Ootoya - Union Square

Ootoya in Union Square is a hidden gem that delivers an authentic taste of Japan right in the heart of NYC. Their new Matcha Parfait that lured us in is definitely a must try! This rich, smooth, and refreshing dessert is like taking a little trip to Japan with each and every bite. The food here is fresh, beautifully prepared, and absolutely delicious. Ootoya’s staffs are warm and friendly making you feel right at home. Their fast service ensures you never have to wait long to enjoy your meal in this cozy and inviting place. Whether you’re here for a quick lunch or a leisurely dinner, Ootoya is a spot you’ll want to come back to again and again. —

It might be because we were there in the middle of the week for lunch, but it was nice coming to a restaurant that was pretty quiet! Very much Japanese style sets where it’s more for one person rather than sharing. The portion size was great ! We both got the regular size but I’m sure if we had gotten the small, it would have been just as filling. The only complaint I have was that the rice we had for the salmon oshizushi was a little too warm and too much — fish to salmon ratio was a little off but the salmon itself was delicious. The toro melted in your mouth 🤤 I would have given 5 stars if it wasn’t for the warm rice

I’m not the kind of person who usually writes reviews, but this experience was really disappointing. After eating their so-called 和牛beef bowl, I had an upset stomach for the rest of the day. The dish cost $45, and while Japanese cuisine is usually known for its freshness and natural flavors, their Wagyu beef was heavily salted—probably to cover up the poor quality or even spoiled meat. Aside from the food, the overall environment and other dishes were far below the standard of other Japanese restaurants. It wasn’t even busy that day, but we still waited quite a while for our food. Worst of all, the service was terrible. I didn’t catch the name of the waitress, but she was a woman with a sour attitude. After a long wait, she brought us the wrong order. When I kindly pointed it out, she looked at me suspiciously and took the dish away without even a simple apology. I won’t be going back. I hope my review helps others. This place is expensive, but it’s nowhere near worth the price.

Although the prices are little high, you definitely get your money's worth here. The quality and quantity of the food are both very good. The teishoku options are plentiful - almost makes it hard to choose. Recommended for a hearty lunch.

Ootoya has been my favorite restaurant since my second visit to nyc and I made the decision to stay after eating here. Their 10th year anniversary set was a huge value. You basically no longer need to choose and can eat everything, with an appetizer and a desert even, for a good price. It is only offered until end of this March. Definitely try this one!

Super friendly service, tasty food and reasonable price!

My sister took me here for my birthday during restaurant week and I must say Ootoya exceeded our expectations! The food was delicious and presented nicely. The atmosphere was pretty and our servers were quick! I loved the Kaisen Don, cold noodles and the fries really stood out to me! The dessert was not overly sweet either which was great!

Crispy sushi sounds good but in practice meant that the sushi could fall apart since the crpisies left a dry layer between the rice and fish. Sushi overall was OK. Service is also VERY slow. They need more staff — we had to flag a waiter down to get our bill.

The food at Ootoya is consistently good. Last time I was at the Times Square location, this time at he Union Square location. I like both. What stands out at the Union Square location is the service. Our server did a great job telling us about the sake options. She checked on us to make sure our water was filled and we liked our orders. Can't wait to come back when I am in New York next time.

The restaurant is super pretty. I asked the waitress if I should get the Toji set or the beef broth one. She was really nice and recommended the beef broth one. The price is also incredibly good with the quality you get in the city. Amazing service, food and decor. Love it.

On a Saturday afternoon, this place felt peaceful. I was able to read a little of my book before my food came. I felt comfortable dining by myself as others came to do so too. Service was efficient. I liked the crunch to the colorful sushi pieces. Second time going to Ootoya, but different branch. The lunch experience was more my cup of tea. Would continue to dine at Ootoya.

Got the autumn special! Kinda salty/overly sweet for me, but decent for vibes and space! Think you can get a better bang for your buck elsewhere. Service was fairly quick, and all the waiters were very kind as we ended up yapping for an hour or so after eating.

