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Otani Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Nightlife Karaoke Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Karaoke, Sushi Bars [Edit]
5900 Roche DrColumbus, OH 43229
Neighborhood: Northland
(614) 431-3333
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 2 pm
Mon-Tue, Thu 5 pm - 10 pm
Wed 5 pm - 12 am
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 2 am
Sun 5 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Music Videos
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
35 reviews for Otani Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
35 reviews in English
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Review from Brian M.
Columbus, OH
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Otani is okay. It's just okay. Last night, we went to Sushiko for half price sushi, only to find that there was around a 45 minute wait. Still craving the taste, we ended up at Otani.
I've been here many many times, more than I'd like to admit to be honest. We used to frequent Otani on Friday and Saturday nights when a few members of my crew of friends were underage, because the 21+ people could drink but the 20ers could still hang out with everyone. Karaoke is on Fridays, Saturdays and Wednesdays and, obviously, those are the best nights to go. Even if you aren't into singing, it's worth a look at least once. The "DJ" that runs the karaoke machine is one of the biggest goobers I've ever seen in my life -- one of those guys who has it etched in his mind that it's cool to be that ~*quirky nerd*~ in the room. Very annoying. Sell the restaurant and the karaoke, and not your character.
The food is passable, but it isn't great. Servings are pretty small for the price, too. The employees are nice enough.
I don't really go out of my way to go to Otani, but if there's NOTHING to do on a Friday or Saturday night (pretty rare), it's worth a peek. -
Review from Diana U.
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Karaoke: yes.
Sushi: no no no.
Our deep-fried tofu was soggy and slimy because of too much corn-starch used. Sushi did not look fresh at all (we got the Rainbow Roll). I would consider just getting cooked sushi there if you want sushi- the Honda EX roll was marginally good. The best part of my meal was probably the spicy scallop hand roll. I have a strong stomach, but the (raw) sushi made me a little nervous. Might just be me though...
But if you want some karaoke (rather it be in the open or in private rooms), this is a good place to be. They seem to hold lots of private parties as well. -
Review from Katie B.
Columbus, OH
9/21/2011
I am so disappointed to have to write this review tonight. Otani was my favorite sushi joint in Columbus, not only because of the crowd and the atmosphere, but I enjoyed the food as well.
My husband purchased the Livingsocial deal--$60 for a three-hour karaoke private party, including $20 credit toward food and drinks. We enjoyed the time tonight with our friends, all of whom tipped our server on their food/drinks.
When the bill came, however, we had a bit of a surprise. We'd spent $44.50 on food and drinks. Subtract the $20 credit and that's $24.50.
Being regular customers and savvy group-coupon-buyers, we had planned to tip on the original amount of SERVICE, i.e. $10 or a little more on $45 worth of food/drinks, for which we should have been charged $25.
Our bill came--we were expecting it to read $25 plus tax--and the total was $72.58--$25 plus $13 tax (fine) plus a non-optional gratuity of $35 added for the original price of the room rental, which, as far as I can comprehend, is not a SERVICE that gets a tip. We asked our server to take it up with the manager, which she very kindly did, and he would not budge on the total.
We spent $60 on the Livingsocial deal to enjoy an evening out with our friends, expecting to be charged $25 for our food and to tip on the original service amount... a total of $95 or so for a great night out.
Instead, we were forced to spend $142 total because Otani sneaked in the gratuity on the room. We received good service from Gracie, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary for having been seated in a different room.
This was a huge disappointment to us and to our friends, as we frequent Otani at least once every two weeks or so and spend a fair amount on our dinners. What's the point of buying a Livingsocial coupon if you will be charged more than the cost of the coupon IN ADDITION to the coupon charge? What a letdown. -
Review from Jason S.
2/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
After ages of not searching, I finally found what I've never wanted. What I'd always heard as rumor and legend I finally confirmed as fact...the unholy grail of Japanese cuisine in Columbus.
