Ootoya Chelsea

Ootoya I dare say is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. The meals are wholesome, delicious, and satisfying. The prices are on the higher end, but note that they include the cost of gratuity. You can choose from a wide selection of Japanese sets, including sashimi, cooked fish, chicken, mini hot pots, pork, soba noodles, and yakitori (skewers). While I usually go to the Times Square location, the Chelsea location offers the same menu with the same quality food but just more space.
My go-​to item is always the kimchi hot pot, which is a delicious sizzling soup with pork, kimchi, cabbage, scallion, and egg, aka the best comfort food. It comes with a side of rice (+$ 1 for rice with seaweed), salad, and egg custard.
The meals are pretty filling in my opinion, but if you have lots of room in your stomach, definitely get a yakitori to start! My favorite is the salted chicken skin, which has a very nicely fried and chewy texture.
The line can be a bit long, but you can feel free to wander around the flatiron area after you’ve put your name down. The hostesses will call you when the table is ready.

Authentic Japanese restaurant, the ambiance is so artistic. Perfect place for a date or if you want something nice for a dinner. I remember my first time of visit, my boyfriend brought me here, and we really had a wonderful time together.
The recent visit I made, I came alone and enjoyed my Salmon set alone. LOL! They have a very delicious Salmon with wonderful Salmon Sushi that is cooked to perfection. Along with the good foods are the very nice selections of teas as well. The roasted green tea was so aromatic and went well at the end of the meal. It’s my favorite actually. Such a nice place to hangout.

I came here for my finding a good Japanese restaurant in town before flying back to my country. And the restaurant gave me an amazing dinner before my flight.
We ordered a lot (cause we were both hungry): homemade tofu (which is best for summer), sashimi assorted dish, kimchi hot pot and also the katsudon set. It was a huge dinner, and it worth the price. You may think it’s overprice until you have the food.
The tofu was create, soft and cold, the sauce was perfect, not too salty like some restaurant, pretty good for summer app. The second we have is the sasimi assorted, our waiter said they ran out of some fishes (it was late too) but the dish was too good, fishes are super fresh and a slice is perfect. The last two we got are 2 sets, they are huge. It’s actually you can order the set and skip app if you not eating a lot O.o. The fried pork is unbeliveable, it’s still soft and perfect cook, not dry at all, and the udon goes together with the set is also super good. My kimchi hot pot is super nice, soft and hot. The sets have egg custard, also pickles for a side dish.
As some of us know, Japanese doesn’t require us to tip. It makes the big difference when you go to the original Japanese restaurant and the mixed-​Japanese restaurant (they asked for tip). The total price is affordable for the huge dinner for 2, and we have treated with the best services.
Highly recommend to try if you want to get something real Japanese feel.
PS: All the drawing pictures on the wall are also amazing.

When my boyfriend and I are in the mood to treat ourselves, this is always a place on our list. The ambience and quality of food is amazing. It really feels like you’re eating at an authentic Japanese restaurant in Japan. We’ve been here about 5 or more times now and we always had a pleasant time here.
For a brief overview of things we’ve tried: 1) Gyu Shiokoji bowl — savory & delicious quality beef! Would definitely get again if I’m in the mood for something meaty. 2) Salmon Oyako Roll — I’m a true salmon lover so liked how there were 3 different types of pressed salmon sushi. 3) Salmon Sushi — My boyfriend says it’s just decent, nothing special. 4) Katsu Toji set — so yummy and delighted my taste buds… ended up giving some peices of chicken to my boyfriend because it’s pretty filling! 5) Miso Tonkatsu Set — my boyfriend enjoyed this a lot and ate the whole plate! The broth could be a bit on the saltier side but he liked the egg a lot that it came with. 6) Yakitori Set — comes with a lot! if you’re a person who likes yakitori and you’re hungry, order this and you’ll sure be full! 7) Sashimi Platter — A bit expensive for the portion but all the fish is SO fresh. 8) Oyako Don — similar to katsu toji but the chicken is a cooked differently… still delicious 9) Matcha anmitsu (dessert) — very interesting with the ice cream and I liked how there is all sorts of different textures to the dessert.
In all, there was just one time that the service for our entrees were really slow. When we sat by the bar, our food came extremely fast though. However, their servers’ attitudes are always on point. The last time I went, they raised the prices and you no longer need to tip because of that change. Be prepared to spend a bit more money on dinner than usual, but it’s great place to bring someone on a date or to catch up with some friends!

