Nestled in a strip mall, Kato serves up an inventive, Michelin-starred tasting menu blending Taiwanese flavors and LA influences, all in a warm, familial setting.
"Known for chef Jon Yao's peak performance and creative cuisine. Notable for the Baroo Sunday Summer Series meal." - Eater Staff
"Chef Jon Yao and his team have carried the torch of Taiwanese cuisine for almost seven years since its origins at a West LA strip mall. In its dining room in Downtown LA’s expansive Row project, Kato has a menu focused on the subtle, elegant flavors served in a handsome but relaxed space. The tasting menu, featuring intricate bites of caviar-studded Dungeness crab with Chinese celery or grilled freshwater eel served over seaweed fried rice, costs about twice what it did in West LA. But the menu boasts a more thoughtful progression of whimsical bites to more substantial explorations of Taiwanese comfort fare, and the service situation is multitudes better than the original Kato. Plus, everything from the wine list to the cocktail menu are world-class, with compelling vintage bottles to inventive milk punches or shaken drinks designed by bartender Austin Hennelly. — Matthew Kang, lead editor" - Cathy Chaplin, Eater Staff
"Kato remains a destination for its elegant, Taiwanese-influenced tasting menus. Reservations are hard to score, plus there’s a $325 price tag ($185 for the bar tasting menu) for dishes like A5 strip loin grilled and served with potatoes, black garlic, and braised tendon in a beautiful, understated dining room. Given its recent ascension back to the top of the Los Angeles Times “101 Best Restaurants” list and its continued Michelin star rating, it’s clear the critics have anointed Kato as one of the best places to eat in the city." - Eater Staff
"Jon Yao’s ambitious Taiwanese tasting menu restaurant has come a long way since it served a $49 prix fixe out of a shoebox-sized storefront in West LA. In 2022, Kato moved into the former M. Georgina space at Row DTLA, which gave Yao the resources and space to fully realize his dream. The tasting menu now clocks in at $325 and features thoughtful dishes drawing on Yao’s Taiwanese and San Gabriel Valley roots. For something a little more approachable, Kato also offers an abbreviated bar tasting menu for $185." - Rebecca Roland, Cathy Chaplin, Eater Staff
"In addition to having one of LA’s most inventive drink menus, Kato made some new boozy additions for a new series that runs from July 14 until August 18. It’s a two-hour five-course menu and collaboration with operators like Pizzeria Bianco, Baroo, and Holbox. One can also sit at the bar for snacks. Always try the Vesper cocktail with purple shiso leaf, anise hyssop, and peppermint with Nikka Coffey vodka." - Rebecca Roland, Mona Holmes, Eater Staff