I wanted to check this place out due the high reviews. It didn't meet my high expectations at all. First of all the service wasn't that great. Maybe because there were only a few servers during a weekday? The people next to our table were complaining and said, "Why is this location so slow?" You shouldn't ask for waters to be refilled. It should just be done asap. So one of them got up and went to all the servers at the bar to fill the glasses up. At least they knew all the dishes like the back of their hand. The chef recommendations weren't that great. I couldn't eat a lot of stuff off the menu as it was fried. I was quite disappointed. Service and food were subpar. For the table, we ordered the Bara Chirashi Don, Mazemen, the Toro Salmon Sashimi Ponzu, the Ootoya Futomaki Roll, and the Dessert Box. I liked the dessert box out of everything that was at the table.

Food (3.5/5) - Food was decent - I got the tonkatsu as a teishoku set which was a lot of food but with smaller portions - Thought it was pretty good/decent. No complaints other than portion sizes given the price point Service (5/5) - Very friendly service - No complaints Ambiance (5/5) - Casual, good for large groups

Yummmm This is my favorite spot to get Japanese food in NYC. This establishment has been here since Covid - there's a lot of seating especially during lunch time. I usually get the salmon meal with multi grain rice and onsen tamago with salmon roe. The food is delicious This place is a great for a solo meal or for sitting down with friends. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

I stopped by for dinner with a friend last Friday - we did make a reservation but there were plenty of tables available throughout our whole meal. We started with an order of the beef potato croquette. The filling was very tasty, with the warm mashed potatoes blending very well with the savoury ground beef. The outside was a bit lacking though; not as crispy as I would have expected and the sogginess made it a bit difficult to pick up without it disintegrating lol. We ordered to share the katsu ju and the yosenabe hot pot. Katsu ju was fantastic! Pork was tender and oh-so-flavourful, and while the broth somewhat means the fried part isn't that crispy, it wasn't soggy at all. The egg was a great addition, and the dashi-flavoured rice helped balance and tie everything together. Very yummy overall, albeit a bit smaller (portion size) than I would have expected. Yosenabe was fantastic. It really is "all-in-one" as described, so you get to try a little of each type of meat in there. Portion size, in contrast to the rice above, was surprising large, and had a lot more fish in particular than I expected. The beef and the pork belly were my favourite parts. The broth flavour is a lot fishier than expected though (a lot of the mackerel flavour seeps throughout), was a bit of negaative point for me. We also had some nice drinks, too; I had the yuzu amasake and my friend the sake blossom. Yuzu amasake was surprisingly tasty - a very powerful yuzu flavour through and then a very satisfying rice-y aftertaste from the underlying amasake. That being said, the cup was like barely half-full even with a crazy amount of ice, so I'm really not sure if I'd pay $11 for this again.. Sake blossom was similarly tasty but even more expensive. Anyways, all in all a very nice meal, and for a pretty reasonable price, too (again, except for the overpriced drinks). I hadn't been here in years before this visit so it was nice to see that generally the quality and price stayed rather stable since then :) Would love to come again soon!

We got seated right away by the open kitchen island, and received our orders within 20-25 minutes of ordering on a busy Thursday night! Thats a win. The food was savory and felt authentic, my husband and I felt as though we were on vacation in Japan with the combination of flavors and aesthetics. I would definitely go back. On the more expensive side but worth it for a special occasion!

I go to Ootoya often but this was my first time at this location and it still is amazing! My friend opted in for their $30 Restaurant Week set which came with a Matcha Curry. She said it was delicious and didn't taste much different from regular curry. I did their general lunch teishoku set. The Tonkatsu Curry Set is so good. The pork katsu is fried well and juicy inside, with a rich and thick Japanese curry over a bed of white rice. I also love that the set comes with miso soup, salad (with your choice of dressing), and carrots. I also added on Onsen Tomago, which is the runny egg for dipping my pork! The service is wonderful. There is also lots of space inside and it was easy to get a table for two on a Sunday afternoon without making a reservation.

