Kato Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

As a ABC SGV native, this is rep'ing SGV proud. My husband, grew up in LA and not Asian, also LOVED it, said it was his top and favorite restaurant he's been to.

This is a 2-3 Michelin Star Level Experience + Food, exactly what I was looking for a birthday dinner.

Technically a 1-star for now because chef Jonathon Yao and his chefs are gunning for their second star and it shows in their new menu.

To point out Chef Yao is actually there, running the kitchen, prepping/and helping staff, unlike many founder-less Michelin star restaurants we've been to. He's hands on, and man it was so great to see him there. If it doesn't break your bank, try their dining experience. We came here for my partner's birthday.

There was a gradual crescendo of feeling warmth through taste not temperature, a round feeling similar to a baritone sound, that built up as I kept tasting their curation, this feeling would stay with us between changes. Maybe it's too philosophical, but the feeling reminded me of my parent's soup and the warmth it would bring us during difficult times. It was a way they showed love. My husband equally enjoyed this unique warmth feeling in this experience. It's hard to explain but that's what we felt that made it unique. You just have to try it.

Plus, each dish felt very creative, flavor explosion, executed very well, and honestly I couldn't imagine this taste experience from even pictures and the menu alone. If you take even the cultural elements away from it, which itself was beautiful, the technique alone was impeccable and very competitive to many 2-3 star Michelin experiences. I didn't know our food can be elevated this way, and it was a very rewarding experience to be able to taste this. My husband loved it all, and the sweet gesture of the card and birthday hamburger!

Props to Jonathan and the chefs.

There are two add ons available for additional seat, if want to try anything, I highly recommend the Wagyu one for $55. Elevated Char Siu and Elevated Taiwanese Marinated Beef (like the one from beef noodle shop). My non-Asian husband had a very intense positive reaction from the Taiwanese, and I had an intense positive one with the Char Siu. Add on it you can.

Another prop, the service staff is amazing. They all have great personalities, professionalism, and seriousness/joy to their own craft. I appreciated everyone. The attention to detail— insanely well done.

Finally, a place that has Chopsticks available all times. I didn't have to ask for it. Everyone had it available and it was presented in the center.

Some bias to address when I did my research prior and now that l've experienced it first hand: You do not have to be Asian to enjoy these dishes, the food technique alone competes and supersedes many Michelin restaurants we've been to. Dismiss the othering that occurs. I have enjoyed Italian dishes, without saying I had to be Italian to enjoy the food. This applies to many cuisines that I didn't grow up with. That's why my non-Asian husband loves this place, even though he didn't grow up with this food.

We're casual Michelin diners, because we know Michelin has a "type", it's western, and if there is preference for Asian, it's always sushi. Then KBBQ now.

Yao and his chefs has opened a door for us in this space, and they know they deserve a spot. They executed. We know that trying to figure out the balance of being Asian American is not only a challenge, but least understood and dismissed. Taiwanese food — amazing! It’s a beautiful country.

Historically racist america has looked down on mandarin speaking cuisines in America as cheap, weird, unhealthy, or plain 'othered' all while continually coming back to eat more of our food.

Modern times, it's changing with our generation. I'm glad to see it, and I'm glad to see so many allies who understand and are apart of the story.

This place invites our culture to be seen in the way it deserves. Elevated. Celebrated. Open. Welcoming. With love. With community.

Thanks to all for the...

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with the full tasting menu experience at Kato Restaurant in Los Angeles, and while the evening had some high points, it didn’t completely live up to its well-documented, high praise reputation. Walking in, the restaurant’s open, sleek, modern ambiance felt a bit sterile and cold, with only hard wooden chairs for seating and no cozy “booths” to add privacy or allow for intimate conversations.

That said, the presentation of each dish was stunning. The tasting menu featured inventive, creative dishes inspired by Taiwanese and Asian-American roots. Highlights included the Yóutiao—a sea urchin, ham, and caviar creation served on a uni doughnut—which was indulgent, flavorful, and truly memorable. The Ji Juan—a scallop dish with ginger and baby leek—was another standout. The hint of chili oil added just the right amount of spice, enhancing the dish without overpowering its delicate flavors. The milk bread was one of our favorites: warm, pillowy, and absolutely perfect. The Sūan Cài Yú (rock cod) dish was also fantastic—the cod was flaky with a deliciously crisp crust and served in a beautifully aromatic smoked bone broth.

