Ota-Ya Japanese Restaurant

This used to be my favorite Sushi place. I loved the enter the dragon roll and shumai.
It has since closed down — now it’s a Korean/​Japanese restaurant stupidly named Mr. Ginger’s. I hear that place is overpriced and not good.

My favorite place to go out for sushi in my neighborhood. The quality of the sushi is really good and not ridiculously pricey like alot of the high end sushi joints on the UES. And of course there are items other than sushi for the less adventuresome or vegetarians, all of which are equally good and every dish is presented beautifully.
They are almost never crowded, so its pretty easy to just walk in with a few friends, and the staff is nice and attentive. Occasionally service will get a little slow, but that’s usually when the place is nearly full. Plus, the décor is subdued and intimate, a lovely space to enjoy a meal in.

I came here with my Dad and Stepmother for Mother’s day. They had been here before but it was a new one for me.
Normally, when i go out for Japanese, I am strictly a sushi person, with maybe some edamame or Miso soup to start.
After looking at the menu, i almost didn’t eat sushi at all. But then opted for come clear soup and the mussels appetizer as well as a couple of specialties rolls: The Godzilla roll, and the Goldfish roll — both very good.
They are not crowded, and they space their customers out so you are lumped together, overhearing everyone else’s conversation. The wait staff is polite and friendly.
They lose one star for forgetting my soup and it took a few minutes to get their attention. Had it been busier, i would have been more willing to overlook it.

The sushi at Ota-​ya is very decent, in fact, its just plain good. The only qualm about this place that has been a consistently slow service in which when something is asked, it takes awhile to see that it gets done.
This can be from getting water to replacing silverware to just waiting for the food. When the food finally came, it was almost worth the wait but no one should have to wait 40 min for their food. The prices were decent and the atmosphere was quaint yet quiet which makes this place a solid date spot for good Japanese eats.

I came to Oto-​Ya with an out-​of-​town guest who: a.) had never had sushi before, and b.) was a vegetarian. This was a great place to take a sushi first-​timer, and there were lots of vegetarian options! The décor is simple but very nice. The miso soup is excellent — they don’t skimp on the tofu! This would be a good place to go on a date OR with a small group of family members or friends. The food is presented beautifully, and there is a large selection of ‘house special’ rolls that all look delicious. I recommend the Vegetable Tempura roll. I would definitely come here again!

Pretty good sushi. Try the appetizers. Do not order the ten dollar hot sake. Its no different than the four dollar one.
The shumai were good — but not extra special.
Still searching for a great local sushi place that is neither too big and impersonal nor too typical. I miss my old Taiyo on York.
If you know of a yummy place, you may drop me a line.