I really wanted to like this place. First time trying and read pretty good reviews. Came for the RW experience. My friend did the $45 set and I did the $60 set. Steak and eel rice: This was good. It was flavorful but not too much rice. Steak could've been more tender. 3.75/5 Mushroom and buckwheat noodles: This was simply but pretty good. No complaints but also nothing special. 4/5 Chirashi don: This bowl had tuna, salmon, and some other fish in here with masago, cucumber, etc. It was small but I think it's fine because it was served with the hotpot. The fish could've been fresher. 3/5 Hotpot: This was a lot of food in this pot but the fish was overpowering. Loved the beef and pork pieces and the udon but the makeral (?) had bones and was so fishy that I couldn't finish it although I don't like to waste. 3.6/5 Appetizers: This was served in a small trio tray. The eggplant was marinated in something that didnt suit our taste. The salmon was solid. The chicken on bread seemed out of place and tasted like tuna to us. Not a huge fan of these. 2/5 Dessert: Huge fan of matcha so this icecream was yummy but didn't care for the matcha jelly and yuzu jelly (it had a minty aftertaste). The mochi pieces in this weree really chewy and soft. 3/5 There was also a huge delay in getting us the dessert and we had to follow up to get it (but no delay and no need to notify us with the check since they plopped it right down pretty fast). Overall, maybe I would've liked it if I ordered non RW sets? Not sure but wasn't exactly happy with the taste here.

Came in for a large group dinner and service handled it well. Food is a bit expensive for what it is... but fairly good. Wish there were more sushi options.

A nostalgic meal for sure. This meal reminded me of teishoku sets in japan! I loved the plating and atmosphere of the whole place! They have dishes here that are really not found elsewhere and is a must try for anyone looking for authentic japanese comfort food. The desserts could be better, but there are so many spots around, it didnt really matter.

This was the perfect Japanese restaurant that serves traditional and what I would describe as authentic Japanese cuisine. Everything was pretty clutch. The crispy rice was puff rice and was not the typical fried cube of rice. The steak ju was probably my favorite. The steak katsu curry bowl was also good.

I stopped by for a friend's birthday dinner and what a great choice it was! I've always wanted to try it. The table got the chirashi, beef sukiyaki nabe, sushi, steak ju set, and matcha dessert. Every option was delectable, and I would 100% come again. The service was also really great and attentive. The ambiance was intimate and enjoyable as well.

Great japanese spot with lots of options - I just came back from Japan and feel like the breadth of choices are great! I got the Salmon Tonyu Don and thought it was really healthy, nourishing and light. I added salmon roe and it was really tasty. One downside is it doesn't come with rice, which was surprising. Service is fast, responsive and open to explaining all the options. On a Monday night, it was mostly empty and not too loud.

This is a 5+ star rating! Don't mind my excitement in this review but everything was impeccable. We made a reservation to dine here and we aimed for a breakfast sort of meal. The meal seemed fresh and it definitely tasted as fresh as it can get. We cleaned our plates. And if the nato isn't for you then give it We will definitely come back every year. It's also very nice inside. Next time I'll request to be seated elsewhere.

I came here with my friends during restaurant week. Everyone doesn't need to order from the restaurant week menu which is nice. I was the only one who ordered from the restaurant week, they had three options and I went with $60 Washu Beef Steak Ju Gozen. It was delicious, literally as I was eating I was doing my little happy dance. Just melts in your mouth, soo juicy I would get it again. Ended the course with their matcha anmitsu which was so creamy. My friends ordered from their regular menu. Honestly, everything was delicious like we finished everything.

I was excited to try Ootoya since I had heard good things about this spot, mainly the Chelsea location. I got to try the agedashi tofu, gyoza, shishito peppers, curry with beef, and crispy rice. I thought all the food was just okay - it wasn't living up to my expectations unfortunately. The space itself is open and bright and the waitress was friendly, but if I were to rate just the food I would give this place only 3 stars.

I visited Ootoya during restaurant week and got the $45 set out of the three options available. The set came with a small set of appetizers, a large main course meal with washu beef sukiyaki nabe, sashimi, a poached egg and a homey miso soup and a matcha dessert. The presentation was excellent and the food was prepared with a lot of love. I dipped my beef in the poached egg and found that it went so well together. The sashimi was also really good and fresh. I've had this place bookmarked for a while and so glad I was able to stop by during restaurant week as it exceeded my expectations. The interior of the restaurant is beautifully decorated and the staff were both attentive and kind. I look forward to visiting again in the future to try other items on the menu. I used yelp to reserve in advance and i'm glad I did because even on a weekday, it was quite busy. Recommend everyone to try it out if you're looking for some delicious Japanese food.

