This was my 1st visit to their Times Square location and I also haven't been to Ootoya in a hot minute. I stopped by for a birthday lunch and was seated at the counter.
QR codes on the table needed to be scanned to view the menu but I think they also had physical menus as well. The Yosenabe Teishoku set had a kombu broth with 3 different kinds of fish, pork slices, beef slice and udon noodles. Talk about a lot of food! The okra side that it came with had a sesame dressing which I wished they offered refills for. The salad was just okay for me, the dressing was a bit tart for me. The miso soup was also pretty good with 2 small pieces of tofu and a few pieces of wakame.
The star of this whole meal was definitely the hot pot. The first fish had quite a lot of bones but the meat tasted clean and was tender and flaky. The salmon was also pretty tender and definitely not overcooked. The third I wasn't too partial with because of the slightly fishy taste. The beef was just okay for me as I enjoyed the pork a lot more. More than just a boiled taste, perhaps the pork was seasoned but it was my favorite part of the hot pot. With some udon noodles at the bottom of the hot pot and a giant bowl of rice, this set meal was definitely very filling.
2nd visit: I tried the Kaasan Ni set. Onions were stewed till soft and paired well with the egg and katsu pieces. Next time I'll have to give the beef sukiyaki a try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Kevin Cheung
Loved the experince and food was amazing. Estimate 30 buc a person and portions are huge
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cindy Lu
Butterfish 3 bony, medium soft texture Steak 4 medium rare, tender, flavorful sauce Karrage 3 light yellow color, crispy, medium tender Beef Croquette 4 very crunchy, creamy on the inside Steamed Egg 3 not a lot of seafood, not flavorful Salmon Sashimi 5 fresh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Caleb Leung
The broth is a little bit too sweet but other than that everything is solid
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Sixi Ma
The experience was decent overall. None of the flavors were especially memorable, but everything was executed to a solid and reliable standard. The restaurant feels like a place where you can find a wide range of options depending on what you are in the mood for, and the dinner wait was not particularly long
The set meal I ordered was beautifully presented, with layered bowls arranged across the entire tray. Before the food was even tasted, the visual presentation was already enjoyable. I tend not to appreciate dishes without plating unless the flavors are truly outstanding, and Japanese cuisine usually satisfies this expectation
In terms of the food itself, the beef was cooked to a good doneness, and the eel was rich and glossy. The variety of small side dishes helped refresh the palate throughout the meal. The miso soup worked well to cleanse and balance richer flavors, while the kimchi tofu soup was comparatively ordinary and left little impression, though it was also much more affordable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Shinobu “Shinobuny21” Carr
Writing this hurts my heart as a Japanese person. I’ve been here several times before, and this was the first bad experience. I sincerely hope this isn’t the new norm.
I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon lunch set. The miso soup was watery, and the bowl smelled like a dirty washcloth. The udon broth was also watery and full of brown foam and residue, giving it an unpleasant fishy taste. In Japanese cooking, this brown foam (aku) is carefully skimmed off while simmering so the soup remains clean, clear, and flavorful. Leaving it in completely ruins the taste.
To make matters worse, I found a piece of plastic bag in the soup that was about 5 inches by 1 inch. I felt sick. I will not go back there anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Junna Park
It was the first time i had Yosenabe and it was incredibly good! Deep broth with variety of meat you can enjoy. (Chicken, beef, pork, fish). Really soothing and enjoyable nabe during the winter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Qiaoyi Chen
Loved this restaurant. But feel like the price are much higher than before. Today I am checking my photo from last year? The same sukiyaki set for 35$, now sukiyaki itself is 35, if you want the set, that is 6$ more. And the old set used to contain salad, now it disappears. Taste is still good. Service is okay for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Sára M.
Amazing restaurant - great service, tasty food. Very pleasant & welcoming atmosphere.
I don't know why but I've been coming to this place a lot and i haven't even gave this place a review. Well theres nothing else to say but the food is amazing and the staff is really great. The vibe and atmosphere is really relaxing and the decor is really beautiful. They have a nice array of drinks such as sake, cocktails, beer, teas,shochu,etc.. i highly recommend if ever you're in bryant park or time square in general stop by and have lumch or dinner at this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fariha Rahman
do not get matcha here. it’s just green milk.
Juda Engelmayer
Limited menu, but delicious
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Nazneen Malik
I looked up the meaning of Ootoya and understood they were going for home style meals. I love this idea in midtown especially where we eat out everyday at work. The playlist is calming, the service is prompt. The food is delicious. I got the gindara combination. This one a must try if you work in midtown lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
R Miller
Delicious home style Japanese food. Quick and friendly service. Hit the spot after a long flight.
