A second outpost of Oti, which bills itself as a new American restaurant with Romanian roots, is set to open soon.
Oti started as a pop-up concept that evolved into a brick-and-mortar with its flagship opening at 40 Clinton Street in the Lower East Side this past spring. It was founded by chef Elias Popa who was born in 1987 to Romanian immigrants in California. Its menu features a variety of New American classics but with a Romanian twist to honor Popa’s heritage. His menu includes but is not limited to small plates like burrata, mussels, meatballs, zakuska, roasted pickled peppers, polenta and dessert like chocolate cake named after Romania’s volcano Ciomadul. The restaurant is named after his mother Otilla who loved food. The address and grand opening date of its second location has not been revealed yet.
The chef released a cookbook featuring his favorite recipes earlier this year. He is also an artist, with its restaurant logo being one of his original works, as well as a founder of a human rights non-profit called The Humans Rights Network, which uses art as a medium to advocate for diplomacy and human rights.
