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Kato

Name: Kato
Address: 777 S Alameda St building 1 suite 114, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90025-2706
Telephone: (213) 797-5770
Price range: $50 and over
Rating: 4.9

Visa Dining Collection

$50 and over

Contemporary Asian

777 S Alameda St building 1 suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90025-2706

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 23, 2025

9:30 PM

Booked 21 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Innovative
Great for creative cocktails
Hot spot

Kato serves seasonally-focused tasting menus influenced by Taiwan and Asian American nostalgia.

Dining Room Tasting Menu │ $325
The dining room tasting menu focuses on seasonality and innovation.

Bar Tasting Menu │ $185
The bar tasting menu is a slightly abbreviated collection of classic Kato dishes.

An 18% fair wage and operational fee has been added to your bill. It goes to provide elevated, comprehensive benefits, as well as consistent, livable wages for all staff. Though many of our guests choose to leave gratuity for exemplary service, it is neither necessary nor expected, though it is greatly appreciated. This gratuity will be shared by all hourly staff.

Why they're an Icon

MICHELIN 1 Star2024
MICHELIN 1 Star2023

From the OpenTable editors: Downtown’s Kato has seemingly earned every award on the planet, including the top slot on the Los Angeles Times’s 101 Best Restaurants and a "One to Watch" distinction from the World’s 50 Best. Chef Jon Yao’s Taiwanese-inspired, LA-filtered tasting menus, a stellar wine selection that pulls from the best regions in the world, and one of the most inventive zero-proof beverage programs in the city are the reasons for all those accolades—and why Kato is one of the most sought-after reservations in town.

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Contemporary Asian, Californian, Taiwanese
Hours of operation
Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(213) 797-5770
Website
http://www.katorestaurant.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual

Location
777 S Alameda St building 1 suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90025-2706
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN 1 Star 2024
2. MICHELIN 1 Star 2023
Neighborhood
Downtown
Cross street
Center St
Parking details
Private Lot
Public transit
Grand Central Station
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

Dining Room Tasting Menu
$325.00 per person
Multiple dates available
This reservation is a seafood-focused tasting menu influenced by Taiwan and Asian American nostalgia. We are unable to accommodate gluten free, allium free, soy free, vegan or vegetarian requests. An 18% fair wage and operational fee has been added to your bill. It goes to provide elevated, comprehensive benefits, as well as consistent, livable wages for all staff. Though many of our guests choose to leave gratuity for exemplary service, it is neither necessary nor expected, though it is greatly appreciated. This gratuity will be shared by all hourly staff.
Bar Tasting Menu
$185.00 per person
Multiple dates available
This reservation is for our Classics Tasting Menu at our full service bar (this is not a chef's counter). The duration of this experience is 2 hours. Please be aware, if guests arrive after our 15 minute grace period, we may not be able to honor your reservation. An 18% fair wage and operational fee has been added to your bill. It goes to provide elevated, comprehensive benefits, as well as consistent, livable wages for all staff. Though many of our guests choose to leave gratuity for exemplary service, it is neither necessary nor expected, though it is greatly appreciated. This gratuity will be shared by all hourly staff.
Bar Cocktails & Snacks
Multiple dates available
This reservation is for snacks and drinks at the bar. The duration of this experience is one hour.

What 350 people are saying

Kato reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.9Service
4.8Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Downtown
Best Overall
Downtown
Best Food
Downtown
Best Service
Downtown
Best Ambiance
Downtown
Innovative
Downtown
Healthy
Downtown
Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Kato offers a refined Taiwanese dining experience with "amazing" cuisine and a "beautiful" presentation. Known for its "exceptional" service and non-alcoholic drink pairings, it's a must-visit for Asian food enthusiasts. While some allergy issues have been noted, the restaurant's standout qualities include "delicious" dishes and a "memorable" ambiance.

