Ootoya Chelsea

“We had katsu don and oyako don as sets, and the meal came with miso soup, pickle/carrot, and egg custard (steamed eggs).”

“I enjoyed my mini kaisen don, salmon saikyo with hijiki seaweed and homemade tofu salad with special bonito flakes.”

“Homemade Tofu – very soft and similar to the Cantonese dessert Douhua, except maybe the soybean flavor is stronger here.”

Ootoya Chelsea

Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. 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!

  2. Ootoya I dare say is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. The meals are wholesome, delicious, and satisfying. The prices are on average in the high 20s to low 30s per meal set, 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.

  3. 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.

  4. I like Ootoya. It's been on my to try list for a while. Only a 15 minute wait for seats on a Thursday evening. Restaurant is larger than what the front lets on. We were seated at the bar, which I was a bit bummed about since I wanted to be further inside to see the decor. My sister and I were pretty hungry, neither of us wanted to wait longer for actual tables so we settled for bar seating. Good service from the bar tender though we didn't order drinks he took our food order with care. Our eyes settled instantly on the beef set and the bar/waiter suggested the miso katsu. He said its unique because the pork katsu is poached in a soup like liquid- okay!

    My sister and I both enjoyed the katsu dish so much more than the beef. We added $1 extra for the seaweed in rice and so worth it! Makes the rice extra special.

  5. Came with 4 people on a Monday for 6:00 reservations. Was seated right away. The decor was nice and simple, but still sophisticated. It definitely helped to look up the pictures of the sets beforehand to get a sense of what you would like. I had the mackerel set – highly recommend! It was a big fish, fresh and tasty. The egg custard that comes with every set is also super good! Two of the people I came with had the Kaisen don but didn't enjoy it as much, despite all the great reviews here. They saw it in pictures with the udon but didn't know you have to add it on. One of them regretted it and would've rather tried one of the tonkatsu sets. Our waiter was super busy, but very friendly. The matcha amnitsu was very cute to eat. Also had the yuzu drink- super good! I wouldn't come here regularly because of the price, but once in a while is a fun experience.

  6. Great Japanese place! The dinner boxes are absolutely enormous and yet very affordable. TIps are already included in the price, which is nice. The atmosphere is great – dark yet welcoming and comfortable. It's a huge place for Manhattan. In the back, there are two levels and it's an open space with high ceilings.

    I come here a lot when I'm looking for Japanese comfort food that tastes pretty healthy and makes me feel good about my food choices. The place does fill up fast, but on the weekends, a little before the dinner rush, we were able to get a table for two in around 10-15 minutes. Definitely get the sets – they are huge and so good and let you try a number of things. The egg custard is so yum!

  7. I'm quite surprised I didn't write a review the last time I was here, but I suppose good food can put the brain in a bit of a fog. Now, I have to say, I love Japanese food, and having come off a three-meal sushi bender (a friend and I ordered a party platter, no judgement) – I was a little hesitant to go for Japanese again, but we both decided it would be healthy, and we knew how good Ootoya was.

    If you're newer to Japanese cuisine and not feeling adventurous (or just really love fish), go for the sets – seriously, you can't go wrong with salmon or mackerel, rice, egg custard, miso soup, etc. Pretty sure it's a fan favorite – it's definitely a favorite of mine.

    Also, in true Japanese style, the place is a "no tipping restaurant" – that is, you don't tip (self-explanatory, I know), but the restaurant is a bit on the pricer side, so it makes up for it.

  8. this place has become my favorite sushi spot in New York. I started with the edamame, potato croquette and karaage. for the main I ordered the salmon sushi set and it was fantastic! the yuzu poochi poochi cocktail is also really good!!

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West 18th Street 8
New York 10011 NY US
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Monday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Tuesday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Wednesday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Thursday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Friday, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Saturday, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm