Ootoya (Greenwich Village Location)

41 East 11th Street

(between Broadway and University Place)

Was in the mood for Japanese food, but not for sushi or ramen. I was searching for Japanese comfort food, and Ootoya was the perfect spot.

The restaurant is a bright and open space and gets crowded quickly. I arrived for lunch on a Saturday afternoon a few minutes after opening, and the restaurant quickly filled up with a lot of families.

I was very surprised to see on a Saturday afternoon how many parents were there with very young children (some even infants!). And the restaurant definitely caters and encourages a family-friendly environment as I saw servers immediately provide a child-sized plastic cups with superhero characters as well as “Hello Kitty!” cups for water glasses.

For us adults, we were immediately given a warm wet towelette upon seating. The table setting was minimal and I appreciated the lovely little chili pot.

 

My friend and I both ordered the Miso Tonkatsu “Teishoku” (Japanese “meal set”). The “meal set” comes with rice, miso soup, homemade pickles, and a steamed egg custard.

The Miso Tonkatsu is a breaded and deep-fried pork loin and cabbages served in a rich Aka-Miso paste, topped with a poached egg. It is served warm in a hot pot.

 

Verdict: Delicious!!! The miso sauce is not too spicy and the poached egg was not too runny. I licked the plate empty!

The miso soup was also excellent. As opposed to most miso soups which are served with just small pieces of tofu, scallion, and seaweed, Ootoya’s came with pork and vegetables! I could have had a giant bowl of that and had that as a meal!

 

 

I only had two bites of the steamed egg custard and knew immediately it wasn’t something for my palate. I think I was expecting something sweet, but it tasted like warm, watery egg whites.

 

To celebrate the holiday season, my friend ordered an Italian prosecco (Veneto Villa Sardi). Dry and bubbly.

And I ordered the Yuzu x Poochi Poochi ($9.00), which is defined as yuzu “with a scent of sweetened and carbonated sake.” I normally am not a fan of sake cocktails, but this was surprisingly refreshing.

Pros:

Great service.

Great food.

Cons:

Does not accept reservations.

Gets crowded quickly, but the staff do not rush out patrons.

Final Thoughts

Will definitely go back and want to also try their other locations in Chelsea and Times Square.