Foodie Friday: Otsu Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar

San Marcans looking for a modern and welcoming Asian restaurant should visit Otsu Asian Bistro & Suhsi Bar.

Otsu sits in a shopping center near the corner of Wonder World Drive and South Stagecoach Trail just south of the Hays County Government Center.

Enter the restaurant and you’re welcomed to a trendy designed spot. The restaurant offers tasty Asian cuisine.

“Otsu Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar offers delicious tasting Japanese & Asian cuisine in San Marcos,” the restaurant says on its website. “Otsu Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar’s convenient location and affordable prices make our restaurant a natural choice for eat-in or take-out meals in the San Marcos community. Our restaurant is known for its variety in tasty and high-quality fresh sushi.”

What to get:

During our visit to Otsu, my dining partner and I ate from the lunch menu.

I selected the chicken katsu ($12), which came with panko crusted chicken, fried rice and a house salad.

The chicken katsu was a good selection for lunch. It was perfectly portioned. The fried rice complimented the meal well. The house salad had a great ginger dressing.

My dining companion selected General Tso’s chicken. The meal came with a hearty portion of deep fried chicken, which came re-stir fried with Otsu’s house special sauce. My dining partner also chose the fried rice and egg drop soup to go along with his chicken. Following his delicious meal, he said he would definitely come back to try more off Otsu’s menu.

If you aren’t feeling like chicken. Otsu also offers tonkatsu, which is panko crusted pork ($18); salmon teriyaki — served with sautéed vegetables and teriyaki sauce ($23); beef teriyaki ($21); and shrimp teriyaki ($15) .

Otsu also offers a variety of rice plates, including chicken fried rice ($11), beef fried rice ($11), shrimp fried rice ($11) and vegetable fried rice ($11).

You can also sample Otsu’s noodle selection. The restaurant has beef udon — thick white noodles, soup with stir fried beef and vegetables. There’s also nabeyaki udon served with thick white noodles, fish cake, shrimp tempura and egg in a seafood broth. This San Marcos eatery also dishes out ramen with pork and yakisoba.

Don’t forget about Otsu’s sushi and nigiri. The Asian spot has multiple raw and cooked nigiri selections as well as sushi rolls. Consider trying  the A.I. Roll ($12.25) with salmon and cream cheese inside then tempura fried and covered with chopped crab and eel sauce or the Guadalupe roll ($16), which comes with eel, cream cheese, shrimp, crab, spicy crawfish and eel sauce.

To view the full menu visit: otsuasianbistro.com.

If you go:

Otsu Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar is located at 407 Stagecoach Trail #101 in San Marcos.

The restaurant is open for lunch between 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday. Otsu is also open for dinner from 4-9 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, and 4-10 p.m. on Fridays. Hours are 4-10 p.m. on Saturdays and 12-9 p.m. on Sundays.

Phone: 737-221-8933