Happy to have Ototo reopen again! We love coming here for family dinners and delicious Japanese food in Denver. It's lovely to sit outside on the patio on a cool night and enjoy a wonderful meal. Highly recommend! read more

This place is 5 stars when it comes to ambiance , authenticity and service . The ramen here , however , is mediocre at best . Still , Ototo deserves 5 stars because it is very beautiful , too notch service and the food actually overall superb as well . read more

After months of waiting and wanting to try Ototo, my husband and I decided to spontaneously have a date night, where luckily Ototo was on top of my bookmarked list. Upon walking in, I was impressed with the interior of Ototo. Modern with touches of rustic feel plus minimalistic vibes is the best way I can describe the ambiance. I love the shelved Japanese bottles above the open windows of the kitchen. They also had the garage open when we arrived, which we got to seat outside of it. Before ordering, my husband was thankful that our waitress noted that everything is tapas-style, or small dishes to share, because some may not know the portions are meant to small, where it can cause confusion or disappointment due to the not-so-cheap prices. We were happy about this because it allowed us to pick and choose a variety of foods without being overwhelmed with the thought of not finishing or wasting foods. Our order: crispy spicy tuna, grilled whole squid, grilled tuna belly sliders, Japanese chicken kara-age, lamb tenderloin skewer, pork steamed buns, the chef's special: lobster tail + big eye tuna roll, and mochi cake for dessert. Hands down, our faves out of all the foods (excluding dessert) are the lamb tenderloin skewer, lobster tail + big eye tuna roll, and crispy spicy tuna. Those three were either super flavorful, perfectly crafted, and/or all of the above. I can eat plates of each with no complaints or hesitation. The grilled squid was simple yet tasty with the squeeze of a lemon on top. In my opinion, the grilled tuna belly sliders, Japanese Kara-age, and pork steamed buns were average. The mochi cake was the perfect ending to our meal. It was soft and chewy, as it should be, paired with mango, strawberry, and blackberry plus green tea mochi ice cream. The only criticism I can give is that the mochi on the mochi ice cream were a bit dried out. Am I ever coming back? Uh... yeah! Date night or not, Ototo is on the forever list of foods I'd venture back to again. read more

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Ahhh, another "family restaurant" which is in the same row of the following, aka Izakaya Den and Sushi Den related. We went here on a Friday evening Dinner with a reservation at 20:30hrs ish. We are seated at the PATIO outside OTOTO. I am cool with that, provided the weather permits, which was OK that evening. From Ototo's Menu we ordered the following items : * Chilean Robata ($10.00) * Diver Scallops ($14.00) * Fried Chicken ($12.00) * Grilled Whole Squid ($12.00) * Panko Fried Oyster ($7.00) * Unagi Kabayaki ($12.00) * Grilled Short Ribs ($16.00) * Yakiniku Bowl with Beef ($12.00) * Lobster Wonton ($13.00) * Grilled Beef Tongue ($12.00) Hubs opt to have Coffee ($3.00) while I opt to have water as part of our beverages. My oh my! I am indeed blown away especially with the SCALLOP dish and BEEF RIBS dishes. The Scallops are sautéed with Thai Curry Sauce and top with a fresh vegetable radish. The Scallops are SUPER JUICY, Tender, MELT in my mouth and simply delicious! Hubs like the Beef Ribs and his MAIN Entrée of Yakiniku Bowl with Beef... THANK GOD, OTOTO offer other dishes that Hubs can enjoy. Definitely I will be back coz those SCALLOPs are calling my name. YES, the Dinner can be PRICEY for some. For the rest of the Dishes it was OK. My LEAST Favorite Dish were the Grilled Beef Tongue and Chilean Robata. All in all I am indeed impressed with what Ototo has to offer that evening. I wish to return when needed and when they get the chance to have different items in their Menu. Thank you Ototo. OTOTO 1501 S. Pearl Denver, CO 80210 Tel : (303)-733-2503 read more

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Some of the best Sushi and Japanese food in the country. Sister restaurant to Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. Oshi Sushi is a must as is the pork kimchee. Kyle is an excellent bartender and super friendly. A must if visiting Denver! read more

