Good experience, a bit enclosed but cozy. The service is not the friendliest. They are fine though. The place doesn’t boast a sense of community, but usually filled with people reading and studying, which is good in its own right.

Laura B.

Took my dad out for dinner here for his birthday…we are Romanian and this restaurant is “Romanian-ish” which we appreciated!! Very tasty food that did not disappoint. Loved the vibe and the fact that it’s tapas style: shareable little plates. Our favorite was the stuffed pepper: both sweet and smoky and delicious. The fasole batuta which is a bean dip tasted very authentic. My dad looooved the burrata. The mici (little Romanian sausages) did not taste very much like the mici we are used to but they were fine, even better paired with the pickled spicy grapes. Mamaliga was delicious. Service was great. They knew we were celebrating a birthday and brought over a little plate with gummy bears and a lit candle, super thoughtful gesture and very appreciated. Loved the whole dining experience here and would absolutely return and recommend.

+2

Ands P

It’s difficult to put into a short review how wonderful this restaurant is and how delicious their food is. You perfectly encapsulate every yummy flavor that is Romanian food. It’s the most intimate cozy lovely little gem. I grew up on my mom and bunică‘s Romanian home-cooked meals, and all the dishes at Oti taste just like those sentimental dishes from my childhood, but with a unique and thoughtful twist. Please go eat there. I’m always proud to be Romanian, and this little restaurant quietly nestled in the Lower East Side makes me even more proud and reminds me of home.

Ada

I am 100% Romanian, born n’ raised. I recognize how this restaurant is working to elevate Romanian cuisine and present it with a modern, refined, and elegant twist. Having said that, the restaurant isn’t boringly traditional, and that’s why I personally like it and why I have returned twice. I think to put such a unique twist on Romanian cuisine means to truly understand Romanian cuisine, which is what Oti does best. This restaurant is reinventing Romanian cuisine, which is best suited for open minded individuals & gen Z (send the baby boomers with the millennials to Queens or something;)) Both times the dishes have been delicious, reasonably portioned, and super consistent. Would recommend to anyone looking for an intro to Romanian food. I will continue to bring my American friends here for an intro to our culture. Service and cocktails were great too. Best experience is buying multiple dishes & sharing, tapas style 💜

Danielle Kelly

Maybe I'll come back and edit this when I have the words; this restaurant rocked my world and saying everything was beyond incredible is not even close to enough description for what they've got going on here. And they have the vibiest bathroom I've been in since 2017.

+1

Lolla T

So good! Ordered everything on their menu to taste it all—100% recommend the mamaliga and bone marrow toast💕💕

Dalmi Parajdi

The food was so delicious! Great quality, great service, very sweet little restaurant with nice atmosphere, I’d definitely come back! Mulțumesc 😊

+1

Ila

such a quint restaurant, food was amazing and loved how they presented them. mici was a little salty, other than that everything else was perfect. loved the zacusca dip with bread! mismatched vintage utensils and wine glasses are a nice touch. extremely attentive staff. ventilation needs work, we were tearing up by the smoke at end of the meal lol.

Abel

Stumbled upon this place while trying to find some Hungarian and Romanian food in NYC and we were very happy to have found Oti. The customer service was excellent, very friendly staff, a delicious food. We were a group of 3 and decided to basically order one of everything off the menu and a bottle of wine to share and wow it was all delicious. Good prices and delicious authentic flavors. Highly recommend this place, we will be back again, hopefully soon!

+6

Eduardo J. Garcia Reino

Absolutely loved this place! Such a cozy spot with amazing Romanian-inspired dishes. The pickled grapes and zakuska dip were standouts, and the burrata was next-level good. I rarely leave google reviews, but this hidden gem deserves it.

+2

Giuseppe Militello

Lovely place with very good food and wine selection. Quiet and romantic vibe perfectly blending with the surrounding area. It goes straight to my "favorite restaurants" list in the city.

Patricia Huezo

This is such a gem in Lower east side. Food was delicious and visually presented in a creative way. The plates are shareable so you can enjoy it as a group or duos. We were a party of 4 and we sampled the main Romanian dishes. This was my first time trying Romanian food presented in tapas size plates. Our favorites were the mushroom croquette, the stuffed pepper with meat, the polenta dish. you won’t be disappointed with any choice on the menu. The atmosphere was fun with music on the background and friendly and professional service staff.

+4

Mx Rothko

Really cute Romanian restaurant. The zacusca tastes like my grandma’s and the mici are really delicious. The staff was also very kind, always bringing more bread when needed and offered us some palinca brought from Romania by the owner. I found it disappointing that there were no Romanian wines on the menu, only Hungarian and Georgian ones.

Danielle Hamilton

Menu was very unique! I went for the wine menu and was not disappointed in the unusual choices they had. I ordered the burrata and mussels which were fantastic and came with plenty of fresh baked bread. The staff were all friendly and gave me their undivided attention for the entire service. The best hidden gem in New York. Also make a stop in the bathroom for the unique ambience!

Ilan Sidi

One of the best restaurants in the LES! I accidentally came in late on a Saturday for cocktails, and had two of the best drinks I’ve ever had. They were super creative and interesting. The food smelled so good, I decided I had to come back for a real meal. … so I came back 4 days later for my birthday it it was an unbelievably great meal. Perfect location for dinner with 5 friends, really creative and flavorful food, great casual ambiance, did I mention the food was great? We ordered the entire menu and loved every bite! (They even gave us a birthday cake 🥳)

+1

Laura Florea

If you want to eat Romanian food in NYC this is the place to do it!! The food reminded me so much of home and was delicious. The service and cocktails were also incredible. Will definitely be coming back again!

