Lots of raves for this place, so if you like Japanese food you probably already know about it
Ootoya
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
14 St. (F, M)6 Ave. (L)14 St. - Union Sq (N, Q, R)
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pmMon-Sun 5:30 pm - 10:30 pmSat-Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
- $$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual, Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
272 reviews for Ootoya
Review Highlights What's this?
-
"The Salmon was very fresh and loved the Egg Custard." In 49 reviews -
"Yummy 'country style' Japanese food like we had in Japan." In 55 reviews -
"I forgot to try the natto or homemade tofu." In 14 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
272 reviews in English
-
Review from An N.
New York, NYThis place is a really nice experience. I can't think of one bad thing to say about it. It's definitely different from what you'd normally think of as Japanese food if when you think of it, all that comes up is sushi, terikyaki meats or ramen...
First came here on a Friday night around 7pm and had no idea how popular it was. The wait for two was about 1 hour. We didn't do it, but I made a reservation instead for a Thursday at 6pm (they only take reservations for 6pm...not a huge problem, but kind of odd)
We had the homemade tofu appetizer with 3 salts and it was a transcendent tofu experience. it hadn't occurred to me tofu could actually taste that good--and I was already a fan of the stuff before. It essentially tastes like the freshest soy milk you've ever had. Really light in texture and the wasabi salt is fantastic with it.
I had the salmon sushi set, which came with miso soup and egg custard. It was all so good, I didn't leave one thing left on the tray.
We split the matcha anmitsu for dessert and while the extras were ok, the green tea ice cream was the best, creamiest version I've ever had.
service was good and the interior space is quite large and spacious.
I'm already thinking of what to order next time... -
Review from Nga C.
I came here last night with my friend and we both sat at their bar area because we simply thought it would be the best spot and it was!
The restaurant is very well dressed. It was simple with it's wood infused decor. The soft lighting from the hanging paper lanterns made the restaurant feeling comfortable and relaxing. With jazz playing in the background, we were immediately greeted with warm towels to clean our hands. Personally I thought it was a very nice touch indeed!
I ordered their homemade soba with grated yam and raw egg yolk ($16) and it was absolutely delightful -- I wanted more. I enjoyed the sliminess of the yolk over the sliminess of the grated yam and when combined with the soy sauce, it had the perfect amount of salt to bring out the flavor and taste.
We also tried some of their yakitori but I thought it was okay. The meat was a bit dry and tough. I thought it was over cooked and wasn't seasoned well enough. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it as it's overpriced and not worth a shot. Although watching the guy making them was pretty entertaining.
Their homemade tofu ($6) that comes with three different flavored salts are also worth a try! My friend and I shared it and the taste of the tofu was silky, chilled and just utterly refreshing. Let's just say, If you can't figure out what fresh tofu should taste like, imagine processed mozzarella from the supermarket vs. freshly made mozzarella from the a deli. It's just that good!!!!
Best of all I like this place because they are a chain restaurant from Japan. I assume most of their ingredients are local but their menu probably mirrors the same ones from Japan so that is a plus in my book. -
Review from Christoff F.
New York, NYCute restaurant. Service was good. Large menu of set items to chose from.
The salmon set was a little oily and need some kind of acid to cut the oil. My only complaint.
Kimchi nabe was good.
Blue fin tuna soba thing appetizer was good if not hard to eat.
Tuna tataki appetizer was good, -
Review from Helen C.
Fresh chirashi bowl and good salmon pressed sushi. The saba could have been better as the flesh was a tad tough to chew. The random veggies, soup and steamed egg custard was tasty as well so it's better to get the set compared to a la carte. I was kind of surprised of the savory egg as I was expecting it to be sweet but it was silky smooth and delicious nonetheless.
Kind of pricy but worth a trip if you're around the area. Staff is attentive and nice, establishment is spotless and chic. 4 outta 5 it is!-
saba set -
chirashi -
salmon set
-
-
Review from Christine B.
Brooklyn, NYThe service here is amazing. Our waiter was so friendly, helpful and attentive. Also a waiter ran after me and my friend to give me a card/gift I left behind.
As for the food, it's honestly really difficult ordering because there are sooo many options. I definitely want to come back and try more things (egg custard was good, tofu was good, mackerel was not my favorite, the fried chicken in sweet sour vinegar was good, soba noodles were good). -
Review from Susan Z.
Ootoya is my new fav Japanese spot. There's typically an hour wait (min) on weekends but it's well worth it. Pus, it's a cute date spot.
Their soba noodles kick butt so definitely give it a try. They have a few different kinds--I'm a fan of the Tsumani Tororo Soba. The homemade soba noodles are topped with grated yam. I know--it's sounds weird but it's AMAZING. The texture is a bit gooey, kind of like when you put a raw egg on something, but the flavor is delicious. Despite the fact that it's a carb, it's actually quite light and the portion is small so this, plus a mini set, is plenty of food for one.
