After nearly eight years serving meticulous omakase on Bergen Street, Uotora in Crown Heights is closing its dining room, with its final service set for Tuesday (March 31).
According to Gothamist, chef and co-founder Atsuomi Hotta says he needs to return to Nagoya, Japan, following his father's death, while partner Hiroyuki Kobayashi is easing into retirement. The pair also cited a post-pandemic slowdown in business and shifting neighborhood patterns as factors in the decision. Gothamist reports the restaurant will shut its doors after service on Tuesday.
A Neighborhood Send-off
Once word got out that the end was near, Uotora's compact dining room quickly filled up as locals scrambled for a final seat at the counter. In its last week, the restaurant served roughly 30 to 40 people each night, according to Gothamist. With only six tables and eight sushi-bar seats, the farewell services felt both intimate and packed. Regulars raised glasses to the chefs, and one neighborhood bar owner declared the meal was "batting 1,000," a fitting bit of praise for a final inning.
Menus, Prices and the Counter
Uotora's website lists a sashimi-sushi omakase at $105, with a shorter omakase offered at $85. The restaurant is located at 1075 Bergen Street, where the counter has operated since 2018, and the site also provides a phone number for reservations, per Uotora's menu.
Where Uotora Fit in Brooklyn's Sushi Scene
Uotora's restrained and relatively affordable omakase, a counter-focused experience built around fish sourced from Japan, helped shape a Brooklyn style that sits between high-end Manhattan temples of sushi and cheaper, trendier "chalkboard" omakase spots. Neighborhood restaurants like Uotora have been singled out for offering serious sushi without the typical Manhattan price tag, a point echoed in city roundups such as Tasting Table.
Final Service and What Comes Next
The chefs say it is not yet clear whether the Uotora name will resurface in some future project, though Hotta has expressed hope that he will cook again down the line. For now, the focus is on family, winding things down, and saying goodbye to the Bergen Street space. Anyone still trying to secure a last-minute reservation or confirm hours can find Uotora's reservations page and phone number on the restaurant's site via Uotora reservations.