Came here for restaurant week and got the $45 set and it was delish! The set comes with an assortment of 3 appetizers, a main course, and a dessert. The main came with their washu beef sukiyaki nabe, three kinds of sashimi, poached egg, premium rice and homemade miso soup with a side of homemade pickles. The food was prepared very thoughtfully and felt like a homemade meal. The sashimi was also super fresh. The dessert they gave, matcha oshiruko was the perfect finish to the meal. As I was already stuffed from the appetizers and main course, I liked that the dessert was not super heavy. All in all, a wonderful experience. I came here on a Monday afternoon and surprisingly the restaurant had quite a bit of people. It wasn't packed though and there was still seating available since the restaurant interior is very roomy. We had a reservation and they had a seat ready for us right when we walked in. The service was stellar, and I want to give them 5/5 just for how attentive their staff is. Can't wait to come back and try other items on their menu!

It has been years since I've been to Ootoya and it's just as good as I remember it. Came for lunch for their awesome sets. I went with the beef sukiyaki nabe set and my wife went with the pork katsu. We also added chawanmushi and potato croquettes. This was a good refresher for us to come back more often. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the presentation was perfect. We'll definitely be back moving forward.

It's a nice, quiet, calming restaurant. Great ambiance despite it being more than half empty on a Monday night. I preferred this after dining in so many busy, packed, tight NY restaurants. The food is solid. It's a good place for comforting Japanese food. I got the Katsu Ju. For it's price, I really wanted to be wowed. It wasn't bad, I love how silky the egg was. But I wish the pork was more tender and less dry. And that it came with more dashi broth... or at least dashi broth on the side to add to the dish for more flavor. Great service though.

Overall: Great authentic Japanese food, especially the tonkatsu with curry and the grilled fish. This is a great authentic Japanese place in NYC. I ordered the tonkatsu (pork katsu) with curry. It came with white rice, shredded cabbage salad (with your choice of dressing), and miso soup. I also ordered three gyoza for $3 extra. The tonkatsu itself had a flaky, crispy texture and good flavor. They gave you plenty of delicious curry for all the katsu and rice. The gyoza were pretty good, but you can definitely live without them. My friends ordered grilled salmon and grilled mackerel, both of which were seasoned well and tasted like grilled fish in Japan. Our group of four were seated immediately at the bar for Saturday lunch with no prior reservation (tables were booked). The staff was friendly and quick with their service. Very spacious and nice ambiance.

We ordered: * salmon saikyo yaki + teishoku set $32 * salmon ikura don $31 * dessert box $12 I thought the cooked salmon combo was okay. the teishoku set came with white rice, miso soup, and homemade pickles for an extra $5. honestly the food was not worth the price and the side dishes were not good, which was disappointing. my friend loved her salmon ikura don (raw salmon) though. as for dessert, we were disappointed lol. dessert box came with cheesecake, warabimochi, and green tea icecream. icecream was good but the mochi and cheesecake were not great. I had higher expectations for the food. Although, food could've been better, the ambience was on point!! So nice and calm for a late dinner to catch up with a friend! Service was pretty good. I'm sure other items on the menu would be much better.

I really wanted to like this restaurant but I found it to be pretty underwhelming. We were seated quickly and told that there was a choice of restaurant week pre fix or their regular menu which we had to use a QR code. I now sound old but I was pretty annoyed we didn't have an actual menu to look at. The way they have you order involved a lot of choices you have to make and it's annoying to scroll while telling the staff what you would like. And if you are ordering for kids and they want a noodle set instead of a rice set then you have to press a different link to access that part of the menu. It's not user friendly and I got so annoyed with all the choices after I helped my kids that I opted for the 30 dollar pre fixe. My kids each got katsu ju and I got the green tea curry. My friend got the beef hot pot and also crispy sushi as an appetizer. I was underwhelmed by the sushi- it was too large to comfortably bite and the crunchy rice reminded me of soy crackers. The fish was fresh but the cuts were way too thick so it was tougher than I expected. My green tea curry was pleasant and the green tea flavor was subtle. The appetizers that I had were forgettable and so was the sesame ice cream. My kids liked their noodle sets but felt that it was way too many carbs and should have had bigger portions of the protein without the rice and just have included noodles instead or it being an extra charge to have noodles. Food is not different from smaller places and I just felt shocked our bill was 180 with tip. I can see it being a nice place to go to but it's not affordable and you are really paying for rice....