In addition to the soba app, I get the Mini Kaisen Don: an assortment of sashimi on rice served with miso soup, steamed egg custard and pickles. I'm obsessed with the egg custard. SO good!
I also like the cheesecake but it wasn't the light fluffy kind of Japanese cheesecake I expected. It actually has quite a strong yogurt taste, which may not be everyone's cup of tea.
And finally, if you're a fan of Saki, you must must MUST the saki flight!-
Mini Kaisen Don -
Saki flight -
Tsumani Tororo Soba
-
-
Review from Marissa G.
Brooklyn, NYOne of the best (and most authentic) Japanese restaurants in the city. Incredibly cheap for the quality of food and adeptness cooking.
I would come here every week if it wasn't a little bit hard to get to from my house.
Love the grilled fish dishes. -
Review from Minty N.
PECK SLIP, NYExcellent - Authentic Japanese food. It's as good as it gets in New York with reasonable pricing.
For appetizer, I ordered Yakitori which was very high quality. I had salmon and salmon roe chirashi with set. The set is additional and comes with miso soup, asazuke pickles, and chawanmushi. (Chawanmushi was very good but it will be better if it had ginkgo nuts imho) The salmon was unbelievable. It was cooked so delicately and melted in my mouth.
I will be back in a heartbeat! -
Review from Peter K.
I kinda love this place.
I don't know what it is about this place that makes it one of my favorite restaurants.
Maybe it's the soft ambient jazz they always pump through the air that puts me at ease the moment I step through the doors, or maybe it's the clean, minimalist, Shinto shrine-like wooden decor. The food is traditional Japanese style, although I do have a sneaking suspicion that the portions are bigger here. The service, like most Japanese restaurants, is impeccable. Say what you will of the savage imperialist history of the Japanese people, but their table-side hospitality simply cannot be matched. Even at the dingiest hole in the wall restaurant in Japan, you will be treated like you are someone special, which is to say, it's all very un-New York.
I ordered one of their set lunches with Saba a.k.a mackerel. The portion sizes here, as I have mentioned before, are large. One set lunch can easily feed 2 people. I took half of my fish home but managed to scarf down all the sides, which included chawanmushi, pickled vegetables, potato salad, and some seaweed salad. It was all very healthy while tasting great.
I'm glad they opened another one uptown to relieve the congestion here during meal times. The wait times can be insane on the weekends and during dinner. 1-2 hrs? No thanks. But if you are lucky enough to get a table here, ready yourself for a very pleasant dining experience. -
Review from Jessica L.
NY, NYCame on a Tuesday night around 7pm. Our table of 2 was seated in about 30 min.
Delicious food in a convenient location. It looks like a little restaurant from the front, but when you walk in, it's a beautifully decorated, open layout. We sat on the second floor and our waitress was very attentive and helpful! She recommended dishes from each section for us. We ordered the sake tasting, which my fiance loved, the homemade tofu, which was great!! and the skewers were amazing! I wish I just ordered a multitude of skewers! I definitely recommend the two skewers I got, the chicken meatball and sweet sauce and the pork belly and tomato. We also ordered two entrees, which was actually too much food for me. I ordered the strips of beef (very delicious as well, but I was just too full to finish) and my fiance ordered the grilled saba (mackerel). My fiance was raving about the mackerel. He said he doesn't usually like mackerel, but looved his entreee! The set comes with miso soup, egg custard (smooth and delicious) and rice! I definitely recommend ordering sets! it's only a few dollars more and you get sooo many extras!
Enjoy! -
Review from Stephy S.
Very good, fun ambiance. Service was attentive and not too overwhelming. If you order your meal as a set, you get a miso soup, pickled veggies, and an egg custard. Very nice bento presentation :)
Expect to wait long, but that just means it's worth it! -
Review from Beaux C.
Chelsea, Manhattan, NYThe only downside to this restaurant is the one hour wait. But it is well with it. Egg custard to die for. And you know it is legit because have the guests are Japanese. -
Review from Valerie G.
New York, NY30 minute wait at 8:45pm on a Wednesday night - not bad for the high quality food at Ootoya!
My boify and I sat down at the bar and was quickly attended to by our server. He was polite and swift - never over bearing. We ordered two dinner sets. I had the smaller sashimi set and he the yakitori. Both were phenomenal. You can taste the pure freshness of the fish and the tender love they put into making the dishes!
Oh and that egg custard...silky, smooth, and melts in your mouth. Our neighbors ordered the mackeral set which looked great! I'll definitely have to try that or the katsu next time! Can't wait to return!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered