This story begins like all great food adventures: with rejection. We had our sights set on Izakaya Den, only to be met with the dreaded one-hour wait. We all know that an hour wait is basically a lifetime in hangry person math. So we did what any desperate slightly dramatic food lovers would do: we wandered Pearl Street praying for a miracle. Enter: Ototo. A little less crowded, just down the street, and totally unassuming. We walked in expecting another long wait but instead we were immediately seated at the sushi bar. At this point, I knew fate had intervened. Our waitress was fantastic. Super friendly, attentive, and just generally someone I would trust with my happiness (which at this moment was entirely food-based). We started with the tonkatsu cutlet, and I'm convinced it was fried by angels. Perfectly crispy, light, and not greasy, with pork so tender and juicy that as soon as we took our first bite, my friend and I gazed at each other as if we just met God. Then came our donburi bowls (specifically the Maguro Don and Shake Don). They looked small at first, but crazy enough the portions felt endless. The fish literally melts in your mouth like butter and the rice is fluffy and perfectly seasoned with furikake. My friend and I walked out of there so full and happy, we were ready for an immediate food coma only to dream about our next experience here. Ototo was truly the happy accident we never thought we needed. They won my heart and my stomach, and I will 100% be coming back.

Really liked our first visit to Ototo. Very comfortable interior with exposed brick and lots of wood. Cool garage door line an entire side of the restaurant. Everything is meant to be shared and really enjoyed the eggplant, short ribs and fried chicken. Great flavors and beautiful presentations. Need to go back and try a few more things on the menu. And loved the Denhattan, had two they were so good.

This was the last of the Sushi Den restaurants for us to try and we were not disappointed. They have an excellent Happy Hour menu and all the ingredients are very fresh, just like the other 3 restaurants. From the Happy Hour menu, we got the Sushi Sampler and all 3 options for the Kushiyaki. I did feel like the sushi sampler fish was not the same quality as the ones you get when you order from the regular nigiri menu but it was still good. The Pork Belly Kushiyaki was our favorite. We got a few pieces of nigiri, tonkotsu ramen, and the pork chashu garlic rice. The nigiri was excellent, tonkotsu was smoky (good amount for 1 person without being overly stuffed at the end) and the garlic rice is very crispy and rich. Upon delivery, the server comes over and mixes the soft boiled egg for more creaminess. Ototo den is a more low key/casual option compared to Sushi/Izakaya Den with a great happy hour. I would absolutely stop by again!

My favorite palindrome restaurant! This place is a steal. Weird thing to say at a place I spent $115 for a meal for two, but that included five drinks and I lost track of how many dishes we had. From the pickles that came with our Japanese whisky highballs to the fried sushi it is a variety of intense flavors with every bite. The staff treats you with care and the wood lined feel of the place is great. And 1/3 the cost of going across the street.

Stopped in while perusing the farmers market. This place has been on my list so i was excited to give it a try. Very happy we did. Everything we ordered was excellent and service and ambience exceptional. We oil come back.

Dropped in randomly on a weekday night without a reservation, and by some miracle there were three seats available at the bar. Coming in with no expectations, the food quality blew my mind; it is the pricing of some of the smaller appetizers that prevent Ototo from being 5-stars. For instance, edamame for $8, spicy edamame for $9, and agedashi tofu for $8? Takoyaki for $12? It is hard for me to justify this pricing. The items that stood out to me were: - Hana kama: Grilled to perfection. So much meat. Well seasoned. - Bacon mochi: I mostly ordered this for fun and out of curiosity, but it turns out that I love fried mochi so much that I would absolutely order it again. The bacon went well with the mochi and didn't overpower it! - Brussel sprouts: Loved the flavor and thought the portion size was very reasonable. - Maguro sashimi yoten mori: Fish quality was great! - Beets salad: Really refreshing. I would love to visit here again and hopefully try some other items on the menu as well as their signature cocktails.

So happy Ototo is open again! This is our favorite place to share small plates. Everything is super fresh, high-quality and unique! In addition the atmosphere feels very complementary to the food. Service is always excellent and knowledgeable. I can't list all the must try items because it's basically everything on the menu. Worth every penny, great for a date night or special treat with family or friends.

You can't go wrong stopping in here for some quick and delicious bites of exquisite quality Japanese food. This is a Sushi Den sister restaurant (right across the street from it) and the food is mostly the same style, flavor and type of preparation as its parent restaurant. In fact, you can get some of the same menu items from Sushi Den here, such as the Crispy Spicy Tuna and Miso Black Cod. Even the staples like Miso Soup and Gyoza taste and are prepared identically to that of Sushi Den's. But (a) it's far more casual here and (b) there are a lot of unique offerings here specific to Ototo. What stood out to me as Ototo-specific was the emphasis on the Yakitori. The core of their menu seems to rotate daily, so when we were there we got (among a ton of other things) both the Colorado Lamb yakitori and the yakitori with the duck breast (I don't recall the actual name of the duck one). They're served with delicious sauces and a scrumptious cabbage salad. The duck yakitori was my favorite as the shiitake mushrooms interpolated within the skewer was a dream pairing. I would definitely recommend coming here for a casual bite and treat-yourself type of meal. I would advise against picking this for a special occasion or date night because you're right by Sushi Den which is the same type of food with a much more appropriate ambience for that type of thing. Their raw offerings are also very limited as this is hot food/tapas style restaurant, so if you're looking for more traditional sushi place this isn't it. But if you do visit you will be able to try something that you've likely never had before which is cool.