Otani really is the worst Japanese restaurant in the city.
Despite working at Honda for half a decade and visiting numerous Japanese restaurants in that time with coworkers and suppliers, I'd never been to Otani. Not hard to understand why. The place is the stuff of a show like Kitchen Nightmares. Poor technique, ingredients lacking in quality, a kitchen with ADD, and unidentifiable smells (many some unique variation of ass) throughout the establishment.
One of the plaques adorning the wall of the entryway shows the owner/chef in a feature article from nearly two decades ago. Hate to think ill of any restaurateur, but as he sat at the bar after the kitchen closed, listlessly drinking a beer, I wondered when he stopped caring.
I can't blame the wait staff; between service and joining us for bad karaoke, they kept the night enjoyable despite the kitchen's obvious deficiencies.
Otani has to shape up to survive. The bar for Japanese food is too high in Columbus for this level of quality. -
Review from Keith B.
Powell, OH
3/22/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Mr. Honda is an awesome man. I've met him on a couple of occasions, and he's always been friendly.
I don't know "good" sushi - I know what I like it. The place is a total hole - it's weird walking in, because it even *feels* old - but the sushi has always been fantastic. I've usually stuck with the Ohio State Roll or the Spicy Tuna, I've been there with small groups (2-3) to larger (around 8) and the service has rocked, they joked with us when we were rowdy, chatted with us when it was slow.
Karaoke was absolutely crazy the one night I've been there - jam packed with people, I was lucky my friends had already nabbed a booth. -
Review from Justin B.
12/31/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place isn't a pet-peeve of mine, it's a major, psychotic f**king hatred. It's been recommended to me numerous times, and I'll be damned if I know why. I've been here four or five times now, trying to be a good sport and tag along with friends. I've decided I'd rather be alone than continue here. The fish is shit. Always. The seaweed salad is the worst I've had by far. The other stuff is so forgettable, I forgot what it was. This place looks like it hasn't been redecorated since the Carter administration...and it probably didn't look that great then. The service is consistently abysmal. It's fine if the waitress is "new", but why are they always? Another thing...if the waitress is new...don't leave her alone with a twelve top on a Saturday night, mmmkay? Swirling. Cauldron. of. Fail.
PS Don't even get me started on the drunk, looser salarymen singing Karaoke very very badly. Stay away. You can do so much better. Waffle House is across the street. -
Review from Eric P.
Columbus, OH
5/9/2011
Just got back from Otani, it's the second time I've been there, thanks to a LivingSocial deal that got me $30 worth of sushi and drinks for $15.
The service was fine, the atmosphere creeps me out, and the sushi was just alright. The menu is kind of lacking as far as rolls are concerned, as well.
I had the chirashi and the fish was, well, not that great, both in texture and flavor. I will say that the eel tasted very good, but both the tuna and the salmon tasted a little off. I ate it anyway, though I wasn't pleased about it. I'd much rather eat at Akai Hana, which is actually a couple of dollars cheaper for the same dish.
I feel like the main problem with Otani is its lack of customers. The restaurant was empty both times I went. Without people to consume the fish, it sits around longer, getting fishier.
From now on, I'll stick to Akai Hana or the Tensuke market, even if I have to pay full price. -
Review from Jasmine H.
Columbus, OH
12/17/2010
Waitress stole my boyfriend's credit card #, ran up $50 at Bed Bath and Beyond. We're 100% sure it was her or someone who works there, as he hadn't used the card in forever, then was charged the next day. She made comments about me being trashed, even though I hadn't had ANYTHING alcoholic to drink (all day). So that was not a pleasant experience.
The karaoke guy was a dick, DESPITE tipping him ten bucks.
The food is usually alright. My rolls weren't that good, but everyone else enjoyed theirs. Appetizers are tasty. But W - T - F on the staff. -
Review from Melanie B.
