33 Best Japanese Restaurants in San Antonio

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I debated whether or not to post this review because I absolutely want to gatekeep Yozora. However, I also want Chef Emanuel and his team to succeed, so whatever. Just as long as you leave me a table, I’ll let you in on the secret.
The interior is mid-century modern with a chill vibe. The clean lines and no-frills interior didn’t feel sparse but instead gave me Mad Men vibes. The vinyl set up to the left of our table screamed 70s basement party in all the right ways. The music was kept at an acceptable level—not too loud that it kept us from hearing our conversation but loud enough to tempt me into shaking my hips when a slammin’ Bossa Nova came on.
**Be advised: we ordered damn near everything on the menu, and our bill reflected as much. Don’t think too hard; just donate some plasma next month.**
It’s not hard to go a little menu crazy with the izakaya-inspired menu.
Lucky Chicken is a red ale IPA from Kyoto, Japan. I had the yuzu sake high ball, which was crisp and refreshing.
The Asian pear cucumber salad was addicting. The floral pear and the mildly sweet cucumber cleansed the palate in anticipation of the meal. The Shiro Wrap (which I assume is named for Yozora’s predecessor) is a spicy avocado and panko-fried soft-shell crab filling surrounded by a soy wrap, masago, and chives. It’s one of those dishes you think of occasionally and wonder if it misses you as much as you miss it.
The Charcoal Grilled Chasu had a unique combination of fatty braised pork belly scented with charcoal that highlighted the salty creaminess of Reggiano cheese. The scallion kimchi that accompanied it mixed spicy with the herbaceous punch of the scallion tops.
The Garlic Edamame is like a toxic relationship: it hurts you but is so addictive and lovely that you can’t help but keep coming back to it. I spent the rest of the meal slurping soybeans from their pods while I conquered the rest of our meal. These have moderate spiciness, so if you’re sensitive to heat, I would skip them.
Hot Line Crispy Gyoza is a fried pork dumpling tossed in 911 sauce (it was more urgent care to us) and topped with parm-Reggiano cheese. These weren’t our favorite, but we’d demolish them after a night of drinking.
We moved on to the Yakitori section of the menu and enjoyed the Negima (chicken thigh and Japanese leek) and Waygu. Both were grilled exceptionally and remained juicy and tender.
We chugged on over to the “Crudo and Battera” section and ordered the Toro Tartare (I wished the lotus chip was thicker to accommodate the weight of the rich tartare), the Pepper Fin (I could drink the citrus soy/chili oil situation), and the Crispy Toro (we loved the juxtaposition of the creamy, fatty toro and the hidden crispy rice).
You might think we were ready to tap out by now… and we were, but we had ordered the Waygu Teriyaki, and we’re no quitters. The Wagyu was cooked perfectly, a gorgeous medium-rare, and the soy beurre blanc sat in was nothing short of seductive.
Our final push was the Yuzu Japanese Citrus Pie. I don’t know if they have an in-house pastry chef, but whoever created this dessert knows what the hell they’re doing. The yuzu offered the right amount of pucker factor, and the crisp, buttery crust added just enough sweetness to balance it.
Our server (I want to say his name was Ray or Roy) was exceptional in his attentiveness, engagement, and hospitality.
I wholeheartedly recommend Yozora as I think it should be on everyone’s list of must-eat places in the San Antonio area.“

“I have tried almost every Sushi spot in San Antonio and Shiro stands above and beyond everyplace I have been to. Every single piece of Sushi was super fresh and just melts in your mouth, it is honestly going to be hard to go anywhere else after having been to Shiro. The prices definitely reflect the quality and freshness difference compared to other places and is 110% worth it.“

“The waiter was kind, sweet and considerable ….the food was incredible I loved every everything♥️“

“Finally got around to bringing the family and a few of my daughters friends we all loved it super friendly staff very clean inside and just a great experience overall highly recommend will be returning soon.“

“oh my gosh the most amazing excellent best sushi place I have ever gone in my life it's great service the food is delicious I totally recommend anyone visiting San Antonio that this is the best sushi bar there is... unlimited sushi for $20 how else can you go wrong... AMAZING!!!“

“Really great place! Will definitely be back. The black garlic ramen is perfect!“

“had the combination lomein and the ninga chicken food was exelent“

“Had such a great atmosphere with wonderful service. The food was amazing. The mermaid roll and honey roll is my favorite, so delicious. The all you can eat sushi is such an awesome option! Not bad on cost for the amount of servings you can get.“

“Ginza has fresh tasting food and large portion sizes for all meals. I can never eat it all. The Boba smoothies are sooo gd. I usually get the chicken and rice or chicken with Ramen soup. The chicken is crispy so gd. Or teriyaki chicken also gd. Staff are very friendly.

Parking: The parking is in a long strip of other stores so sometimes it's hard to find parking. There are only about 3 handicap spots.

Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly meaning many families go here

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes entrance is flat no stairs“

“As soon as we walked in we got a table the drinks right away as well The man that served us was so sweet And the food was phenomenal tasted so organic and fresh All their ingredients are quality ingredients their white rice is phenomenal it. Has this distinct taste that you will never taste anywhere else I got the garlic chicken and I just wanted to eat the rice But the chicken Had so much flavor too I highly recommend this place“

“Amazing cocktail and equally great service!“

“One of the best places I try chicken teriyaki , and the portions are huge to full you up , but after going for years I started getting the broccoli shrimp spicy, omg I felt in love with that plate, I recommend it to everyone who loves shrimp.

