Otter Fine Sushi & Beyond — Restaurant in Fort Lee

Otter Fine Sushi & Beyond falls flat in execution, offering an uninspired dining experience that doesn't justify its high prices. While the fish quality was acceptable but average, the overall service, atmosphere, and value left much to be desired. The restaurant's concept might have potential, but the lack of attention to detail made the meal more frustrating than enjoyable.

Why It Was Bad: Service Was Unwelcoming and Unorganized Sitting down at a table without soy sauce or wasabi for ten minutes set a poor first impression. These basics should be ready when guests are seated. The waitress didn't greet the table or offer menus, instead just asked us, "what do you want," making the interaction feel rushed and impersonal.

Confusing and Inconvenient Conveyor Belt System While categorizing sushi by fish type made sense, the lack of labeling for rolls created unnecessary guesswork. (This is dangerous for people with food allergies or dietary restrictions) Premium rolls being covered in foil defeated the purpose of a conveyor belt, forcing diners to gamble on what they were grabbing rather than making an informed choice. Overpriced for the Quality Charging $9 for two pieces of nigiri regardless of fish type was excessive, especially considering the fish was just "fine." The option to pay with cash for a "cheaper" bill was misleading since the discount was barely noticeable. The lack of free water and a $2.50 price tag for bottled water felt like an unnecessary charge for an unprepared restaurant. Uninspired Atmosphere The restaurant lacked energy--music wasn't loud enough to create ambiance, yet it was quiet enough that talking at a normal volume felt awkward. You can hear other table conversations clearly. The vibe was dull and depressing, making it hard to enjoy the meal.

Final Verdict: Otter Fine Sushi & Beyond might have some room for growth for a new restaurant, but as it stands, it's not worth the price or the hassle. The food wasn't too terrible, but when you're paying premium prices, you expect better execution in both service and experience. If you're craving conveyor belt sushi, Kura would be the better option--even with a wait. And if you're willing to spend top dollar, omakase would offer a far...

We were excited to try this place when they first opened, but the prices were pretty outrageous. When they started offering all you can eat, we decided to give it a shot, hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately, it was a huge letdown.

If you’re going to call yourself "fine sushi," you need to deliver fresh, high-quality fish, and this place missed the mark. The restaurant was practically empty when we arrived, yet the sushi belt was full of pre-made items that had been sitting there for who knows how long. From where we were sitting, we could actually see into the kitchen, and there were stacks on stacks of pre-made sushi ready to be put on the belt. The fish didn’t taste fresh, and most of the rolls on the belt were lacking flavor.

They did have spicy tuna crispy rice on the menu, but the rice was way too crunchy—almost as if it had been sitting out for too long. The selection of special rolls was limited, and nearly all of them contained kani salad, which is essentially the cheapest filling you can use.

On top of that, there was a one-hour time limit for the AYCE, which is just crazy and unheard of at most sushi places. I get that they want to keep turnover, but when you're paying $45 for AYCE, one hour feels way too rushed.

To make matters worse, the appetizers consisted of cold mashed potatoes and soggy calamari—definitely not what I expected from a “fine” sushi place. When we asked for spicy mayo and eel sauce, they tried to charge us $1 per item, despite the $45 AYCE price tag. On top of that, a can of Coke was $4.

I’ve been to plenty of AYCE sushi spots and usually feel like I’m getting my money’s worth, but this place felt like a total scam. Would not recommend.

*I don’t lie in my reviews. As you can see on your receipt we paid $3.61 for a can of coke. Should we be...

TLDR: Otter is a good idea but needs some tweaks to the concept and the overall execution. I went for lunch, enjoyable enough but felt like there wasn't much value or options. I would come back to try dinner.

I wanted to try Otter for awhile and popped in for lunch. At $34.95 AYCE, the ambiance is nice but I expected more. Staff was very attentive and friendly.

The belt itself I felt was marked but the plates were being just loaded where there was space - so the labels were correct only part of the time. The rolls were decent but it got to a point where each just tasted very slightly different so it started getting repetitive. Apps were fine but nothing noteworthy enough to order again.

The options on the belt were much more plentiful than the ones on the menu to order. Lunch you're limited to only nigiri (sashimi is dinner only) and the options are pretty basic at just octopus, salmon, tuna, saba, etc.

The belt design could be better, very slow pace and the divider on each side makes it that it's easy for the tables on the other side to grab things. We actually had the best seat where the items come out first but our neighbors on the other side started reaching out to grab things. This was at lunch which as I mentioned, had limited options - I wonder how much more primal diners will be in the evening with better choices.

At $34.95 pp - would not come back for lunch. Just way too few options and I can't order what's on the belt. Kura for example, even if you have a crappy seat where most of the belt is picked through.. I can order EVERYTHING a la carte.

I'd be willing to check out dinner to see what that extra $10 gets me. For lunch though - either the price needs to decrease or the options need to increase. I wouldn't recommend lunch service in its current form. Service...