This is a replica of a Japanese temple in Palm Springs. Otani is indeed part of the large Japanese Otani chain, which has a large property in Los Angeles’ Japantown. This restaurant is under the supervision of the LA hotel. This Otani is not far from Palm Springs airport just off the main street of Tahquitz. When you enter you feel like you have walked into a peaceful Japanese garden. They have a large roof which houses the many Japanese offerings you can have here. It's like a Japanese village of eating options. Otani has a wonderful large bar with a lot of saki options. You can pick the cook at your table section, the Tempura Bar area, the Yakitori Bar area or of course the Sushi Bar. Don't worry, the tempura, Yakitori and sushi can all be combined together at your table. The restaurant is visually pleasing. The staff could not be more friendly or helpful. There are always plenty of smiles and they seem to understand exactly what you need and when you need it. Drink refills come without asking.
The food is always good here however the real value is Sunday brunch when for $21.95 you can have the all you can eat buffet which includes Salad, Tempura, Yakitori and a huge selection of fresh sushi, plus dessert. I am not always a buffet fan, but the items here are always fresh and top quality. This is one of the best values in the desert. It's all you can eat and if you are a sushi fan, you have found nirvana....just help yourself! Reservations are strongly suggested for Sundays.
Some nights they offer the same buffet on weeknights. This still remains a mystery to me, which nights and when. It changes on a whim and even the times vary. I have looked at the web site and weeknight buffets are not even mentioned. My advice is when you arrive Palm Springs call Otani and ask them if they are doing weeknight sushi buffets during that week. I have lived in the desert for years and I still haven’t figured out when and how this works?
Otani has a web page with all their information plus coupons that range from $2.00 off per person to 15% off the entire bill. It pays to check their web page and print off these coupons prior to eating here. The web page is: Otani.
This is one sushi place you won't leave hungry!