Made a reservation using the Seated app to get some rewards back! If you don't use it, send me a DM and I'll give you a referral link so you can start earning!! Overall the food was good though the appetizer portions are very small and stingy. The edamame was barely enough for two people to share and the sweet potato fries were definitely not worth $10. We ordered iced and hot oolong tea and it looked like a double shot lol. Why so stingy on tea? Overall the meals definitely hit the spot. We ordered the crispy sushi to accompany our meals and they were ok. I think you'd really need to be into the crispy rice to enjoy it. I ordered the steak ju bowl and really enjoyed it but again felt it was about $10-15 overpriced which seemed to be the theme of the night. Again, the food was good but many of the portions were a bit undersized. The entrees itself were well portioned, but some definitely felt like it could have been a few bucks cheaper here and there. Food was good, I don't believe the value was here. Worth at least one try!

I was attracted by this restaurant because of its DIY sets. So I gave it a try during my visit to NYC. DIY-ing a set has several steps: 1. You first choose the combo style, they have for example Teishouku Set (rice set) or Noodles Set. 2. You select the combo base. For example I got the grilled mackerel (a kind of fish). 3. You select rice types. Japanese white rice was free. I selected seaweed rice for $2 extra. 4. You select dressing on the side. I skipped this step as my combo base already had miso soup. 5. You add sides as you like. I had shishito fry ($3) and homemade tofu ($4). Everything was perfect and interesting. The mackerel for example had very crispy skin and tender inside. The tofu had silky texture, possibly the best tofu I've ever had! The miso soup was luckily not too salty. The radish was a bit bitter but still quite interesting to try. Overall the serving size was also very generous. Service was super quick and nice. Not only did they asked in detail about my dining experience, but I also received Japanese-style greeting when I entered the restaurant. Besides, the inside was clean and bright, furnished in Japanese style. The music was not too loud. So in short, it was not just experience of Japanese food, but also other aspect of Japanese culture.

Second time here - this time for lunch and previous was a poor dinner experience (food choice was disappointing) Lunch sets were good, very filling and worth the price considering location The Ootoya classic gozen was pricer than a normal set but very cool in that you get a bite of everything The only hiccup I suppose in this set is how they have the soba noodles soaking in the dipping sauce which made it salty - they should separate those Not a smart choice on my end since gozen set has sushi but I suggested to order crispy rice out of curiosity. It was way off from what I've heard about "crispy rice sushi" and this was literally crispy rice snacks tucked in between the fish and rice which is a big NO. Only gave an unnecessary crunch to the sushi - definitely not worth paying for so you're welcome for testing it They gave hot tea at the end when we asked for the bill - lovely way to end the meal

It's delicious sushi I love Chawanmushi ! So yum I recommend Salmon is delicious restaurant is nice & clean good service

Really liked the interior and wanted to love this place but it was just okay for the price. The interior was beautiful and the service was a little slow (but it was a busy night so understandable). I think the food was the main reason that I'm giving it a 3. The dishes were presented beautifully and served in really fancy cookware which was cool. The taste however was just mediocre though, nothing out of the ordinary and very mid. There was one nabe soup that was pretty good but it was a tad too salty and the portion size was kind of small. Overall cute place but not something I'd go out of my way for.

Excellent solid option for a healthy brunch, when you don't want the typical eggs! We ordered two lunch sets, the beef sukiyaki and the butterfish. Also added Japanese yam on top of my white rice, edamame and the homemade tofu! The sets all came with a bowl of soup, white rice and pickles. The sets itself are around $25 for the butterfish and $32 for the beef sukiyaki. But when you order additional little dishes the price goes up quick! Overall, solid lunch/brunch spot in the middle of the hustle bustle of Union square.