Brooklyn, NY
8/18/2010
1973 called and wants back the restaurant that your unhip-but-desperately-trying-to-be-groovy parents frequented. YIKES. I am aghast by the reviews saying that the sushi here is good. Even with the $9.95 lunch special three of us got - no way. Giant Eagle makes better sushi for a dollar more (and I'd still only give GE sushi three stars).
Okay, first of all, as you can see from the pictures people have posted, this place looks like somewhere someone like my grandmother would have worked in the seventies (actually, she worked at a jai alai place in Connecticut), and this affect doesn't work in a kitschy way. It's all brass and weird carpet and globe lights. I felt like I forgot to wear my polyester bellbottoms.
The service was so-so. Our server was friendly but slightly awkward, and no one was really in the restaurant except us and a Japanese business dude with what seemed like his secretary/mistress (as he was talking loudly and nonstop, he mentioned a wife...).
The sushi was mediocre to fail. I can't think of worse sushi, but I am sure that I have had it - this was passable, but certainly not great. I'm surprised by the reviews that say the sushi is good here - I feel badly now that I really didn't like it. For the same price range, Japanese Oriental makes much higher quality sushi, and there are a myriad of better sushi places in Columbus in general. This was also frustrating because I was here with the boy, who doesn't like sushi (he got udon noodles), his brother, who has never had sushi, and his other brother, who is a chef. Fail. Luckily, Otani was not *my* suggestion. I feel like if you want someone who doesn't like or has never had sushi to like it, you need to take them to some ridiculous place like Haiku, which yes, has amazing sushi but where you pay for the whole atmospheric experience.
I completely agree that portions are small - I got the spicey tuna and the rock n roll, along with the edimame. It's a good thing I wasn't super hungry, or I would have been some pist. This was one of those experiences where no one really commented on the food and there were whispers later of feeling completely unimpressed. Two stars because I feel like Otani is trying, but really it's more like one and a half.
PS: THIS is my 300th review?Listed in: Columbus OVERRATED.
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Review from bill m.
Columbus, OH
1/29/2011 5 Check-ins Here
I'm not much of an expert on Asian Cuisine, so don't put much weight on my review for that, but we went with friends who were using a gift card and we were more interested in spending time with them.
The pot sticker appetizer was good. Those of us who ordered soft drinks were dissapointed that they were flat, no carbonation at all. I told the waitress to bring me water, and she came back with more diet coke and said this was a "fresh batch". It was as flat as the previous stuff was and we ended up with about 8 glasses of pop on the table taking up room. It was almost an hour later that I was able to ask for water the second time and finally get it.
I ordered the Rib Eye Steak, which on the menu was 11 ounces for $21. When the bill came it said 1lb steak $25.95. I doubt the very fatty steak was more than 11 ounces. Everything on the bill was more expensive than what was on the menus. How is this not criminal. I didn't bother disputing it as I'll just never go back. Although dinner took 90 minutes, we got out before Karoke started, so that was one good thing. -
Review from Julie P.
8/3/2010
Overall a nice experience. I'll be back again, maybe for happy hour specials. We went on a Friday night and the service was fast and pleasant.
In order of most oishii, we had:
#1: Fried Oysters - Fresh, juicy oysters, fried perfectly golden brown with a crispy panko shell, served with warm ponzu sauce and spicy mustard. Heaven!
#1 1/2: NegiMaki. OMG. Medium-rare beef, seared around crunchy green onion, served bite-sized with savory dipping sauce. I can has moar plz?
#3: Nigiri Sushi (tuna, scallop, crab, unagi). The sushi rice was the winner here - sticky and firm texture with a good balance of salty and sweet. A healthy dose of wasabi under the sashimi is a nice touch. I agree a bit with other reviewers, the fish itself was nice but not amazing. Maybe I'm setting the bar too low, but we are in Ohio, guys...
#4: Gyoza (potstickers). Hubby might put these higher on the list than me. They were savory and tasty, but I like more ginger and garlic in mine.
