Rasa Rasa Kitchen on Bryant Street

We stopped by Rasa Rasa Kitchen on Bryant Street for lunch. Joe Sharp and Patty Tang opened this place in March 2024—exactly four years after they started their Indonesian food truck. They ran the truck at Parklab Gardens in Mission Bay, serving spicy shrimp laksa, pork belly stews, turmeric chicken, and built a following. Now they have a brick-and-mortar at 2200 Bryant, on the eastern edge of the Mission.

The menu starts with Indonesian dishes and makes its own California adjustments. Three dishes stood out on our visit.

Tahu Tek Tek (Tofu tex)

Tahu Tek Tek is crispy fried tofu cubes in a savory peanut sauce. The tofu gets golden-brown and crunchy on the outside, then you bite into it and the sauce clings—salty, nutty, hitting hard. This one came without bean sprouts and krupuk (crispy crackers), which would normally add texture. Still good.

Tahu Tek Tek — fried tofu cubes piled on a black cast iron plate, covered in dark peanut sauce with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds

Tahu Tek Tek — crispy fried tofu with peanut sauce.

Satay

The chicken skewers are marinated and grilled, served with peanut sauce. The meat is charred on the outside and tender inside. The sauce is thick and nutty with bitter-spicy notes. They give you pickles on the side to cut through it. This is the dish to order.

Chicken satay skewers stacked on a black cast iron plate, heavily coated in thick dark peanut sauce, with a small metal cup of pickled cucumbers alongside

Satay — grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce.

Turmeric Chicken

The whole bird is seasoned with turmeric and grilled until the skin turns yellow-golden. The turmeric flavor is warm and earthy—not subtle at all. It comes with lemon and vegetables, and while it’s not as memorable as the satay, it’s solid.

Turmeric fried chicken on a white enamel plate with dark sambal paste, cucumber slices, cabbage, tomato, and a lemon wedge

Turmeric chicken with sambal, cucumber, cabbage, and lemon.

[!TIP] Order the satay—it’s the best dish. Closed Mondays.

The Space

It’s a small spot that gets loud when full. Warm colors—oranges, reds, wood accents—with Southeast Asian decor that doesn’t go over the top. Maybe 30 seats. It gets packed during lunch from 11am to 3pm, and dinner runs 5pm to 9pm. Closed Mondays.

Vintage Terima Kasih (Please Come Again) sign in black lettering on the yellow painted door at Rasa Rasa Kitchen, hours visible through the window