Great Evening at Ototo. Inviting atmosphere and friendly service! Our waiter was extremely helpful and not afraid to suggest menu favorites and his own personal taste. I always love when the staff gives their opinion, to me that shows pride for their restaurant and confidence of the experience it provides. We started with the crispy Tuna appetizer. Very yummy, could have been a little less crispy on a few pieces. Tasted chewy and a little overdone. The tuna however was the right amount of Spicy and great flavor. You will want to savor the sauce. Chicken skewers are worth a try and the pork dumplings! Ototo is tapas and meant for sharing so don't be afraid to try dishes and get adventurous. Tuna tacos are a must have! Very fresh. I have to give a special shoutout to my glass of wine, the Italian blend, I enjoyed it so much I was googling where to find a bottle for home. read more

Ototo - Try the Italian blend red wine! - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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This was really good, we liked the Ototo roll and crispy spicy tuna roll. They only had yellow tail as nigiri, not a roll, but the quality was good. Liked the saki flight as well. Nice neighborhood ambience, would definitely go back. read more

I wrote a review a couple of days ago about gift card and Tak took care of the problem immediately and I really appreciate it Thanks Tak

In an attempt to support a local neighborhood business, we dined at Ototo in their new patio decking area. The Website states "House made ramen available all day" which is not technically true. The kitchen was closed when we arrived (4:20pm) so the only food available was "cold plates" already in the chiller cabinet and I have to assume they were simply unboxed and plated. Kitchen reopened at 5 at which point hot plates were available. Unsure if this is their normal kitchen operating hours, but please update your website copy to reflect that only cold dishes are available form **pm-**pm. The food was 3.5 stars (sushi and sashimi overly chilled), service 4 stars, but the reason for my 2 stars now follows. I understand the hospitality industry is hurting right now, but to charge a 12% markup as a "covid fee for...well, you know face masks etcetera", feels a little steep AND sneaky, as we were not informed of this charge before ordering. We were told of this "fee" as she handed us the check, WOW! How about informing guests when seated, before they order? How about adding it on the menu as a statement? We ordered multiple plates and 5 beverages so our bill totaled $136 w/tax. Then add 12% on top of that feels pretty insulting. We honestly would not have ordered as much food and the final round of drinks if we knew an additional 12% would be added on top and then the regular expected gratuity. Interesting thing is they lump all the fees together in the final amount so unless you go back and reference the itemized receipt, you could easily add gratuity on the additional 12% fee. Website doesn't indicate this fee anywhere but states it encourages guests to provide contact information for contact tracing purposes - something we were not asked for and nothing to even fill in on the receipt. Website also states "Upon arrival, guests will be asked a few basic health questions and given a non-contact temperature check." This did not happen. Finally it refers to "We have a designated Safety Manager for each service who is responsible for maintaining our supply of PPE, and monitoring staff and public adherence to safety measures." I'm sure the PPE fee pot is growing by the minute and the safety manager is well stocked for masks, gloves and hand sanitizer! Our hour seating got them $15.12, and every table had guests dining! May I respectfully suggest charging a flat fee per guest to cover the restaurants additional PPE expense versus a % markup? Other Denver restaurants are only charging $2/guest, some charge $0. Sadly it looks like Toshi and Yashu win again by charging ridiculous fees on top of an already expensive menu. What a shame. read more

This place is AMAZING! Very different from the usual Japanese places! The dishes are bite sized and was able to share between the 2 of us. So we weee able to try a lot of disWanting to go back soon. read more

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We had such a great time at Ototo for Valentine's Day! My SO and I went together and were seated at the bar. It was lots of fun watching the chefs make each dish. I'd definitely recommend sitting in the bar if you ever find yourself spending hours watching the Food Network. As for the food, we ordered the Yakitori Chicken Skewer, Miso Ramen, and Kimchi Miso Ramen. All of this was delicious! The chicken skewer was cooked perfectly and had a really tasty sauce on the outside. Just be careful of the wasabi sauce they serve it with. It will literally burn a hole in your mouth. Both Ramen's were excellent. My SO said her Kimchi Miso Ramen was the best ramen she's had in Denver, and we've been to nearly all of them. Definitely recommend you check this place out! read more

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Went out to dinner with a friend and tried this place. (03/16/2018). This place is absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. Place is very trendy. Server was absolutely wonderful. My friend had the ramen for first order and I just ordered the grilled pork belly and pork steamed buns. After we had that and it tasted so good, we then wanted to try and share more. So we then ordered the Kobe beef skewer, yakitori chicken skewers, and the grilled tuna belly sliders. It was so delicious and we each paid about $50 each including tip. Definitely recommend for any occasion and good Japanese food! read more

