30 Postcards
Ototo is a spirited little pub in Echo Park, serving inventive Japanese bar snacks and a stellar sake selection perfect for casual hangouts.
"At any time of year, Ototo serves its seasonal dishes and menu alongside its James Beard Award-winning beverage program. During the 2024 MLB season, Ototo will offer a dine-in-only teishoku or “set meal” available on home game days. For $35, choose from cod tempura, pan-seared Jidori chicken, or pan-seared tofu with potato salad, pickles, seasonal vegetables, rice, and egg." - Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes
"Echo Park izakaya Ototo is transforming into a Japanese 7-Eleven for one night only on October 31. For the menu, Ototo will recreate convenience store classics like the fluffy, crustless egg salad sandwiches and onigiri stuffed with mayo tuna. Guests are welcome to come in costume and early arrival is encouraged since the evening is walk-ins only." - Rebecca Roland
"Chef and co-owner Charles Namba took inspiration from a childhood full of McDonald’s fish sandwiches to create his satisfying and aptly named filet-Ototo-fish sandwich. The Echo Park restaurant uses beer-battered cod topped with gribiche, American cheese, and yuzu daikon pickles. This dish pairs extraordinarily well with sake." - Eater Staff
"Right next to Tsubaki is Ototo, a Japanese restaurant and sake bar run by the same people. With its more casual leanings (think small, shareable plates and a sake list about 20-pages long), we consider Ototo to be Tsubaki’s less serious and more adventurous younger sibling. They change their menu a lot, but luckily, our favorite dish remains—an Osaka-style okonomiyaki filled with cheese and scallions, and then topped with the classic bonito flakes, kewpie mayo, and okonomi sauce. " - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins
"Few burgers justify the knife and fork treatment, but the Ode to Mos at Ototo just might. The happy hour-only special that pays homage to one of Japan’s most popular fast-food burgers is served with a heaping pile of Japanese chili, tomato, and special sauce. The plush sesame bun takes a supporting role to the rest of the bite, doing its best to hold the burger together. It’s a little messy, but worth the extra napkins it’ll take." - Rebecca Roland, Eater Staff
