Ootoya

Ootoya is a delicious Japanese restaurant that focuses on traditional home-cooking style cuisine. There is always a wait for this popular restaurant but luckily T and I were able to snag a table in around 30 minutes after a SoulCycle session. The meal totally hit the spot after our workout and I would love to return again for a casual and delicious Japanese meal. Here is the menu!

Homemade Tofu with World Selected Salt - Yuzu, Plum, and Smoked (?)
I've had this before and it was just as delicious as I remember. I unfortunately don't remember the name of the third salt but it had a very deep and smokey flavor. The tofu is very soft and has a great soy bean flavor. It tasted so fresh and you can definitely tell that it is homemade, a great start to the meal! 

Self Selected Assortment of Yakitori
When the yakitori first landed on our table, my first thought was "WOW they are so huge!". They are definitely larger than you standard yakitori so please keep that in mind when you order! I thought that I would be able to eat it all along with my rice bowl but I was quite stuffed by the time I ate the yakitoris! Some of my favorites were the Gyu (Washu beef) and the Seseri (chicken neck). The Tsukune was not as good as I would have wanted and they also did not give us the egg dip! The Buta tomato (tomato wrapped in pork belly) was also good but not a MUST order. 

Kaisen Don
The rice was well seasoned and the fish was fresh. I had to pack away half of this because I couldn't finish it! 

Ootoya is always a safe choice when you want homey Japanese food that will make your tummy happy. The wait can be a bit of a hassle but it's not too bad on weekdays!

Ootoya

8 W 18th Street

Flatiron

New York

NY 10011