Kato Restaurant in Los Angeles

Very good and beautifully crafted small plates.HOWEVER, in my honest opinion I dont think it justifies the price. The service and ambiance was top notch. Loved the decor and place settings. Huge fan of James Jean. I think this place is on its way to get a second Michelin star, but until then the bill is very steep. This may be in part to ensure the staff is taken care of. Food-wise, everything was good and I could tell a lot of detail went into every dish. There wasnt a particular dish that left a memorable impression on me and maybe thats why I feel this may be too pricey. Please fry me like they did in The Menu movie.

I have waited so long to come eat at this restaurant and it did not disappoint at all! Many of the dishes were structured around traditional Asian dishes but reimagined in a modern way. This gave very nostalgic vibes and it definitely made the food more accessible to our Asian parents (who are usually critical of eating anything that costs more than $20).The service was exceptional and all floor staff were attentive and helpful. After the meal they also gave us some cookies to take home, and those were delicious.Standout courses for me were the duck and lobster!

What a unique, elevated dining experience! I’ve never had Taiwanese/Chinese/Japanese food in this way, and it was so fun to see all sorts of different but familiar flavors combined together! My favorite was the milk bread with caviar! Definitely a worthwhile culinary experience from start to finish 👌😋

Kato Restaurant sets out to incorporate and elevate the foods/ingredients typical of Taiwanese cuisine. A read through the set tasting menu reveals a curated journey, with each course described not just by its key ingredients, but by its Taiwanese dish inspiration as well (written in pinyin). Even with this information, the savvy diner will likely still be surprised by the beautifully crafted courses that are served.While exploring new flavors, the food here manages to pay homage to the authentic flavors of Taiwan in subtle and interesting ways. Some stand-out examples of this, for me:- The essence of classic Taiwanese-style clams-with-basil is distilled into the sauce for a grilled fillet of Japanese thornyhead.- Traditional fish maw soup is transformed into a crab fat custard featuring fish maw and caviar.- Taiwanese beef noodle soup is represented by a generous slice of A5 wagyu, along with tender oxtail and a soup reduction as sauce.The beverage program spans an extensive wine collection, well-crafted cocktails (many featuring Asian liquors and ingredients), and a great amaro selection.Service was prompt, courteous, and well-coordinated among the staff. The progression from course to course almost seemed like a precisely choreographed dance, with empty plates whisked away promptly and new dishes placed in front of everyone simultaneously. Each course was presented with a detailed and personal introduction by a member of the staff, and the attention to detail persisted all the way through the end of the meal.Dining at Kato Restaurant was simultaneously a modern gastronomic journey and a nostalgic trip down my palates memory lane. Kato solidly raises the bar for a 5-star establishment, and this place is undoubtedly more than deserving of its Michelin star.

I came here for dinner with a friend in mid June 2022. The parking was easy since they have a parking lot. However, validation is only good for 2 hours and we ended up having to pay $5 on top of the validation.My friend got the wine pairing while I got the alcohol free wine pairing (extra $75) - which Ive never even heard of before. We also got the waygu add-on which was an extra $45. The waygu add-on was worth it but the non-alcoholic pairing was not, in my opinion. There were maybe two or three dishes where the non-alcoholic pairing was right on the money but the rest were misses for me and not worth the $75 extra. I would still recommend you try it if you cant drink alcohol just for the experience if youve never had a wine pairing before.All in all, I found the meal pretty ground breaking since Ive never had Taiwanese food in a fine dining setting. Out of the 11 dishes, I liked seven of them. It was pretty pricey ($389 total for just my portion) but still very impressive. Would highly recommend.

Beautifully presented meal courses that draw their flavor profile from classic Taiwanese cuisine. Every dish has a story to tell on its own. As a Taiwanese grown person, each dish transports me to my childhood with every bite. The marriage of ingredients is truly breathtaking. I can understand why they are awarded their first Michelin star. It is warranted considering the caliber of technique with a strong execution level, making it a memorable dinner for days to come.

Most of these reviews tell you how amazing and wonderful the place is. This time, Ill try something different. You will like this place if you want deep, earthy flavors biasing towards sea over land (even the duck dish is soft). You will also like this place if you want the theme to be different tastes as opposed to a singular exploration. You will not like this place if ... well if you dont like fish. But you already knew that; its in the sign for the restaurant (no, Kato doesnt mean fish, I think fish in Japanese is sakana).Anyway, go. Make sure to try at least one cocktail. Also reservations for odd numbers require calling, so have a significant other or youll have a tougher time finding a seat.My friend said its not memorable but IMO a meal doesnt have to be memorable to be five stars. I dont have the brain space for every memorable meal anyway.

Really poor service for an establishment of this caliber. We called ahead 15 min to sit at the bar and drove out of the way to stop in for a drink because they have some of the best drinks in the city. Only for them to give our bar seats away even though we were on time. The front of the house said they thought we were the couple they seated right immediately before but didn’t check.Not really a great experience for a Michelin rated establishment. If you’re going to tell us to come by and hold a spot then honor your commitment. Or just be honest and say it’s first come first serve.Staff reaction was basically “sorry we’re fully committed come by next time”

My girlfriend and I had an absolutely fantastic time at Kato! We were celebrating our 5 year anniversary and wanted to go all out for dinner. This isnt our normal dining experience so more privileged people might find our review too generous.We narrowed our search by looking at all of the Michillen star restaurants in the LA area. Kato came up and seemed to be the perfect fit. More on the seafood end of things, expensive but not egregious, and right in DTLA!We got there a little early before they opened and the area was so cute. Very Christmasy with fun shops to walk around while we waited. We also noticed the staff doing their nightly meetings, something I never knew actually happened outside of those posh documentaries.Once we were seated, the extra special night began. They constantly made us feel special on our anniversary. The servers knew EVERYTHING about every dish. It was wild.At one point I had a literal Ratatouille moment. That part when Remi discovers food combinations. It felt like a spiritual experience. Every bite transported us to another place. Plenty of other reviews left pictures of these awesome dishes so I wont as well. All you need to know is that the pictures dont do them justice.If this is one of your first really fancy meal splurges, this is definitely the place. Service, food, atmosphere. All amazing. A great way to celebrate a big milestone like 5 years with the one you love!

The place was unknown to us. Arrived early on a Friday and got right in. The service was incredible. Cocktails were traditional but supremely elevated. Food was both subtle and punched with layers of flavor, delicately refined. An incredible experience. Thank you to the team. We will be back!