Ooka Chinese & Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Pelham

Look, you need to eat here. This place is so good that I would recommend it to all of my friends... if I actually had friends. Hell, it is so good that it makes me feel like making friends just so I can recommend it to them.

The atmosphere is nice, kind of casual but quiet, the service is wonderful. Well, by service I mainly mean the woman who is always there and seems to always serve us, but whatever her name is, she is so friendly that it's almost as good as actually having a friend.

And since we keep coming back to that same topic, let me tell you that I keep coming back here. Bring your friends, or your significant other, or your Tinder date. They might not look like their profile pictures but the food does, and it won't disappoint.

Bring your Mom, Bring your Dad, secretly schedule them both to lunch with you at the same time so they reignite that passion they lost before the divorce with these euphoric egg rolls. You can act like you did it for them, but we both know that the whole "Two Christmases" thing sucks after you've grown up and the presents gradually shift towards the socks end of the spectrum.

Order the honey chicken and realize that Captain Crunch ain't got nothing on the crunch of THIS chicken. You know that sensation you get when you bit into a hot funnel cake at the fair? Back when you were young and before motion sickness became your reality? Prepare to feel like that again. To rediscover taste buds you had forgotten that you owned. Prepare to feast on sushi flavor palettes more complicated than your college years relationship status.

You can even go at lunch and get it for a reasonable 6 or 7 bucks a plate with sides. Or be a true rebel and go for dinner on a worknight. Look at you, out past 7p on a Tuesday. You'll think you've recaptured the golden years. You haven't. But you did have a damn fine meal only spoiled by reality crashing back in when your fork searches for the next bite and comes up empty.

So go. Eat. Tell them Jake sent you. They don't know who I am but I kind of like the idea of them bewilderingly wondering who the...

Updating in response to the owner: The woman I spoke to literally told me if it was just one item or the other she would believe me but since I said both she didn't think I was telling the truth. So while yes, I did get a refund for those items, I was called a liar in the process. To say the least that is terrible customer service and bad business. It's also why I will not be returning or "giving Ooka another try" Update: Went up there to complain about my food and was told that since I said both dishes were completely inedible that I must be lying. Smh 🤦 I said no ma'am I they were both gross, old, half cold, and stale. I just figured since it was the end of the night that maybe food that had been sitting was served instead of having to cook fresh and mess up the kitchen right before close. She then made a remark about how I probably wanted cash back instead of it being refunded to my card. I just shook my head and said no ma'am whatever is easier for you. I didn't go in there being ugly or with an attitude, I just wanted it to be made right. I've worked in restaurants most of my life so I get that things happen. What I can't understand or tolerate is a bad attitude and being hateful for no reason.

I very rarely leave a negative review but when I pay $20+ for just my meal alone and it's as bad as what I received tonight, I just feel like I have to say something. I tried Ooka tonight for the first time simply because it was close. I order the crab Rangoon's and a shrimp tempura roll, the exact same things I get no matter what Japanese/Korean restaurant I go to. I was looking forward to eating one of my favorite comfort foods only to receive food that was completely inedible. Both items tasted old and stale and just gross. I even tried adding sauces to save it and it just wasn't possible. My whole order went in to the thrash after just a few bites. I will be calling tomorrow to hopefully...

Update 11-3-2017 and upgraded rating I had the vegetable tempura twice already. Tempura is hard to find and I usually have to make it myself when I am craving battered, deep-fried veggies. The batter here is excellent (better than mine), light and crisp, the frying fat is very clean as I could not detect contaminating flavors, and they pleasantly surprised me with asparagus and sweet potato. A dish I will order again. That dish alone could warrant the fifth star but what really makes this restaurant shine is their excellent customer service. After I asked for tofu at my second visit, I was offered a tofu dish at my 3rd visit. Order Sichuan (Szechuan) tofu next time you go.

Friendly, fast, and lunch specials starting at $6.50 including a soup or salad. A small sushi bar is integrated into the large (~ 70 seats) dining room. The menu is organized into the main categories: Asian Fusion, Sushi, Hibachi Grill, Kids Menu, and Lunch Specials. You will find all the US-Chinese favorites (General Tso's, Kung Pao, ..) but also dishes that are not quite as common, like different Tempura choices, Udon noodles, and Seaweed salad. The category I am missing is Vegetarian. The waitress was quick to point me to vegetable Hibachi when asked for a vegetarian option, brought salad instead of soup, which I highly appreciated, offered chop sticks, and returned twice to ensure the glasses were filled. 4 stars feels a bit high for a place that is pretty generic, does not offer tofu as a protein, and did not blow us away with their dishes but I will visit again to reevaluate and try their...