My fiance and I used to love Ototo but have had terrible service there lately. Here's my advice for eating there: Walk inside and (A) count the waitstaff (B) count the number of people waiting for carryout orders (C) look at the occupied tables and count the empty glasses, empty plates, drinkless/foodless tables, and frowns on the customers. These should all give you a clue about how you will be treated while dining there. If there are too few waiters, lots of people waiting for carryout, and lots of unhappy-looking customers, go somewhere else. Seriously. Getting there early is NOT a guarantee for good service, because that's when they have the fewest waiters/waitresses working and the most people waiting for their to-go orders. The waitstaff will ignore you while they prepare delicious to-go orders. If you decide to take a risk and eat there, I recommend ordering one type of food, not a mix. For example, don't order an appetizer, edamame, a hot dinner, and sushi, because the kitchen staff won't/can't coordinate these and you will likely get your appetizers after you've filled up on sushi. Or, in the case where someone orders a hot meal and the other orders sushi, you might as well be dining alone because one of you will be finished with your meal before the other's food arrives. To give Ototo some credit, the food there is actually quite good--if it's served immediately. But don't count on it.
Pros: Great sushi
Cons: Slow service
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