osaka japanese steak & sushi

definitely underwhelming in almost every way. sesame chicken was bland, teriyaki steak was also bland, and in fact not steak, it was glued steak. service was inexperienced, and rude. atmosphere was also underwhelming. our bill was $56 for a glued teriyaki steak, sesame chicken, gyoza (the only pleasing dish we had), 2 iced teas, and one beer. we were up charged $6 for fried rice, even though we ordered brown rice. when we brought that to the waiters attention, he told us we ordered fried and he wasn't taking it off the bill. by far the worst food we've had in sa. with 10,000 restaurants in san antonio, and sapporo (the best realjapanesefood in the city) to compete with, don't waste your time or $$$ at osaka.

very nice lunch, haven't been to this osaka for dinner. after having a very pleasant evening at the bandera road osaka, i was happy to find out about this location that's closer to home. i don't mind driving over to bandera, but it's a bit of a hike when you live in the far northeast area of s.a., and it's hard to make it over there all that often.

saw that bento boxes were on the lunch menu, took my daughter specifically so she could try one of those, as she'd been wanting to. she's not a big sushi fan, so she got the "kitchen box" of chicken teriyaki, really enjoyed it. we also did the hibachi, which we didn't try at the bandera location, and i was surprised that osaka's policy allowed putting on the show for just the three of us. i'd thought that there was usually a higher minimum on the number of diners, but they didn't act as if it was anything out of the ordinary. the chef was very nice, entertaining, he didn't seem annoyed that there were only three of us, either.

i had the steak, more or less the standard for me atjapanesesteakhouses. it was cooked well, very tasty. fried rice was very good, as were the sauces. husband had the chicken, enjoyed it as well. didn't have any drinks of the alcohol variety, but would like to go back and check out the happy hour. and my daughter was very happy to be able to get her much-loved ramune.

all the staff was friendly, attentive, no issues with the service. more of a "neighborhood place" feel at this location than at bandera road. if i lived in the neighborhood, i could see becoming a regular, but since we're a little bit of a ways away, guess we'll have to settle for semi-regular.

if you're in the mood forjapanesefood, check out either osaka location. glad i found them both.

excellent food!. this was my firstjapanesesteakhouse in san antonio (i am from iowa, here for military) and going here was a great choice. the food was outstanding. went there on a saturday night, got right in, sat down and ordered with no problems. got some appetizers, sushi and teppenyaki food also.

the appetizers were excellent (fried dumpling) as well as the sushi which we ordered the dragon roll with spice added. they accommodated all special requests also which was great. the main meal was excellent as well, we had an outstanding chef who talked to us, and was very personable the entire meal through. made the meal much more enjoyable on top of the great fresh food that was made for us.

all in all, this restaurant was very good, the only downside was the prices were a little higher than mostjapanesesteakhouses that i have been to, but the service was great, food was fresh and tasted great, and there were no other downsides at all.

i would recommend this place to everyone!

you'll need a to go box!!!. i don't know about your family, but some nights, my family suffers from serious disagreement when it comes to picking a place to go out to dinner. i'll want steak, wife'll want sushi, kids will want chicken, etc. you get the picture. and that's why we love osaka.
realistically, just about any mood can be accommodated here. osaka goes the full mile to provide sushi, teppanyaki steak, shrimp, chicken, or lobster. you can get it grilled, fried, or steamed. and, for $3.00 more they'll make that steak a filet! (you tell that guy how you want it, and he will make it that way - cut up, not cut up, salt & pepper only, just name it. he'll do it.) vegetables on the grill, steamed, with rice, without rice - honestly the choices and combinations of those choices are endless. and all items are fresh and made-to-order (well, you knew that about the teppanyaki, but the rest of the menu is too!)
really cool & delicious appetizers (monkey brains & heart attacks - i'll let you look those up) and desserts. awesome lunch specials, and my favorite, the 3 for $20 happy hour - truly the best deal in town. huge house rolls from just about half the sushi menu - you seriously cant beat this deal for sushi. and they have a well rounded wine and drink menu to go with all this diversity.
the atmosphere can be a little dark, but the hibachi grills are the reason, and this is a typicaljapanesesteak house. my family thinks its warm and comfortable. all your traditionaljapanesefavorites are here as well, including the ever popular bento box.
service here has always been fun and attentive, with vince being my favorite. (no, he's not japanese, but is benihana trained and throws a mean spatula!) prices are just a little higher than most asian restaurants, but that's a norm for ajapanesesteakhouse with this many fresh choices on the menu.
and come hungry, because that guy will just keep piling food on your plate from that awesome grill long after you're full. "can i get a to go box, please?"

the truth. what do i think? for one, i think dear scott down below, has an ulterior motive (or two) for posting a review attempting to degrade osaka for all that it's not. let's take a look first at scott's other reviews. it just so happens that he has reviewed competitors restaurants with practically 'outstanding' compliments.... (no, who would have thought that such deceitful attempts to gain a competitive edge were possible?)...

yes. it is possible. yes. there are restaurants and other companies that intentionally disguise themselves as a customer and leave bad reviews about their competitors just to have a half-brained attempt at gaining a single piece of business or two over their competitor. yes. there are also people (very similarly too scott here) who go around and offer a business a deal, in which he gets food for free or greatly discounted and in return leaves bad reviews for one of their competitors.