Ototo - Pork steamed buns - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Lovely dinner here last night! I was part of a group of eight for a birthday party and Ototo handled it beautifully. Heading to South Pearl is always a treat and this cool little Japanese spot did not disappoint! Really like the layout in here--we were seated at a hightop for eight, but they also had lots of options for groups of two and four, plus a great bar. Speaking of bars, they have all the things--beer, wine, sake, cocktails. The sake list is probably most impressive and they offer flights, which is neat. I asked the server to pick me out any dry white varietal and he brought me a lovely sauv blanc that paired well with our dishes. Since we were a larger group of eight, we started out the evening with some small plates and a few things from the raw bar. Spicy and regular edamame and the hamachi carpaccio were all big hits. For my main dish I ordered the miso ramen, which was really delicious and comforting for a cold night. The group finished out the meal with a few orders of the Belgian chocolate cake. The layered cake was presented beautifully and almost tasted like a mousse--so good. Our server was really helpful and didn't seem to mind that we hung out for a while after the meal was over. Ototo means "younger brother" and is in the renowned family of Sushi Den and Isakaya Den. Glad I gave it a try--would definitely come back! read more

Ototo - Miso ramen - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Really nice spot in Denver. Dimly lit, good vibes, tapas and Japanese fusion. My wife and I came here on a Wednesday night and the waitress/hostess were top notch. The food was pretty good. I had the chicken skewers and marinated beef skewers. My wife had the Tonkotsu Ramen and it was amazingHighly recommend the Ramen. We will definitely be back. Expect to spend $8-$14 per small plate! read more

Ototo - Bar seating at Ototo! - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I absolutely love OtotoDen. Amazing Japanese Tapas. Very friendly staff. Extensive menu and specials. It is a little pricey, but I have never felt bad about dropping cash at this restaurant. I would come here for any special occasion or just to relax and have drinks. Wish I lived in Denver so I could eat there often. read more

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OToto is a real gem and a great compliment to Sushi Den across the street. Great robata, sashimi and other Japanese inspired dishes. Reminds us of Roka Akor restaurant in Chicago but smaller and more intimate. Friendly service, nice decor and as mentioned, great sake and food! We will be back again and again. Please open a restaurant in Parker where there are no decent restaurants for miles and miles. read more

I'll be honest, there aren't a lot of restaurants in Denver that I would say I could eat at over and over and over again. I just don't think the foodie scene here is that great..However, with that being said I could eat here every single week and not get tired. I love the happy hour and the house sake but omg the food was delicious! Seriously, I could eat that salmon collar with crème fraîche every week. Who would have thought those two would pair well together? Everything went tried was phenomenal and I'll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. Would love to see something with waygu&uni on the menu, hint hint read more

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My boyfriend and I both got food poisoning from the Ototo takoyaki at the farmers market. It has been miserable.

O NONO! Tried this restaurant out last night and what a disappointment . Besides the fact that Pearl Street has been taken over by this consortium of restaurants the food was very average, over priced and just made for a very uninspiring experience. The eggplant was tasty, edamame was exactly what I make in my microwave, black cod was tasty but portion was small, and we all had vegetable ramen and truly I almost sent it back it was so terribly poor. I really wanted to fall for this restaurant. For transparency I'm not a small plate fan as typically its costly and mini - proclaiming the obvious here but really have you ever been thrilled with five $14 small plates? I feel like they are playing off of their other successful restaurants and no one has the wherewithal to say - O NONO. Sorry- thumbs down . read more

EXCELLENT! Some of the small plates reminds me of my grandmother and mother's cooking when I was little. Simply seasoned with fresh ingredients. Uni sashimi from Santa Barbara was to die for. I could put the whole piece of Uni in my mouth, but I chose to cut the it into small pieces and enjoyed every morsel slowly. It tastes like the ocean. Love it! Another Must-try is Pork Belly with Yuzu Kosho. It must have slow cooked for a long time. When you put chopsticks in the pork belly, it comes apart and melts in your mouth. The albacore sashimi was really tasty. They topped it with jalapeño, avocado and ponzu. Melts in your mouth. As for as their Sake flight, the value was fine, but I would like to have higher level of Sake selection - even at a higher price. So perhaps another higher level flight? Crispy spicy tuna was crispy but not dry. Spicy, fresh and savory (Umami!) I got so full... Everything we ordered was super good. My eyes were so hungry for most everything on the menu, but I can only eat so much. I definitely come back! Next time we will order the whole squid and the eel. read more