I absolutely love this place. Everything in here taste good. I been here a handful of times and the service is perfect. It gets very busy during lunch time.
I usually get the Kaisen Don set and the tofu. The tofu is very silky and the steamed eggs are the perfect texture.
The highlight here is the Matcha anmitsu which is a green tea ice cream dessert. You will not regret ordering this.

Love this place. Ootoya offers some really good Japanese cuisine — yakitori, cooked fish, soba, tonkatsu, sashimi bowls, you name it. The service is impeccable, the space is gorgeous, there’s plenty of seating, and the food is delicious. Love the desserts as well. Note — higher prices, but a no tip policy.

Ootoya has some of the best Japanese food and service in NYC.
The best katsu:
As someone who has had the best katsu in Japan, Ootoya’s katsu comes very close in my book. The panko is crispy but melts in your mouth and the meat is always cooked to perfect tenderness. I’ve tried most of their katsu dishes. All of them are very good but the ones cooked in broth sometimes are a bit salty, just as a warning.
If you love katsu or want a top notch katsu experience, definitely come to Ootoya.
Sides:
Most of their meals comes with rice, egg custard with sesame oil and a unique miso soup with veggies and pork.
Service:
Amazing. This is an excellent example of the superiority of no-​tip restaurants. Yes they refuse tip here.
Appetizers:
My only major gripe about Ootoya is that appetizer portions are very small but nonetheless delicious.
Ootoya is hands down one of the best Japanese restaurants in NYC.

One of the best Japanese restaurant in NYC. The menu had changed two months ago but there are still plenty of dishes to choose from. The Gyu Shio Koji is my favorite dish. Always order a set cuz it comes with a side of rice, which you can customize by adding seaweed, and a small container of steamed egg. It almost felt like the best comfort food dish I have ever had. You can finish the meal with the dessert sampler. You won’t regret it.
They are also one of the first NYC restaurants that do not charge gratuity anymore. You pay the price you see on the menu pls tax and thatz it.
They take reservations only on selective days and the reservations are always at 6pm.

I go to Ootoya regularly bases and I usually go to Times Square or Union Square location. I have not been to Chelsea location and unfortunately I did not receive good meal when I tried there.
I ordered Shima hokke. Somehow they chopped into smaller pieces… It was dry and had tons of bones. Shima Hokke was one of my favorite meal from Ootoya, but not anymore. Maybe it was just bad season to get good fish, but if so, they should not offer it and I don’t wanna receive the same negative experience again so I will not order it anymore.
I still like Ootoya’s other meal so I will keep going there, but not fish!

This might one of my favorite Japanese places in NYC. Everything was very authentic. I can always get full and satisfied from here. It was a great place to have meals with your friends because you can actually hear each other!

I cannot get enough of this place! There are so many amazing things about it that will make me a regular customer. The options all look great so I can’t wait to go back and try more from the menu. All bowls come with a miso soup and steamed egg custard, which makes it a great wholesome meal. I ordered the mini salmon don set, which did not disappoint — highly recommend! To end the meal on a good note, I had the matcha anmitsu. I believe the intention is for it to be shared, but I easily finished it off by myself.
I’m actually really surprised that it’s a chain because the quality of the food is very high. I can’t speak to the other locations, but this one is a must go. To top everything off, you are not required to pay a tip because the restaurant pays all of its servers fair wages. I fully condone that principle as it sends the right message to all their employees and customers. Come and bring all your friends!

Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambience: Very Good
This was a truly cool experience, excellent food, and excellent service.
I have become so very fond on this place.
I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for an atypical experience with food that lets the ingredient shine and not the spices you add to them.

