Otto — Restaurant in Chester

Otto Yes, this is long, but I feel it’s important. I don’t like to do bad reviews; it’s even more difficult as I like “sister” restaurant River Tavern (see my review). The difference is if River Taven service lacks or a dish went wrong, I will always go back I will NEVER go back to Otto. In the movie Animal House Otter sitting next to Mandy in a lunchroom booth tries to convince Mandy to repeat a secret “hookup.” Realizing Otter won’t go away Mandy says, “Otter don’t flatter yourself; it wasn’t that great” In disbelief Otter mouths the words “Not that Great?” Sitting in Otto for the last time, all I could see was Otter and Otto mouthing the words “Not That Great?” I know Otto’s finds its way onto the top 20 pizza places in Connecticut, I know they have a following, and I know some of the staff believes it’s a diner’s “honor” to eat at Otto. For me, well OTTO “It’s Not That Great.” Living local provides the opportunity to dine at places before the Summer Crush. Arriving in the off-season without a reservation we were seated outside on a chilly night. Once seated we are told by the “Head Seater Person” "You have 45 minutes to order and eat” then left us with our mouths open in disbelief. So, we waited, in fact we waited so long we earnestly ask the late arriving waitress “When does our 45 minutes start.” When we had to wait again to get our food cleared for dessert we asked again about the 45 minute “eat and leave” edict. The tiramisu was very good no one was waiting for a table. What was my last visit, I made a reservation for 7:45p. Arriving 5 minutes early, we were told they were getting our table ready 7:45, 7:50, 7:55; at 8p we were told “We are getting your table ready (he pointed to the backlot) but it’s going to take a few minutes, or I can seat you now to start eating immediately.” As you ponder this statement as I did, the decision was sit “now, eat immediately” instead “waiting of a few minutes.” We were ignored for 17 minutes-harsh? We successful flagged two employees in addition to some quick looks, but no one came. The waitress finally arrived to take our drink order-we ordered everything: guacamole, small salad, 2 small pizzas, Asian shrimp. Not sure how long the apps took but know I was able to walk up the street to fabulous Honeycombs Craft Ice Cream, with a line, order a drink and bring it back just after they served the apps. Eating the apps, we were told that Otto ran out of small pizza dough, so one of our pizza’s would have to be a large. One pizza and the shrimp salad came out, the large pizza arrived as the first two dinners were almost gone. Trying to pay & leave we were charged for the large pizza; only after we pointed this out did they change the bill with another apology. The one bright spot at Otto is Cory– she is hardworking, attentive, polite, down-to-earth and gracious. Cory buses tables, runs (really) to get heaters from River Tavern, fills water – well just about everything. Cory is unpretentious and humble, which makes her stand out from the pretentious at Otto; maybe it’s time for Cory to greet and seat, then we would be told the truth and we would feel welcome instead of honored. I gave Otto’s 6 visits: The pizza is thin dough and each and every time the dough was limp and soggy (see pizza piece photo) so when you cut the pizza the “crust” pulls with the knife. Ordered the egg pizza 3x and it was bland and underwhelming. My first visit I ordered the eggplant casserole, and it was very tasty, a solid dish; I ordered the same casserole on visit 4 and it was horrible, not a little off, but so bad I lost my appetite. They were apologetic, training new chefs, took it off the bill and made me a new one to take home which no one eat. The apps are an afterthought as I’m not sure what “made to order” guacamole is (see picture). See the food here is ok but not great; and some staff – again, nothing like at The River Tavern – treat patrons like it’s some kind of honor to be seated at Otto – guess...

My insane group of foodie friends and I decided to take our Friday night dinner club to Otto to give their pizza a try. We're a gang of young adults (not millennials) who spend the majority of our money and love for food together on trying new places to eat. We live one town away from downtown Chester and have been all over the state for food. We had yet to give Otto a shot due to great pizza we've had north of us, and wasn't sure if it was really worth all the hype we had heard. We walked in and had a 45 min wait for table of 4, but no biggie, we enjoyed some beers at Little House just a short walk away. We decided to give 3 pizzas a try; 2 reds - the pepperoni with scamorza, and the housemade sausage with peppers, onions, and more scamorza. Third, a white pizza - the egg with bacon, potato, ricotta etc... On behalf of my fellow foodies, I have to say.. this pizza definitely exceeded our personally high standards. The pepperoni was probably the best pepperoni pizza I've ever eaten. The crust was PERFECTLY cooked and had a great thickness. I also loved how well the cheeses paired with the meat and all the seasoning - it made for some amazing flavorful pizza!!! My friends and I loved Otto, and are still talking about it days later. Will...

We had been wanting to try this place for a while, but unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. The issues started with the kitchen's pace; our pizza took over 40 minutes to arrive at the table after we ordered. Here's a breakdown of our experience: Food Quality (2.5/5): The pizza itself was underwhelming and did not justify the wait. Price & Value (1.5/10): The value is simply not there. Our bill for two small pizzas, three drinks, and a salad came to over $160 ($135 after a $25 gift card was applied). This is exceptionally high for the quality provided. Service: The staff was not very attentive. More concerning, we witnessed a waitress drop paper plates on the floor, look around, and then continue on to serve them to a table. Atmosphere: While we appreciate cleanliness, the wooden tables are scrubbed so harshly with bleach that the wood is splintering, creating an unpleasant and potentially hazardous dining surface. They desperately need to be reconditioned with a food-safe oil. The long wait times suggest the restaurant is seating more guests than the kitchen can handle. We recommend looking elsewhere for a better...