An Inside Look at Kato

What started off as a dream in the San Gabriel Valley turned into a Michelin star restaurant that just opened up its biggest location yet - a 4,400 square foot space at none other than ROW.

Kato, a Taiwanese fine dining establishment was born out of “sheer obligation” by chef Jonathan Yao, who saved his family’s restaurant; a lunchbox concept that never quite came to fruition. Thankfully, a five year lease in a small, West LA strip mall gave Yao the freedom to do whatever he wanted with the menu.

Prior to this, Yao worked in the kitchens at Alma in L.A. and at Michelin rated restaurants Benu and Coi in San Francisco. Following that, he was on his way to staging in Copenhagen at Relæ, one of the world’s best ranked restaurants, when his family needed his help.

Thus, Kato was born and the fusion of his Chinese/Taiwanese heritage with a California upbringing created a tasting menu that is invigorating, exciting and tantalizing.

“Here at Kato Restaurant, we try to use a lot of ingredients that are highly praised in Chinese/Taiwanese culture.” - Jonathan Yao

What started as a tasting menu built primarily on seafood, something that had to do with the limited space in the kitchen and the fact that Yao just liked seafood, turned into something bigger thanks to a “location more suited to his growing arsenal of self-taught ideas.”

And that location is at ROW. Thanks to the space, and the introduction of a full wine pairing selection, bottles, and cocktails, plenty of excitement from eager diners has already been injected into the big new dining room. Their tasting menu includes items like the A5 wagyu striploin, a dish grilled over embers and charcoal with potatoes and black garlic and braised tendon, the Garden, a dish of seasoning Girl and Dug farms vegetables with Taiwanese flavors and a Santa Barbara uni donut with Iberico ham and brown butter. If your mouth isn’t watering yet, it will be.

Kato is open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are available here.

All images by Jeni Afuso