown to meet someone for lunch over the Thanksgiving holiday and didn’t expect to find this cute coffee shop while walking to my car. Even though I didn’t want coffee they lured me in as their easel out front said they were making sweet potato lattes… SAY WHHHHHATT? So naturally I popped in.
Ambiance: A very large coffee shop with lots of room to sit and hang out or work. Total score: ⁵⁄₅.
Service: Very friendly staff who took their time to explain their coffees to me. Total score ⁵⁄₅.
Price: Right on point for the offering and location. Total score: ⁵⁄₅
What was ordered:
Sweet Potato Latte $ 4: Such a unique spin on the classic holiday lattes that are out right now… tasted along the line of a pumpkin latte but definitely not as sweet which I loved. If you are in the area this holiday season it is worth a stop!
Matcha Green Tea Shortbread cookies $ 4.95: Such a unique spin on shortbread cookies with a light green tea flavor.
Lavender Shortbread cookies$ 4.95: Like the above these are a unique spin on classic shortbread cookies however the lavender is so soothing and fresh in this yummy cookie.
If ever I am back in Japantown I will be stoping in if even just to pick up some of their yummy pastries.

YakiniQ Café has the potential to be a top tier café in Japantown. The cookies were 2 star at best and were incredibly bland. The pound cake with marmalade was nothing I would recommend nor order again. The teas come in tea bags and there is no Hochi cha in a Japanese café.
I lived in Japan and know how special Japanese cafes can be with their sweets. I think the staff should be more focused on their quality and be more Japanese in their cooking. The café is always full and the free internet is helpful for those doing work or enjoying their café time.

Awesome place… quiet, good drinks and food, spacious, quiet!
Was looking for a quick spot to rest near Japan Town and found this place. Amazing.

Love it here! such a cute little coffee shop mixed with snacks and good drinks, it might take a little while to order, but their drinks are delicious.
Its such a cute and quaint place to study or just chat with friends.
I’ve been here on multiple occasions and enjoyed it every time.

They are not JAPANESE here. I see reviews saying how the Japanese Café are, but they’re not Japanese.
Customer service lacks here. I don’t know if this is cultural or a snobby worker? Not very responsive when you are talking to them. Just go, and you will see right away.
DO NOT get shaved ice. I wanted my money back. I ordered greentea shaved ice and the only thing that was greentea was tiny teeny greentea ice cream. Pathetic and unbelievable.
The coffee was normal but I just don’t see why i would come back here.

OK MINUS ONE GIANT STAR BECAUSE LITTLE LADY MANNING THE REGISTER IS RUDE AF.
Other than that I love this place!
Came here on a Friday afternoon to do some work, and I really dig the quiet ambiance and vibe this place has. It’s super spacious and dimly lit and people always range from super quiet to hushed talking. I ordered an iced coffee with almond milk, but they have a huge selection of drinks as well as a ton of food to choose from. The macaroons were pretty large and looked so yummy but I didn’t end up getting any.
RULES (according to tiny paper signs taped all over the register)
They are cash only under $ 6.
You need to be a customer to use the wifi. Otherwise it is top secret and no one will tell you.
You can only use the outlets for 1 hour.
Even though I am not a big fan of the attitude the woman had, I feel like she knows here place is awesome and that people will still come here no matter how big of a **** she is being to them hahahah I actually overheard her talking to one of her friends that came in and she suddenly became all friendly and happy and talkative, what a 180 from what I experienced. So it’s only a front guys, she does have a heart.
I will definitely be back if I am ever in the area to do some work though. This place is great for that.

I liked this place until I found mold on my Apple Tart… The saddest thing was they never apologized me; the manager, Fumiko, kept saying «It’s not our fault. The food is from other distributor».
After I found a big mold on my cake, my husband took and showed it to the manager and the staff at the register, but their reaction was just «oh», received the plate from my husband, and went back to their work. As a former restaurant staff, I would be definitely surprised, or shocked if I found mold on customer’s food. I wonder they might had the same situation many times already, and that’s why they weren’t surprised at all.
Of course, my husband asked for a refund, but the manager refused it at the first time. She accepted to make refund at the end, but her attitude was very rude all the time till I got the refund (just for the moldy cake). When she took my credit card to make the refund, she made me wait 10+ minutes because she was taking new customers’ orders under this situation. She also told me «I refunded you just for the cake because other food were good». I almost got paralyzed by hearing what she said. I just couldn’t believe she said that after she served a customer a moldy food. I couldn’t stop myself asking her whether she understands what she did, and she said «yes»…
As I say, she never apologized me throughout the conversation.
I gave my contact information, and asked the owner (she said the owner had the responsibility) to call me, but no call yet after 2 days so far. I wouldn’t post this review and photo if the owner called and apologized me. I’m sorry but it’s too late.
For the food, I think they can buy a extra refrigerator for those raw food on the counter so that they won’t get molded. However, I don’t know what they can do about those rude, un-​humanized staff who don’t know how to behave to their customers.
FYI, they were still selling the Apple Tart when we were leaving the place. My husband kindly warned them they should take those down, but they refused saying «it’s a different batch». I wonder if they know mold does spread through the air.

