Nineteen Hyaku Review: Elevated Japanese Dining Just Steps from the Pearl

By Sara Branstetter | October 16, 2023

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Busy (so busy!) restaurateurs, Houston and Emily Carpenter, have done it again with the successful opening of yet another restaurant, and quite possibly their most ambitious project.

Nineteen Hyaku is located off of Broadway, just east of the Pearl Historic district and only about a block away from the couple’s popular southern eatery, and another of the best new restaurants in San Antonio, Restaurant Claudine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Branstetter has called San Antonio, TX home for the last 20 years. She’s a wife of a veteran, mom of four, and a cuddler of the world's best dog. The army brought her family to San Antonio years ago, and the city, its culture, and its food have kept her here.

Nineteen Hyaku officially opened its doors on September 27 and welcomed guests to its GORGEOUS indoor eating space that features high ceilings, wicker accents, and a white marble sushi bar that spans the entire length of the restaurant.

The decor is rounded out with pops of yellow, chinese lantern-style lighting, and an attractive full service bar with an eye-catching modern light fixture. The space truly has the “wow” factor in abundance.

Nineteen Hyaku’s menu works to keep pace with the interior by turning the spotlight on their Japanese inspired cuisine. But to just call it “Japanese inspired cuisine” is a vast understatement.

Nineteen Hyaku’s flavors are certainly traditionally Japanese, but they have a refined twist, resulting in elevated dishes you won’t find anywhere else in San Antonio.

The menu is broken down into categories including rolled sushi, hand rolls, hot and cold shareable plates, nigiri, and fire-roasted skewers.

While the extensive menu will leave you wanting to try EVERYTHING, try starting with the Ebi Toreado roll with shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, and green grapes, the wagyu gyoza with squid ink and ponzu, and the spectacularly delicious mushroom skewers.

Hungry and adventurous guests will be pleased to know that Nineteen Hyaku is offering omakase, or a trust-your-chef experience for $150/guest.

Those who choose to order this will have the chef personally curate dishes, and many of them at that, to fill you up and expose you to just about everything that Nineteen Hyaku does well. And if my experience is at all standard, there isn’t much they don’t do well.

Protip: While there is ample parking near Nineteen Hyaku at the Pearl, I recommend you park at the Oxbow Parking Garage in the Credit Human building. You park there for up to 3 hours at only $5, and it is about a one minute walk from the entrance to the restaurant.

NINETEEN HYAKU WEBSITE | 1900 Broadway Suite #119, San Antonio, TX 78215