Kama O Deli

When I normally don’t bring a lunch into work, my options sometimes feel pretty limited around the SOMA area either because I’m simply not in the mood for certain foods or I don’t want to spend $ 20 on just lunch.
So when Kama O Deli popped up on a nearby area, I was excited to give this place a try. I can’t remember what this place was before, but the location of it is just a few blocks away from my office building. The space is small, with only about 10 max seats inside, but my coworker and I took our orders to go so it wasn’t a problem.
I decided to go with the spicy pork rito, which had smoked pork, sushi rice, lettuce, tomato, carrots pickled radishes, avocado and spicy mayo all in a burrito style wrap. It sounds jam packed… and it was. The wrap itself was a little crunchier and crisp than I’m used to with steamed tortilla burritos, which is good because it helped all the fillings stay in tact without getting too soggy. It was tasty, but almost a little too filling. I think I would try it without the rice next time. With that said, the portion makes it worth $ 10.
My co-​worker got the chicken curry rice plate which came with a side of miso soup. We were both pretty pleased (and full) with our meals. It is a great alternative to have in the neighborhood when craving some Japanese style foods.

Food here is incredibly fresh and delicious. Try the breakfast sandwich on croissant in the morning and the burritos for lunch. Excellent place!

This might be my favorite work lunch spot in the city. As a big fan of the korrito (Korean burrito) and having grown up in a half Japanese, half American home, I’m always looking for the next good cultural food mashup (besides making them in my own kitchen) to do this hapa thing right.
I love the combination of rice, marinated meat, pickled veggies and sauces Kama puts in their ‘ritos. Of the few I’ve tried (pork belly, chicken), the dressing they use in it has a bit of a peanuty taste that I’m sure is sesame oil, which I love. The lightly toasted wrap adds a nice touch too.
Friendly service, nice interiors, and I’m glad the awning is nothing too fancy, so my fellow pedestrians don’t stroll in and invade my precious. It might get to that point after that first published review, either from NY or SF blows up the spot. So until then I’ll keep prancing in my before-​it-​was-​cool wonderland of Asian sauces, conveniently wrapped in translucent butcher paper with a side of edamame.

Ordered the unagi don online. It was prepared quickly, and there was so much unagi! Yum!

Solid lunch place. I often go here to avoid getting a typical sandwich. Great flavors. Ok price/​value ratio. Warning — the wraps get very soggy so either eat soon/​at the location or don’t get it cut (poor design on their part).

I ordered the Beef Sukiyaki for pickup through Eat24. My food was ready in less than 10 minutes and the restaurant actually called me to let me know my food was ready (that usually does not happen).
I got there a little late and was worried my food would be cold but when I got home my food was still warm and in great shape. The only downside was the bottom of the sandwich was a bit soggy but I am sure that is because it was sitting down for close to ¹⁵⁄₂₀ minutes.
I will be back to try some of the other items on the menu. All in all it hits everything I am looking for in a lunch spot: unique, delicious, high quality, friendly service and great price. What more can you ask for?

It’s ok… a little too much mayo on some of the sandwiches, but overall flavors are good. their selection it’s pretty good they menu it’s simple but very unique making it very hard to decide what to order since everything just sounds terribly good! .nice and fresh, service even better.

holy crap, that was a big wrap. This might be my new go to make a two day lunch out of one purchase. Really good, I had the smoked spicy pork-​rito (wrap) and it was huge and full of interesting flavors, and the side of edemame was a nice bonus. The serve beer and sake, not sure if i’d every really dine in long enough to enjoy, but glad the do for those who would. they also have some frozen mochi ice cream balls… which i’ll try not just start eating for lunch. good spot! ok, now I need a nap.

I had the spicy pork kama-​rito, it was excellent, and larger than I expected. Great for lunch

Giving this new place props. Delicious and fast Japanese takeout. I usually go with the chicken teriyaki don, which is basically a solid helping of chicken breast and rice (with teriyaki sauce of course), plus a side of the miso soup.
Very affordable prices especially considering some of the insanity this neighborhood is seeing in terms of expensive lunch fare.
Courteous service, usually no long waits (ahem, HRD).