#5: Spicy Salmon roll. Meh. Not memorable. -
Review from Tara Y.
Columbus, OH
10/20/2010
This is one of those places that I've driven by before but never thought to enter. Late one Wed. night ,my guy and I were really wanting sushi. So, after checking Yelp (of course), we found Otani's was open late and had good reveiws. So we decided to give it a go.
We were puzzled as to why a Wed. night was one of their more popular nights. As soon as we walked in we knew.... It's karaoke night.
We shared a california roll & a shrimp tempura roll ,along with plum wine and sake. We finished it off with green tea ice cream. Yum!
Everything was delicious, the atmospere was welcoming and our waiter was very friendly and attentive. I will definitely be going back. -
Review from Jeremiah W.
Columbus, OH
8/10/2011
I went to Otani earlier this week because my girlfriend had a Groupon. I was a little turned off right when we walked in the door because of the atmosphere...it has a sort of seedy lounge feel to it, not the clean lines and decor I usually associate with a Japanese restaurant. The service was okay. There was something very strange with the water, it tasted like plastic...very strange and offputting. We told the waiter, thinking maybe it was the glasses, but the replacements also tasted like a mouthful of chemicals. So now that I've complained about all that I will finish by saying that the food was good. Our groupon got us the Buckeye Love Boat (I think that's what it was called), along with soup, salad, a plate of tempura vegetables and shrimp and ice cream. Everything was very good.
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Review from sara c.
Updated - 12/18/2010
Otani has been popping up everywhere on discount coupon sites lately -- I purchased two from Living Social, and just got an email the other day about another from Columbus Daily Deals.
We were greeted and seated by a little old Asian lady, who was nice enough. However, our waitress, Beth, left much to be desired in the customer service department. This waitress was marginally polite and brisk, and did not smile at all. Perhaps she was just having a bad day, but bf and I both agreed that we have had much better service on our previous visits.
In an attempt to try something different, we ordered the Masaki roll and lobster roll in addition to our usual salmon nigiri and ramen. The Masaki roll was small -- only four pieces, but the combination of shrimp tempura and soft-shell crab was interesting, in a good way. The roll was not wrapped very well, though, and fell apart when we attempted to pick it up. The lobster roll was also a bit disappointing, with the lobster being flakey rather than succulent. The salmon nigiri, however, was thick-cut, and wonderful. The pork ramen was ... meh; the noodles were fine but the broth was a bit heavy, and neither shoyu or miso were the primary flavoring.
A little sad that this recent visit went so poorly; we'll give it another shot when the next coupon deal appears, and hopefully there'll be a different waitress.Listed in: Getting your Asian food fix
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/6/2010
The boy and I came here after my month-and-a-half sojourn in the middle of nowhere, Michigan. I… Read more »
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Review from Brian K.
Canal Winchester, OH
12/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Alright. Here I go.
I went here with a great group of people on friday for the karaoke night. First off I was super stoked to go for sushi and karaoke... that's a good combo in my opinion... even if you are there to laugh at others.
I really am not one to give less than three stars... I'm an optimist.
Two stars for:
small rolls that are not very fresh and even though I hate to admit that I ordered a california roll after I ate several others, I did. A cali roll is really not so hard to make with all the ingredients, right?
WTF.
Inside should feature cucumber, crab, and avocado... all wrapped deliciously in nori and rice. oohh.... and some sesame seeds are always pretty much the standard.
Otani California Roll = not so much. I can't remember if it was lacking the avocado or the cucumber but regardless. unforgivable.
Did I mention the rolls were small?
+ Good fun chill atmosphere though stop at krogers, trader joes, or whole foods and get some of their sushi to take as backup. you'll need it. -
Review from Jeana H.
Westerville, OH
5/24/2010
Sushi + happy hour + karaoke = my dream restaurant!
Okay, maybe that's an overstatement but I just made my first appearance at Otani's on Saturday for a friend's birthday and we had a GREAT time. Granted, there were many birthday drinks involved, but our food was great, karaoke was a blast and our server, Tyler, was absolutely amazing.