Really good food. Fish so fresh, miso soup very hot, green tea ice cream and rice ball was awesome, grilled chicken skin is good, kachu Ju was great. Tofu was homemade. Service is great, too. Overall very impressive.

I don’t often got to a sushi restaurant, and when I do i order the same old stuff all the time.
This time i didn’t — we swung by after an even in the neighborhood and waited about 30 minutes on a Wednesday. We ended up sitting at the front bar and ordered some sushi over a rice ball that my buddy ordered and i ordered the hot pot bowl with pork belly b/​c it seemed really interesting.
The hot pot bowl was very very flavorful — a clear broth that somehow encapsulated a ton of flavor that wasn’t all from the stuff in the soup. Slightly sweet and savory it was delicious, the meat and accompaniments all very tasty and since it was only a few bucks more for the meal which includes a steamed egg and a few other things which all made the meal complete.
I thoroughly enjoyed the food here and would come back as the sushi ball thing looked not just pretty, but very tasty as well.

This place is a super authentic Japanese restaraunt. I could tell right when I walked in, because my friends and I were the only non-​asian clients! I ordered the pork katsu dish as a set. Definitely make your entrée a set, because it only costs $ 2 extra and comes with egg custard, miso soup, pickled veggies and rice. The waiter talked me in to ordering seaweed on my rice for $ 1 extra which is NOT WORTH IT. Literally just a few stray seaweed crumbs… what the heck. I was also expecting more meat, the portion size was kind of small and I wasn’t that full when I left the restaurant.
The service was all right. They serve green tea at the end of the meal which is good. I kind of felt like the waiter was harrassing us to order more items. For $ 25 – 40 an entrée, it really shouldnt come as a suprirse when we aren’t jumping to order appetizers and sesserts.

This restaurant is has great décor and is a bi-​level restaurant with a loft style upstairs dining area that over looks the bar and main floor. The goal of Ootoya is to make you feel like you’re some where in a Tokyo izakaya. (An izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment that offers home style comfort food). If you’re going to Ootoya because it’s Japanese and you’re feeling sushi, this is NOT the place for you. This is for traditional teishoku (udon, soba, don). You’ll be surprised to see just sashimi on the dinner menu. A dinner for two with a bottle of wine will cost about $ 100, and gratuity is not necessary as its already baked into the cost (it’s noted on the check). Definitely an acquired taste, but the food is authentic and good. The wait staff is also very attentive and friendly, my favorite thing is that they give you her towels before the meal begins.

I came here yesterday with my roommates and we all really enjoyed our food and experience. This place is a lot more traditionally Japanese than a lot of other places.
Food: B+
The food here was great. We got the miso tonkatsu, the katsu toji, and the rosu katsu ju — apparently we all love katsu. We each got the set, in which the entrée comes with a small miso soup, steamed egg, a bit of pickled salad/​veggies, and rice. My miso tonkatsu was good — the katsu came in a dark miso sauce that was very rich and gave it a very strong flavor. It was a bit too strong for my taste, not only the dark miso flavor, but also the saltiness and MSG, so I would take small amounts and eat it with my rice. It was still quite tasty with the katsu and rice, so I did enjoy my meal. I also tried my roommates’ meals — the katsu toji was really good. The taste was very comfort food-​y. It definitely warms your body up in a cozy way. All of us had #foodcoma heading home.
Service: A
The service was very good, very standard, very Japanese in culture. Our waiter was quiet, but very accommodating and professional, which was also very typical for Japanese culture. Most of the servers when I was in Japan were similar, all about accommodating the customer, but a little more distant and not very talkative, leaving you alone to enjoy your meal with your company. Our waiter here got our food to us very quickly, maybe only a 10 – 15 minute wait, which we loved since we were super hungry.
Ambiance: B
The feel here was simple, comfortable. Their tables are spread out really well, so you definitely don’t feel like you and other tables are on top of each other, which I liked. It was bit quieter than the average for a restaurant in Manhattan. There was some light chatter, but nothing too loud. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference. In retrospect, I kind of wished they played some music (or if they did, played it a bit louder).