Salmon Soymilk Hotpot has been my go to. Recently visit (June 2022) the Soymilk base texture is different from before. It used to be smoother and even, this time it appears like it's water+sediment. A bit odd. Gyoza, karaage, Shishito Pepper - all acceptable appetizer but not great. Basic quality. Crispy Rice - not the typical fried pressed rice but it's rice crispy sandwiched in between the rice and fish. Which is odd and felt like a lazy way to make it. It's okay but not worth the price. Sashimi quality was meh as well. Favorite dish might be the homemade tofu side!

Maybe not a great place for vegetarians. I tried the Vegetable Tonyu Nabe Set, a kind of Japanese vegetable stew, and found it quite bland. The server incorrectly said that it lacked a protein, leading me to order tofu at additional cost. My cost with tip as $40. Not worth it and won't be back. My fish-eating friend was happy with his Bara Chirashi Don, however.

I'm surprised more people don't talk about this place! The Katsu Toji (fried pork cutlet over egg and soy sauce broth) is incredible. It's better than the pictures, and you need to go try it for yourself. Note that it doesn't come with rice, so be sure to add that or upgrade to the Teishoku set (white rice, miso soup, pickled veggies). I will definitely be coming back for the Katsu Toji again. There were also tons of other dishes that people ordered nearby that looked great (Beef Sukiyaki Nabe, chirashi bowls, soba, curry).

Food: 4/5 Value: 3/5 Service: 5/5 Overall: 3.5/5 I was able to make a reservation for a last minute dinner with a friend. I had never been but was craving katsu. I ordered the tonkatsu pork over udon noodles. I enjoyed the flavor of the broth and the chewiness of the noodles. Unfortunately, I thought that the pork was lacking in flavor and not very tender. I also think maybe the pork katsu and the noodles should be plated separately as the coating pretty much fell apart into the soup base. As for the prices, it was quite expensive for the portion that you get. The standard size bowl was $23 and the half size was $20. I can't even imagine how small that would be. It's a nice atmosphere and the wait staff was very attentive, but I don't know if I'd visit again.

Very quick and friendly service. Reservation was made effortlessly through Yelp and the restaurant opened for dinner promptly at 5:30pm. The food was very fresh and definitely satisfied my wife's and my nostalgic craving ever since returning from our honeymoon in Japan. My wife ordered the pork kimchi nabe, which was very heart warming and filling. We asked for more broth since all the ingredients soaked up most of the broth, and the staff quickly got us more broth! I ordered the Sakura set with a side of curry rice and half an order of pork katsu. The Sakura set was aesthetically pleasing and tasted delicious, I especially enjoyed the little pickled radish shaped as sakuras that decorated each component of the Sakura set! The curry was mediocre, for it only had small pieces of onions in it, I definitely think adding some bits of carrot or potato would've made it even more delicious. Half an order of pork katsu cost 8 bucks (if I recall correctly), which is quite expensive for such a small portion. Although it tasted great, I think a full piece of pork katsu for 8 bucks might make it more worth it. Overall we had a pleasant experience and we definitely enjoyed our little date night here. Thank you for reading and best of luck! (:

Restaurant week 45 for all the beautiful dishes. Lovely decor, the beef and the broth was so exquisite, dip in the poached egg. All of the first was so fresh.

They used to have better service. Food selection is still good. I'm not crazy about Matcha curry.

The food here is pretty good, not the greatest Japanese food in NYC, but will certainly satisfy your craving I got the assorted sashimi over a bed of sushi rice; the fish is fresh, the sushi rice is on par with some of the better sushi restaurants in town Soba noodles are okay, not the best, but pretty good Pork tonkatsu has a nice light breading, fried well, very good with the tonkatsu sauce and rice Would have preferred the traditional thinly sliced cabbage as opposed to the traditional salad, but that's just me Dessert options are limited The anmitsu is very good, recommend Overall, nice open spaces restaurant, quiet ambiance, service is quick and friendly, food is good

Delicious restaurant week meal! The pickled veggies and the sashimi were my favorite parts of the meal. The mackerel was good, but nothing spectacular. Will definitely be back for the sashimi and to try the crispy rice!