The downfall? The location. It isn't great and I was slightly concerned when we pulled into the parking lot, which is shared with Capri Lanes. It's hidden on the ground floor of a stiff, deceiving office building. Once you make your way inside though, it's a totally different atmosphere. Laid-back, calm and quiet ...until karaoke starts at 9 pm.
Overall I had a really great experience! Just not sure yet whether it will be more than a one time thing... -
Review from Mike B.
2/20/2009 1 Check-in Here
It's a shame that I was expecting better quality, but it really did not live up to my expectations. I went here with a large group (16-20 people) of friends. They probably should have had more than one server for our group, the poor girl was overwhelmed.
Service timing was very bad, more than half an hour for the food for most people at our table. It was also staggered, so some people would get food while others sat by waiting. My wife's order was completely borked, since they thought she ordered the appetizer portion instead of the dinner.
On to the sushi, I really have to say it's terrible, probably the worst I've had in Columbus so far. My wife's bluefin sashimi was a giant chunk of fish (instead of being true sashimi cut into two or three pieces). It definitely has a little fishy taste to it, although it could have very well been the poor cut quality, I am guessing the fish wasn't the freshest.
My sushi sampler (the big three) was absolutely awful, it seemed that the salmon used was canned, not even trying to be fresh. Also the smoked salmon skin was not done well at all.
The one redeeming quality (worthy of a second star) is that they acknowledged their service and ordering mistakes, and adjusted our bill accordingly. Will I return here? Maybe if it's part of a group again, but never on my own will, there's too much good sushi elsewhere in the city to return to otani. Try sushi ting or nida's out. Pricing isn't that much different but quality is light years ahead.
Overall disappointing, I hope they make an effort to improve. -
Review from Matthew B.
Columbus, OH
9/6/2008
Oh, Otani's! The minute we pulled into the parking lot I knew I was going to love the place. It had a giant revolving box of a sign, covered in lights. As I walked in I was bombarded with the sensations of glitz and glamor- I recall mirrors, gold accents, and mood lighting. I was with a group from an anime convention, and any Japanese restaurant will do for your average otaku. I'm a bit more picky than my japanophile friends, though, but the décor had me very excited. It looked like something out of an 80s movie set in Little Tokyo or something. Absolutely insane.
We all ordered with excitement, some getting sushi and some, like me, getting hot dishes. I also started ordering beer, thank god, because soon after the troubles started.
The main problem was that when our food did, finally, start arriving, it came out in odd shifts. Some of us were finishing our entrees before other people at the table had received their appetizers. After two hours we were ready to leave, and some food had still not made it to the table, despite multiple inquests to the wait staff as to the mysterious location of our food. These questions were never ultimately answered.
And then I, along with my friends, did something I've never done before or since: we informed the management that we were leaving without paying, because not only had we been served poorly, some of us had not even been served our entire order. What was meant to be a fun night out had turned into one of the bigger hassles of my lifetime. After a lot of bad noise with the manager- who admitted that he had received multiple complaints of this same nature with this waiter- we left, bill unpaid. It might seem like a rotten thing to do, but there you have it.
The only problem is, I really kind of liked the food I got. I'll probably go back some day with a smaller group and try again. I'd like to think the service has only improved since our hasty retreat. -
Review from Shawnie K.
Columbus, OH
12/21/2008
I always found it a bit odd that this restaurant was located on the ground floor of an ugly office building, but once you weave your way down the long hallway, past the modeling agency, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the decent dining experience that awaits.
This was the very first sushi restaurant I went to when I moved to Columbus in 1997 and it remains the "grand dame" of Japanese restaurants in Columbus. That's not necessarily a good thing, but Otani has been around forever and locals who grew up eating here seem to remain loyal.