Coworker brought me here for lunch (which ends at 2:00 btw). We made it in just before lunch service was over.
Both my coworker and I were seated and drinks orders taken immediately.
We both ordered the Kaisen Don. Sooooo good. Trays were served to us including all components of meal. Which was cool. Allows you to just eat thought everything at your own pace and eat whatever order of items you would like.
Started with the miso soup with pork. Delish.
Then onto the kaisen don ($ 38). So much fresh fish including salmon, mackerel, uni, tuna, amberjack, and eel. On top of a bed of rice. Along with cucumbers and ginger and a side of pickled veggies. It was very good and incredibly fresh. Absolutely perfect for lunch.
Finished off our meal with the egg custard. Now this isn’t your average sweet egg custard. This is a savory egg custard with a fish broth base. Soooo unique and so good. I really enjoyed this unexpected twist to the end of my meal.
All in all I really enjoyed this experience. Will definitely be back again.

Feeling the pangs of hunger after a grueling cardio class, my cousin and I set our sights on Ootoya for our post-​workout meal. I went for the hot udon lunch set, which comes with a mini bowl of hot udon (hand pulled noodles!!!), steamed egg custard, cabbage, and your choice of a small rice bowl. For the rice, I chose the mini salmon don (salmon sashimi, salmon roe on sushi rice). Needless to say, my hunger was satisfied and I was in carb heaven.
They don’t take reservations so tables are arranged on a first come, first serve basis. That being said, if you’re looking for an early weekend lunch and trying to avoid the brunch rush come at 11:30 when they open!

A little pricey, but a solid choice for Japanese food in the Union Square/​Flatiron area.
Our group of 8 didn’t have a reservation and waited around 20 minutes for a table. We hung out by the tiny bar and ordered some drinks. They serve Kagua Rouge here — one of my favorite beers (and I don’t even like beer or drink). It has distinct flavors and is a little on the sweeter side. Highly recommend.
Our server was a cute little old man. Poor soul shouldn’t even be working! Service overall was great and food came out in a reasonable time.
Appetizers:
— homemade tofu w/​various salts — not the kind of tofu you’re thinking of. It’s super soft, but super rich and basically melts in your mouth — yum!
— watercress salad — very simple with cherry tomatoes and a delicious tangy ginger sauce
— edamame — standard
— raw squid with squid liver — definitely an acquired taste and you only get a tiny bit for the price
Yakitori:
— yakitori here is reasonably priced. my favorite of the bunch we got was the chicken w/​garlic and the king oyster mushrooms.
Entrée:
I ordered the Kaisen Don set. It comes with a little side of vegetables, miso soup, and chawanmushi. I love chawanmushi and the one here was excellent. This can be compared to a chirashi don… not sure what the difference is. The fish was quite fresh and the sushi rice was actually so good, I made a comment on it. The uni was okay, but they left some parts of it that shouldn’t be eaten that I crunched on and tasted terrible. It’s like chewing on sand.
They give you tea after your meal and before dessert.
Dessert:
I got the matcha anmitsu and it reminded me of the desserts they serve at Cha An in the EV. I loved that this came with the black sugar (love this stuff) but unfortunately forgot to use it until I was almost done with it. The green tea ice cream was good and not too sweet. The agar and mochi have almost no sweetness. A definite must-​get.
If you’re searching for a good Japanese place in the area, I would recommend Ootoya.

Finally I got to check out Ootoya, since my friend and I were around the area.
I got the home made tofu with 3 types of salt (world wide provided!) as well as the equivalent of their chirashi bowl (it’s a mini rice bowl with some sashimi). My friend got various yakitori like the skin and liver and a katsu set.
To be honest, the experience was pretty excellent until I got to actually eating the meal itself. The service was nice, the restaurant was very nicely decorated although the ambiance was a bit louder. Judging from the menu, I think I probably should have gone for one of their Yakitori dishes (my friend’s yakitori were all pretty good), or just sampled various homemade soba noodles, chicken dishes. I think that’s probably where this place shines.
Don’t go expecting a world class sashimi event (which is a shame cause i was craving sashimi). Go to have a good time at a lively restaurant with reasonable prices.

