Ototo Sushi

05/29/10

BEST Sushi in Seattle

by lamson77 at Citysearch

Ototo Sushi is THE place for the most delcious fresh sushi and japanese cuisine in the Seattle area. The food is elegantly presented, the chefs and servers are very friendly and professional. My husband and I eat sushi quite often in the area and we have noticed that even during a recession time that Ototo has even increased the quality of their food. They are amazing and the price is quite reasonable as well. We very highly recommended this restaurant which also has an excellent atmosphere.

• Pros: Fresh Sushi and friendly professional service

07/06/09

Terrible Service! Rude waitress!

by Kbright at Citysearch

I live about 3 blocks from Ototo and was home sick not wanting to cook dinner. I called to order takeout sushi, BUT no one answered the phone. Not even a recording. I thought it was strange and maybe they couldn't hear the phone so I called 10 more times. Still nothing. So, I figured I would just drive there order and wait for the food. Upon arriving I told them that they may want to check their phone and that I would like to order something for takeout one of the waitresses barked at me "We are not taking takeout orders right now!" and kept walking. I told her that had they answered the phone I could have been saved a trip there, to which she had no answer and just waled by again. I checked their website to see if i had made a mistake and they had specific takeout times listed...they do not...needless to say my first experience with Ototo will also be my last. I would rather go somewere outside teh neighborhood than ever set foot inside their establishment again!

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: rude service

06/27/09

Our favorite place in Seattle.

by Yinzerjagoffs at Citysearch

I lived in Japan for 3 years.

I have had sushi at Shiro’s and Saito’s which are widely believed to be the best in Seattle. I just don’t think that they are worth the money. I spend $100.00 at Shiro’s for dinner. At Ototo we only spend about $50-60. and I can tell you, Ototo is just as good or better.

It is very hard to find really good sushi in the States. They all use American grown rice because Japanese rice is so expensive that they would have to charge you $15 for a roll! It is impossible to get the “real thing” without Japanese rice. That said making good sushi rice is an art. It takes years and years to learn how to do it properly and consistently. Hutch-san, the main sushi chef, is a master. His rice is never cold.

He gets great salmon from somewhere! His otoro is bangin’ and his negitoro is usually made fresh on request. His side man Takashi does great work on the rolls too. They offer a variety of non-traditional rolls that you can find at most American sushi restaurants, but we stick with the traditional old school stuff.

The food from the menu is ok, but not our favorite. The tempura is good. The gyoza is frozen and I don’t recommend it. The udon broth was very weak when we tried it.

We never ever sit anywhere but the counter. I suggest you do the same. Enjoy the art of sushi making.

• Pros: Authentic sushi at a fair price.
• Cons: Not the greatest hot food.

06/23/09

Horrible, Horrible, Horrible Service!

by neo2go at Citysearch

If I could give Ototo a 0, I would. We went with a group of four for dinner on a Tuesday evening - it was warm and nice so we asked to sit outside. After seating, our waitress left to tend to other tables, which is normal (obviously). However, we waited. And waited. And waited. After waiting more than 15 minutes for anyone to come out and acknowledge our presence, another group came and sat outside as well. They were there for less than five minutes when the waitress came out and asked if they had been helped. They said no, so we piped up as well that we hadn't been helped either.

From the time we ordered (and we had already been there a good thirty minutes just waiting for tea and water), it took an additional 65 MINUTES for our sushi to come out. We had only ordered four rolls. By the time our food came out, the other group had already eaten, paid, and were long gone.

Our drinks were never refilled, our waitress never came out to check on us, and for the first time in all of our lives, we left no tip. The service was that terrible! And it wasn't even busy! I have no idea what took so long but I will never eat there again!

05/22/09

Fresh Salmon

by SHoodie at Citysearch

Based on the "best of" list in Citysearch, a friend and I went to this restaurant last night. The salmon seemed really fresh, but other than that, this seemed like a typical sushi establishment to me. The decor wasn't anything to write home about.

• Pros: Fresh Salmon
• Cons: Atmosphere