On our trip to San Antonio we were recommended to go to here. It's in the top 10 of 100 places to eat in San Antonio. An unassuming building on the outside and dated interior, but the best part and the reason we came here was the food. It was fantastic and adding to the experience was to sit and eat in a traditional Japanese style, so off came the shoes and we sat on the floor. Clearly this place is well liked because it was packed. Definitely worth the stop and is on the list for any return trips to San Antonio.
Great food, Pat the waiter is fanstastic. The place is a bit rustic but don’t let that stop you from going inside and eating some wonderful sushi, sashimi. And have a Sapporo Black beer - flavorful good beer.
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Niki's Tokyo Inn is perhaps one of the most authentic Japanese eateries I have ever had the pleasure of dining and eating in, from its luxurious portions of sushi to its down to earth ever attentive staff it is by far one of the best (if not the best) soul fulfilling palate pleasing journey's I have ever experienced.
If you dine in on a night that is not so busy (tue, wed, thu) the chances of experiencing magic is up for grabs.
Ambiance: early 20th century Japan
Food presentation: flawless
Quality: consistently outstanding in texture, temperature and taste
Contrast: prior to ordering you are given complementary thinly sliced pickled cucumber salad with a hot rolled towel (and a unique green tea with roasted brown rice and sorghum--upon request--also complementary)
The staff and chef are always very charismatic and full of endearing wit (salt of the earth) but never disrespectful. Never mind the exterior of the building or the lack of obvious land marks, this place doesn't require it. Word of mouth, quality, consistency, persistency and respect for tradition are what have kept this place circulating, alive and booming (all substance zero hype).
So if your looking for a great place that is steeped in tradition, taste wonderful, family friendly and easy on your budget than look no further.
FYI: this review is reflective upon my own personal experience and based on the nights which and when they are not slammed that is not to say that your quality of food will be any less during very busy nights; however, the magic which I speak of can only be experienced (from my personal observations) on the days stated earlier.
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I was impressed! At first sight of the place from the outside, you wonder if you want to continue to walk in but luckily when I got there, there were Asians walking in and out...when you see that...it's a good sign!
The place is old but once you walk in, it's an entirely different story. You have the option to eat Japanese style (no shoes and sitting on the floor) or American (at a table or bar sitting on a chair). The ambience has a really good and authentic feel, nothing modern or complex...Just simple.
The food was amazing! If not better than other places in town...the food was fresh and none of the fish dish we got had a scent of fish (you know what I mean!). My wife and I got the ten course ($18/person) and added the chirashi bowl. Other reviews I read spoke highly of the chirashi bowl and I was tempted to try it.... My God I was not disappointed! The bowl I'd different cuts of sushi /sashimi but not rolled into a roll..Instead they are on top of a bed of sushi rice. It was fresh and very good. The ten course is more than worth the $18/person. Only thing I didn't like was the chicken katsu...or at least that's what I think it was. Other wise...the fried fish, fried oyster, fried chicken drummet, sukiyaki, big plate of tempura veggies and prawns were good.
In summary...I am going back!
The food is great but it would be nice to see them clean up the place some. When I took my shoes off to go sit in the traditional seating area, I felt like I was walking on wet moss instead of carpet. Couldn't do it. Had to put my shoes back on and sit at a table. Next time I'll wear a couple of pairs of socks because, like I said, the food was great.
Loved it!. One of the most delightful restaurants to dine in. Must say its the most authentic Japanese restaurants in San Antonio, and is a true gem. Look forward to returning soon.
I'm a San Antonio Girl that lives in Fort Worth. My dear friend took me here. I will agree, I had never noticed the building and it is understated and old. It is authentic and doesn't have the Las Vegas type flair others seem to need to make great sushi.
The sushi sampler plate was fantastic. My four year old enjoyed her soup and (favorite) Edemame. Our server sang a little Fort Worth song as a suprise. It was a great experience, and great if you enjoy the authentic experience.
By far the best and most authentic Japanese in town.
San Antonio institution-rightly deserved. When I think about "how many places are still around from when we moved here in 1980?" there's not a long list that comes to mind. There were two places serving japanese food at the time, and stepping into Niki's is vaguely reminescent of stepping into a time warp. Little has changed inside or out in all that time. Standards are still very well prepared and served. Tempura, sukiyaki and hand rolls were excellent on this visit. Pat is a most gracious host as always.
Best original sushi in today. Wish they served nigiri salmon (not the smoked one) and always wonder what happened to Nikki to make her averse to this delicacy. Excellent nigiri, excellent inari and ability to sit either "Se-za" or "An-za" make this a must visit. Take your time because you will whether you want to or not and while you may desire faster food, sushi should nevet be rushed. If you're gonna pay for a great meal, at least have the time to savor the experience and thus morefully enjoy not only the food, but also the company. Wish they would use rewardsnetwork so we'd get miles & we would be there all the time.
They totally rock fresh sushi and tempura. Don't come here for cream cheese. Some of the best in US at fraction of the price
Fresh and Amazing. I had a wonderful dining experience at this venerable eatery. Everything I was served was fresh the service from the waitstaff was great even considering a very busy evening. Don't be put off by the outside of the place. Once you get inside you are transported to Japan. I asked to eat in the traditional manner seated on the floor but you can also request western style. This is a memorable place to eat and a wonderful place to bring friends and lovers.