Ootoya has a wide range of items on their menu to satisfy any cravings including sushi, meat, fish, fried goods, and salads. It’s also budget-​friendly (relatively speaking) for New York City. Here are few items I’ve tried
Hanabi Don Set — the egg custard is the best and never fails. It was filling while leaving me feeling healthy. The only thing is if you don’t like natto (fermented beans) that particular taste may be overbearing for some. I love it so I enjoyed it.
Kaasan Ni — doesn’t have the crisp that a regular katsu has. But it was perfect to mix the poached egg and the sauce with the rice and make my own don out of it.
Demi Burger — my friend ordered this and I got to taste it. I’ll probably order this for myself next time. It’s their own version of Hamburg Steak. Delicious!
Tonkatsu — simple and delicious. The katsu was very crispy!
The only downside is the wait. We came at 6:30 and was told the wait was 15 – 20 min. We ended up waiting 45 min on a Tuesday night.

I’ve walked so much today through snow puddles and slush only to find out the restaurant I was aiming for was closed.
Thank God that Ootoya was open! I have been here before and really liked it.
I think they serve really authentic Japanese food and they serve it really fresh. Even though their sushi dishes are basic and familiar pieces, they are fresh.
Tonight, I went for the original Ootoya Pork belly set. I liked the grilled pork. I think it was grilled. It was tender and juicy and sliced to pieces ready for eating with chopsticks: (I am sure if you don’t know how to use chopsticks, you can always ask for a fork). You don’t need a knife though.
The Oshi Tashi was a little on the salty side but it had some tiny mushrooms in it. Usually when I order it somewhere else, it’s just spinach with shredded bonito on top.
The appetizer with blue fin tuna and Uni on grated yam tasted good with the yam having the consistency of nato. But when I asked, my server said it does not contain nato. You need to put a little bit of soy sauce when you eat it.
This place serves homemade soba and other items. So there is an assortment of things to order from seafood, beef, chicken or pork. Next time I will try their grilled fish!

My girlfriend and I enjoyed a very pleasant weekday lunch here. My girlfriend frequents all 3 locations of Ootoya frequently for their delicious lunch sets. Everything looked so delicious we almost ordered 3 lunch sets for 2 girls.
For starters we shared the homemade tofu salad. The tofu was delicate and silky, the homemade wafu dressing was spot on and complimented the silly tofu perfectly.
We were set on the mini kaisen don lunch set that comes with the soba noodles (served cold) or hot udon noodles. The regular size kaisen don does not include the soba noodles/​hot udon noodles but does include uni (the uni isn’t particularly fresh). Each piece of fish was very fresh to taste.
We were in between the beef and cheese croquette and the Kaasan ni. We decided to go with the Kaasan ni which is panko breaded chicken in a savory soy sauce soupy broth.
The idea of the chicken and the broth was good in theory. However I felt like the crispy deep fried chicken was defeated in the overflowing of the steaming hot broth. It really defeats the purpose of deep fried crispy chicken. It turned out to be soggy chicken. But it was good. The broth with onions is delicious topped with rice.
The miso soup with veggies and picked veggies didn’t particularly wow me. The steam egg custard was smooth and silky. Particularly loved the dipping soba! Add hints of wasabi to your dipping broth and be prepared to have your mind blown away! The soba noodles deserve 5 stars alone.

TL;DR: Exceptional Japanese food for a fair price with large portions! Try the Black Sesame ice cream!
We had lunch here today and we initially weren’t sure what to expect. We didn’t see a long sushi list or the typical menu items that you’d expect to see at a Japanese restaurant. Boy, were we glad that we still went for it!
The restaurant is a hole-​in-​the-​wall from the outside but more open and roomy on the inside. Great design throughout and very comfortable seating, open bar, and bathrooms. And then there’s the food!
My wife had a sushi combination meal (best sushi we’ve had in a long time!) and I had grilled chicken with Udon noodles. Both of our meals came with plenty of sides and we were decently full. Also, everyone gets a warm green tea with their meal, which was very comforting in this cold weather. Finally, we capped our lunch off with Black Sesame and Earl Grey ice cream; not your traditional flavors but they tasted great!
Overall, we were very pleased with our experience! We can’t wait to have an excuse to come back!

