Otto’s is now open. Shame it appears that a coffee shop won’t be coming in the near future. Otto’s has been duly added to the Crozet Map. Their phone number is 434-823-4200.
Otto’s now open in Crozet
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Homemade Potato Chips. Yummy!
Where is the menu? Hours of operation?
A quick phone call …
The menu is on Page 25 of the Crozet Gazette – not online yet, though.
11-8 every day
12-4 on Sunday
Their food is pretty good, though I wish they would be open later than 4PM on Sunday.
We went to Otto’s last night. The food is reasonably priced and tasted pretty good. Fries were mighty good.
Key for me is that the owners are local. I tend to look at local businesses through the proverbial rose-colored glasses.
Went there to try the food. The cheeseburger I had was made from the typical Sam’s Club angus pattie and cost $4.95. The fries weren’t bad, but the box cost 3.75. A five-dollar burger should be a handful and this was not. The taste was unremarkable. I dropped 20 bucks for two people, cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, box of fries, two sodas. Won’t be going back.
I’ve had plenty of better burgers for the price and a place that bills itself as a burger joint HAS TO do a better job with them. Bigger, jucier, cheaper, etc. It seems that the place is doing precious little business anyway, so losing a little more money by putting out biger portions, MEMORABLE portions, would kick start the word-of-mouth, which small places like that live and die on. As it stands, my word of mouth is “don’t bother.” Sorry. I really feel sorry for the good folks running the place, trying to make it work using Sam’s angus patties.
Excellent menu selections. Food is fresh and very good quality. Homemade chips are to die for and shakes are made out of real ice cream. The daily specials are always very good and offer that something different from the normal menu. Did I mention they serve bottled beer? Service is fast and friendly. These people care about people and it shows. They care about the community too.
I have been many times and plan to make Otto’s a regular stop.
I love this place! The burgers are really really good. They do not at all taste like a Sam’s burger. I have had a burger at Five Guys and they dont fill the bun, Riverside is flat (but Good). I like the fact that Otto’s grills them and doesnt press all the juices out it will it is cooking. The atomosphere is friendly and clean. I think it is very reasonably priced and always tasty. I will be going there all the time. I am glad there is a place we can go to near our home. Hurrah for Otto’s for opening! Good Luck!
Bugers are definitely just pre-pattied, Sams Club style. Leaves a lot to be the desired. Milkshakes are very hit or miss… sometimes they’re awesome, others they’re lacking taste.
I was drunk when I wrote my first comments.
I think Otto’s is great. I honestly cannot stop going there! I love it!
I love Otto’s and so does my son. We love the chips and the chicken wraps. Yes it is $$ but you cannot beat the convience and the nice staff.
The food is mediocre, the restaurant is not well run, and the staff is rude. Don't be fooled by the clear sign painted on the door saying they close at 8pm. If you peer carefully at the torn paper sign taped to the door in dim light, you'll see that their winter hours have them closing at 7pm. We'd come to Crozet to visit a relative and thought we had time to visit over dinner. Instead, we were herded out of the restaurant by a rude young woman who glowered at us, was verbally combative, and flipped us off as we questioned her about the closing time. The bathroom doors don't lock properly. This isn't the sign of a restaurant that wants to say in business.
What time did you go in? I had a similar encounter… but Friday is open 'til 8.
I have not had such a bad experience as Andy's but I have noticed that the staff has gotten quite rude as of late. Did Otto's ownership change hands in the past couple of months? I also agree that the Winter Hours are not clearly marked at all. They need to cover up the old time of 8pm. As far as the food is concerned, I still think it is good. The Italian Panini is hard to beat (even though it was not as good the last time I had it) and their onion rings are great.
Still loving Ottos, I haven't had the experience of a bad emloyees though…
I wish they'd add more to the menu, but love the surprising specials. The winter hours does throw people off, I usually call ahead now to ask. Taco Tuesday is a GREAT addition, the tacos are really good and the shells fried fresh. I really respect the hand pressed patties and I love the milkshakes. Go Otto's!