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Ototo is definitely a great place to go to in Denver. Growing up, there was always the famous Sushi Den, but Ototo definitely has a more laid back and relaxed vibe along with the tasty Japanese izakaya to match, filled with ramen, robata grill, etc. FOOD: Honey Miso Eggplant. Takoyaki. Whole Squid. Tonkatsu Ramen. My favorites were definitely the eggplant and takoyaki. The seasoning and dressing are very tasty and not overwhelming. The Takoyaki is fried to perfection and not OVERLY stuffed with octopus, but also not just doughy. The ratio is perfect. SERVICE: I think this is where the biggest room for improvement is. I think the service was a little spotty with regards to pacing of the meal and attention to water/drinks, but it was nothing too disruptive. Overall, Ototo gives Denver a great izakaya restaurant that is worth making a trip to visit. We made reservations prior to visiting on a Friday for happy hour, which is definitely a great time to visit. read more

The ramen at Ototo was excellent before Covid. Not sure what happened but it's not even good now. Very disappointing. This used to be one of our go-to restaurants but no more. read more

I can very comfortably say that this is probably my favorite restaurant in Denver. I frequent here for Happy Hour even thought it's fairly far from me. Now, with that being said, it can be kind of pricey and is certainly more expensive than your run-of-the-mill restaurant chain or local downtown or cherry creek hotspot. - FAVORITES: This is the best ramen in town, bar-none. Personally, I prefer the tonkatsu ramen or spicy kimchi ramen. Both are delicious, and priced competitively with the ramen in DC and CA at $14/bowl. - FOOD: I usually grab a happy hour appetizer, like the chicken kara-age, which are essentially the best (japanese-style) chicken nuggets you've ever had. OH GOD, and THE PORK BELLY. *drool* If you're a sushi person, their sushi comes from sister-restaurant Sushi Den, so you will not get any better Sushi in Denver (other than from the three restaurants on this corner, all owned by Sushi Den). With that being said, the sushi is pretty pricy, so just be prepared. I've had a few things here, but their sashimi specials are SOOOOO good. - DRINKS: Happy hour hot sake is only like $4/carafe! It's a big hit here. - PARKING: There is free valet parking across the street corner at Sushi Den, or you can park in the parking garage built for the Den restaurants. If you're afraid of street parking, as some people are in Wash Park, these are great options. read more

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I had a nice experience here. I've been MEANING to try this place for a long time, but it's so close to home that I forget about it, if that makes any sense. So this was kind of a splurge meal both in price and otherwise- they all seem to be these days. :D We ordered some of the featured items- I liked that they were serving some "obscure" meats like chicken hearts. I put that in quotation marks because I don't think all of it was obscure to me, but might be to others. Brownie points to expose the public to other parts that are edibly delicious. Ordered the special roll that evening, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. But otherwise everything else was good. Honey miso eggplant was an umami-sweet-savory bomb. Yum. We also got the gyoza- I don't know for sure but looks like they're made in-house. They just had that not-so-perfect look to the wrappers. Anyway, they are good. Not too much of the wrapper, perfectly crisp. And looks like they are a popular item because they were cooking these non-stop while we were seated (was sitting at the bar). I think we also got a tofu in miso broth, which was accompanied by some vegetables (eggplant, sweet potato, mushroom)- this was also really delicious. The tofu was silky, and lovely with the savory broth. I know we ordered other things, but I do recall getting a rich, decadent chocolate cake for dessert. Lovely ending to a lovely meal. read more