The green matcha curry is fantastic
Food: 5
This was my 1st visit to their Times Square location and I also haven't been to Ootoya in a hot minute. I stopped by for a birthday lunch and was seated at the counter.
QR codes on the table needed to be scanned to view the menu but I think they also had physical menus as well. The Yosenabe Teishoku set had a kombu broth with 3 different kinds of fish, pork slices, beef slice and udon noodles. Talk about a lot of food! The okra side that it came with had a sesame dressing which I wished they offered refills for. The salad was just okay for me, the dressing was a bit tart for me. The miso soup was also pretty good with 2 small pieces of tofu and a few pieces of wakame.
The star of this whole meal was definitely the hot pot. The first fish had quite a lot of bones but the meat tasted clean and was tender and flaky. The salmon was also pretty tender and definitely not overcooked. The third I wasn't too partial with because of the slightly fishy taste. The beef was just okay for me as I enjoyed the pork a lot more. More than just a boiled taste, perhaps the pork was seasoned but it was my favorite part of the hot pot. With some udon noodles at the bottom of the hot pot and a giant bowl of rice, this set meal was definitely very filling.
2nd visit: I tried the Kaasan Ni set. Onions were stewed till soft and paired well with the egg and katsu pieces. Next time I'll have to give the beef sukiyaki a try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Loved the experince and food was amazing. Estimate 30 buc a person and portions are huge
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Butterfish 3 bony, medium soft texture
Steak 4 medium rare, tender, flavorful sauce
Karrage 3 light yellow color, crispy, medium tender
Beef Croquette 4 very crunchy, creamy on the inside
Steamed Egg 3 not a lot of seafood, not flavorful
Salmon Sashimi 5 fresh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
The broth is a little bit too sweet but other than that everything is solid
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
The experience was decent overall. None of the flavors were especially memorable, but everything was executed to a solid and reliable standard. The restaurant feels like a place where you can find a wide range of options depending on what you are in the mood for, and the dinner wait was not particularly long
The set meal I ordered was beautifully presented, with layered bowls arranged across the entire tray. Before the food was even tasted, the visual presentation was already enjoyable. I tend not to appreciate dishes without plating unless the flavors are truly outstanding, and Japanese cuisine usually satisfies this expectation
In terms of the food itself, the beef was cooked to a good doneness, and the eel was rich and glossy. The variety of small side dishes helped refresh the palate throughout the meal. The miso soup worked well to cleanse and balance richer flavors, while the kimchi tofu soup was comparatively ordinary and left little impression, though it was also much more affordable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Writing this hurts my heart as a Japanese person. I’ve been here several times before, and this was the first bad experience. I sincerely hope this isn’t the new norm.
I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon lunch set. The miso soup was watery, and the bowl smelled like a dirty washcloth. The udon broth was also watery and full of brown foam and residue, giving it an unpleasant fishy taste. In Japanese cooking, this brown foam (aku) is carefully skimmed off while simmering so the soup remains clean, clear, and flavorful. Leaving it in completely ruins the taste.
To make matters worse, I found a piece of plastic bag in the soup that was about 5 inches by 1 inch. I felt sick. I will not go back there anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
It was the first time i had Yosenabe and it was incredibly good! Deep broth with variety of meat you can enjoy. (Chicken, beef, pork, fish). Really soothing and enjoyable nabe during the winter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Loved this restaurant. But feel like the price are much higher than before. Today I am checking my photo from last year? The same sukiyaki set for 35$, now sukiyaki itself is 35, if you want the set, that is 6$ more. And the old set used to contain salad, now it disappears. Taste is still good. Service is okay for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Amazing restaurant - great service, tasty food. Very pleasant & welcoming atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I don't know why but I've been coming to this place a lot and i haven't even gave this place a review. Well theres nothing else to say but the food is amazing and the staff is really great. The vibe and atmosphere is really relaxing and the decor is really beautiful. They have a nice array of drinks such as sake, cocktails, beer, teas,shochu,etc.. i highly recommend if ever you're in bryant park or time square in general stop by and have lumch or dinner at this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
do not get matcha here. it’s just green milk.
Limited menu, but delicious
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
I looked up the meaning of Ootoya and understood they were going for home style meals. I love this idea in midtown especially where we eat out everyday at work. The playlist is calming, the service is prompt. The food is delicious. I got the gindara combination. This one a must try if you work in midtown lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious home style Japanese food. Quick and friendly service. Hit the spot after a long flight.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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