It has a very traditional atmosphere, so do not come here expecting a glitzy sushi bar or an urban dining experience. The dining room is warm and cozy, with old fashioned, wooden chairs on wheels and red leather booths.
The menu covers the whole gamut of Japanese cuisine, both cooked and raw. I have had the udon noodle soup many times and find it to be really good. Quite often, you'll find the restaurant owner manning the sushi bar! The full bar serves up all your standard mixed drinks along with domestic and Asian beers, wine and sake.
While I am not a fan of buffets, the ever popular Saturday buffet is one of my favorites in town. It's a great way for novices of Japanese cuisine to try a little bit of everything. Otani's lunch specials are still a very good deal after all these years.
After thirty years of business, Otani's food remains consistently good and is regularly frequented by an Asian clientele, who have no inhibitions about show off their vocals during karaoke nights. If singing isn't your thing, just walk across the shared parking lot to the bowling alley! -
Review from Michael S.
Westerville, OH
6/9/2011
Decided to try Otani when I saw it on LivingSocial. I was ok, but not really good enough to entice me to go back.
The place was straight out of the early eighties; it seriously needs some updating stat. From the worn carpet to the broken down seats, it wasn't a promising start.
The tempura was good, if a little oily. The miso soup was out of this world great, but the salad was drowned in dressing. The pork cutlet (tonkatsu) was fantastic, but it was a bit pricey.
The sushi... well, we ended up taking the fish off the rice and eating it like shashimi. Far too vinegar-y, and they had decided to put wasabi in with the salmon roe? Eww.
Overall it was a decent experience, but if you take away the coupon, I could have paid the same at Akai Hana and had a much better meal. I have no plans to go back. -
Review from jon t.
Columbus, OH
2/20/2011
We came here on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. We were all very excited and ready for a fun night of karaoke. We showed up around 1030, and some friends that met us there told us that the host was rude and unwilling to seat them. strike one...
a few moments later, my good friend returned from the bar with a drink, he told me he did not leave a tip because the bartender was so rude to him. Strike two...
A few other friends then met us there, and upon their arrival, the female bartender refused to serve them stating, "I do not have room for you guys." So here we are, about ten of us standing around a table near the bar not getting service because they say they have no room--even though half of the restaurant is open but, "We don't use that part of the restaurant during karaoke." Strike three...
At this point about eight of my friends, not receiving service from the bartender, decided to leave and go to the bowling alley across the street. I felt like I let them down during what was supposed to be such a fun night of drinking and karaoke. At this point I am totally losing my buzz.
I then approached a waiter and asked him what the chances were of us getting a table. I believe his name was Chad, and he was the only courteous person I spoke to. He said he would let me know if something opened up. I then saw a party of people leave large table and politely asked a different waiter if it was possible for us to sit there. He rudely snapped back at me, "That's reserved for a private party." Then walked off. I really wanted to punch the little jerk. Strike four...
We decide to leave after one drink and not doing any karaoke. So disappointing!!! As we are putting on our coats, the waiter that was rude to me nervously approached and muttered that he has a table for us (the same table I asked him about earlier). I told him candidly that ever since we arrived everyone was so rude to us that we would rather go take our business to the bowling alley across the street.
That is exactly what we did, and I had a wonderful time there. The DJ even wished me happy birthday on the microphone. The staff at Otani's is awful and I will never return. So in summary, Chad--you were cool and I am sorry you have to work in such an awful environment with so many jerks.
I will be singing Sam Cooke and the Kinks elsewhere... -
Review from Kate K.
11/10/2008
Not too great. Prices are cheap (never a good sign for a sushi place in my opinion) and there are always coupons online.
I didn't get sick or anything from the sushi, in fact, it was completely unmemorable. My miso soup was HORRIBLE, though. I didn't know anyone could actually screw that up . It's like the broth was all fish sauce. Ick. -
Review from Senna H.
Long Beach, CA
6/7/2007
The Ohio roll!!! mmmmm mmmm
and theres karaoke -
Review from Keith M.
