Love the bentos here. Usually bling buy daily specialsl bento. Fair price clean fresh food.
DeAndre G.
There is something about stumbling upon smaller unsuspecting restaurants where you end up having some of the best dining experiences. Me and my girlfriend were looking for a balanced meal that we would both enjoy and were in the Gardena area and saw the N Cafe pop up in our search on Yelp and the food looked good but it was much better than that. We both ordered the Spicy Chicken Bento box with miso soup and tea. The service was efficient, friendly, and kind and the food was delicious, well prepared and well presented. The food was so great that we both can't wait to come back and try other dishes. Thank you.
Miho C.
Ordered Ebi burger (shrimp) to go when I was eating I see 2 fried white fish & one fried shrimp in the burger... was it supposed to all shrimp in it??? I'm from Japan & I know what Ebi burger is. Not coming back...
Naomi Y.
Variety items are in Daily Special Bento, tasty and good price, miso soup comes with it too.
Svi Q.
I want to love N Cafe, I root for them, it's our neighborhood spot. Previously there was an exceptional cafe called At Home Kitchen that suffered a pandemic closure - the bar for this anonymous-feeling strip mall is high. There's also an exceptional Thai restaurant im the same plaza - Gardena and Harbor Gateway are just astonishingly rich with amazing food. N Cafe has a menu that makes sense as a continuation of At Home but the flavors sway more towards the Burger King-ization of bento / institutional (read industrial flavors, not subtle, low quality ingredients dressed up cheap). Everything is fine, but it's missing intention and love. Flavor choices are too fast food whiz bang for a place priced at a higher level. 15-18 for a bento isn't cheap but the food feels a bit cheap and thoughtless. In a region of LA so teeming with great Japanese American food, you'd really be better served at Fukagawa or Gardena Bowl Coffee shop, among others.
DF M.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the fried chicken breast I normally ordered. This chicken seemed that it came from Costco/Sam's club and was reheated; So disappointed. I was going to bring to lunch for a friend who requested it because I raved how great their fried chicken breast was, I am so glad I opened it to make sure it looks great before putting in the fridge, sadly it didn't look great.
Aki W.
My fav is angus steak salad!. Sunny side up is perfectly cooked, so york can oozu onto greens. Yamm
Dean M.
I LOVED this place when it was At Home cafe. Small Japanese family owned cafe where everything was fresh and tasty. The name and menu has changed but the service and freshness of the food stays the same. I had the Fried Breast Chicken Curry it was very good. The chicken was crispy and tender and not oily or greasy at all, the curry was very tasty and just the thickness I like. Service was what you'd expect at a Japanese cafe, super kind and welcoming. Very accomidating. Do I miss At home? yes 100%. but this place is good and I'd come back again in a heartbeat.
Priscilla C.
Ordered the fries chicken breast curry, truffle fries, corn chowder, and mentaiko butter pasta. Everything was yummy and portion size is large! Service is super friendly.
jerry H.
Didn't want to cook, struggling to find a place close by specifically in Gardena that participated in Delta Skymiles Dining. This place came up but only if you order online to get miles, not if you dined inside. Their menu is very eclectic. We decided on the Cheeseburger....Man-o-Man!!!! That was one of the best burger's we've ever had. Only critique would be they salted meat a bit more. But, overall super duper burger. Now I know they are more Asian/Italian influences but the Burger spoke to me. Thanks N-Cafe for the delicious food today. We will add you to the list of go to's.
I love the curry and bento boxes from here. The food is always fresh and tasty. The vegetable curry and hamburg bento are my favorites, but you really can’t go wrong with whichever item you choose. I have only ordered take out. So, I do not know how the dine-in experience is. I hope to change that soon.
Matthew G.
My wife and I recently moved to Gardena from LA and we immediately noticed, in this city, the dominance of the strip mall aesthetic that we are not especially drawn to. However, we've quickly come to discover that not too far in that scrum of banal and bland are hidden gems...like N Cafe. We were so fortunate to happen across it! There we had a very satisfying meal of pasta with a side of delicious Japanese styled curry and the tastiest burger we've had in a long time. We can't wait to go back and try EVERYTHING else! How fortunate we are to have such a great neighborhood spot.
Lime N.
It's ok, it's not my favorite but the bento has a lot and is really filling. I wouldn't recommend this for picky eaters.
Tony K.
So I basically found a hidden gem. It's located on Vermont in a plaza next to Ben hur auto. This is my second time here this week and my first review. First time I was blown away but forgot to write this review. Food is French style with Japanese flair. It's soooo delicious. I've already tried the hotel style beef curry. Thought I was getting grounded beef with curry, but I got steak strips cooked perfectly with a very good portion of rice. The curry is delicate and tasty. Doesn't overpower the dish. Also comes with a sunny side egg on top. Today I got a hamburg steak bento since my wife got this last time. The hamburg steak was so juicy, the minute I put in my chopsticks to cut them, the juices just rolled out. I love that the dish comes with sunomono (pickled vegetable). I managed to finish the hamburg steak, even though the portion was huge. My wife had bolognese penne. Comes with a custom garlic bread. It was super soft and just melted in my mouth. Her penne was so delicious and mind you she's a little picky when it comes to food; had cleaned her plate. I am definitely coming back to try just about everything on their menu. I will let the readers know on my next review and next time I'll add some photos.