Eating here was such a great experience for my boyfriend and I. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone! I'd say it's 4.5 stars because of a lacking dish we tried. First off, we were seated at the chef's bar, which was an awesome experience to see all of the action of food being made (and also what we should order). Our waitress and waitress in training was very nice and served us delicious green tea throughout the night; Japanese green tea is so comforting during a meal. Some of the things we ordered took a little bit of time, but we were told that as we ordered, and it was definitely worth the wait. We first had the miso cheese... omg... it's such a sweet, creamy, savory cheese. Then came the tempura mix which was not overly battered and very fresh. The main course came, the steamed whole fish! It tasted like what my parents made. A steamed white meat fish topped with green onion, cilantro, and ginger, and hot oil poured over it to cook the veggies. Everything came together with the seaweed under it. We ate the whole fish down to the bones! After all that, we wanted to try something small to top it off. We got the pork steamed buns. Honestly, it tasted like the frozen buns you take home from the Asian market. The bread was dry on the top like it's been sitting around and the filling was just okay. Would not recommend this. Finally, to top it off, we had mochi cake with mochi ice cream topped with red bean cream. Ughhh, soooo good. It's basically like a chewy cake, like butter mochi from Hawaii. Mostly everything was outstanding, even the chefs and especially the main chef was great to interact with, waitresses were on top of things, and food was delicious, with the only downfall of the pork buns. Try this place and you won't be disappointed. read more

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Love this spot! The late night happy hour is excellent and the vibe is fun and light. Quality is top notch on every dish we ordered. My roommate and I agree that out of the three restaurants we choose Ototo for fun tastings and socializing and Sushi Den for an intimate dinner. Izakaya wasn't really a favorite for us; just felt like the atmosphere and quality fell flat to the other two. On another note, our server at Ototo was great and personable. There's clearly a lot of teamwork at this spot which makes it great as well. read more

By far one of the best meals I have had in years and I don't even eat seafood (shocker I know)! I will continue to rave about Ototo and can't wait to go back. I made a reservation for 6 as our family was visiting and I thought they'd love this place. We arrived to a packed house but our table was ready to go! We order wine by the bottle as well as cocktails and everyone enjoyed the offerings. We decided to eat family style as the menu is mostly small plates. We ordered SO many dishes I lost count but some of our favorites were the following: -Crispy spicy tuna: the sushi loves could not get enough of this and we had to order another one in the middle of our meal -The seafood eaters also raved about the black cod -Cucumber salad: was so delicious and fresh -Brussels sprouts, honey miso eggplant, gyoza, and a special Japanese mushroom medley were all hits. The mushrooms are cold but don't let that scare you, we all loved them. -Please don't leave without ordering something from the Binchotan Grill: the yakitori skewer was the most juicy flavorful piece of meat we'd had in a long time. Overall I think we ordered about 20 dishes for the 6 of us to share and everyone left very full and happy. Service was attentive and they brought each dish as it was ready so we had a constant stream of food and space on the table. The only hiccup was that their credit card system went down just as we were trying to pay our check... given the size of our bill paying in cash was not the easiest so we waited as they tried to fix it... 20min later it appeared there was no solution so we managed to pool together and cover our bill in cash. I think offering a free dessert or drink while we waited so long would have been nice or even comping one dish but I understand this inconvenience was out of their control. I did feel their communication on the matter was poor as they were holding onto our credit card the entire time yet only updated us once. Overall I can look past that due to the stellar experience we had prior to this. read more

They say March is the snowiest month in Colorado. And one of the few upsides to blizzards is eating ramen. Inside a cozy restaurant. Alongside some Japanese bar food. Ototo fits the bill on all accounts. I'm sorry that I didn't find Ototo sooner. It's been around for a few years now. My focus on that block of S. Pearl has been Tokyo Premium Bakery, along with Izakaya Den. Turns out the same restauranteurs have Ototo and a parking garage all on the same block in Platte Park. That's smart business right there! Reservations are encouraged. Even for a more dressed down version of Sushi/Izakaya Den. Still incredibly popular and there will be a wait if you don't make advance plans. In addition to some hot, steamy ramen for everyone, our group of four split a bottle of Gruner and shared some small plates, including: crispy spicy tuna, honey miso eggplant, and black cod. I can't get enough of miso black cod when prepared over a grill. Buttery, flaky and melt in your mouth delicious. Serve me up 2-3 portions on my own and that'll be my dinner, thanks! Miso ramen was salty (mmmm) and pretty generous on the pork bits. I forgot my regular move of ordering extra corn. Next time, for sure. But I enjoyed every slurp nonetheless and it really did warm me up from head to toe on a cold winter's evening. Next trip back? Happy Hour. Wine, grilled bites and warmer weather. read more

