OOTORO LITTLE TOKYO — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Ootoro is a beautiful restaurant at a moderate price point but I will never come back as long as I live. Allow me to explain exactly why:

I was very dismayed and annoyed over the obtuse and blunt service in this restaurant. If it was just one thing I would not leave a review like this but it was everything.

I am a cleancut 50 something white man who spent my entire life living in cities with populations over 3 million. I live within walking distance of this restaurant. I arrived cleanly neatly and presentably dressed, greeted the hostess amicably and was seated at a table. My friend arrived just ten minutes later, also white and very neatly dressed and the waiter came over to take our order.

I selected a sashimi platter and was promptly informed in a very condescending manner that it was raw, as if I was some sort of rube from the rural midwest. I found this extremely off-putting considering that I have been eating sushi longer than this young Japanese waiter has been alive.

My friend ordered chirashi and a "lobster dynamite".

The waiter delivered the sashimi and the chirashi and promptly asked me how I would like my shrimp head prepared. I asked him to deep fry it. He took it off the plate and brought it to the kitchen. 45 minutes later it had yet to be returned. It took two requests for him to bring back the deep fried shrimp head.

But then something even more dreadful happened. The $45 lobster dynamite was served to us. In my opinion, this dish was absolutely positively disgusting and I suspect the lobster was spoiled. I did not want to make a scene in front of my friend (who is way nicer than me and was paying for this dinner) so after taking one bite and spitting it into a napkin, I simply said I didnt like it and chose to refrain from saying anything else negative. I honestly think the chef purposely made us a spoiled lobster because we are white. I want the management to know that I have had dynamite preparations in platters and rolls up and down the west coast and in Tokyo and NEVER have I been served a pile of slop like this.

The sashimi and chirashi were basically good although I have had better in several other Little Tokyo restaurants.

We spent a little more than an hour in the restaurant and I observed the excessively nosy female manager peering directly over the divider of our private booth in a prologned manner no less than 15 times. This was not simple checking to make sure our needs were met. It was a downright constant invasion of our privacy.

Despite decent sashimi, I absolutely despised my experience of this place. If you are not Japanese, avoid this restaurant at all costs. The staff is not cosmopolitan and maybe even a...

Well what do we have here, another sushi spot in Little Tokyo? Why not.

The first time I tried Ootoro was actually in Walnut (suburbia for those of you that haven’t ventured East of DTLA) good sushi for that area. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw an outside patio full of happy customers eating their sushi while I was walking to get some yakitori across the street.

Anyway- my roommate and I decided to grab sushi when our cravings for noodles was ended by the early closing hours of marugame and pasta e pasta.

The inside is spectacularly simply, minimalistic-the way I like sushi spots. It’s a gorgeous interior so I can’t wait to actually eat inside. The patio space is roomy and the design is far away from the actual intersection (THEYRE on the corner) so the likelihood of getting a lunatic homeless screaming in your face is minuscule at best.

We didn’t do the omakase but the table behind us did and wow that tuna kama they brought out was gigantic!

We got the premium chirashi and an order of amaebi or sweet shrimp for those who don’t know- and hotate (giant scallop) sushi. Shrimp head comes fried or miso soup we got one of each. The chirashi was yummy I’d recommend the premium version vs the basic chirashi it comes with more variety and an uni and amaebi. The sashimi is cut think and was more than enough for the two of us to share.

They allow dogs on the patio so I’m planning on bringing my pups next time! Great place for a full service sushi spot especially with an actual patio and not one on the side...

The guy said: the restaurant owner DO NOT ALLOW ANY TYPE OF SERVICE DOG Unless you BLIND!!! I’m deeply disappointed and outraged by the way my wife and her service dog were treated at this restaurant. My wife suffers from severe mental health conditions and relies on her trained service dog, Vicky, for emotional and medical support. Today, she finally gathered the courage to go out and socialize — only to be denied entry and humiliated by the front desk.

The host not only refused to let her in, but also mocked her, saying something like: “Unless you’re blind, no dog is allowed in here.” This is not just a cruel and ignorant remark — it’s a clear violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), which protects the rights of people with disabilities to be accompanied by service animals in public spaces.

To make matters worse, when we asked the host for their name, they refused to give it, showing zero accountability for their discriminatory behavior. We left feeling ashamed, hurt, and angry — all because a business couldn’t show the basic decency to follow the law and treat people with respect.

If you care about human rights, compassion, or legal compliance, stay far away from this place. No one deserves to be...