TANAKA — Restaurant in Portland

--- desserts --- Miso cookie ⭐⭐⭐⭐ sweet and savory more on the savory side for me a little salty I think the cookie I happened to get was burnt still good regardless

Yuzu Tarte ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ citrusy and delicious had cream on the top the fruit was extremely fresh

White chocolate matcha cake ⭐⭐⭐⭐ loved the bottom crust a little too sweet for me

White chocolate matcha ⭐⭐⭐ too sweet for me loved the matcha itself though, I just wish there wasn't sweet white chocolate

Vegetable curry bun ⭐⭐⭐✨ loved the sweet outside and savory inside wish it was warm not enough curry to bun ratio, wish there was more curry the curry is a brown curry

❤️ Fig sando ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ the cream had a touch of grainy sugar in it had a tiny salty taste the figs were JUICY my only complaint was I wish there were more figs, but there was at least one for every corner of the sandwich really delicate and light

--- entrees --- Beet salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ wish there was more though

Francisco ⭐⭐⭐⭐ a little too much for me with the gravy, but delicious nonetheless

Chicken katsu ⭐⭐⭐⭐ love the sweat Japanese bbq love the kale and onion

Menchie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ would order this for a full meal it comes with curry

Croquette ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ loved this one. Potatoey goodness with a crunch.

Wagyu fillet mignon ⭐✨ not worth the cost a little tasteless to me doesn't taste like high quality wagyu with the quality being lower, I felt it didn't justify the cost and it should have been more cooked -- less rare, and I'm all for medium rare for waguu.

Squash rings ⭐⭐⭐⭐ pretty solid sweet, tastes great with honey mustard crunchy

❤️ Grilled broccolini ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ love the charred taste it's perfect

--- drinks --- Matcha latte ⭐⭐⭐ not flavorful enough for me may have messed up asking for it to be half sweet wish there was more of a matcha taste very light tho! I...

We had an okay experience in September 2024, but we revisited in April 2025 and had a good experience! Updating the review with most recent experience as of 04/2025:

We got the Katsu Curry, a Matcha Latte, Katsu Sando, and an Ube Cream Filled Donut.

Even though it feels like this is primarily a Katsu Sando place, don’t sleep on the curry!! For the price (I think it was $11?), the Katsu Curry was unexpectedly good. Katsu was moist and crunch, curry had good flavor, good portion of rice and salad.

The Katsu Sando was alright, I feel like Tokyo Sando still has them beat.

The egg salad and the ube cream filled donut were also my favorites!! The egg salad has some horseradish so it has a bit of a kick. The ube cream was nice and light, and the bread was a good texture too.

The floor layout felt a bit awkward—the line starts against the left wall, and there’s a lot of seating in between the entrance and the wall, so it feels like we have to go around this huge table to order or look at the pastries. There’s not really a space for people to wait around when thinking about what to order, so it feels awkward if you don’t know what you want immediately. If you want a pastry, you have to look through the glass, but that’s also where the line is, so looking through the glass also blocks the line. Since there’s never a crowd when we go, it’s fine, but I can imagine if there’s a long line or multiple large groups, things could get chaotic fast.

Service was friendly and fast. The place was pretty spacious and had lots of seats. My previous and current complaint is that the music is still uncomfortably loud in there, so it felt difficult to chill in there while and after eating. I can’t imagine people studying or hanging out...

I have been meaning to try Tanaka’s out ever since I saw their ‘Coming Soon’ sign sometime last year. Prices were pretty high which really surprised me :’) All the items in the photo including a small 8 oz cup of matcha latte was $78 in total not including tip.

From their pastries and dessert section, we got the Shio Miso Croissant, Bread Pudding, Yuzu Roll Cake, and the Banana Cream Tart. Out those 4, the Banana Cream tart was probably my most favorite. Next time I go, I will definitely ask them to heat up the bread pudding, it was pretty hard and dry not heated up but the overall flavor was good. The croissant was a little dry and there was not much of a miso flavor to it at all (Highly recommend getting that heat up too). And the yuzu roll cake’s cake part was also dry and not fluffy like all the roll cakes I’ve had, however the cream had a great yuzu taste and scent.

Next is the Katsu Sando. The bread to katsu ratio was pretty off, there’s a lot more bread than meat. I also wish that there was more sauce especially with the thick cut of meat. I feel like Oyatsupan will always have the best Katsu Sando.

Lastly, their loaded curry fries was pretty yummy! I liked the pieces of shredded pork and peppers to top it off! Probably the best thing we had here next to the banana cream tart.

Overall, the place has a nice vibe but the food can be a hit or miss depending on what you get. The Katsu Sando was mediocre; I’d get it elsewhere. I do wanna come back again and try their burgers, especially the shrimp one! I’d also like to try their fries with...