+4

Sean Prendi

This restaurant is AMAZING. The food was incredible, the story behind the dishes is adorable, and the cocktails are mind blowing. Seriously one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in NYC and the staff is unmatched. Everyone is so friendly and kind, an absolute must-go restaurant, and get every single cocktail they have.

+7

Luchia

I loved this place. It's modern Romanian food and it's really delicious. The plates are very small so they are meant to be ordered 5 or 7 so you can share. The place is very small but very cozy and the people working there were incredibly sweet. I will go again..

+2

Ali Bakhsh

Oti was my first Romanian restaurant, and I couldn’t be more happy with the experience! Each dish was absolutely delicious, but the one that stood out to me the most was the pickled grapes! It’s an absolute must-try, and it paired well with many of the other dishes we ordered. Great service, excellent food, and a fantastic introduction to a brand new cuisine, thank you Oti!

+5

Black Cat LES has an inconspicuous storefront for a Lower East Side cafe. once through the door, the interior opens up into a surprisingly medium/large space. it’s well-maintained and clean. the vibe is very community living room with a variety of seating options. lots of laptop-pers & tablet-ers at work when here last. there’s WiFi for those who need it. there are live events at night like music, readings, comedy, etc. there’s a variety coffee & tea drinks on the menu as well as variety of simple savory eats like sandwiches, toasts, and bagels. got a large drip coffee to fight a chilly weekday off with hot caffeine and it did the job. strong coffee, nice caffeine kick. it was a huge cup of coffee and it warmed up and sped up my walk of endless errands in the neighborhood. the staff is very chill and kind. cafes like this are becoming the rarity in NYC. cherish the neighborhood gems.

Black Cat LES isn’t your average coffee shop it feels like a living room for the Lower East Side. From the mismatched couches to the community events, there’s an unpolished charm that makes you want to linger. Their coffee hits the mark strong, unpretentious, and always fresh. I love that it doubles as a coworking space by day and a creative hub by night. It’s the kind of spot where conversations flow easily, and everyone feels like a regular.

Todd Fellerman

This place was fine with a limited selection of food and wine. Small dishes that are tasty but nothing wow-ed me. The flavors were good but nothing super special making me want to come back. Both red wines were so-so ... For $17 per glass, I was expecting better wine.

Came here to work remotely. The place is super grungy with a cool vibe, the Barnstable isn't the warmest person but I didnt mind as its part of the underground "charm" of the place. My main issue was with the wifi- for a place that requires a purchase to get the password, I tried 3 different times and the internet was basically not existent. So if you're planning yo actually do some work- wouldn't recommend it.

Went on 10/5/2025 at 8:10 am and the Barista was just opening. Didn't start taking orders for another 10-15 minutes and was kind of rude. The latte when it finally came out was really good, I got the nutella latte which felt a little juvenile but she did great on that. Just got the bagel and it looks awesome so we'll see.

ReedH

Having been to Bucharest and enjoying the Romanian restaurant offerings in Queens, I’ve been looking forward to trying this place. But while the place is cute and the service is nice, I found the experience fairly average. First, the menu is fairly limited and largely made up of small plates— more a wine bar menu than that of a restaurant. And while some of the dishes were nice— the zakuska and fasole batuta dips were both standouts— the bread they served it with was a bit stale. Others, like the mici sausages, though, lacked in flavor. The wines, though, which they serve several by the glass, were delightfully interesting. Overall, though, I was just hoping for a bit better at this price point.

+2

The barista was extremely unfriendly, exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior and clearly hating her job (evident from her shouting at guests towards the end). I visited this cafe for an event, and when I ordered an iced matcha latte (and tipped), the barista was not only passive-aggressive but also impatient. She/they made me feel as though I couldn't speak English while I ordered, even though I have lived in the U.S. for 10 years, speak fluent English, and work in a communication-heavy job. Towards the end of the event at 9pm (despite the cafe's closing time being listed as 10pm), the barista shouted at everyone, saying, "The cafe was supposed to close an hour ago! Nobody is paying me for this hour! Please leave!" This was unprofessional and unacceptable behavior. No professional staff member should ever shout at guests. Despite paying for drinks and tipping, the experience was terrible. Based on this, I cannot recommend this cafe to anyone. If you are the business owner, please address this rude behavior that occurred on June 26 (Wednesday) during the night shift. Improving staff behavior is crucial for customer satisfaction and the reputation of your cafe.

The barista is *rude*. Idk if there are several but there is an older lady and does not put names on the coffees. So when people order the same kind of food or coffee they don’t know what belongs to who. Very uncomfortable. Poor customer service - she literally yells at customers. It also took over 30 min to get food

This place needs to seriously think about when and what days they do open mic comedy shows as they are often intrusive and do not have a schedule posted online so that people know to avoid the business those days. For example I am here on a Tuesday where every table is someone here to work and the comedy club essentially has forced multiple people to move for their setup.

Barista made a very rude comment about not tipping after I had paid. This was very off putting and made for a less than ideal experience.

Very bad vibes here. There was only one employee working who was eventually rude and yelled at us and snatched our food away for accidentally taking the wrong order even though the ordering process was very chaotic and you had to guess if an item was yours when it came out. It was taking more than 20 minutes to get simple drinks out and I waited upwards of 30 minutes for a sandwich. Orders were disorganized and thrown out with no names attached which was very confusing. Food was ok although overpriced for the quality, but the rude and aggressive staff member made it a horrible experience. Would not recommend coming here.