TANAKA — Restaurant in Gresham

Had a great and delicious experience at Tanaka Katsu in Gresham, Oregon. Another patron and I were sweetly greeted by Leila as we entered. I told leila that this was my first time and let the other customer go first. Leila was friendly, conscientious and always checked back if I had any other questions while she was taking and preparing orders. I finally decided on getting a to-go mix: the Tanaka Ribeye Dip with miso curry, breakfast with sausage, dirty fries, ube donut, matcha white choco cookie, and 5 slices of milk bread. Everything was delicious. Especially, Tanaka’s dirty fries-hot, crispy, and the toppings were to die for. Ate half when I got into the car. When I arrived home, ate half of the ribeye katsu. So crunchy and delicious. Even the next day, the coating was still crispy and the milk bread didn’t crumble apart. I have never had anything ube before and the ube donut mixed with cream was delicately sweet and did not leave any greasy coating on the roof of my mouth. At 2am, cookie dreams woke me up and settled my early morning craving with the white choco cookie and at 8am Finished up the scrambled eggs and sausage which came with buttered milk toast. Again, no greasy feeling or problems with abdominal regrets. As the young lady had suggested, I put the 5 slices of milk toast into a zip lock bag when I made it home. And, the slight stiffening of the bread worked out wonderfully for French toast with cinnamon and a wee bit of powdered sugar 2-1/2 days after my initial purchase. Thank you for such fantastic and exceptional service from both Leila the hard working chef...

So, the location is good, as it's right next to mass transit and Gresham station, But....there is only street parking,(4 spaces max) otherwise plan on paking down the street and walking. The food is quality and somewhat unique, with fresh ingredients and flavor pairs you wouldn't think is delicious, but it is. Next is the staff tho, unless the owner is there, the staff is very inexperienced in customer service(only 2 employees max, even during lunch hr), as I was never greeted even know there was only 1 person in front of me. I spent about 5-6 minutes waiting for some kind of acknowledgment that I was ready to order, which i never got. The employee that takes your order also doubles as a cook/order preper, in which you will have to wait to order until the customer before you has been serviced. After about 10 minutes, I ended up leaving very disappointed and upset, feeling like I wasn't any kind of priority. On a whole, I have eaten here before, and the food is great, but unless the owner is running the shop that day, expect poor below average customer service. I'm not convinced I will eat here again after my...

I’ve lived in Gresham for many years now, and a constant refrain I’ve made is that “Gresham doesn’t get nice things.” For whatever reason, be it demographics or just plain ol’ preconceived notions about our suburb, restaurants serving truly quality food with quality ingredients just don’t open in Gresham, outside of our truly excellent Mexican spots and the occasional next-level food cart like Kasoy & Co. Sugarpine Drive-in really felt like the first Portland-quality place to open up here, and now we have Tanaka. I hope it’s a sign of even more good things to come.

As for the katsu sandwiches, they are surprisingly light given they’re fried meat on milk bread, but they’re oh-so-tender with a lovely crisp crust on the chicken or pork, and lightly sauced. Fantastic lunch that didn’t feel like a gut bomb like so many fried-meat sandwiches can. I can’t wait to try more of the menu and especially the pastries, which look playful and delectable.

So, Tanaka, thank you for giving Gresham a chance and opening here. I hope you’re wildly successful and that our city recognizes the gem that just dropped...