Columbus, OH
10/23/2009
OK, let's get the haphazard service on weekend nights out of the way. If you go in expecting it, and I always do, then it's not such a big deal. As far as the food, I stick to off-the-beaten-path items. I dearly miss the ankimo (monkfish liver dish) which is obviously not something you'll find in the vast majority of Japanese restaurants here, except for a few which cater to Japanese clientele. I say that as someone who hates anything with internal organs be it paté or dirty rice, so you can't say I didn't give it a shot. Instead, I tried something else off of the Japanese menu (toss the English one aside) that came recommended which was two small, whole fish. You eat everything including the head and spine, (well, not the tail).
There's Japanese beer and if you're into cheap, heated sake it won't be long before you find yourself on stage. A previous reviewer complained that the participants of karaoke were taking it way too seriously. Believe me, while there is a bit of that, by and large the impromptu singers were laughably awful, which helps you muster the courage to go up and butcher your song of choice. Just remember that you need to sign up as early as possible if you want a chance to perform.
As far as I know, this is really the only reason to head out to suburban sprawl hell in the NE side for a night out. -
Review from Zack F.
1/22/2009
I kind of want to give them a 5 star. Why you ask? The place is just so bad it is good. Seriously. Well the food isn't bad, it's good, but not great. The vegetarian selection is OK I guess. The sake selection is good though. The decorations are amusing.
The only reason I would go here is for karaoke nights or jazz music nights. The jazz is decent and certainly makes for a conversation about that odd night at that one restaurant. It wouldn't be my top pick for a romantic date at a nice restaurant with quality jazz.
The karaoke nights were pretty amusing for a while. They have big tables where friends can gather, eat sushi, drink copious amounts of sake and embarrass themselves on stage for our amusement. They had a pretty great selection of songs that most people would recognize and anyone could find at least one song they would sing.
Unfortunately, they attracted a crowd of people who thought they were competing on American Idol and the karaoke nights turned into a wanna be pro audition night, the music selections dwindled and half the music turned into country. So we stopped going.
I would say give it a shot if you are bored and want to try something different. Who knows, even if it is bad, you might have a great time laughing about how bad it was. -
Review from Paul F.
Updated - 4/17/2009
I was up there for lunch today. For $9.95, you get soup and any two rolls. I chose the Rainbow Roll and the Hard Rock Roll. That price is a little higher than some but the rolls are larger. And they were GREAT!
Listed in: Top Restaurants (in no…, My Favorite Sushi Houses
5 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/10/2009
I'll tell you, I just got home from a plate of sashimi and I fail to see how it could have been any… Read more »
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Review from Jameson L.
Waltham, MA
6/14/2009
For columbus, this place is the best place to get sushi. Its one of the few places that has uni and toro tuna. Mr E. Honda (I know......the street fighter guy?) has been running this place forever and really makes amazing japanese food. My favorite thing about this place, its not flashy and over decorated. Im tired of eating japanese food in places that look like pier one. From my experience though.....stay away from karaoke hours, a bit loud and obnoxious.
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Review from Matt W.
Columbus, OH
1/11/2009
This is my favorite sushi place in Columbus. I always get the spicy tuna roll and the ramen soup bowl. Also, their sakitini with sake and plum wine tastes like candy and will you feeling good in no time.
They probably need to update the decor in the place in the next couple years or move to a better location. -
Review from Chuck k.
8/31/2006
My Gf and I ate here once, and we weren't that impressed. The sushi was fine, if a tad expensive. The tonkatsu was a tiny portion for a big price. And quite frankly, below average in taste. This isn't Tokyo, people! Oh wait, I paid less in Tokyo for more... (alright that was pretentious, but I'm still pissed at the small tonktsu!)
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Review from diana n.
