My first time there in years. My first impression was dirty. Soiled menus, unwashed windows. Dirty. Westarted with the miso soup uneventful. Literally, no flavor. For an appetizervwe shared shumai which was gummy. For our main entree we had chicken tempura with vegetables. The vegetables were mushy and battered dipped. The only thing I seem to enjoy with a bunch of the panko. Even the dipping sauce was watered down and had no flavor. The entertainment was the waitress who talked so loud my ear rang. She seemed in a hurry however there were only two other tables. For dessert I mistakenly ordered green tea ice cream. I said the mistake because it was grit and dirt flavored. Never again! read more

Was very good years ago. Went this past weekend for first time in years. Not going again. Food OK, service OK, but physical condition of place terrible. Outside: paint peeling and it looks run down. Inside: ceiling missing parts, carpets very dirty and sticky, bench seat torn, bathrooms unclean, bad odors, dirty menus, upstairs hibachi tables look like they has not been used in years, etc. What a shame! read more

You have to try this amazing restaurant! My family always gets a boat with a lot of sushi, and it's amazing every time. I loooooovvvvveeee the Godzilla and spicy rock rolls. ( If you don't like spicy things, the spicy rock rolls aren't actually spicy at all.) They are so tasty! Please try this restaurant for a really nice dinner or lunch. read more

Ota-Ya - Delicious boat!!! - Japanese Near Me - Lambertville, New Jersey

Best sushi in the area!! This is a can't miss!! Food is amazing and staff make you feel like family!!

I have reviewed Ota-Ya before, and I really liked it. I just returned from dinner tonight and I had to add another star, because it was just that good. I had the sashimi deluxe platter which was elegantly plated, included miso soup and garden salad, (with that ginger dressing that I only find in Japanese restaurants), and I had green tea. Only 25.00 for the platter, and it was too much food to eat. Almost. I ate it all up. Except I could not finish the salad or soup, because once the sashimi came, something had to be left on the table. I love this place, and I love that I took my friend there, her first time, and she also raved. I would rate it 10 stars if I could. It is that good. read more

Decent sushi place for a middle-of-nowhere town of Lambertville. On a San Francisco scale, maybe two and a half stars. On a Tokyo scale... let's not go there. Tempura appetizer was good, and so was the miso soup. Sushi/sashimi combo was ok, but didn't exactly blow me away. It's a BYOB, and there's an excellent wine/beer store across the street. All in all, a solid dinner choice in Lambertville. read more

Every time I'm in Lambertville NJ I always go to Ota-Ya. Love their Beef Tataki, California Roll and Edamame!

The sushi here is incredibly fresh. I love the fresh scallops on half shell and Salmon tartare appetizers. The rolls are nicely crafted and a pretty good balance of rice and seafood. Try the spicy king roll and toro sashimi. Both are among my favorites. The cucumber roll is also very well made with a paper-thin cucumber layer wrapped around generous portions of tuna, salmon, and avocado. The unagi don is excellent although it isn't as good as Ajihei's in terms of flavor. But then again Ajihei is like an oasis in the middle of the Princetonian sahara. For those of you who aren't huge fans of raw fish, they also offer a decent selection of kitchen entrees, including a flavorful udon and hibachi. Overall, a good choice for the area with good service and satisfying dishes. read more

It's starting to be Hit or Miss. Last time we went it was a little fishy. That was July and haven't been back yet. We love sitting at the Sushi bar but there is the creepy Sushi chef who tells crazy stories that don't paint him in a good light. I just want to eat my dinner dude. Waitress's never crack a smile and I've been eating here for 15 yrs. We don't like the fried or overly sauced sushi so we really notice if the fish is off. Really wish they would fix up the outside because it looks really sad. We usually get the Summer Roll, Eagle roll, spicy Tuna and I love their Veggie platter. Used to love it, will try it again but want to try their Newtown pa location 1st. read more