Dang SOMA blocks always look closer than they are! I walked the few long blocks over here after seeing them a few months ago as «Hot On Unilocal.» Hennesey’s and Eden Plaza Café are closer to my office, but 1. a sandwich with an Asian slant to it usually does appeal to me and 2. I’m always game for trying a hot new business. I ended up getting the beef sukiyaki sandwich sans mustard. For $ 9 in this area it was a good size sandwich, not huge like Hennesey’s but a good size.
After about 5 minutes it was ready. I loved the sweet roll and it wasn’t as messy as I thought it was going to be. Beef was nicely marinated, but the American cheese just didn’t go well with the overall sandwich. I felt like it tasted almost like processed Kraft cheese. I wish they would let you choose between several different types of cheeses. Other than that the sandwich was fine and a good spot to get something quick and different in the area.

The oyakodon was okay, though I probably wouldn’t order it again. Instead of cooking the chicken in the dashi sauce like the eggs and onions, it was like they just threw long slices of plain grilled chicken on the rice, and then dumped the egg and onion on top of the chicken during plating. The egg and onions had pretty good flavor, but the chicken lacked the dashi flavor and did not mesh well with the egg and onions.
2 stars for the quality of the dish, but 3 for the serving size and price. It’s close to where I work and there aren’t many other quick Japanese lunch options around, so I’d be willing to go back and try something else.

Kama is suffering somewhat of an identity crisis. Menu is heavily Asian inspired but the place is clearly setup as a lunchtime sandwich deli. 2 stars for the original menu.
Execution is where Kama falls apart. Had the Rock Rito (eel burrito) and definitely regretted it. In a rush to move orders through, staff is microwaving toppings in their plastic wrapping and half-​assing the prep. The «burrito» is actually a flatbread wrap with rice and Japanese-​inspired plastic eel.
Seems like they’re trying to cash in on the Asian-​burrito phase. Overall, Kama misses the mark.

Very fresh and delicious.
Close enough from UCSF imaging to walk and well worth it!
I loved the pork belly ito.
Yummy!

I got the Rock-​rrito from Kama O Deli and wasn’t wowed by it. The flavor wasn’t bad, and I liked that they gave a pretty good serving of eel. The downsides were: it was way too soggy and they didn’t use an actual tortilla wrap so it fell apart pretty quickly. The cook must have added too much of their house sauce or something, because I only got in about 3 – 4 bites before my eel burrito fell apart in my hands and I had to eat the rest with a fork. I also really wish there was more sushi rice in there! Overall, it was pretty filling, but I think more rice would have helped to absorb all that liquid. Bonus: you get edamame with your order!

Time: 1:37pm/60°F intermittent clouds
Purpose: Driving up third street to next meet up. Since I was already near by a scan Unilocal app listed it at .03 miles. Thinking why not now? Sooner or later I will need to go anyways.
Ambiance: The name of place Kama gets you thinking Japanese. Not to be confuse with one on 9^th/​Folsom. One would assume a sushi place by the looks and name of previous mention. Hold on there, not really! Once you enter, theres no sushi counter or chef to be seen. Place is a standard deli, but furnished like a Japanese joint. Decors here are fish skeleton for some reason. Also some animé figurines, action figures, girlie stuff lines the shelf. Rest of place, stand alone open air fridge, acrylic pastry case, mini freezer, menu blackboards, espresso machine, kitchen supplies. Irregular mahogany wooden tables and faux brick sheets are the distinctive furniture use here. Now, if you’re lucky you can grab one of three plush stool for added comfort. Really small place not much privacy here. Music genre here is pop singer/​song writer with Olivia Broadfield playing (Don’t Cry).
Staff: Three ladies about late 40s to early 50s, very friendly. I knew Mandarin spoken here as soon as I walk in, no suprise, facial features speaks volume. She ask if I’m mixed while talking about menu. Probably thought I was a tourist. Told me I look Euroasian to her. I get that every place I go, nothing new to me. I just kindly reply, with what ever you want me to be. She laugh went ahead with my order and I smile.
Cleanliness: Grade A+, immaculate. Too clean spotless. This condition shuts me up!
Eats/​Drinks: Pork belly sandwich $ 7.99 on sweet roll. It sure did have the velvety fatty flavor that melts in mouth. Sandwich was delicious, but could be better if another bread was use. Bread of choice wasn’t listed and I forgot to ask so, it’s on me this time around. Hoping for a slight exterior crunch with fat oozing out from side of mouth. Almost happen just fell short. Had all the listed ingredients, but it just seems something was voided. Not sure what it was beside the bread. House made bbq sauce was good along with the fixings. Can’t say its bad or good, let’s be safe and say like pork belly banh mi with american fixings than that of Vietnamese. Wash it down with San Pellegrino sparkling water $ 2.
Main Features: Kama-​wrap, sandwich, bento, garlic edamame.
Products/​Services: Salad, sandwich, bento, udon, bagel, croissant, tofu, bowl/​plates, hot/​cold beverages, hot chocolate,/iced tea, miso soup, mochi, rice puffs/​crackers, chocolate almonds, green tea cheesecake, beers (bottle/​can), Japanese chips, Pocky. Vegetarian friendly. Torani syrups, coffee/​tea by Farmer Brothers. Espresso by Ruta Maya organic beans. Weekday HH 2−4pm all beers (buy 2 get 1 free). Takes plastic.
Punch Lines: Friendly, fast/​efficient, modest price, clean, pleasing flavors, décor leaves something to desired, close-​together table, calm vibe, well-​prepared, light bites, can’t go wrong, claustrophobic interior, more than adequate, satisfactory, parking (hard for non commercial or media).
Tradeoffs: Japanese décor with Americanized Japanese small eats. You do get what you pay for here.
Final Thoughts: Small eatery with basic eats and wood paneling/​fixture is whats trending now. When I went in, I was kinda intrigued myself too. The name Kama with little figurines all adds up to cuteness, but hows the food? Thinking high school kids run place. Wondering if the food was going to be any good. End up liking food and experience. Next time around, I’ll ask for bread to be toasted. Satisfactory with warm friendly service is what you’ll encounter here.