YakiniQ Café is located underneath the famed AYCE Korean/​Japanese BBQ YakiniQ, and they share the same bathroom. That being said, YakiniQ Café is a cute, little Korean style café that has delightful decorations and feels cozy and homey. They have amazing drinks, such as their sweet potato latte (which doesn’t actually contain coffee– but still super delicious.) The prices are not too bad unless you get something like an iced strawberry yuzu tea (which I also looove) and they don’t take cards unless you order more than $ 6. :) I have not tried the sandwiches here, but the food can be hit or miss. I ordered spam musubis on two separate occasions, and one time reminded me of home in Hawaii… The other time, the spam was fine but the rice was super over or undercooked. It was hard and dry and was not great :/​
There’s lots of space to study and spread out, so bring your stuff and come study here! It’s also very quiet. There aren’t many outlets, so I would not bring your laptop. They have a couch you can sit on, and a big communal table for solo customers willing to share space. Otherwise, I really do enjoy YakiniQ as a study place (though find a space with bright lighting! It can get a bit dim at times.)
I would recommend the sweet potato latte or the iced yuzu tea (with or without strawberry.) You get chunks of sweet potato and yuzu in the options listed above (which means they’re making it with great ingredients!)

Fail…
Being a latte fanatic, I was excited to try the Sweet Potato Latte.(SPL ;))
It doesn’t initially contain espresso but you can add a shot, so I did. My balance was $ 4.30 or so and they have a $ 6 card minimum so I also purchased a Green Tea Macaroon.
THE DRINK: Can you give me a drumroll… Underwhelming. This was probably one of the weakest latte’s I have ever experienced-​let alone a Unilocal Highlight-​Worthy drink.
Sweet potato factor? Basically non existent. My drink was so bland. The bottom ½ of the drink was a little starchy/​potatoey but still boring. Sad face :(
The Macaroon: good flavor. I liked the lemon curd in the middle. I did not like the bits of green tea leaves in the macaroon. It made it gritty to eat.
Overall… The café itself is very cute. I think if I had better service it might’ve helped the overall experience. Oh well… On to the next.

There cookies and cream cookies are the best thing I have ever tasted in my life.
The sweet potato latte is… interesting.
But damn those cookies and cream cookies are good!

Cute and spacious Asian style coffee shop :-) a comfortable place to have a chat, study or work over a cup of sweep potato latte. They have a pretty big beverage menu (bunch of special lattes) and good looking desserts.
Sweet potato latte was pretty unique. Can add a shot, or get it without sugar since it is naturally sweet. Got nutella latte the other time, it was pretty good and I found real nutella at the bottom of my cup in the end.
Accepts credit card for $ 6+. Wifi might not be the fastest, but not a big deal. Big communal table in the middle.

This place is really cute and reminded me of the little coffee shops in Korea! The drinks and food are pretty good, and if you have a sweet tooth the macaroons are solid:) Internet is good here, but only the seats on the right side have power cords.
The place is a good, quiet place to relax, get some reading or internet browsing done, or even just play a board game since they have a few lined up in the back. This is my go-​to spot when I’m working remotely and don’t have any calls I need to join or speak on!

This review is solely for the red bean shaved ice.
Red bean shaved ice (~5) — Red bean and condensed milk over shaved ice. Pretty self-​explanatory. The texture of the red bean was harder than what I am used to. Definitely could’ve cooked it for a couple minutes longer. It was still tasty though but that’s probably because you can’t go wrong with condensed wrong. Perfect size for 2 people to share.
They’re well-​known for their Sweet Potato Latte, which I found decent but not something that I’d crave.

While in SF recently, we decided to grab a cold drink at YakiniQ Café. I fell in love with the seating area with chairs, tables and nice, comfy couches. After perusing the menu, we ordered a Sweet Potato latte and Nutella latte.
We grabbed the drinks from the counter and comfortably got ourselves seated at one of the tables. The sweet potato drink was a dud; I couldn’t taste sweet potatoes and it was tasteless.
Nutella was good!!!

The decision to go to YakiniQ started off with an argument about whether YakiniQ was kBBQ or a café. (It turned out to be both, right next to each other)
Sweet potato lattes, iced yuzu tea, and macarons in a roomy aesthetic Korean style café that even has board games… YakiniQ is thus hipster, divey, and whimsical all at once. Do I need to justify myself any further.
Here are a few useful tips; I’ll leave it at this rather than writing a TL;DR review proclaiming my love for cutesy Asian cafes:
— Macarons are better than La Boulange, but Chantal Guillon is the gold standard
— Sweet potato latte is non-​caffeinated
— Bathroom is in a random location through an exit in the back
— Parking garages nearby have plenty of spots if street parking fails