I really love the dinner set here: looks so pretty and tastes so fresh.
However, the service here is not so satisfied. She asked us to wait for 45 mins to 1 hour. When we came back, she said we should still wait. When I asked how long we will be waiting-​though I already asked 15 mins ago, she said I already told you a few mins ago and then, she said if you wanted to talk to manager then go ahead. WHAT?! It’s ridiculous. I just know how long we will be waiting, but she thought we were blaming her. OMG. Is she kidding me?
Well, I have been here for several times. I was so disappointed this time. I won’t come next time for sure.

Good for light lunch or dinner. Casual atmosphere.
Recommend miso tonkatsu and grilled mackerel.
Side dish is Not great but pretty good balanced.
I think ootoya time square is better.
Try black sesame ice cream too.

I just got back from Japan and this place serves the type of food that I had there. The food just seemed so carefully prepared, with attention to little details. I had the udon and fish over rice set (don’t remember what it was called). The udon had a nice bite to it, with a lot of thinly sliced veggies to add some textural contrast. The broth was delicate. The fish were very fresh and melted in your mouth. The egg custard was so silky and flavorful. Definitely a gem. We were lucky that we were seated right away for lunch, but it definitely got packed when we left. Highly recommended.

This Japanese restaurant has a really cool atmosphere! The wait time is super long but you’re coming in for dinner and it’s a party of 3 or more.
*** tip *** if you want rice with your dish, get the set because because it will basically save you only 50 cents if you order it separately!

This is the best Japanese restaurant I’ve been to in these parts. The food is super fresh, everything is immaculate. The staff are friendly. Tonight I had the salmon and ikura don, which has salmon grilled on the outside, raw in the middle, it’s delicious. Other times I’ve had the grilled mackerel which is spot on too. Really nothing bad to say, except maybe the wait times at peak times get long.

I typed in «ramen» on Unilocal’s search engine and it led me to this place which has NO RAMEN whatsoever on its menu.
We ordered from the menu anyway: Orochi Tonkastu and Kimche Nabe Hot Pot. Both were excellent!
Treat yourself to the whole set instead of going a la cart because the egg custard is off the hook and rice makes everything taste better.
@TheHungersons

INSANE WAIT. Sometimes it’s an hour wait, sometimes 2 — why can’t they just take reservations? But then again, maybe it’s the waiting that makes people crave it even more. I never thought that it’d be this popular outside of Asia though.
The service was so very Japanese (hot hand towels?!)
It’s great that they give everyone the chawanmushi (steamed egg) and a selection of pickles. There’s lots of sashimi rice combos too if you’re into that.
I got the chicken skewer selection on rice — this was pretty freaking amazing. The sauce that came on the chicken was beautiful on the rice. The wasabi chicken was sort of dry though. It’s a great option though if you wanted to try their yakitori but can’t figure out which one to get.