again. let's take a look at his reviews. is scott eating at 2 restaurants at once? apparently he went to both tong's thai and osaka in one night. but why isn't he leaving anymore reviews of other restaurants now? did he just hit up tong thai and osaka simultaneously and leave it at that? is his career as a well-rounded food critic over? why was he at a mexican restaurant and the back lounge area of tong's thai in the same night too?

does scott understand the idea of a "themed restaurant?" places like benihana of course fit that mold. but the restaurant is name osaka. as in osaka, japan. so, i don't think you're going to enter into a restaurant named osaka and have a menu and experience that caters to cheeseburger lovers. at osaka you get the best hibachi-style dining experience.

and scott ragging on the staff as "more interested in singingjapanesebirthday songs to tables celebrating such events rather focusing on the majority of customers ".... i didn't know it took 30 minutes to sing some fun and happy customers a birthday song.... well. in that case, because the caring and fun wait staff takes 45 seconds of their time to focus on singing happy birthday to a happy customer, maybe we should tell them to not be so darn nice and sweet and take that 45 seconds to do something else. problem fixed. when scott dines at osaka (if he even did the first time) no happy birthday songs injapanesebecause that 45 seconds of making a customer happy and the environment more lively (coincidentally, just like many other restaurants do to make their customers happy) can be more productive with some other use... like serving scott some water to go with his sour-tarts.

what else did scott say.... oh yes, " tasteless sashimi. the tempura squid appetizer was made from out of the bag frozen squid." hm... i wonder how ninja scott made it all the way into the restaurants kitchen to gain this specific, but inaccurate knowledge about the frozen in-a-bag-squid? and sashimi being tasteless... does he know what sashimi is in the first place? it's raw seafood. it's typically an acquired taste for many. and according to those who can appreciate it's taste, they are able to distinguish osaka's as being highly worthy of great acclaim. i doubt scott has the sophistication of knowing the difference between tasteless and tasteful sashimi.

there's too many oddities for someone to take this guy serious. he's obviously not credible. and he's obviously got an ulterior motive. and of course he's "never going to go again" because he probably didn't go the first time he left his diluted review.

maybe someone can pat tong's thai on the back or give them a high-five for allowing themselves or someone else to deceive customers into missing out on a truly great opportunity to dine at an incredible place like osaka.

if anyone is familiar with local professional food critics and magazines, you'll have surely come across on more than one occasion, a few articles on osaka and it's great environment and great food. if anyone is familiar with actual real customers that have been to osaka, you'll hear pretty much the same thing. the food is great. prepared immaculately. the environment is great. extremely easy going and fun. the staff is awesome. very friendly. (if you don't like being happy, then you won't like this place).

personally, i have been to osaka many, many times and each time the experience is exactly on par with extremely friendly staff and a very nice, engaging and fun environment. each time that i've been to osaka there seems to be usuals at the sushi bar laughing up a storm with one of the sushi chef's, or a family or group of friends at one of the hibachi grills being entertained by one of the funny, talented and skillfully trained hibachi chef's. if you're looking for a date night or something less entertaining and more relaxing, you don't have to go the hibachi route. you can always seat at a booth and enjoy a relaxed dining experience. or you can sit at the sushi bar and eat sushi like a kid that just received the key to willy wonka's chocolate factory.

osaka really is a great environment. being one of the many usuals that spend a lot of time there, i feel like it's family. i know people leave happy.

don't bother. just got back home from osaka. what a disaster. another "theme restaurant" so typical of san antonio. rather than concentrating on the menu, focused on the fauxjapanesehype with all the cheesy schtick of benihana--but not as good. two restautants in one. loud, obnoxious group grill and traditional sit down. neither one impressive. sophomoric wait staff more interested in singing "japanese" birthday songs to tables celebrating such events rather focusing on the majority of customers. tasteless sashimi. the tempura squid appetizer was made from out of the bag frozen squid. total disappointment. will never go again.

wonderfully hot-succulent grilled meats. the mood of osaka was cool & dark, yet fun & inviting.
my friends and i all asked for a teppanyaki table (we were more intrigued by the "steak" aspect of the restaurant's title.)
after a good look at out menus to decide, (we were waited on hand-and-foot during the whole dinner by the friendly waiter) our appetizers came out.
we had the tofu tempura, chicken tempura, and the fried gyoza (two of which you can see in the photos i've uploaded); all of it was simply divine (i especially liked the tofu.) the sauce accompaniments added to the appetizers wonderfully.
our cook came to the table and greeted us warmly, firing up the surface (very literally) to start the show. he performed several tricks such as the classic onion fuji volcano as well as an egg toss. the food is cooked for you in a course-like feel, as it is all skillfully made with care. first, you receive two sauces for your meats or veggies. secondly, you have short-grainedjapanesefried rice (or steamed, if you'd prefer) tossed and lightly fried, then served in generous bowls. the vegetables are sauteed with a light savory sauce, the chicken and fish items (again, depending on what each individual orders) are prepared (and ofttimes a sample is given to each member of the table); followed by the robust steaks cooked especially to your order.
both the chicken and steak i had were seared and impeccably succulent & juicy. the entire meal was very satisfying and filling, and the atmosphere relaxing. really a good show!

wow!!! i love sushi so much and this place is off the sheezy!!! the sushi bento box with spicy tuna rolls and shrimp tempura rolls is a go for launch!!! the only thing i didn't like about it was that it took forever to get the food!!! but overall, that place was the bomb!!! i definately recommend of to anybody that appreciatesjapanesefood. peace!!!