Joyce F.
so yummy. my sister in law bought lunch for me and it's so delish. large portion that fed me for two meals. will be back.
Love the bentos here. Usually bling buy daily specialsl bento. Fair price clean fresh food.
There is something about stumbling upon smaller unsuspecting restaurants where you end up having some of the best dining experiences. Me and my girlfriend were looking for a balanced meal that we would both enjoy and were in the Gardena area and saw the N Cafe pop up in our search on Yelp and the food looked good but it was much better than that. We both ordered the Spicy Chicken Bento box with miso soup and tea. The service was efficient, friendly, and kind and the food was delicious, well prepared and well presented. The food was so great that we both can't wait to come back and try other dishes. Thank you.
Ordered Ebi burger (shrimp) to go when I was eating I see 2 fried white fish & one fried shrimp in the burger... was it supposed to all shrimp in it??? I'm from Japan & I know what Ebi burger is. Not coming back...
Variety items are in Daily Special Bento, tasty and good price, miso soup comes with it too.
I want to love N Cafe, I root for them, it's our neighborhood spot. Previously there was an exceptional cafe called At Home Kitchen that suffered a pandemic closure - the bar for this anonymous-feeling strip mall is high. There's also an exceptional Thai restaurant im the same plaza - Gardena and Harbor Gateway are just astonishingly rich with amazing food. N Cafe has a menu that makes sense as a continuation of At Home but the flavors sway more towards the Burger King-ization of bento / institutional (read industrial flavors, not subtle, low quality ingredients dressed up cheap). Everything is fine, but it's missing intention and love. Flavor choices are too fast food whiz bang for a place priced at a higher level. 15-18 for a bento isn't cheap but the food feels a bit cheap and thoughtless. In a region of LA so teeming with great Japanese American food, you'd really be better served at Fukagawa or Gardena Bowl Coffee shop, among others.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the fried chicken breast I normally ordered. This chicken seemed that it came from Costco/Sam's club and was reheated; So disappointed. I was going to bring to lunch for a friend who requested it because I raved how great their fried chicken breast was, I am so glad I opened it to make sure it looks great before putting in the fridge, sadly it didn't look great.
My fav is angus steak salad!. Sunny side up is perfectly cooked, so york can oozu onto greens. Yamm
I LOVED this place when it was At Home cafe. Small Japanese family owned cafe where everything was fresh and tasty. The name and menu has changed but the service and freshness of the food stays the same. I had the Fried Breast Chicken Curry it was very good. The chicken was crispy and tender and not oily or greasy at all, the curry was very tasty and just the thickness I like. Service was what you'd expect at a Japanese cafe, super kind and welcoming. Very accomidating. Do I miss At home? yes 100%. but this place is good and I'd come back again in a heartbeat.
Ordered the fries chicken breast curry, truffle fries, corn chowder, and mentaiko butter pasta. Everything was yummy and portion size is large! Service is super friendly.
Didn't want to cook, struggling to find a place close by specifically in Gardena that participated in Delta Skymiles Dining. This place came up but only if you order online to get miles, not if you dined inside. Their menu is very eclectic. We decided on the Cheeseburger....Man-o-Man!!!! That was one of the best burger's we've ever had. Only critique would be they salted meat a bit more. But, overall super duper burger. Now I know they are more Asian/Italian influences but the Burger spoke to me. Thanks N-Cafe for the delicious food today. We will add you to the list of go to's.
Restaurantji Recommends
I love the curry and bento boxes from here. The food is always fresh and tasty. The vegetable curry and hamburg bento are my favorites, but you really can’t go wrong with whichever item you choose. I have only ordered take out. So, I do not know how the dine-in experience is. I hope to change that soon.
My wife and I recently moved to Gardena from LA and we immediately noticed, in this city, the dominance of the strip mall aesthetic that we are not especially drawn to. However, we've quickly come to discover that not too far in that scrum of banal and bland are hidden gems...like N Cafe. We were so fortunate to happen across it! There we had a very satisfying meal of pasta with a side of delicious Japanese styled curry and the tastiest burger we've had in a long time. We can't wait to go back and try EVERYTHING else! How fortunate we are to have such a great neighborhood spot.
It's ok, it's not my favorite but the bento has a lot and is really filling. I wouldn't recommend this for picky eaters.
So I basically found a hidden gem. It's located on Vermont in a plaza next to Ben hur auto. This is my second time here this week and my first review. First time I was blown away but forgot to write this review. Food is French style with Japanese flair. It's soooo delicious. I've already tried the hotel style beef curry. Thought I was getting grounded beef with curry, but I got steak strips cooked perfectly with a very good portion of rice. The curry is delicate and tasty. Doesn't overpower the dish. Also comes with a sunny side egg on top. Today I got a hamburg steak bento since my wife got this last time. The hamburg steak was so juicy, the minute I put in my chopsticks to cut them, the juices just rolled out. I love that the dish comes with sunomono (pickled vegetable). I managed to finish the hamburg steak, even though the portion was huge. My wife had bolognese penne. Comes with a custom garlic bread. It was super soft and just melted in my mouth. Her penne was so delicious and mind you she's a little picky when it comes to food; had cleaned her plate. I am definitely coming back to try just about everything on their menu. I will let the readers know on my next review and next time I'll add some photos.
so yummy. my sister in law bought lunch for me and it's so delish. large portion that fed me for two meals. will be back.