Hanamaru Cafe
Japanese · 7460 Callaghan Rd #333, San Antonio, Texas 78229
★★★★½ 1 review(210) 748-1837
Menu Items
Reviews
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Good Food, Good Desserts, But Small Portions.
I've eaten here once, and while it was decent, the flavor, portion sizes and prices were not enough to bring me back. They are known for the taiyaki, which is a Japanese fish shaped waffle like dessert that can be filled with multiple things, from sweet to even savory.
Their taiyaki menu is pretty extensive, including red bean, nutella, custard, oreo, ube, cream cheese, pumpkin, cheddar cheese, ham and cheese, turkey cheddar, turkey mozzzarella, & pepperoni mozzarella. (This list is not complete) The taiyaki are prepared fresh when you order, so the outside waffle like shell comes out hot.
In addition to the taiyaki, they also offer matcha ice cream, bulgogi bowls, musubi, fruit cups, and nikujaga bowls.
On my first visit I ordered the nikujaga bowl, because Im all about trying things I've never had before. The nikujaga bowl was a beef and potato like stew served over rice. The beef was tender, but the flavor fell between an American pot roast and a Mexican carne guisada. It wasnt something that impressed me enough to want it again, plus the serving size was more like a cup than a bowl.
After finishing my "bowl", I ordered a taiyaki. I love custard filled buns in Chinese food, so I decided to go with the custard taiyaki. Again the custard was not overly flavorful, and I felt the taiyaki was a pretty small serving for the price. The items here seem to be more "specialty" items that are being sold at a premium.
The restaurant is located right next door to Minnano, a Japanese gift and grocery store, which is a plus if your in the mood for all things Japanese, and they do have some unique snacks and items (I recommend at least taking a peek), while the pricing there is all over the place, with some items semi-high and others about average.
But back to Hanamaru, taiyaki will cost about $3 each for the dessert ones, $4 for meat ones, and the bowls are priced around $11. Plan on spending about $20 for a full meal (bowl, taiyaki & drink) or 2-3 taiyaki a drink & an ice cream.
While I wasn't overly impressed with the food, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped for, and the portion sizes were small in my opinion for the $11 price on the bowls. I would consider returning to try the ice cream, and maybe another taiyaki as a snack.— Paul
