Sa-Ten Coffee and Eats is a coffee shop and cafe with two locations located in Austin, Texas. Founded in September of 2014, it is a coffee shop sporting a Japanese influence in every aspect. Co-owners Kayo Asazu and Motoyasu Utsunomiya both hold experience in running other restaurants, such as Kome and East Side King, among others.
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Sa-Ten Offers Teas, Coffee & Gourmet Food
With the skills they acquired over the years, they joined forces and brought forth the coffee, tea, and gourmet food serving Sa-Ten. Sa-Ten is not a word in itself, but rather an altered version of the word “kissaten”, which translates from Japanese to mean “tea-serving shop.”
They do serve tea, after all, though not in as plentiful of options as their coffee. Their tea-related options include Sesa Pure provided hot and iced teas, as well as Matcha and chai lattes.
When it comes to their coffee, Asazu and Utsunomiya did not overextend themselves, and instead opted to hire Janine Hurd not just as the manager, but as the overseer of the coffee department.
Features Roasted Beans from Casa Brasil
Sourcing roasted beans from Casa Brasil Coffees, she has crafted a menu of both standard coffee staples and some more Japanese influenced items. Sa-Ten features the usual mochas, macchiatos, espresso, cold brew, lattes, cortados, and more, but it is those labeled as the house specialties where Japanese culture is filtered in.
This menu boasts beverages such as the “good morning” drink, Ohayo, which is a brown sugar cappuccino, the Saifa, which is Sa-Ten’s version of Vietnamese coffee, and brown sugar lemonade.
There’s A Lot More Than Just Coffee
Even more adventurous options make their way onto the seasonal special’s menu, which is always changing. Next, there is the food, which livens up Sa-Ten from an ordinary cafe.
Each location features breakfast essentials such as Sa-Ten yogurt and Umpqua oatmeal, but more plentifully, they serve options that are good for brunch, lunch and dinner.
The Sat-Ten Toasts section lists gourmet toasts surrounded with things like egg, Japanese mayo, smoked salmon, dried seaweed, anchovy garlic oil, and much more.
Serving Up Traditional Japanese Eats
Their modest sandwich menu is made up with cold chicken katsu and Japanese egg-salad. More in Japanese tradition, there are also rice bowls with assortments of tofu, chicken, vegetables, kimchi, and more.
The Airport Boulevard location adds further options by inclusion of broader teriyaki offerings, as well as fish and chips. Like most modern restaurants, you can order online if you so choose. The locations themselves are dressed in a modern fashion as well.
Come Check Out the Squirrels!
In conjunction with designer Kazuya Owada, the Japanese-themed space is outfitted with individual and group-sized tables, metal stools against wall-spanning bars, a wooden ceiling over the counter, and walls that feature wood and wallpaper in spots including both sleek patterns and squirrels.
While there are cultural references throughout, such as anime action figures and manga, the squirrels are just a friendly, quirky touch. This lends itself to creating a friendly, welcoming environment. Sa-Ten isn’t fancy to the point of people being deterred; It keeps a coffee shop comfort.
Address
916 Springdale, Bldg 3, STE 101, Austin, Texas