Our dinner companions and I enjoyed our meal. My husband did not. He wanted to order one of the Japanese curry dishes but ended up ordering something completely different. The presentation was very pleasant, but I noticed as he consumed it, he was unhappy. He felt the dish was something similar to what we prepare at home, protein over rice and put a fried egg on top. Usually we exchange, if not share plates, but this evening didn't present this possibility. It just didn't. The meal sets satisfied, with an authentic miso and an exceptional pickle for sides. Anyway, our friends enjoyed their respective orders. I was attracted to Ootoya's menu because there's chawanmushi on the menu! I ordered a plain version and it was as satisfying and absolutely divine as this egg custard in seafood broth , can be. The service was a little on the 'hovering helicopter' end of the spectrum but we never say No to H20 refills and waitstaff that smile.

I was pleasantly surprised! The service was really nice and efficient. We ordered the calpico beer which was so bomb. And I got a croquette soba which was really comforting during a snow storm. I think they're known for their sukiyaki so I wanna try that next time

Sushi rice was overcooked and soggy and rice to sushi ratio was not good. This place use to be no tip but i think that's changed! Mediocre food

I had never been to this location prior to this visit, but have been to Ootoya countless times. We were greeted warmly at the door and seated promptly on a Sunday. The restaurant wasn't busy, unlike the Time Square location, which is great especially in these pandemic times. I didn't know that they have a Restaurant Week menu in addition to their regular menu, which is great because there are more options. We opted for a regular set, a RW set with crispy rice nigiri, and a kid meal. The food was similar to what is served in other locations. Service was good, and the lady who seated us (presumably a manager) was especially attentive and helpful.

The first time I went to Ootoya was in Japan and it was a great experience. There is no tipping in Japan and I had heard about Ootoya when it opened in NYC and thought it was a great thing that they kept the same no tipping concept. The dishes are a bit pricey but However, with COVID, no-tipping is currently on hold, which I understand - they probably took a huge hit when restaurants were less frequently visited. But your wallet does objectively take a bigger hit since the food prices have not changed from pre-COVID. We got the the sukiyaki nabe and the katsu ju for the mains. The sukiyaki is good - it's sweet and savory, but almost too sweet. The dinner order doesn't come with rice included unfortunately but we made do with the rice from the katsu ju. The katsu ju is basically oyakodon with tonkatsu - this is probably my favorite dish from Ootoya - seeet caramelized onions with eggs and tonkatsu. Some of the meat pieces are a little on the fattier side. There is something new called crispy rice sushi that I would advise being cautious with getting. It is not worth it in my opinion - the crispy rice is the top layer of the sushi rice, and tastes like what you think it would - almost like rice crispies, but with a toasty taste. But it's a strong taste and it totally takes away from enjoying the taste of the actually fish. We got the 8 and the only one it may have supplemented was the uni. Overall a good experience but pricey for the food - with the change in tipping policy and changes in their menu, I would say better to visit after COVID has resolved more and things are back to normal.

The interior was smaller than expected but it was a good size! We went to the Chelsea location first but they were closed so we ended up coming to this location instead. We did a walk in and had to wait a bit since they were pretty busy. The wait wasn't too bad though and we were seated within 20minutes. The curry was very flavorful and the portions were definitely good enough for one person. My friend got the sukiyaki which was also really good! I love how accommodating the staff here was and they kept coming to check on us to see if we were okay or needed everything. Overall, friendly environment and would definitely be back!

The food was fresh, tasty. The Crispy Dream could have used less rice and crispy (thinner layer of both) to get a better taste of the fish instead of a mouthful of rice. I ended up eating half the amount of rice per piece. The karaage was nicely seasoned, tender and juicy. The service was friendly and the staff was very attentive. It wasn't too crowded or loud. I'd return to try their bowls, first the Bara Chirashi Don then the Salmon Ikura Don.

We ordered the croquets for the table and I ordered the hot soba with katsu and a side of shishito peppers. The food tasted good, nothing too salty but portion wise, left me craving for some more! The service was very nice and welcoming and they even gave us complimentary tea to finish our meal. We got seated upstairs which they told us is typically closed off for usual business which was nice for my party to have conversations without having to fight over talking of other tables. But it felt a bit stuffy upstairs. Would return to try other items on the menu and add more photos!