A highlight of the evening was the nonalcoholic cocktails. We tried two: the Arnold Palmer, which was perfectly balanced, and the Amazake Swizzle, with hints of chai and coconut. While refreshing, the latter felt more suited to a warm summer day by the beach than a winter evening.

Unfortunately, some of the later protein-focused dishes leaned more toward style than substance, leaving us wanting more in terms of flavor and depth. Additionally, the pacing of the meal was a downside. While the staff was attentive and courteous, there were long gaps between courses, and we found ourselves hungry. The meal stretched well over three hours—too long for the experience to feel cohesive and seamless.

Another minor area for improvement was the lack of a true NYE vibe. We chose Kato specifically to avoid the typical LA alcohol-laced, wild NYE environment, but the restaurant missed an opportunity to bring some festivity to the evening. A few thoughtful touches, like decorations, party favors, or even a small countdown, would have gone a long way toward making the night feel special.

Desserts were beautifully presented, but we definitely preferred the savory courses over the sweet ones. The Bảixiãng Guỗ—a dish with passion fruit, chocolate, and buttermilk accented with gold flakes—was visually stunning but fell short in flavor. The final dessert, Liúshã Bāo, a salted egg cream puff inspired by the iconic dim sum dessert “lava bun,” was a creative nod to tradition but felt overwhelming in one bite, as recommended. By that point, we were already quite full, which may have detracted from our enjoyment.

At its core, Kato offers a creative and visually stunning Taiwanese fusion dining experience. However, for the price and time commitment, it missed the mark on the little details that truly define Michelin-starred restaurants. If you ask me whether it’s worth it, I’d say it is, if you go in with the right level of...

TL;DR: Excellent food, really slow service, inattentive staff

I really wanted to like this place. I had been looking forward to this reservation all week. I've tried several Michelin star restaurants and this was the first I felt did not deserve the hype. In my opinion, Michelin star restaurants are supposed to provide more than great food. They are supposed to provide a memorable experience. Unfortunately, it was a bad memory for me and my wife.

We were seated immediately after we showed up for our reservation. Our waitress came over shortly and introduced herself and gave us a quick rundown of what the restaurant was about and the menu. She was very nice and seemed to really be into the vibe, which we appreciated. She asked if we wanted to speak with the sommelier and we said yes. We waited literally 10 minutes while we watched the sommelier attend to two other tables extensively, then start running food out to tables. Our waitress did not return. After we flagged her down we said we were ready to order drinks on our own. She offered to get the sommelier again but we declined and wanted to get on with our meal. We both ordered the non-alcoholic drink pairings with our meals, a glass of wine for my wife, and an old fashioned for me.

She made a good recommendation for the wine. The old fashioned was an amazing experience as they go over the Taiwan whiskey and different options then make it table side. It was an excellent drink. Sadly, neither of us got our non-alcoholic pairings and only realized halfway through our meals that they were missing.

The food was delicious. Exactly what I expected for a meal like this. However, the time between each course was ridiculously long. Additionally, some of the food runners - they were often different - would come out very excited and knowledgeable about the food while others would barely say anything. In two instances we actually had to ask the runners (separate guys) what was being served to us beyond "sea urchin" or "roasted duck". The menu felt very cohesive and really was impressive.

Our server felt bad about the sommelier incident and comped one of our two extra courses we opted to get. That was a nice gesture.

It took a little over 3.5 hours for this meal. I have spent a similar amount of time at other restaurants but they offered almost twice as many courses and I never felt neglected at those, especially ones with stars. It was almost an hour before we got our first drinks. I did not expect to have to flag people down for basic service at this restaurant. For example, when my wife got up to go to the restroom, they took her napkin she left on the table but never replaced it. We had to mention it to our server for her to bring us another one. Towards the end we kept asking how many courses we had left because we were just ready for it all to be over.

I hope we just experienced a one-off bad time and this isn't their usual service. I was really rooting for them. The food is excellent but the entire rest of the experience ruined it enough for us not to...