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Cotra

4.3 (43 reviews)
Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated 3 months ago

Order Cotra Takeout or Delivery

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COTRA ATMOSPHERE

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Happy hour specials
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Cotra

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Reviews With Photos

Midori G.

I was really blown away by the food here. I have often found that Japanese places in nyc can be overhyped and overpriced for the quality of food, but dining at Cotra was the perfect blend of exquisite dining at what I thought to be a reasonable price. The interior was very mysterious and moody on a Tuesday night. Good for a date night! We were a bit late to our reservation, but they still sat us right away. I didn't take pictures of most of what we ordered because we were so eager to dig in, but everything was amazing- from the drinks to the appetizers to the rolls.

Wood fired Branzino
Peter D.

If it seems like it's impossible to get a reservation at every cool, delicious restaurant in this city these days, you should give this little izakaya a try. I haven't loved a meal (and I mean the food, the cocktails, the ambiance) in a non-packed restaurant this much in months, and it's probably only a matter of time before they are packed every night. So make a res, and check it out. We started with cocktails; I rolled with the Just Mai Type because it was hot, and sunny, and I felt like something tropical. It was perfection. Her lychee thing was floral and strong and good, but we both got Just Mai Types going forward because it was that good. The menu is Japanese and while they have all the sushi, I wanted to go with all non-sushi, which sounded far more interesting. We started with the Drunken Garlic Shrimp, and I would gladly have eaten nothing but these for dinner. Amazing flavor. Beautiful presentation. They are head and shell-on, so you get properly messy while eating them, but it was so worth it. In a seafood mood, we also got the softshell crab mazeman and the wood-fired branzino. The mazeman was a nice balance of fried softy and excellent noodles, with tiny threads of chili (that I don't know how they cut) that contrasted with the chunks of jalopeño and set off the entire presentation. It sounds like they usually have a mazeman on the menu, but the softies were just in season. A good choice. The branzino was perfect. A gorgeous whole fish, filleted and flattened out skin-side up with a bit of char in all the right places. They served it with ground turnip that they recommend you add to the ponzu (we did) with a little bit of the chile paste for spice. We devoured every bit of the crispy skin, and every bite of fish except the head and the tail. We added the Addictive Cabbage as a side, and its fermented crunch was a nice complement to the seafood. All in all, an excellent meal. If there was a downside, it was a little bit of delay in the service. She was excellent and super nice, just overwhelmed. It seemed like she was the only server there, but she was definitely doing her best. Hopefully they'll get her some help when this place blows up more.

Cotra Mazesoba
Nancy N.

Great food and reasonable prices. The place was super cute too! Highly recommend! What a gem in the neighborhood

Matcha Jade Sour, mushroom
Emily F.

The Matcha Jade Sour alone -- I'm obsessed. Overall, I would say it's 5 star food with 3 star pacing, but maybe it was an off night. I came here for dinner for two on a Saturday night, and I was so impressed by the food and drinks. However, we were served one of the appetizers before drinks, another appetizer right around the time of the drinks, and then had to wait a while (after we had finished appetizers and the roll) for the mazumen to come out. In the time we were waiting, no one checked in to refill our water. It's minor stuff, but the awkwardness of the pacing took away from the meal a bit. Would recommend trying the karaage (we got mushroom) and addictive cabbage. The soft shell crab mazumen was also great (weekend special). Loved the ambiance in here, especially the live music.

Yuzu Olives (VG)
Rebecca M.

Our first time at Cotra tonight was a great experience. Above all, the sushi is some of the best we've had in the neighborhood, with super fresh fish in generous amounts; the addition of quinoa and chia to the sushi rice also gives them an unexpected and cool extra level of flavor. The extensive selection of really interesting cocktails is great as well (the matcha one with bright lemon and ginger). A tip: the restaurant's carryout/delivery menu is different from sit-in (I got confused about this and the staff very kindly accommodated an off menu item for me as a courtesy!) And a side plus: in a world w so many horribly uncomfortable restaurant chairs, the chairs here are actually comfortable!!

Crispy Spicy Tuna
Chrissy M.

Great service, friendly staff. The food is high quality and very tasty. Everything is presented well and of high class. The interior gives a very date night vibes, low light, trendy, and not loud. What a lovely bar they have and clearly the bartender knows what he's doing because the drinks are exquisite. Happy hour special is a great deal too. I will be back for sure

A mix of rolls. Not sure which ones.
Natalia P.

