Ootori Sushi — Restaurant in Rochester

This is easily one of the nicest sushi places here in town,and that's clear the second that you walk into the restaurant. The decor is very modern (almost too modern for my personal taste) with very wide-open seating. There isn't much natural light (or wasn't when I visited), but the overall atmosphere made it just feel cozy instead of stifling. The bathrooms were very clean, along with the rest of the restaurant. Seriously, the place almost sparkled.

The menus are very well-designed, with a lot of choices of both Japanese and American food. Comparing to some other local Japanese restaurants, I'd have to say the selection here is a bit better - along with the usual staples like sushi, sashimi, and tempura, there were a few other Japanese dishes that I were happy to see.

I personally tried the takoyaki appetizer, which was very good. I was really happy to see it on the menu since I haven't gotten the chance to try it before. (For those who are new to Japanese food, takoyaki are fried dumpling-like spheres with bits of octopus mixed in.) As with all fried foods, they cooled off quickly and I had trouble finding the 'sweet spot' between them being too hot and too cold. I'm not sure if they were 100% fresh, though, since they were hot in the middle - like they were warmed in the microwave - but I thought they were very good despite that. And again, no place I've visited has had them.

For my main meal I ordered their chef's-choice sashimi platter. I got the usual mix of fish - salmon, tuna, white tuna, and tilapia. Still, all of the cuts were tender and, well, delicious. They also gave me a good serving of wasabi, and the texture was different than some of the other restaurants. I'm not sure if it was legitimate wasabi or not, but it definitely did the job.

I also have to say that they had "traditional-brewed" Kikkoman soy sauce there, as opposed to the other Asian-style places in town which have the regular variety. I appreciated the change of pace. I'm no expert, but I did notice a difference, and I personally preferred the traditionally-brewed sauce.

I also tried a bowl of rice and was delighted to find they had sprinkled some lightly roasted sesame seeds on top - a nice little detail that sets Ootori Sushi apart from other places which just serve you up a bowl of rice. I also had their green tea, which was excellent (I think it was a long-leaf tea from Japan, actually. At the very least, it tasted like one.) and their miso soup was less 'fishy' than I've had at other places - definitely an improvement.

The waitress I had was very, very friendly. We didn't get much time to chat, but I thought she was delightful.

The only real downside to eating here as opposed to, say, Ichi Tokyo (my personal favorite) is the price. My meal came to about $35, plus a tip for the great service. (Seriously, the service was great, I can't say that enough.) Getting a similar meal at Ichi Tokyo will run you around $20. Is the price difference worth the change in atmosphere? That's up to your personal preference. Is it worth it for the quality of food? Well, the plating at Ootori is a lot more 'gourmet' than Ichi Tokyo, and the cozy atmosphere makes it perfect for a date night. And again, I'm no expert on sashimi, but I didn't detect any notable differences between the two restaurants in terms of quality of the cuts, freshness, or anything else. What you do get at Ootori is a wider selection of Japanese meals, however, and I'm sure going there every once in a while would be a good idea to...

This place is waaaaaaaay too expensive for the quality of food you get. I don't know where they get off charging the prices they do, especially considering this isnt some sort of fancy dining experience. We ended up spending $75 total for only 2 people on 4 items (two ramen bowls, 1 sushi roll, and 1 takoyaki appetizer). They also add a 4% surcharge to the price of every dish WITHOUT DISCLOSING this until you get your bill at the end (this is not the 3% fee, this is something additional). The food is genuinely just not good, and it also upset both my and my husband's stomachs, which I've never had happen from eating Japanese food before (and we eat it frequently).

I am more than happy to spend $16+ on a good bowl of ramen (and I often do), but this just was not good/worth it. In the tonkatsu ramen, the noodles are too firm and bland, the broth is bland, and the pork is overcooked and under seasoned. The eggs were good, though. The sushi just wasnt good. I'm not sure what exactly to describe, but it just wasnt good (especially considering the roll cost an insane $16). I also wasn't impressed by the takoyaki at all (I can't confirm, but it tasted like it was just prepared from a premade, frozen item). I probably wouldn't be as upset with my dining experience if the sushi and ramen only cost $12 or $13 each instead of $16 each.

If you want "authentic" Japanese food, or even just decent Japanese food in general, then go somewhere else.

The waitstaff were lovely, and I have no complaints about them. This review is not intended to reflect poorly on them, they did...

Just went and had dinner with my daughter. One couple walk in about 5 mins after we did..and another couple came maybe 20 mins later. We were second to get our orders taken. Got out one glass of water after too..no refills. Miso soup was barely warm. I put in my to go orders the same time I placed my food orders. Summer didn’t come to ask how we were doing not once. Everyone who came after us got their checks and left before we even did..there was also a family of 3 next to us and they told summer they wanted edamame with salt..I clearly heard them. Another waitress took over their table who brought them a spicy edamame..summer made it seem like the customers had changed their minds like it was the customers fault. Seriously take accountability..the time spent there throughout the whole process was 2 hours..we got 2 miso, 3 sushi rolls, some sort of octopus appetizer, and a chicken teriyaki..for to go I ordered 2 Korean chicken and 3 plain rice..we ate our food in 20 mins..but spent longer there just waiting for some type of...