I'm going there again!! I had the limited-time soy sauce koji chicken egg stir-fry set meal, with a little less multigrain rice, and I changed the miso soup to barley miso for 1200 yen. I added a small dish of seaweed for about 200 yen because I was lacking in seaweed. I was able to get a variety of nutrients and it was delicious. I was able to eat foods like shimeji mushrooms, turnips, and wood ear mushrooms that I don't usually eat. I'll go there regularly.

I love this place. Today I had the classic mackerel with green onion sauce, it was really generous in portion and the price is amazing for what you get. Even when we ordered right before closing, they were very polite. I accidentally used a coupon that was already used, but they still helped me out. This was my first time having a drink at Ootoya and I was very satisfied.

I stopped by for a bite before going to the spa. I ordered my usual favorite, the aromatic fried chicken set meal. I also added grated yam for an extra charge. The yam rice makes me feel happy! I wanted to have a draft beer, but since I'm going to the spa, I resisted (lol). The fried chicken seemed even bigger than before (maybe it's just my imagination?), so I prepared myself for the spa.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant is calm and welcoming for both individuals and groups. I decided to try the Ootoya lunch set for the first time, and I liked that I could choose between fried or raw eggs. The pumpkin croquette was incredibly delicious, and the fried chicken had a crispy coating that I enjoyed.

Ootoya Lunch - Tatsuta-age with extra portion of rice (upgrade to five-grain rice for the same price) for 890 yen. I had heard that the Ootoya Lunch had made a comeback, but I hadn't had the chance to try it until now. Oh, you can also get an extra portion of Tatsuta-age for an additional 150 yen, so I decided to go for the five-grain rice with a large portion. After a short wait, it arrived, and it looked quite appetizing! The extra portion of Tatsuta-age was definitely worth it. It came with freshly fried Tatsuta-age and a kabocha croquette. The Tatsuta-age was lightly seasoned, and you're supposed to pour the sauce that comes with it over the grated daikon radish on top. The crispy texture of the Tatsuta-age was perfect, and it went really well with the sauce and radish. The kabocha croquette was sweet and fluffy - surprisingly delicious! The pickled egg yolk on the side was also a nice touch. I chose the five-grain rice this time, but I think I would have been satisfied with white rice too, especially with the pickled egg yolk. Overall, the Ootoya Lunch was quite good, and I can see why it's popular. I really liked the texture of the five-grain rice, but I'm thinking of trying it with white rice next time to see how it pairs with the pickled egg yolk. I'll definitely be back to try the Ootoya Lunch again soon!

My favorite menu at Ootoya is the "Chicken Kaasan Nitsuke Set" for 890 yen! It is cooked in a gentle broth and is really delicious. I always change the rice to mixed grain rice! Getting a large serving of rice is free, and getting a smaller portion will save you 30 yen, which is nice! I often go to the Akihabara store, where there are mostly counter seats and only about four table seats. It can get crowded, but the turnover rate is good so you can usually get a seat. They also come to refill your water when it's empty. The roasted green tea after the meal really warms you up!

On this day, I had a delicious hot pot with plenty of vegetables cooked in sake lees at Ootoya. The broth was exquisite and the healthy set meal with five-grain rice was satisfying. For dessert, I enjoyed a seasonal limited edition strawberry parfait with ice cream, which was delightful. Ootoya is efficient and I love the self-ordering system with tablets. They also serve tea in a pot, so you can add more whenever you like.

Ootoya has joined the Colowide group. There were some recent tumultuous events, such as the sudden passing of the founder and a power struggle between the president (cousin of the founder) and the founder's eldest son. Ultimately, the eldest son resigned as a director, seemingly ending the family feud. The founder's wife and eldest son sold their inherited shares to Colowide, who then launched a hostile takeover bid to bring Ootoya under its umbrella. At an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in November last year, Colowide's proposal to refresh the management team was approved. The new president is from Colowide, and the eldest son became a director. It was quite a fierce battle, almost like a real-life "Hanzawa Naoki" drama. During this time, there were even incidents of staff sabotage. But most importantly, as a consumer, the most disappointing thing was the discontinuation of the Ootoya lunch menu in April 2019. However, it made a comeback in October 2019! So, I decided to try the Ootoya lunch set after a long time. The restaurant has a clean and neat interior with tables and counter seats. I chose a window-side counter seat on the 4th floor. The Ootoya lunch set (790 yen) had various options to choose from, such as the number of fried chicken pieces, rice portion size, miso soup type, additional toppings, etc. I opted for a smaller rice portion without any additional toppings, costing 770 yen in total. The new Ootoya lunch set included pumpkin croquette, fried chicken, grated radish, shredded cabbage, mizuna, tomato, and broccoli. The highlight was the "soft-boiled egg." The miso soup only had seaweed. Despite the slight price increase, the Ootoya lunch set still maintained its well-balanced and healthy meal options.

It's just average for 850 yen. It's not bad, but I don't feel like coming back again. Especially since there's no lunch discount. The brown rice is nice, and the free extra serving is good too. The salad is a bit generous. But for some reason, it just doesn't excite me. It's not bad, though.

The map on the store page is dynamically shifted, but the Akihabara store is just a 1-minute walk from Akihabara, not Kudanshita, on the 4th floor of BiTO AKIBA. I visited in January 2020 at 8:00 PM and noticed a sign while riding the Sobu Line. I was surprised to see a Ootoya here. It's located on the 4th floor of a building next to Atre, about the size of a standing bar restaurant. It was not crowded, unlike the Ootoya at Tokyo Station OAZO or Shin Center Building. It's rare to see no foreign tourists in Akihabara. It seems like it's not well known yet. I was seated at a table without having to wait and ordered using the touch panel screen. I had the Saury and Vegetable Black Vinegar Ankake, a small serving of rice, a small serving of miso soup changed to tonjiru, and a separate dish of hijiki. The meal was colorful and delicious. The main dish was lightly fried saury with various vegetables. The salad included shredded cabbage, mizuna, broccoli, tomato, potato salad, and wakame with grated onion dressing on the side. The miso soup had sweet potatoes in it, which was surprising but tasty. The meal also came with pickled Chinese cabbage. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. The building is completely non-smoking, with no smoking area inside. I will definitely visit again.

Around 2100, I entered the restaurant and ordered the Chicken Kaa-san simmered set meal for 930 yen. This place is always crowded whenever I come. I usually end up leaving without dining, but this time I decided to wait in line. It took 45 minutes to get inside. However, when I finally got in, I noticed that there were significantly fewer seats available, indicating a shortage of staff. The service was also very slow, to the point where I honestly don't want to come back again. Additionally, the seasonal set meal I wanted to try was already sold out. I wish they had at least written that outside the restaurant.

It was good! The fish was delicious.

The miso simmered set meal is delicious.