I don’t understand the hype around this place. It had such good potential. And there’s nothing worse than being over-​promised and under-​delivered.
PROS:
I love the ambiance and décor of the restaurant. It’s beautiful. Definitely worth coming here on a date night or something like that.
The homemade tofu is also spot on.
CONS:
Bad policies.
Bad service.
Lackluster food.
Overpriced.
Walked in on a Monday night and the place was half-​full. We had a party of five, with one of them running a bit late from his evening meeting. They have a rule where the entire party must be present in order to be seated. We asked to make an exception as there was no wait and he should arrive in 20 minutes. She didn’t make an exception and we decided to sit anyway.
We were seated near the front dining area and just ordered when my friend arrived. I asked if we could borrow a chair for him to sit down, and the hostess said no, as the chair would block the flow for waitresses. And since the order was already placed, they couldn’t place another order at the same table… This was a bunch of weird policies, and even more awkward leaving my friend to find somewhere else to eat.
Next up, they mixed up my order and when I told them this isn’t what I ordered, they said «yes» and moved on. I’m aware of the cultural concept of saving face and saying yes, but there was nothing done about it.
For instance, I ordered a mini Tororo Soba. I asked if it was served hot like the (large) Tororo Soba. The waitress said yes. When the mini soba arrived, it was ice cold, and did not have anything resembling grated yam… it has the shape, appearance, and texture of cold melted cheese. Disgusting.
Next up was the Buta Kim-​Chee Nabe. Which was fine but underwhelming. You can call the flavors subtle, I called it bland. I thought a kim-​chee hot pot would have been spicy… nope! Wrong again. I mentioned it to the waitress if I could have chilis powder or oil to make it spicy. She said, «yes» and then never brought it.
Luckily my fiancé and her parents enjoyed their chirashi don and other dishes, even though they thought it was overpriced for the quality and/​or portion size of the food.
Never coming back.

Can’t stop thinking about this place and I’ve already had dinner. My friend and I shared the kimchi hotpot and I got the salmon sushi and both were excellent.
Salmon sushi: I especially can’t get over how good the salmon in the salmon sushi was. Salmon is my favorite and all 3 ways they present it were amazing. One is raw like sushi and the other two are slightly grilled with one with a sauce. This meal also comes with miso soup, salad, soba noodles with sauce, and also the egg custard. The egg custard is excellent and so smooth. Bang for your buck!
Kimchi hotpot: this is like kimchi jjigae if you are familiar with the Korean stew but this is a lighter version of it. Comes with rice, salad, and also the egg custard.
These two were both excellent and highly recommend, especially the salmon sushi.
The interior is very cute and there is bar seating as well as regular table seating. Would be a cute place to go on a date or a nice lunch with friend.

We have dined here three times so far and it has grown to be one of my favorite restaurants, except for the long 30 – 60 minute wait! You are not able to make reservations via phone (we have tried many times but they always tell us to come in-​person and be on the waiting list (we give our phone number and they give us a buzz if the table will be ready in five or less minutes). Good thing the restaurant is in a great area closeby to stores to run errands, for example: Marshalls, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, Papyrus, etc.
Upon being seated, they give you hot hand towels and hot tea (during the daytime; at nighttime you receive the hot tea at the end of your meal). I have two favorite dishes, which are the Gyu Shio Koji set & the pork cutlet set with tonkatsu sauce. They are my top choices paired with the Yuzu sake (very sweet and refreshing like juice), Yuzu Poochi Poochi or Peach Poochi Poochi (the pineapple beer is also not bad). I also love their icecream and sorbet desserts which feature unique flavors such as earl grey tea, black sesame, Yuzu, pumpkin, sweet potatoe, etc.
I always look forward to going back, plus our waiters and waitresses have been very attentive, sweet and present us our dishes in a very timely (sometimes within 10 – 15 minutes) and appealing fashion.

3.5 stars rounded up!
This place is great for Yakitori and «sets,» but if you’re looking sushi al a carte, this is the wrong place to go!
I chose the Kaisen Don because it comes with uni, albiet a very small piece of uni. The portions in general were rather small for the price, but the fish was very fresh and tasty. I loved that my set came with the steamed egg custard, it’s super yummy and a great addition to the set.
They tend to get pretty busy, even though they have a pretty big space, so I recommend making reservations!

Ootoya in Chelsea serves Japanese home style comfort food such as soba (a noodle dish), Sushi and Teishoku (meal set).
I arrived with a friend without reservation and our wait was so little. We were comfortably seated in no time at all.
The décor is minimalist, with a clean and clear feel to it. The staff are graceful and friendly.
We started our dinner with Yakitori (grill dishes) such as Tsukune (chicken meat balls) and Tebasaki (fried chicken) it was succulent and suited perfectly well with our bottle of Asahi.
For the main entrée, I selected Shima Atka jack mackerel from the Rice Bowls selections that came with Miso soup with pork and vegetables, homemade pickles, steamed egg custard and white rice served on an oversized Japanese tray! The meal set was sumptuous and delicious.
My entire dining experience was a real treat in itself, from customer service to meal presentation. I am a fan and I will definitely comeback.

