Piranha Izakaya
Eating Japanese food in San Antonio brings a unique feeling of nostalgia. Papa and I moved to Okinawa, Japan right after we got married. I was 18, he was 19. We spent three years overseas before moving to San Antonio back in 2017. I went to beauty school here, we bought our first home here and had our baby girl here. So, when we found out we were coming back, years later, with a baby boy and a dog… we were ready. Now, let’s discuss Piranha Izakaya.
Gekkeken Hot Sake
I believe all Japanese cuisine should begin with hot sake, but I’m no expert. We ordered two Gekkeken Hot Sakes for $7 each and each carafe had enough for 6 servings. The sake was warm, smooth, and so easy to drink. Papa actually enjoyed this— which is shocking because he can’t stomach anything besides a vodka redbull!
Let me begin by saying that every single dish was a hit. We started with the Karaage chicken because I wasn’t sure if the boy would enjoy anything else on the menu. The Karaage is served with a creamy, zesty aioli and a side of marinated watermelon. The chicken was crispy, juicy, and fresh out the fryer. We actually had to wait quite a while for it to cool down enough to eat! The aioli was a bit spicy but paired perfectly with the chicken. The jalapeno poppers may have changed my life. Tempura fried jalapeno poppers? A fusion dish from two of my favorite cuisines! The batter was light and crispy and somehow battered the jalapenos without any separation. The bang bang shrimp was so good! We all agreed that we’ll order two next time we visit Piranha Izakaya! The shrimp was fresh and crispy coated in a sweet chili mayo sauce. We started off strong with these appetizers!
Chicken Ramen
The girl redeemed herself by ordering another Asian noodle dish (see Ming’s for reference). This ramen was incredible. The chicken was well seasoned, tender, and juicy. The noodles were soft. The broth was flavorful. This was our first time trying bamboo shoots, and honestly, they weren’t bad! We look forward to trying a different ramen dish in the future.
You can’t have Japanese food without sushi! We ordered four different rolls: shrimp tempura, wasabi crusted salmon, California, and Piranha. Shrimp tempura rolls are always our go-to sushi roll. These were great! The wasabi crusted salmon rolls were so insanely delicious. I’ve never had a sushi roll with this crispy texture of wasabi crusted goodness. The filling was refreshing, which balanced the crunchy exterior. The California rolls were my least favorite— they were the only roll that didn’t come with any sauce. The Piranha roll was also great, but nothing is topping the wasabi crusted salmon roll.
Piranha Margarita
The margarita was okay, truly nothing to brag about. I’m still on this unofficial journey to find the best classic margarita in San Antonio. So far, Taqueria Cazadores is in the lead!
The food was incredible, the service was great, the prices were reasonable, the location was ideal. We absolutely can’t wait to visit Piranha Izakaya again!