For the area, this place warrants a 3-4 star review. Of all the sushi places I have tried since moving to Lower Bucks, Ota-Ya is in the running for my favorite. I have been here once and the Newtown location once. Both times I had a solid experience. The sushi was fresh and the service was ok. I typically order no frills kind of rolls or just a regular sushi dinner, but the sushi game in this area seems pretty weak, so I've started ordering the fancy rolls to distract my tongue from the less than great quality fish. Unfortunately, I think sushi is best when it is stripped down and there aren't too many flavors or textures, so I'm not that into the fancy rolls. However, because I'm a cheeseball and it was February 13, I ordered the Valentine's Roll and the Love Roll when I came here and I was pleasantly surprised by them both. I'm also starting to think that Ota-Ya might be one of the only sushi joints around here that I would trust just ordering the no frills sushi. read more

This place is awesome! Best sushi in the area by and far. Order the new style sashimi!!!!!!! seriously order it!! and the Tuna Metropolitan. I can't speak high enough of this place and the people that work there, all very friendly. The edamame is great too, something with the salt they use, best in the area. read more

Very nice pleasant Sushi bar in very quant Lambertville. Sushi was fresh, service was good. BYOB!!! Bring your choice of wine/beer!!!

[LUNCH review] This is a tough one... if this restaurant was in the Bay Area, I'd probably give it a 3 (and the likelihood of me returning would be slim). However, because this IS in Lambertville, NJ, where the only asian people living within a 10 mile radius are the ones that own/work here -- or the two Thai places in town, I must add an extra star. I went with some of my new co-workers for lunch and was seated promptly. Drinks were taken/served promptly. Appetizers were ordered, entrees were taken after the rest of the party arrived. Knowing the appetizers (4 rolls) were going to be shared amongst 9-10 people, I found it peculiar that they brought all four rolls on one plate (it was a nice, large plate -- but still). Then, the server didn't have the best memory when it came to who had what (salad/soup then entrees). And with the restaurant not being very busy, it did take a significant amount of time for the entrees to be served. Taste-wise, everything was decent/pretty good. Not "the best sushi place ever"... unless you never left the Lambertville/New Hope area. Service was average (although the server did refill my Diet Coke without asking -- which is a habit most servers don't have). I'd probably come back again... mainly because it just might be the best (if not only) sushi restaurant in the area. read more

Don't be put off by the lackluster waiting area in this funky converted house. When we entered on a Saturday night, the little area was empty and no one was there. We waited for a few minutes and a gruff woman finally appeared to greet us. She seated us immediately and whisked our wine bottle off the table to uncork it, before waiting for a response to her question about opening it. Despite these transgressions, I'm still giving it four stars because the food was totally worth it. We had ginger beef, miso soup, salads, dumplings, and sushi rolls. Everything was homemade, incredibly fresh, and so yummy. Sushi fans won't be disappointed! read more

The best Sushi in the New Hope, PA and Lambertville,NJ area!!! Friendly staff, great service, and the most delicious Sushi around! I would eat here every day if I could!!! Just thinking about this is making my mouth water. I know what i'm eating for dinner tonight. YUMMY!!! LOVE Philla rolls, Shrimp tempura rolls, Hawaiian rolls, oh and the OTA ya rolls and Lobster Mango rolls are so Amazing!!! Thalia Zikos gives this place a rating of 15 stars if I could!!! read more

Had a craving for sushi on our trip. Found this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try. The fish was fresh and delicious and we had a special roll that was AMAZING. Would definitely come again next year. read more

Great sushi and BYOB makes it even better. We were visiting from Los Angeles for Thanksgiving and wanted sushi. This place did not disappoint. We will be back next year. read more

My wife and I came here for a sushi dinner during a visit to the New Hope/Lambertville area. When we first walked in, we were greeted to a musty odor in the entrance hallway. That was a little off-putting, but luckily, the actual dining area was nice, and the smell was far less noticeable. Of course, the star of the visit was the sushi itself - excellent! I ordered an eel roll, a spicy salmon roll, and a rainbow roll, which were all wonderful. My wife liked her dinner too. Everything was well-prepared and the fish tasted very fresh. The building definitely needs some renovations, but don't let that detract from the quality of the food. We would both definitely come back, should we visit the area again. read more

