Sekoya Lounge & Kitchen
Californian restaurant · Mayfield ·
California-inspired shareable plates, seasonal cocktails, curated wine
California-inspired shareable plates, seasonal cocktails, curated wine
"Palo Alto doesn’t have many sceney restaurants, and that’s where Sekoya comes in. But this seasonal American spot is more than just a place with tons of cute couches, bespoke light fixtures, tech execs, and the occasional Stanford student pretending they’re in Lower Manhattan for the night. Sekoya is a trendy spot where the food is quite good. The parker house rolls with mascarpone are fluffy, the zesty lamb tartare gets the balance of citrus just right, and the chicken thigh topped with cara cara is about as juicy as the orange." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, gabi moskowitz
"Chef Jason Johnson leads the kitchen at Sekoya, which focuses on French and Mediterranean cuisines. Try the popcorn with beef chicharron and Calabrian chile butter; the dry-aged smash burger, which comes with two patties and smoked Gouda on a house-made sesame bun; or the tomahawk pork chop with roasted peaches and cipollini onions." - Becky Duffett
"Steve Ugur’s newest restaurant is part lounge, part fine dining outfit, and part late-night destination, and looks to bring a sense of familiarity and a sense of class to Palo Alto’s California Avenue. Ugur comes from Pausa in San Mateo, a meat-centric restaurant on the Michelin Guide, whereas Sekoya is the go-to place for butterflied sea bream, inventive cocktails, and handsome wood furniture courtesy of Nashville furniture maker Sawdust & Whiskey." - Octavio Peña
"Palo Alto doesn’t have many sceney restaurants. Expensive restaurants sure, but restaurants that feel of the moment? Not really. That’s where Sekoya comes in. But this American spot with seasonal dishes is more than just a place with tons of cute couches, bespoke light fixtures, tech execs, and the occasional Stanford student pretending they’re in Lower Manhattan for the night. Sekoya is a trendy spot where the food is quite good. The parker house rolls with mascarpone are fluffy, the zesty lamb tartare served with a crispy lavash cracker gets the balance of citrus just right, and the chicken thigh topped with cara cara is about as juicy as the orange. photo credit: Hardy Wilson photo credit: Hardy Wilson photo credit: Hardy Wilson photo credit: Hardy Wilson photo credit: Hardy Wilson Pause Unmute" - Ricky Rodriguez
"Moody yet vibrant, the new Sekoya Lounge & Kitchen on California Avenue debuts as a late-night, neighborhood-minded restaurant that hopes to earn both a Michelin Bib and, as owner Steve Ugur says, possibly a star “completely on accident” despite offering approachable items like a smash burger. The menu from chef Jason Johnson leans French and Mediterranean while drawing on many cuisines, featuring luxurious dishes such as chicken liver mousse served with savory doughnuts, a binchotan grill for smoke-infused skewers (including beef tongue), a nutty, creamy lamb tartare alongside snappy lavash crackers, and an impressively deboned sea bream lathered in brown butter and served head-on — a technique Johnson says only he and one other Londoner chef use. Bar manager Erik Rivera aims to make the spot a drink destination with tiny edible pinecone garnishes, spirulina-based cerulean syrups, upcycled and dehydrated components like strawberries reimagined in a Fruit Roll-Up style, and most cocktails named after California mountain passes (the Little Pigeon is a bright nonalcoholic riff on a paloma); a high-elevation wine list curated by Steve caters to terroir heads. The sprawling interior pairs Venetian plaster and archways with Moroccan-style rugs and colorful lounge seating, and each table highlights a different tree — from English elm tables in the lounge to warm walnut-topped tables and a dramatic tree-trunk table by Nashville maker Sawdust & Whiskey — all designed to feel luxurious without being pretentious and to function as a true neighborhood place." - Paolo Bicchieri