One of the most authentic Japanese restaurants I know in the states, and absolutely the most reasonable and generous.
It was impressive how many sashimis there were on the plate and it was only 32!
Everything was incredibly Japanese and tasty.
It doesn't look like a restaurant outside so this place is really a hidden gem. Haha
You definitely want to make a reservation. We walked in there and although they squeezed us in but it was a long wait.
I can't say enough good things about this restaurant and staff. I was a little skeptical at first only because my diet and stomach doesn't allow for many eating adventures. However, this place was worth the dining experience alone. I was able to enjoy dining with my family in a relaxed, authentic dining atmosphere while having the best food at a more than reasonable price. Delicious food , excellent service at a more than reasonable price all make for the perfect dining experience. Don't hesitate to make a reservation and stop in and enjoy 😉. Thank you, Niki's Tokyo Inn ❤️
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You know, as a self-proclaimed Foodie, Quality of Food is pretty important for me; but even more important for me (to get that 5-Star Rating), it’s Great Service! That genuine, down-home Service that comes across as sincere Kindness and makes you feel Welcomed and Appreciated for visiting; Yep, that’s what this place does! Definitely one of the Best Customer Service experiences I’ve received in a while—and to top it off, the Food was Super-Delicious as well! Don’t let the small building fool you as it’s been around for 52 years already so it offers a homey, down to earth ambiance with a decor of days past but the Service and the Food are so Good, everything just falls into place! From Great Appetizers/ Soups 🍲; to Wraps/ Sushi 🍣; to Tempura Family Plates and even Curry🍛, this place is a MUST TRY if you Enjoy Japanese Cuisine! But bring a Great Attitude and this Family-Run Business will smother you with Great Genuine Kindness and Customer Service! Heck, we didn’t even have a reservation and they still accommodated us for Dinner! Totally Enjoyed my evening with the Daughter and definitely glad she suggested this new spot for dinner; oh, and don’t forget their Wonderful Desserts—definitely the cherry that tops off the Evening! 👍🏽
Just had a delicious dinner at Niki’s Tokyo Inn! This restaurant has been around since 1970. It’s San Antonio’s first family owned Japanese restaurant. It’s the place to go for authentic Japanese cuisine! I’m so glad they survived the pandemic. We enjoyed sitting at the bar though you can sit Japanese style at a table. To start they bring you a hot towel to clean your hands and a small cucumber salad with octopus. We then shared a Asahi Super Dry beer with hot sake. For my entree I ordered the Chirashi bowl which was excellent. My wife had the tempura vegetables and Yakitori Dinner both were fantastic.
If you like real Japanese food, this is the place to go!! It’s a hidden gem. Check out my photos:
Great atmosphere. Once you sat down, they give you a hot towel to clean your hands and a salad with cucumber and octopus slices. Employees are very friendly. Recommended their dinner Yakiniku, Family Dinner, and their Sushi Mix. The most authentic Japanese restaurant in town and the best one so far. Can't go wrong with any items on their menu.
I had the Tokio Dinner combo which had a little bit of everything. It was fresh and lots of food. I ordered the dessert and would skip it next time. Best to make reservations before you come. Also, only open for dinner and parking is limited. Loved the presentation and taste. Coming back with my honey. P.s. we both enjoyed the unfiltered sake and teriyaki beef and the suhsi
Absolutely one of my favorite places to go when I’m in SA. The owner is an amazing guy and I love his charm. The food is also great! I can’t recommend this place enough! 6 stars!
The food was absolutely amazing here and we had great service. We got seated without a reservation but we were only a party of 2. The sushi and udon were incredible. The inside is so cozy and we loved the ambience. We opted not to do Japanese style seating since I didn’t have socks on, but next time we will definitely do it!
This place was recommended to my by a Japanese friend. It is amazing! They have a sushi bar, tables with chairs, and traditional floor seating. The food was beautiful and expertly prepared. I had the Japanese dinner, a combination plate with yakatori, assorted tempura, and sashimi. Everything was delicious and looked like a work of art. The service was excellent. All the servers spoke both English and Japanese.
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This place is incredible!! From the outside it may appear to be a little abandoned, but once you get in, it feels like if you are transported to Japan. The place looks very romantic, and even on week days gets a bit crowded, so I highly recommend to do a reservation, specially if you want to eat in one of the rooms where you sit on the floor which makes it feel even more traditional. The dishes are delicious. I highly recommend the ramen and tempura noodles, and gyozas as appetizer. Also the sashimi mix it's extremely good. I loved that while you are waiting for your dish, they serve you some water and a delicious cucumber salad, sometimes they offer also a little of kale salad that comes with bonito fish flakes which is delicious. I also recommend the unfiltered sake, which tastes different than the traditional one. They have also Oolong tea which is very good and iced green tea (this has refill). Don't hesitate to ask for recommendation to the waiters, they can help you on decide what to order if it's your first time.
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