Kayao Restaurant
Peruvian restaurant · Old Town ·
Fusion of Peruvian, Japanese, and Chinese flavors
Fusion of Peruvian, Japanese, and Chinese flavors
"When the routine of Jeopardy! reruns date night loses its spark, head to this Old Town restaurant for tasty Peruvian food and a jolt of energy. The small space is especially buzzy at peak dinner times, thanks to celebratory groups drinking pisco sours while shazamming the clubby music. It’s not ideal for first-date chit-chat, but it’s great when you’ve been seeing each other long enough to communicate only with eyebrow raises. Use those bushy brows to decide what to order from Kayao’s line-up of zippy ceviches and tiraditos, perfectly cooked seafood, and fantastic takes on Nikkei small plates. Once the smoked duck breast rice arrives, you’ll be too fixated on its creamy richness to talk anyway." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Wells Street is heating up once again thanks to Kayao, a spinoff of a successful New York restaurant, Mission Ceviche. This Peruvian restaurant puts leche de tigre in the spotlight, allowing diners to drink the powerful potion after they finish the delicate cold morsels of ceviche. The space is tiny and comfy." - Sam Nelson
"An Old Town spot that opened in 2024, focused on ceviche and other Peruvian specialties; the team behind this restaurant has formed a hospitality group and is using the concept as a springboard for additional, related restaurants." - Ashok Selvam
"The Deal: $30 Brunch, $60 Dinner Kayao is a spot in Old Town with a soundtrack and scene that feels more like River North, and Peruvian dishes that you can get for $30 (brunch) or $60 (dinner) during Restaurant Week. Both are three courses, but the dinner menu has even more options for the non-dessert categories. Get ready to choose between the likes of ceviche and yuca fritter, and lightly grilled octopus and branzino." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Wells Street is heating up once again thanks to Kayao, a spinoff of a successful New York restaurant, Mission Ceviche. This Peruvian restaurant puts leche de tigre in the spotlight, allowing diners to drink the powerful potion after they finish the delicate cold morsels of ceviche. The space is tiny and comfy." - Samantha Nelson, Eater Staff