Never again. I have been here and the newtown location several times. This one is even more underwhelming. I am not going to go into the horror of that location's recent incident (involving mind-blowing health code violations) which left a bad taste to say the least. We have only this one sushi option in Lambertville and I wanted take out. Against my better judgement I picked it up. Way way over priced and got the order wrong (why would you put a greasy bit of eel in a rainbow roll?!?) I had the most vile and fishy dinner. I literally waited to get sick, which thankfully didn't happen but I won't be pressing my luck. I'll drive the extra miles to get fresh sushi anywhere but here. A shame since the owners of the newtown location (who I believe run this one too) are quite nice. This place needs a ton of help if not a demolition crew. Oy read more

Went on a Sunday night expecting it to be slow...totally not the case. We were lucky to get a table without a reservation so keep that in mind. It seems they also expected to be slow because they were grossly understaffed which made service pretty slow. Remember to bring drinks because this is a BYOB (there is a great beer/liquor/wine store across the street). We ordered salads and 5 rolls...I would say all the food was average, nothing to write home about. There is now a new sushi place in New Hope that I would say is better than this place and given the poor service, I likely won't be returning. read more

It hit the spot on a very, hot muggy day. We both ordered sushi extra deluxe platters. The hand-rolled California roll was very good.

The service was slow...and we couldn't get a table. We tried another Ota-Ya locations before and was a big difference with the service in this one. They could open tables for other people without reservations, but not for us. read more

Food was terrible. Went with my japanese son-in-law who is a chef trained in japan. He rarely criticizes (must be a cultural thing) - he criticized. Th e zagats survey is 10 yrs old and the sushi tasted the same. The rugs may have been clean then but they have not been cleaned since. Agree with the other reviewer who said the place looked like a crack house, inside and out. read more

i really wanted to love this place more than i actually did, having just moved to the area from nyc and craving sushi in a fierce way. it wasn't bad and the fish was certainly fresh - but to say it knocked my socks off would be a huge overstatement. we ordered edamame and five rolls - the ota-ya roll, lobster mango roll, eel roll, sweet shrimp and spicy tuna. however, i can only speak about the first four as we didn't recieve the spicy tuna on our plate...though they did try and charge us for it! but back to what we did get. edamame: overcooked. how does that even happen?! ota-ya roll: hands down the best roll we ordered, similar to a classic rainbow roll and we enjoyed it thoroughly. lobster mango roll: mediocre. the other flavors overshadowed that of the lobster. to be fair, this is more my mistake than theirs as i find this happens a lot when you order that flavor combo...but i like lobster...and i like mango...so i make that mistake more often than i care to admit! eel roll: again, it was good, but it didn't really knock my socks off. sweet shrimp: this was a special of the evening...my experience was that it was completely tasteless and not at all worth the cost. instead, i should have put up a fight for my missing spicy tuna...but we would have had to go pay the parking meter. all this being said, i will probably give ota-ya another go. the sushi was, afterall, incredibly fresh. i thought the atmosphere was perfectly fine and the service (apart from our little billing snafu) was friendly and attentive for 7pm on a saturday night, with a fully packed house of hungry sushi lovers! read more

*UPDATED* they are now open again. The sushi here is ok but not great and the service can be mediocre for lunch. I went by there last week and it was shut down but I think it was due to an issue with the government and not their food. read more

Hands down best sushi around. Ota is better than a lot of places in Philly and NYC. I've been coming here for years and have never been disappointed. The fish is SO fresh. I eat here at least once or twice a week. Service is fast and friendly. Some favorites include: spicy tuna pizza, valentine roll, nemo roll, sushi layer, enter the dragon roll, eggplant appetizer, godzilla roll, and by far the best spicy tuna roll ever. If you have high expectations for sushi - you will not be disappointed!! read more

Great sushi, good location. The interior needs major renovation. Staff is friendly and usually fast.

