Kato

The Verdict

Kato earns its place at the leading of Los Angeles dining. The 2025 James Beard Award for Leading Chef: California, a Michelin star, and back-to-back No. 1 rankings on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list are not hype — they reflect a kitchen and front-of-house operating at a level that few tasting-menu restaurants in the country match. If you are serious about food and have been watching the rise of Taiwanese-American fine dining, this is the reservation to make in LA. Book well in advance: getting a table here is close to impossible without planning several weeks out.

Portrait

When Kato moved from a West LA strip mall into the redeveloped LA Terminal Mart at 777 S Alameda Street in 2022, it did not simply change address. The shift marked a meaningful step in what the restaurant could become: a wood-and-concrete room in Row DTLA with an open kitchen, a proper bar, a private dining space, and walls punctuated by art pieces passed down through Jon Yao's family. The setting rewards attention before a single plate arrives. The room is airy and spare, the kind of space that signals intention without signaling effort.

The food follows the same logic. Yao's 10-course tasting menu draws on his Taiwanese heritage and his childhood in the San Gabriel Valley, but the reference points are transformed rather than replicated. A beef noodle soup or a basil-and-clam stir-fry arrives in a form that is both familiar in flavor and entirely reimagined on the plate. Dishes move from cured tuna to seafood preparations with sablefish standing in for more conventional choices, through to a final dessert that lands with the same precision as the savory courses. The menu changes seasonally, so repeat visits are viable.

What separates Kato from other Michelin-starred tasting menus in LA — and from peers like Hayato or Mélisse , is the coherence across every component of the evening. Co-owner and wine director Ryan Bailey, previously at The Nomad in New York and LA, has assembled a list of nearly 3,000 bottles with strengths in California, Burgundy, Loire, and Germany. The list runs to 2,665 selections with an inventory of 11,000 bottles; wine pricing sits at the $$ tier based on markup and range. Bailey has also collaborated with winemaker Mike Lucia of Cole Ranch to produce an exclusive Kato savagnin bottling , a level of investment in the beverage program that goes well beyond standard tasting-menu wine pairing. Corkage is $75 if you bring your own.

Bar director Austin Hennelly handles cocktails and a non-alcoholic program that has drawn serious attention in its own right. The drinks operation here is not a supplement to the food , it competes on the same level. For food-and-wine explorers considering how Kato stacks up against Somni or Providence on beverage depth, Kato holds its own and then some.

Kato's trajectory is also worth noting for context. It ranked No. 14 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2023, rose to No. 17 in 2024, and now sits at No. 25 in 2025 , a list recalibration rather than a decline, given the James Beard win and continued Michelin recognition in the same cycle. The restaurant was also named Resy One To Watch as part of the World's 50 Best in 2024, putting it in the international conversation alongside venues like Atomix in New York City, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg.

Private Dining and Groups

Kato includes a private room within the Terminal Mart space, which makes it a viable option for group dining at the $$$$ price tier. This matters because the main dining room at a restaurant operating at this level of demand is not a place where groups can expect flexibility on timing or seating configuration. The private room changes that calculus: it gives a group the full Kato tasting menu experience with the kind of focus and control that a special occasion requires, without competing for the room's limited covers. Managing partner Nikki Reginaldo oversees a front-of-house team that has been consistently described as gracious rather than stiff , a meaningful distinction at this price point.

For groups considering the private room versus the main dining area: the private room is the better choice for parties celebrating a milestone, conducting a business dinner, or wanting the wine program curated from start to finish without distraction. The main room, with its open kitchen and bar area, suits two or three guests who want to watch the kitchen work and engage directly with the floor team. Neither option is casual , Kato operates at $$$$ for dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

For comparison, if private dining in LA at the leading end is the goal, Providence and Mélisse also offer private room options, but neither combines the specificity of Kato's cultural perspective with the depth of its beverage program. If the group is traveling from elsewhere, it is worth benchmarking against Le Bernardin in New York City, Alinea in Chicago, or The French Laundry in Napa to calibrate expectations on format and price. Kato's private room gives you a comparable event experience with a point of view that those rooms cannot replicate.

Practical Details

Kato serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5–10 pm. The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. The address is 777 S Alameda Street, Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021 , within the Row DTLA development. Cuisine pricing sits at $$$ for a typical two-course equivalent, with the full tasting menu at $$$$ overall. Wine pricing is $$. Corkage fee is $75. The wine list covers 2,665 selections from an inventory of 11,000 bottles. Google rating: 4.5 from 355 reviews. Pearl Recommended (2025). Michelin 1 Star (2024, 2025). James Beard Award 2025: Leading Chef, California. LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024: No. 1. Opinionated About Dining North America: No. 25 (2025). For more on dining, drinking, and staying in the city, see our full Los Angeles restaurants guide, our full Los Angeles hotels guide, our full Los Angeles bars guide, our full Los Angeles wineries guide, and our full Los Angeles experiences guide.

Quick reference: Dinner only, Tue–Sat, 5–10 pm | $$$$ | Row DTLA | Book 6–8 weeks out minimum | Private room available | Corkage $75.