I live in Crozet and have eaten at Otto's a number of times (10+). Here is what I think:
1. The cost they charge for the quality of beef they use is way too much. See previous comment regarding Sam's Club quality beef.
2. More often than not the burger is either cold or dry and burnt. Can they get someone in there that can cook a flippin' burger?!
3. I have noticed some attitude from at least 3 different employees. When did saying 'thank you' after I give you a bunch of money for your overpriced, mediocre food go out of style?
4. The food usually takes quite a long time to be served.
4. The fries are quite good, as are the chicken tenders.
I eat there when I have to, mostly when we need something sort of quick and don't want to cook for the kids.
If Ott's provided higher quality beef, cooked properly and in a consistent and timely manner, and were friendlier, then I would be in heaven! Simple changes that would help them rise above and be more than just a choice out of convenience and scarcity.
I work at Otto’s and they do not use pre-packaged hamburgers. I can tell you from experience that all the food is fresh and cooked on the spot when it is ordered. This is why sometimes the food is a little slow coming out. Also, the ownership has not switched but the restaurant is under new management, so give them some time to get back into the swing of things. As I recall, it didn’t always take so long to get food. Additionally, they have hired some new employees for the summer so I think the pace will kick back up in time. As for the rude employees, I do not know who they are, but everyone that I know there is very polite. Perhaps the rude ones were let go.
i wanted to like otto’s. we just moved to crozet and the choices out here are limited. went there a few times and got subs, which were fairly good. but the criticisms here are absolutely right. the food is slow and their employees are awful. i placed an order for pick-up recently and the girl on the phone refused to pay attention. she answered the phone, said hello, and then just buzzed out. finally, she comes back on, but when she did, she couldn’t pay attention while i ordered a sandwich. sample conversation: “would you like white bread or wheat?” “wheat.” “we dont have wheat.” seriously?
later: “what kind of meat would you like on it?” “um. i ordered a turkey sub.” “oh, so, i guess you want turkey then?” i’d only said that i wanted a turkey sub about 4 times already. did she listen? nope. it literally took 5 minutes to order one sub on the phone! did i lose patience? yes. i finally had to ask her to please focus. i tried to say this as nicely as possible. but then it got even better….
when i got there, she’d taken the wrong order down. i’d ordered a whole sub, and she wrote down a half sub. when i’m paying, i tell the owner this, and he says “okay that’ll be 11 dollars.” i say, “but a whole sub is only 7 dollars.” he says “you ordered a half sub. and now you’re ordering another half sub. 11 dollars.” i say “but i ordered a whole sub! the person on the phone didnt pay attention to my order. i’m not paying extra for her mistake.”
and he says, “you were rude to her.” i said “i think it’s rude that she doesnt listen at all when you’re trying to place an order.”
he still wanted 11 dollars, convinced apparently that i was some horrible person with nothing better to do than snap at his employee. i cancelled the order and went to subway. i assure you, i’m a nice and a patient person. this was a fiasco. i wont go back. and i’m not surprised at all that there have been complaints about employees before.
Man! That does not sound like a good experience. However, I just wanted to say that you must not have been speaking with the owner because Otto’s is owned by two females. Hopefully they would have been more understanding.
there’s a 50ish man in there every day who seems to run the place. i assumed he was the owner; if not, he must be the manager. either way, they’ve got some serious problems over there.
I’ve been going to Otto’s since it opened and have never had a terrible experience. Yes, the food could come out faster and the hours could be more convenient. Our food is always prepared well and the beer is always cold!
I visited Crozet for three weeks and my Hotdog Days at Otto’s were a highlight. I dunno where some of these disparaging comments come from, or where the commenters eat… but for a guy used to the world-class restaurants and celebrity chefs of Manhattan, I felt… not “down home” but “at home” with these cooks. At Otto’s I found imagination served in giddy-delicious combinations of ingredients (Asian dog, Double-Dog-Dare-Ya Dog) with fresh fixins’ and cared-for cooking. Their shakes and smoothies are something any sodajerk aspires to. The gals behind the counter made me feel welcomed and appreciated.