My friends and I visited Cotra on my birthday back in November 2024. Service was okay. Waiter wasn't rude, he just seemed indifferent and inattentive. Asked him to bring me a drink that was not too strong or too sweet and he brought an old fashioned. Needless to say it was way too strong. Had to order a ginger beer to balance it out and he initially declined to bring me a can. The bartender eventually brought a can tho. The fried chicken was tasty. However, they brought all our rolls out together on one plate. We did not like that and the waiter was not accommodating. I forgot his name. AA male, light-skinned, glasses (I think) and locs in his hair. My spicy tuna roll was cool. My friends didn't care much for their rolls. Place has potential but not sure I'd return. Also way smaller in person than in photos.

Blistered Harrissa Miso Shishito Shishito (VG, GF)
Mandisa N.

My review would be closer to 3.5 stars. It may be that a lot of these dishes I was trying for the first time, but I was not really amazed by anything.

Edamame (VG, GF)
Heather B.

I've now been to Cotra 2x and I loved my first experience there which was birthday dinner with my husband over the summer and I just recently went back with two girlfriends for a girls night out and it was even better the second time! Short review: excellent, creative, delicious food, fair pricing, amazing cocktails, inviting decor and ambiance and attentive, kind, non-annoying service = the perfect night out! My first visit was with my meat-loving husband and second visit was with a vegetarian and a vegan (who will cheat somewhat and eat vegetarian at restaurants). Cotra has a varied enough menu that it can please everyone! With my veggie ladies, we had the deep fried king oyster mushrooms, yuzu cured olives, (my favorite) the most delicious potatoes you've ever eaten that can be made vegetarian by leaving off the fish flakes (we got them on the side so I could still enjoy!), both salads (Caesar and fennel), addictive cabbage, the best edamame I've ever had, and I had the Goma Kanpachi sashimi for myself and they each had a veggie sushi roll. It was a ton of food and we ate everything and even got a second order of both edamame and fried mushrooms! On both visits I had the Porco Rosso mezcal cocktail since I enjoyed it so much the first time! Since the three of us hadn't gotten together in a while we really lingered over our dinner and were not rushed. The restaurant was busy enough for it to feel happening but not so packed that you can't get a reservation fairly easily. This is definitely my new favorite Asian restaurant in the area. I would go back very regularly if I still lived in the neighborhood!

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3 months ago

Disorganized and simply terrible. The staff is incapable or running a hot dog cart. Forget about a restaurant.

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1 year ago

Incredible food, gorgeous space, amazing cocktails, and super-friendly staff. A neighborhood favorite.

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2 years ago

Excellent food and perfect service. This place is a gem, but small, so I hope it won't become a new "hot-spot!" LOL

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2 years ago

We had a terrific meal and the ambiance/experience is really well done. We'd highly recommend for date night or a night with friends.

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2 years ago

Ambience is great. Food is okay to good. Its somewhat tasty. Not really remarkable. Service was great!

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Izakaya Nana

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Izakaya Fuku - Seating and decorations

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SERVICE - located in Williamsburg a few streets away from…read morethe waterfront - amazing service. from the moment we stepped in i felt like all the workers were very attuned to taking care of the customer. we were immediately asked if we had dietary preferences and handed separate vegan menus. when we sat down, the lady taking our orders thoughtfully walked us through the menu options and gave us her recommendations. we later got to speak with one of the co owners and he was very receptive to feedback. - two floors of seating gives it ample space to accommodate diners - outdoor patio available though not on the chilly day we went - ambiance good for a semi casual meal - food served relatively quickly MENU - Japanese fusion brunch and dinner menus - vegan/vegetarian options available - average price FOOD - the hangry panda (9/10): roasted potatoes, tofu scramble, mushroom sausage balls, with a side of housemade fennel raisin sourdough. This sounded like a perfect savory brunch for someone who likes to try multiple things. Every item had been carefully thought through and very well executed. The potatoes were crispy on the edges and fluffy in the middle. The tofu scramble was soft and almost silky. The mushroom balls were delicious. They had a crispy exterior and a slightly chewy but not tough interior. I would order those on their own as an appetizer. The star of the plate for me was the bread. The owner who spoke to us told us he makes it himself and it shows how much care he put into baking it. The structure of the crumb was airy with a crunchy crust. I loved the addition of fennel and raisins for sweetness and a touch of warmth. The only small tweak that I would make to this is to add something fresh like a side salad or sautéed greens, as i think the bitterness would round out the flavors. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! I am hoping to see their plant based selection expand

Cotra - izakaya - Updated May 2026

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