Patti Smith Is Obsessed With a Quirky Restaurant in Japantown

There are lots of restaurants in San Francisco’s Japantown, but only one, so far as is clear from Instagram, is approved by Patti Smith. The punk rock icon and author appears to have dined several times at On the Bridge, an eccentric, family-run restaurant that is indeed on the bridge between Japan Center’s East and West Malls, and is known as much for its anime film and TV show collection as its menu of fusion foods like Japanese spaghetti and okonomiyaki pizza.

“I just love this place,” Smith wrote earlier this month. “Twenty-three kinds of Japanese pasta. I like the flying fish roe spaghetti and watching continuous videos of old episodes of Dragon Ball Z and taking sips of Lenny’s wasabi beer.”

On the Bridge has operated since 1992. In what’s likely an instance of mutual admiration, its chef took a photo with Smith, too.

While in San Francisco and performing at the Fillmore, Smith strayed from Japantown to North Beach, as well. There, she visited venerable SF institution Caffe Trieste.