This was one of the cutest and most wholesome dinners I’ve ever had! Found this place because we needed somewhere to go as we waited for Raines Law Room nearby to clear out a bit and it was the perfect choice. Besides sushi and sashimi, I’ve never really experienced truly authentic Japanese food. Ootoya is great because it has a bunch of sets, which are essentially large, beautifully presented bento boxes that have a bit of everything and really keeps the dining experience both appetizing and interesting.
We started with a soba appetizer with grated yam on top and it was mind blowing. Simply put, it’s been a long time since I’ve tasted something so unique. The soba noodles were the perfect texture and they soaked in the sauce and topping. It was light, delicate, and extremely good at awakening my appetite. For my main course, I ordered the grilled fish set off of their specials menu and it was heavenly. I enjoyed everything, especially the mushroom and chicken soup as well as the steamed egg custard. It also came with seaweed, some sort of vegetable soaked in sauce (I thought it was extremely well-​done squash that somehow reminded me of sweet potatoes too), shredded/​mashed radishes, and a mini salad. What I loved best was that everything came in these adorable little pots and I felt like a little kid presented with a thousand different options in one meal the entire time.
I also just really like the general environment here. Everything is spotlessly clean and the atmosphere is a mixture of chic and intimate. It’s definitely a great place for a date, as many others have mentioned. Service is very prompt. Love the green tea and hand towels they provide at the beginning (it’s definitely these little things that add a lot!). Can’t wait to come back here and try more sets!

Amazing food, amazing service!
Put our names down for a table of two, took about 40 minutes to get a table without a reservation.
This is not a transitional Japanese restaurant, in the sense of sushi rolls or nigiri. A lot of the available foods were traditional entrees, such as tonkatsu and don bowls. They also had appetizers of yakitori.
I ordered a set (set comes with pickled vegetables and a savory egg custard) of the mini salmon don with salmon sashimi and salmon roe, along with a beef yakitori and a chicken breast yakitori.
Yakitori were absolutely amazing. I believe the chicken had freshly shredded lemon grass atop of the meat, which created such a different flavor in your mouth – lemony, fresh, warmth… Beef was extremely chewy, but the flavor was so fresh. Nothing negative to say about the don bowls – fish was absolutely amazing. The salty roe really complimented the vinegar rice to create bites that didn’t require any soy sauce. Egg custard was very rich and creamy, and was in a way, also a palate cleaner to end the meal. So delicious. So yummy.

I really like the décor.
It was intimate, but it’s a good place to go to with your friends or with a date.
To my luck, I didn’t have to wait at all. YAY ME!
I got the Beef And Cheese Potato Croquette. It was surprisingly very filling.
Definitely get the set! The presentation is so cute! It comes with rice, warm egg custard, salad, and miso soup.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a piece of chicken in my soup. It was like chicken noodle soup — Japanese style.
The meal comes with 2 Croquettes. It was delicious, but I definitely want to try other dishes the next time I go back.
My friend got. one of the donkatsu dishes, but the pork was overcooked. It was too dry.
My other friend got the Katsu Toji. The broth was really good, but I’m not a fan of having my meat infused in broth. It makes the breading really.soggy.
To end it all, I got some sort of green tea dessert — it came with ice cream, red bean, green jelly cubes, and mochi. It was basically a Japanese version of patbingsoo (a Korean dessert that I’m absolutely obsessed with!). It was yummy but not memorable. Next time, I will try the earl grey ice cream.
The bill came out to $ 26-​$ 28/​person. It’s not too bad when you want to treat yourself. Unfortunately, my group went during a time of our own Great Depression — either having no job or losing $$$$$$ in Vegas/​Puerto Rico. I’m pretty sure I heard the waiter chuckle when we changed our rice from brown to white after hearing that it would cost $ 1 more. LOL!