Parking: They bring the food to your car you don’t even need to get off ,“

“After watching a food review video on this place, thought we'd give it a shot. It was actually very good. And for the price, it was a great deal. Normally , hibachi is pricey. We ordered and dined it. I got the chicken hibachi with fried rice. My husband got the beef hibachi with the noodles. Both plates were very good. Hot and fresh for sure. We ordered the spring rolls. They were good, but a little too greasy for me. They were ,however, fresh. I wouldn't order them again. Would definitely return. Service with a smile. Very nice guy. Place was very clean.“

“I'm always looking for a new place to experience. The atmosphere is wonderful. I took my teen kids for a nice easy birthday dinner. The food is spectacular, no doubt. Everything we ordered was on point. My only critique is on our server. A very kind and attentive young lady. She unfortunately lacked knowledge of the menu and certain items that we did not know. Several times she needed to go and ask for help to answer our questions. I appreciate the honesty rather than trying to fake it. I believe service is important to the dining experience. Not sure if our dessert was to be served frozen. Mochi ice cream, sure. Japanese crepe frozen to the point I was afraid I'd break the plate trying to cut it into a bite size piece with the tiny spoon. I will visit again for sure. Hopefully staff will be ready to attend to their clients with the same gracious care I was given and a lil more knowledge of the product they represent.“

“Best ramen in SA!! Could you guys build a location in Alamo Ranch? I'd be there every day!“

“I had heard about @bluefin_sanantonio opening but hadn’t seen any reviews yet on the San Antonio Restaurant Facebook page. We thought to check it out for Sunday lunch. The reviews that I read spoke highly of the great service and quality. They opened about 6 months ago and have locations in different parts of Austin. This location is at The Rim right next to Tiago’s.

Dad had Pink Lemonade, I had the non-alcoholic Pina Colada, and Hubby had the UCC Iced Green Tea. Dad and Hubby shared the Eby Fry with the mayo and masago on the side and the Agedashi Tofu. The Wagyu Hot Rock was tasty and awesome value at $18. We shared the Bluefin Special Roll but did the non-spicy version without the jalapenos and habanero masago on the side. Hubby and I each had a Mixed Green Salad then we shared the Fatty Yellowtail and Fatty Salmon.

This place definitely has a great variety of food and drinks and is top notch. True to the reviews, multiple servers stopped by to check on us. We didn’t even try their ramen yet. Next time might have to be during happy hour as well. Looking forward to going back!“

“Such a great experience every time we come. The spicy scallop hand rolls are amazing! Highly recommend“

“Fabulous service from the beginning!!! Great sushi and ambiance. Traditional-style private dining spaces!“

“Love this place! Best food and happy hour in San Antonio,Tx . Definitely recommend 10/10“

“Seriously one the best ramen places in SA. Atmosphere was so fun and they were playing One Piece while we dined in! The buns are delicious, drinks are refreshing and the ramen is *chef's kiss* beautiful.“

“Seriously one the best ramen places in SA. Atmosphere was so fun and they were playing One Piece while we dined in! The buns are delicious, drinks are refreshing and the ramen is *chef's kiss* beautiful.“

“I just ate here today! The best Sushi Ever! Clean, tranquil, great staff! William, the owner is excellent! Great Location! I would recommend the A & M Roll Philadelphia Roll Sushimi 5+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“I’ve dined-in here a couple of times and had really great experiences with great food and service. More recently I’ve been ordering takeout from here on the phone and have been met with really friendly staff and a whole lot of generosity. The owner has a lot of passion for what he does and it shows. 100/10 recommend!“

“Best service and food ever!!!“

“Don't remember the server's name but she was excellent and extremely attentive, especially when my parents both dropped their chopsticks and had a fresh set within 20 seconds each time.

I really liked the privacy screens between all the tables, reminded me of some of the restaurants in Japan.

My parents got shoyu ramen miso ramen and they enjoyed it. my bento with the spicy pork was also really good. Would come back if I'm in the area.“

“The iced matcha was really good . 10 out of 10 and had a good experience with my boyfriend and their ice cream cones were tasty and great fun presentation. We are definitely coming back .“

“Seriously one the best ramen places in SA. Atmosphere was so fun and they were playing One Piece while we dined in! The buns are delicious, drinks are refreshing and the ramen is *chef's kiss* beautiful.“

“One of the best Ramens i have had. Nice vibe, kid friendly. Roomy, great decorations. The staff is always going the extra mile. Highly recommended. Five stars service every time.“

“Hey Kumori, your lemonade is like water with a sneeze of lemon and sugar... and you're charging $2.99 forrefills. Your service continues to decline as you become more and more greedy. Sad to share with people that Kumori was my first job. You keep on falling short each time.“

“We went and though it was a wait and a bit pricey the food was well worth it, super good and the servers were nice, we had the valentines special and me and my partner got a free slice of cheesecake as a valentines couple, overall amazing place we definitely plan to return“

“Came in last night For the first time and my family doesn’t regret it. Service was perfect, Atmosphere was great and Food was spectacular and Sushi was fresh. Serving size above average. Price was $$ (average) food was great warmed up the next day for lunch.“

“I love Hoki Bento! It's a great value option for lunch.

Portions are not too small to leave you unsatiated and large enough you'll have to lug around leftovers.

I appreciate the focus on flavor and quality over a giant meal. The bento boxes have an array of flavours to help keep your pallet interested in the meal. I frequently get the chicken katsu bento and the beef bento with curry added.

I like the seating with outlets as I can eat and work or read. It's not super loud either so it's possible to take a meeting if you really had to but you'll need your own hotspot as I don't think there's WiFi.

I like the kpop being played but some cute cafe lofi, chill hop, and maybe some kawaii future bass and future funk being mixed in would lend to some more varied vibes.

Parking: Parking up front fills up quickly, there is additional parking behind the building.“