Loma Linda, CA
7/6/2008
i'm sorry, but this was the worst sushi place i've been to in my life (and i've been to many). i ordered marbled tuna (toro), salmon, and mackerel. the fish was not at all fresh, and in fact, had a strange sour taste to it.
i will definitely not come back...at least not to eat sushi. the karaoke part seems fun. -
Review from K L.
CA
2/28/2008
I admit I am biased because my friend's family owns it. But this is a great place for a date, a great place for a drink, a great place for Japanese food and a great place for KARAOKE! Shabu shabu, teriyaki, sushi, beer, sake, wine...it's got it all.
Typically it is pretty quiet but sometimes a few brave souls get up to sing and it's a lot of fun! Lee-Ann and I sang Madonna's Material Girl; the Beastie Boys have sung Iron Man here; next, YOU could be the star! -
Review from Joshua O.
Fort Worth, TX
2/20/2009
The food was horrible and the portions were small. The waitresses brought me my cold soba, but in fact i had ordered the cold soba with tempura, and she started arguing about what i ordered, and then when it came, the tempura was soggy and cold... worst experience ever... and the neighborhood is shady. don't do it. try Akai Hana if you want a real sushi experience.
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Review from theresa c.
Oak Park, IL
8/29/2006
one of my favorite restaurants in columbus! i have not tried too many different things on the menu... but the tempura and chicken terriaki are very good! their drinks are very expensive but good as well. there is one called the godfather! and it is quite strong! of course ;) karaoke on some days, but i have avoided that thus far as it can get pretty crowded on those nights.
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Review from jon v.
Philadelphia, PA
8/2/2008
so where should i start?
well first off, if you like sushi, i wouldn't go there. in fact, if you like food in general i wouldn't even go to Otani. the sushi was pretty sub-par, if not terrible. maybe some of the cooked sushi is okay, but whatever i had wasn't fresh tasting.
the beer selection is terrible. they only serve domestics and of course the two major japanese beers. that could potentially have been the one thing to make my experience better there- good beer. but no, they didn't even let me have that.
onto the entree, which had to be the worst part for sure.
so i ordered a basic staple of the asian cuisine world - sesame chicken. price? 11.95. steep, but whatever, i was hungry and i figured they wouldn't be able to fuck it up. i was SOOOO wrong. an hour later when my "sesame chicken" arrived, the waitress spilled all the oil and juice that flooded the plate all over my arm. that sucked, and it was only an indication of how craptacular the meal was going to be. basically, what the sesame chicken concoction was was a chicken fajita sans the tortilla. it was super salty spicy dark meat chicken in a puddle of oil and seasoning with a lot of red and green pepper slices and a few sesame seeds. it literally tasted like a terrible fajita. i took a photo and i wish i could post it on here so you could see it. also, i'd like to note that they drizzled strawberry flavored syrup around the edge of the plate. bizarre, right?
now i am by no means a qualified food critic, but this place was just terrible. aside from the hilarity of the fat people singing karaoke to country songs, the only other thing that made it at all enjoyable was hanging out with my good friends. -
Review from Kristen W.
Columbus, OH
4/17/2011
I made the mistake of trying out Otani one Saturday night. A good restaurant should have been busy for 7:30PM, but it wasn't even half full - my first clue that this place was going to disappoint. The decor was just bizarre; it was very apparent that the restaurant was old and outdated - the ground floor of an office building - but I tried to withhold judgment until we ate. Our edamame and soup came out quickly and tasted fine, but it took more than 45 minutes for my boyfriend and I to get our meals (once again, there were not many customers in the restaurant so it should not have taken long at all). Our waitress promised our soup on the house for the wait, yet didn't take it off the bill. The sushi was so awful, I think I'd prefer grocery store sushi. The menu said one of my rolls had crab in it but it was actually imitation crab meat, and the taste of the tempura coating made it obvious the frying oil needed to be changed. The prices were outrageous for the quality - for what we spent we could have gone somewhere in the Short North, hell even take-out from somewhere, and actually had a good meal. Avoid this place at all costs!