350 Reviews

P
Paul VIP
Los Angeles21 reviews
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Kato is one of the best dining experiences you can have in LA, and really anywhere in the world. We've gone a half-dozen times over the past two years, and for food, drinks, ambience, overall experience and service it is far, far above the M one-star bar. Some quick comments on each. Food. It's a many-course Taiwanese/Taiwanese-American tasting menu. Nice evolution of flavours from season to season, really consistently hits the "full but not uncomfortably so", and your stomach will be just as happy tomorrow as it is during the meal. Creative, and highly diverse flavour profiles. Highlights have been every lobster course, their variations of fish maw soup, and anytime they make rice. And their milk bread. And lamb. And dessert. You get the picture! Drinks. One of the two or three best restaurant cocktail programs in LA (Providence & Gucci), and the wine program is good. But they're renowned for their Old Fashioned Cart (just do it) and a diverse and extremely good non-alcoholic set of pairings. Also, fantastic coffee/tea. Ambience & Experience. It's down in RowDTLA, so a nice area. Simple indoor decor, a bit minimalist but warm and clean hues/lines. Not overly fancy, which actually helps keep the focus on the food & company. Tables are far enough apart to offer some privacy, but every time we've been in there's a really good buzz and vibe that makes you feel like you're in a happening place without... being unable to hear yourself talk, or worry everybody else can! Service. Even beyond food, Kato may excel best at service. It's warm, friendly and extraordinarily knowledgeable. If you're somebody who appreciates the art & history of food, your servers are fountains of knowledge, and happy to share. And if you're not... they're pleasant, kind and friendly without getting in your way. On our most recent trip, they had a minor service bump at our dessert course and... I've never seen an issue addressed so promptly, genuinely and well. Just remarkable.
1 person found this helpful
A
Anh VIP
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful anniversary experience at a world-class restaurant. From the moment we arrived, we were met with a very relaxed atmosphere. The waiter and staff were accommodating and also made sure to confirm my substitution request for a shellfish allergy. The non-alcoholic pairing beverage program gave the feel of enjoying complex liquors and wines during the meal. Food was excellent. Comforting and complex.
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M
Micah VIP
Los Angeles7 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 11, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I would say stick to the main menu and do not order the $45 youtiao (chinese donut) supplement, which consisted of some dough ball topped with ham and caviar. The whole bite was a salt bomb from the ham, caviar, and uni (which I didn’t really taste). The disappointment was in the supposed chinese dough aspect which was not crunchy/rich/chewy whatsoever and offered no contrast for the whole bite; it really had more of a consistency akin to a takoyaki, which would have been a more apt descriptor for the sea elements. For $45, I would rather they offer an additional dish than bite. The main lamb dish was a miss for us and offered nothing mind blowing in particular, as was the ground cumin lamb pan fried bao served on the side, which again looked like it would be crispy, but again was not; the ground meat on the inside was stodgy/hard but did have a nice seasoning to it, albeit one note. The quail and black cod were the dishes that were more reminiscent of a michelin starred restaurant. Finally, the crab maw soup was good, but they need to realize that putting a whole dollop of the caviar would make it salty, and the little dish of vinegar on the side was not enough to balance it all. Desserts at the end were great and ended the meal on a good note. As for drinks, the non-alcoholic drinks were fun and refreshing. Service overall was spectacular and professional, and the interior ambiance was clean, minimalist, and quiet.
1 person found this helpful
E
Erica
Los Angeles1 review
2.0
Dined on May 8, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
I recently dined at Kato for the special menu with chef's mom. I have a nut and crustacean allergy and reached out to Kato who responded they could accommodate this. Kato also reached out a 2nd time to confirm, so I felt very safe. I've also dined at Kato in the past and they've been very cognizant of my allergies. Unfortunately during this most recent experience, they were not. I mentioned my allergies to 3 separate waiters. Throughout the coursed meal I was met with confused looks and "it SHOULDN'T have nuts" or "umm let me check". I find it strange that a Michelin restaurant has people serving the food who do not know the ingredients. Responding "it SHOULDN'T" is honestly probably worse than saying "I don't know". After the 1st waiter checked, she noted the only dish with nuts was the 1st, and the remaining 5 were nut and crustacean-free. The 2nd dish was a turnip cake. The waiter was not sure if it had scallop or shrimp. I'm allergic to shrimp but not scallops. The waiter checked with the chef and came back stating it was shrimp. Unfortunately this was a pretty large dish that I missed out on. In the past, Kato offered me an alternative option, but in this case I just didn't get to eat. The third dish came out - fried chicken. I took a bite, immediately felt itchy, and my husband realized there were peanuts on the dish. Luckily I ended up being fine since I spit it out and didn't swallow anything, but this was now the 3rd dish that could have killed me after repeatedly mentioning my allergies to multiple people. The general manager was very nice, our meals were comped and we got extra dessert. She tried her best to rectify the situation, and I appreciate that. However, I think Kato was very lucky that I didn't go into anaphylaxis, and I'm pretty disappointed that a Michelin restaurant can't keep track of allergies. The food was still very good. I used to recommend this restaurant to others due to being allergy-friendly, but now I'm actually scared to return.
3 people found this helpful
H
Huzefa VIP
New Orleans / Louisiana9 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing experience. The team did a great job and Chef Jon is remarkable in weaving Taiwanese cuisine into a fine dining experience
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SS
SavasS VIP
Los Angeles1 review
3.0
Dined on March 22, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Not the best. Food was disappointing. The beef was super chewy
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J
Justin VIP
Los Angeles9 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 21, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Kato was an amazing, high end, refined tasting menu experience. Loved the care and thought with each dish and the cocktails were awesome too!
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D
David VIP
Chicago / Illinois1 review
5.0
Dined on March 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Simply put, one of the best fine dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. The service was flawless and the dishes were sublime; each one seemingly better than the one before. The wine list is exceptional and not to be missed. Some very pricey bottles but also some great values, especially some of the aged selections. A beautiful space with staff that clearly cares about making the evening a fun and memorable experience. We can’t wait to return!
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G
Greg VIP
Los Angeles5 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 2, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing experience, really special! Thank you for another amazing anniversary dinner! Everyone was friendly and attentive! Food was outstanding!
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L
Loc VIP
Los Angeles10 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
the only michelin starred Taiwanese restaurant in the nation. you have to try it if you like asian food and especially Taiwanese. it is nothing like any Taiwanese you have tried. also its more seafood forward than beef which we liked as its lower cholesterol. presentation is beautiful and some of the dishes are mind blowing. the crab pooridge is way way better than you think. i can't even remember it all and non alcholoic pairing was great. we had it with some wine vs full on alcoholic pairing. its on par or better than Single Thread non-alcoholic pairing especially if you like asian flavors.
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FAQs

Kato is rated 4.9 stars by 350 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 23, 2025

9:30 PM

Booked 21 times today

Experiences are available.

777 S Alameda St building 1 suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90025-2706

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN 1 Star 2024
2. MICHELIN 1 Star 2023
Cross street
Center St
Neighborhood
Downtown
Hours of operation
Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Contemporary Asian, Californian, Taiwanese
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Private Lot
Public transit
Grand Central Station
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.katorestaurant.com/
Phone number
(213) 797-5770

Kato

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Why they're an Icon

Additional information

Experiences

Dining Room Tasting Menu

Bar Tasting Menu

Bar Cocktails & Snacks

Menu

What 350 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Kato restaurant rated?

Is Kato currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information