LLAMASODA

With great service and a fun, casual setting, Piranha Izakaya stays true to its name as an izakaya by offering a tasty array of snacks, ramen, and, most importantly, refreshing alcoholic beverages that just hit the spot (on top of that, happy hour from 3PM to 6PM every day!).

After a long 4-hour drive from Dallas to San Antonio (which I know most Texans wouldn’t even consider a long drive), we were understandably feeling a little hungry, and after having the responsibility of looking for a place to eat bestowed upon me yet again as always, I suggested checking out Piranha Izakaya as it would be something new for us to try as izakayas are not really a common sight when it comes to the culinary scene outside of Japan and also we just (originally) wanted a light meal to just fill ourselves up enough (in the end, we ended up ordering about 50% of the entire menu probably).

After being greeted by our server and shown to our table, I started with the Tokyo Tea ($9) as my beverage of choice, which wasn’t as bitter as I thought it’d be, and it tasted somewhat like a grown-up version of lemonade. I recommend this drink as it’s refreshing (yes, it’s that word again…), and the slightly bitter lemon taste is perfect for summer!

We ordered a boatload of appetizers to enjoy alongside our drinks. The first ones to grace our table was the Bang Bang Shrimp ($8.50) which had a pretty great sweet and savory taste to it, and the lovely Seaweed Salad ($4), which I could not stop stuffing some in my mouth every few seconds.

The Ginger Beef ($9), the Takoyaki ($6), and the Karaage ($6) were served next, and I went for the Ginger Beef first, which I found to be a mild disappointment as I felt that aside from the savory sweetness brought by the onions, there was a lack of depth in regards to the flavor.

As for the Takoyaki, the savory and creamy filling was lovely and went well with the Tokyo Tea as the bubbly drink aided in cutting down the greasiness of the dish, and before we knew it, we had finished it pretty quickly!

The Karaage was simple, but the accompanying spicy aioli elevated the taste. The little watermelon cubes that were also served alongside the dish were refreshing and gave a little respite from the greasiness of the fried chicken.

Our final appetizer before we began ordering for our main dish was the Samurai Ribs ($11), 24-hour sous vide pork ribs with a flavorful marinade which personally did not do much for me, but it was still a decent dish, and taking bites of the juicy meat along with some kimchi that was served along with the ribs were pretty great.

My next adult drink (I was having sips of soda and lemonade here and there to digest the truckload of food we were having) was the classy JP Old Fashion ($10) which had more of a mature taste compared to the Tokyo Tea. The bitters gave a lovely tingling, spicy taste (the sensation is a little reminiscent of the mouth-numbing effect from Sichuan peppers) and a fragrant aroma which I enjoyed. I will say that the drink is a little stronger, so don’t make the mistake of guzzling it down like I did for some stupid reason!

The main dish for the evening was the Shoyu Ramen ($11.50). I found the saltiness of the soy sauce, the bamboo shoots, the mushrooms, and especially the chewy yet firm texture of the noodles to be the highlights of the dish for me. The clean and simple flavor of the clear broth was certainly a lifesaver after I had downed the JP Old Fashion like a shot (I know I said it before, and I know you’re not dumb as I am, but please don’t do it!).

Not only because I forgot to order from their dessert menu (a crime that is quite the most unforgivable), I’ll most definitely find myself coming back to Piranha Izakaya again for their great dishes and interesting selection of drinks (another reminder that their happy hour runs from 3PM – 6PM daily)!

Tell me about all the drinks you tried and which one(s) was your favorite!

(This article was originally written on the 30th of May, 2022)

• 📍260 E Basse RD, San Antonio, TX 78209
• 🕘 11:00AM – 9:00PM every day (make sure to check availability during federal holidays)
• ☎️ +12108221088
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[20/02/2023: Minor grammatical adjustments made + I finally gave in to Grammarly Pro©]