Yesterday I found this new little place on the way to the Giants game… lady at counter welcome us with nice smile:))
We was gonna grab some sandwich but, I saw «Kama-​Rito» on the menu!
I was like… ummm, is it Burrito or is it Sushi? Actually It’s a both! So I ordered «The Rock-​Rito» (cooked eel, veggie & avocado with house dressing)
My partner ordered «Beef Sukiyaki-​Rito»
OMG! It was sooooo good!!!
I never taste something like this before…
I did enjoying Mexican and Japanese food in same time:)
Tammy was super happy and filled perfectly! I can’t wait to try some other things on menu next time I go to the game… See you soon Kama! Your my new favorite!

Kama-​Ritos are my favorite. Large portions for an awesome price. Super quick and easy way to enjoy a great lunch.

I’m so happy I found this awesome lunch place near my work Their coffee is the best around this area. Trust me, I’ve tried everywhere.
First, you must try their Kama-​Rito it’s the BOMB!!! Another one I am so addicted to is the beef sukiyaki sandwich «Hello?» Where has this been all my life!!! Love love it!!!

Recently find this place during lunch hunting. The place is that big, but it has its own characteristic; most importantly the sandwiches are delicious. One of my favorites is beef sukiyaki rito which I have never found in the city. I can not wait to try the rest of them on the Menu.
This definitely will be one of my go to places for lunch in South Beach.

I enjoy sandwich places that have menus that are not the norm. Kama O is excellent, because it satisfies two cravings: sushi and sandwiches. Odd, you say? Oh yes. Yes it is. But delicious.
They are super quick here and very accommodating. I couldn’t have one of the sauces due to my allergies, but instead of just saying «ok» and going on without it, she offered to replace the sauce with unagi sauce. Um, YES!!! (Note: While tasty, this also turned out to be a very sticky situation, because I forgot how extremely sticky unagi sauce is. It’s great on rice, where you have chopsticks to avoid it on your fingers, but when it’s in a sandwich it just gets everywhere.)
Food came with edamame, too! The sandwiches are stuffed. I got this wrap-​thing, so it was like having a sushi burrito with a tortilla but not a tortilla… not really sure how to describe that, but whatever, it was delicious and it had pork belly, and there is really not a lot to complain about there.
Extra plus is that they have a brown sugar milk tea. It’s quite good, though very sweet — still an excellent thing to have with my food at any time. I think there’s only one flavor. They also offer monaka and a bunch of Japanese snacks.
I’ll definitely be coming back, though it may take some convincing to pull coworkers from DragonEats.