Very good Japanese skewers of beef, chicken, pork and seafood. They do offer sushi (limited options) as well as ramen bowls and a few rice bowls. As it is owned by the same people who own Sushi Den & Izakaya Den there is a now a garage just across the street to park in (also used by valet). Makes it much easier to start the evening off right. Our server was very friendly and she did a good job to check in. She did not go over specials and was good but not exceptional in terms of servers I've had at upscale restaurants. Very nice ambiance and the smallish kitchen does a good job to serve a fairly large amount of tables for a smaller space (was previously Deli Den many years ago in this spot). My favorite items were the sashimi as it was very very fresh and delicious as well as the bacon wrapped scallops with blistered tomatoes. Ramens were good (pork broth base was more flavorful than the vegetarian one) Why not 5 five stars? There were constant requests for water refills to the point where my sister asked them if they could leave a pitcher. This was heard by a busboy but apparently not considered important enough to accommodate. read more

Amazing food, amazing bar, amazing service. All around, top restaurant in Denver food scene.

Visit: 1 Will be back; ramen in July? Sign me up Ototo might mean "little brother", but it is the shining star among its counterparts, if I do say so myself. My boyfriend and I went for a late Valentine's Day dinner on a Saturday evening, right when they opened, so we didn't have to wait for a table. We're senior citizens in disguise so eating at 4:30 or 5 didn't bother us. Apps: Grilled pork belly--salty and savory and delightful--and I think a "catch of the day" sashimi platter including red snapper, tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. We both enjoyed the snapper the most--of course, all the fish was as good as you'd expect from THE sushi family of Colorado. Entrees: Being the good Korean that I am I ordered the kimchi ramen; honestly the thought of this ramen makes me so happy because it was so flippin good. Rich but not too heavy, perfectly tangy from the kimchi, a good level of spicy, and filled with bites of pork and a poached egg. On its own the kimchi wasn't my fave, but it didn't matter. I am full fledged in love with this ramen. My boyfriend ordered the pork bowl (I don't remember the actual name, sorry!). It's a fried pork cutlet that has been marinated in some sort of sweet sauce--it's almost maple-y tasting--served over rice with a runny egg. I definitely loved the pork more than my guy did because I have the devil's sweet tooth; we found my broth to be the perfect complement to the sweetness of his pork bowl. My exact words after trying his food were, "OH MY GOODNESS I will dream of this pork". I did. We wanted dessert but were so uncomfortably full of an epic meal that we skipped the green tea ice cream and instead reminisced on the plates we'd devoured and fell into a food coma and napped happily ever after. All in all, you need Ototo in your life. There will be no un-tasting this food once you try it which is really all you could ever hope for. Food: 6/5 (yes this is cheating but it's worth it) Service: 5/5 Wait time: 5/5 (since the restaurant specializes in small plates, everything is served in waves as soon as it's ready) (the wait was also not bad because we got there so early in the night) Ambiance: 6/5 (again, cheating, but it's the perfect balance of trendy/intimate) Total: 22/20 read more

Ototo - Best seat in the restaurant. That creature kept moving. - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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We got a nice quiet little room in the back l. Service is good and I love the silverware they used. Good modern fusion ramen. We also tried the slider and the capacious both were delicious! It is on the pricier side. read more

I was craving for ramen for sometime and decided to search for a really good place and this place was 1st on the list for best ramen in Denver. At 1st I was hesitant on trying out the place because it was like a Asian fusion place and I wanted true ramen but when I saw their chef special had whole fried fish I was sold. We went there in a Friday night and obviously didn't get seated right away because they were packed the hostess told us it would be a 40min wait. We decided to wait ( mind you we had 2 toddlers with us lol) luckily we didn't have to wait that long. We got seated in 15 mins. We ordered the ramen and fried fish. The ramen was really good and we liked it spicy and they did what we asked. I loved the fish but the hubby thought it was bland. Lol. We are Indians we like spice to our food. If you dip the fish in the 2 sauces they give its great. The kids enjoyed it too. A tiny restaurant but very cute. I would recommend anyone to go there. We are planning to take my sis in laws and their families to OTOTO. They love ramen too. read more