ATMOSPHERE - 1 star I don't usually place much importance on atmosphere, but when we were led upstairs the floor and table were sticky, the window was MISSING (replaced with plastic wrap), and the place smelled musty. The bathrooms were gross. SERVICE - 1 star The hibachi chef didn't put on much of a show and didn't interact at all. The hostess asked us if we could get out in under 40 minutes!!! The server wasn't attentive. He came probably 3 times and never asked about the food until we had FINISHED eating. One in our party ordered sushi that only came out once the rest of us were done eating. One in our party had an empty glass of water for his ENTIRE meal and only go it refilled when he asked. FOOD - 4 stars The fried rice and noodles didn't have much flavor. The hibachi chicken and steak were GREAT. The crab and cheese wontons were excellent. Probably the best I've ever had. I would not go back and would not suggest you eat there unless you can sit downstairs where service might be more attentive. read more

Searched yelp for a late night dinner because we were at Niagara to see the falls. We were surprised how much food they gave us w/o spending a lot. Big serving and delicious food!! read more

Wish I had read the other reviews before going here. The waitress and hostess were very unfriendly. The food was lackluster. The ginger dressing was very odd... it tasted like tomato and tobasco sauce. It was our anniversary dinner and I regret spending it at this place. read more

I was here for lunch a little while back and i must say I was NOT impressed. We ate upstairs and it looked and felt dirty. Lack luster service and mediocre sushi. Meso soup is hard to screw up so it was good. Maybe all the rave is for dinners and it's poorly lite so you can't see how dated it is? Look at the landscaping on the way in -pride? read more

YES for sushi. Dinner last night. Sushi excellent. Cooked food just "ok". Had reservations. Promptly seated. Habachi tables are not open in the summer according to the hostess. you can order from the habachi menu but food is cooked in the kitchen and brought out. I had spicy tuna rolls and salmon rolls - both excellent. Hubby had filet mignon and lobster from the habachi menu - nothing to write home about. Service was prompt and friendly. read more

Best food in the New Hope-Solebury area. Well worth crossing the river. The sushi is consistently the best i've ever had. The wait staff and sushi chefs are friendly and know my family by name. It isn't a trip home unless we go to Ota-Ya! read more

Best sushi ever. Make sure you ask Peter to make special rolls for you. Always fresh and excellent!

Dined at Ota-Ya on Valentine's Day. from reading previous reviews, we were excited about the food, but I was concerned about being rushed. Both were true. The food was excellent, but the service was rushed. We were seated and left within 50 minutes. Furthermore the waitress was cold and unengaging. I will give the restaurant one more try based on the food, but I am leary. read more

I love coming here. The sushi is great, fresh and on time. But if you have reservations plan to wait. It takes them forever to seat you and the wait staff is slow. Also if you go early its a screaming baby fest. Try the specials. The Sushi Spring Roll is the best bang for your buck. read more

hmmm...hard to believe it's the same restaurant others are reviewing here. Went Sunday night. Atmosphere is dilapidated and i'm being nice here. Gotta blame the economy in part b/c i am sure it's not easy to keep your head above water without a liquor license but food splash on the wall behind the hibachi ? really? The carpet is gross. the place (upstairs at least) really needs a bath. My only real complaint about the food is the jarred garlic they use. Yuk. and tons of it! Jarred garlic is not exactly my idea of gourmet. The hibachi chef was nice enough but the woman who takes the orders. She was downright surly. The staff could use a vacation while this place is being overhauled! read more

I really enjoyed this place considering I am not a big sushi eater. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. The wait staff was attentive and friendly and the food was really fresh and tasty. As everyone else has, I recommend the Mango Lobster rolls, awesome! We got there kind of late so no outside seating available but it looked like it would have been nice. We also went on a Friday so Lambertville was mobbed due to the weekly fireworks show, but the buzz around town was really fun. If I were to venture into the world of sushi again, Ota-Ya would be tops on my list. read more

My husband and I LOVE this place. We live in Lambertville and go there to eat once a week. The sushi is outstanding, even when compared to places in cities like San Francisco or NYC. As a bonus, it's BYO, which cuts down on the check. read more

The sushi is great, atmosphere is decent, staff is good.. Prices are okay too. Over all I'd recommend you try it out!!