Ototo - Fried fish - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Came here for a date on a cold Saturday night and was very very pleased with Ototo. The same cannot be said about my date, but that's not what we are here to talk about are we? Initially we were sat at the hightop tables by the window. We had to ask me to be moved though because they are quite drafty which makes the experience of Ototo a little less fancy. Especially when you have to keep your puffy coat and scarf on. I did get the chance to meet our server and he helped me select their Old Fashioned to sip on before we moved to a table in the back. Ototo is intimate and dark, which I love, and has a lovely bar that I will be sure to come sit at and enjoy their ramen again. Their Tonkotsu hit the spot and was rich in flavor. Highlight for me was the Kobe Kinpira. We also shared the steamed dumplings which were also a treat. The last highlight for me was the dessert. The Belgium Chocolate Mousse Cake got me like, whoa. The overall experience was something I would definitely come back for again and again... only not with this guy. read more

I'm not usually into restaurants that specialize in pricey small plates, but HOLY CRISPY SPICY TUNA, my world has been changed. Yes, it is still pricey, but go for happy hour when there are still plenty of options and more bang for your buck. Again, Crispy. Spicy. Tuna. Please order it. This one is not currently on the happy hour menu, however, it is amazing and with a taste unlike anything I've ever had. It's worth the splurge in my opinion. A very close second favorite (and on happy hour) is the Honey Miso Eggplant. I'm not a vegetarian but I think I could die happy if I ate this every day. Not only is the taste incredible, but the texture is also pure magic. Other highlights we tried during our recent visit included the Japanese Style Fried Chicken and Pork Belly Bao. At $7 per plate during Happy Hour, it's a great deal to enjoy phenomenal food and great service. read more

We wanted to go eat some sushi at Sushi Den, but they told us they didn't take anymore reservations for the night, and there was a 45min waitlist. We didn't want to wait that long cuz we were too hungry (but still put our names on the list just incase), and were heading back to our car when we saw Ototo, we walked in, were greeted and were seated within 5mins. This place is very cozy. I love me some natural brick. We ordered a few appetizers and larger orders, it was all so fresh and yummy. My favorite were the Octopus fried balls, and the carpaccio with ginger. I would deff recommend this place, our server was absolutely awesome. Very attentive. read more

Ototo - Carpaccio and Eel with rice. - Japanese Near Me - Denver, Colorado

We ate the bacon wrapped scallops, tuna cabbage baos, pork-kimchi (light spice) ramen, and short-rib bowl. I could come back for their homemade miso any day! The short rib melts in your mouth but thought they could have added other fixens besides rice and kimchi. Next time probably would try other small plates instead of the boas or scallops. Overall: really tasty, great service/staff, and love watching an open kitchen! If you are a beginner whiskey drinker, get the Akashi Ume. It is a little sweet but so smooth! Otherwise you can't go wrong with their Japanese whiskey selection! Definitely get a reservation or plan to put your name down a grab a drink nearby before your table is ready! read more

Found out about Ototo from its sister-restaurant sushi den. If it's hard to find parking there's a public parking garage where with Ototo verification it is $2. It has a modern atmosphere, good service and delicious food. The food is tapas-style so it ended up about 2 dishes per person. We most enjoyed the tuna wrapped lobster, very tender lamb skewer, and Brussels sprouts the most. We also tried the squid, miso ramen (a bit too salty), pork belly and fish tacos which were all pretty good read more

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Wow! What a great date night!!! The lamb skewers were our favorite. The chicken hearts were a little tough bit so so good! We loved the sashimi options, so fresh, not chewy or "frozen styrofoamy". We sat at the bar and were able to see some cool stuff going down. We had 9 or 10 things off the menu and the bill was only about $100! I definitely recommend. We can't wait to visit again. read more

Went here with my wife on a Wednesday night. We were given the choice of sitting at a table, but we opted for the chef's counter. It was really cool to watch the chef's work and occasionally ask them questions on what they were making. We got a bunch of small plates and also split one bowl of Ramen. The following is what we ordered: American Waygu Flat Iron Steak (with grilled dashi marinated daikon) Fried Brussels Sprouts (with apple and ruby red grapefruit) Chicken Karaage Agedashi Tofu Tonkotsu Ramen Chicken Skin Skewer Chicken Oyster Skewer (with actual wasabi) Everything that we got was amazing, but the stand outs were the brussels sprouts and tofu for me and the steak and marinated daikon for my wife. The ramen was also really good, with nice springy noddles and a deep savory broth. The only item I think could have been improved were the pork belly slices in the ramen, as I like my porl slices more tender than what they served. Service was also some of the vest I've had. We will definitely have to go and check out it's sibling restaurants in the future (as well as make more trips here.) read more