Best new restaurant in the Bay Area. The lounge area has an upscale yet casual vibe, with modern decor and interior design. The cocktail program is solid, a very refreshing take on classics. The bites and plates were creative, flavorful, and nicely plated. What also stood out was their top-notch hospitality—We really enjoyed our conversations with the owner, who’s very knowledgeable, passionate, and personable. They pay attention to details and tailor their recommendations to your preferences. Highly recommended.

*snaps fingers dramatically* HONEY! Let me tell you about the MOMENT I just had at Sekoya in Palo Alto! And when I say moment, I mean a full PRODUCTION in the most gorgeous back patio setting you've ever seen! The heaters were giving warm embrace realness - no frozen queens on this night! 💅✨ First, let's talk about my Mango Daze moment - a zero-proof cocktail serving TROPICAL SOPHISTICATION! Mango and thai basil living in harmony with that lime and club soda? She's giving us designated driver ELEGANZA, darling! And we love a restaurant that knows not everybody needs alcohol to have a good time! The journey started with this tuna tartare serving OCEAN LUXURY - a crispy cannoli exterior giving expensive Palo Alto lady who lunches! Then, they had the AUDACITY to bring out popcorn with beef chicharron giving us texture, glamour, and truffle salt eleganza, right next to a burrata queen living her best life with those hot drop peppers! But the real showstopper? The mushroom tempura serving DOUBLE-FRIED FANTASY! Those shimeji and oyster mushrooms got their crispy moment in the spotlight with that yuzu-togarashi fantasy, and baby, it was everything! Now, these banana bread donuts with chicken liver mousse? Art gallery opening meets cocktail hour! The presentation had me clutching my vintage pearls! And just when I thought I couldn't take any more, Miss Mary's Fried Chicken came to WERK with that truffle honey drizzle! The chicory salad alongside? Supporting actress who steals the show, darling! Then THIS RIBEYE came out giving us EXPENSIVE MEAT ELEGANZA! Those mushrooms on top weren't just garnish - they were the accessories this protein diva needed! And that mustard greens salad? GARDEN GODDESS REALNESS with those crispy noodles on top! But let me tell you about these Parker House rolls that said 'We're not just bread, we're BREAD THEATER!' Warm, buttery, and ready for their close-up! Though between us queens, we devoured them faster than my last relationship ended - learn from my mistakes and save some for sauce-soaking! Now let's spill the tea about the space - the interior is giving upscale realness, but that back patio? OUTDOOR DINING FANTASY! Though between us queens, the bathroom situation was giving speakeasy mystery - honey, finding that second powder room was like trying to find a straight man at a Madonna concert! The global menu is giving us INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT FANTASY - from Japanese tempura to Italian burrata to French chicken liver realness! Every dish is telling a story, serving a look, and giving us FLAVOR! The price tag might be giving "first of the month realness" but honey, for food this good in a space this gorgeous? Worth every coin! Five stars, no questions asked! Now someone fan me while I recover from all this EXCELLENCE! 💋👑✨ *death drops onto the heated patio*​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

+5

Great service and nice interior decor. Unique dining wood table. Food tastes great and cocktail was good as well!

+6

Sekoya is the new hidden gem of Palo Alto dining. Menu is not long but almost every item is worth trying. The quail was one of the best I have ever had, fried mushroom, and the pork chop was outstanding. The best surprise, however, came from the side dishes - both crispy beans and roasted delicate squash and beets were very tasty and memorable. Been there twice already, can’t wait to try out the rest of the dishes. Strongly recommended!

+6

Went for my birthday dinner and they made the day so special! They had a menu that said happy birthday on it & gave a free dessert unexpectedly. Thank you! Each food item was delicious - especially braised short rib and mustard greens and cabbage salad (which was 10/10 amazing!!!). I probably wouldn’t get the bread service again but it was tasty, just not needed.

Decent cocktails and appetizers. Dishes are decent and definitely has a Californian vibe. If you are eating drinking here, probably going to cost you $60 a person. Good spot for dates!

+3

We had a delicious dinner here. The staff was so friendly to accommodate us and our child. We didn't have reservations on a Friday, but luckily they were able to seat us. We love the homemade bread with marscapone, double fried mushrooms, fried chicken and we added caviar, and the scallops. Also the cocktails are amazing! I hope they make a kids menu option someday. We definitely will come back soon! Love the ambiance too.

+1

Sekoya has been on our list for a while, and we were finally able to make it for a birthday celebration. They made it special from the start, giving us a personalized menu with ‘happy birthday’. The inside of the restaurant has a cool vibe to it, so if you’re looking for something more special I’d recommend that. Otherwise the heated covered patio is a great option. Their cocktail program is extensive and absolutely fantastic. But the food, that is where the magic is happening. We started with the tuna tartare- fresh, classic. The plantain chips give it a nice flavor. The crispy prawns were over a bed of papaya salad and spicy mayo- a balance of sweet, spicy and crunchy in each bite. For mains, we had to try their burger. This 6oz patty was flavored in I don’t know what, but it was easily one of our top burgers of the year. The side of truffle French fries were a classic but could be skipped. The roasted scallops were large, perfectly cooked over polenta and topped with bacon jam. If I could have licked my plate I would have. A MUST get was, yes, the beef tongue skewer. Our waiter told us it would be his last meal so naturally we had to try it. It was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. We will definitely be ordering it again. To celebrate the meal (and our birthday), we got the mini crispy chocolate chip cookies with a side of vanilla ice cream. The perfect pairing to end an amazing meal. There are so many other good options on the menu we cannot wait to come back!

+6

The atmosphere here is very inviting with a beautifully designed interior that really stands out. The wooden dining table adds a unique touch to the experience. The staff was friendly and attentive, making the service excellent. The food was flavorful and well prepared, and the cocktail complemented the meal perfectly.

Leah Johnson

The food was tasty but over-prepared in my opinion. The oysters had too many ingredients to really taste the oyster itself and the burger could have used just a pure dill pickle instead of a fancy, homemade seeming pickle. Service was impeccable though and if you’re lucky enough, the owner might just be hanging around to chat with and share a shot with! Also, there are three different rooms with three distinct vibes so many celebrations could take place there!

Myriam Ward

Great restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. For starters we had the bread with cultured butter, tempura mushrooms and 6 oysters. The bread is a must take - so delicious, fresh out of the oven, and lightly salty. The mushrooms were very nice and crispy with a good sauce, but slightly too much batter we felt. The oysters were ok: quite small though (not worth it at 5 dollars per oyster). The mains were fantastic. The ahi tuna with passionfruit was so soft and the combination worked perfectly. The striploin steak was one of the most tender pieces of meat I’ve ever had. No need for chewing. Absolutely incredible. The potatoes were also especially light and crispy. Overall, a great spot, definitely should check it out.

Aayushi Trivedi

Sophisticated ambience, tasty bites, tiny portions. Great for catching up over drinks and light snacks, not ideal if you’re starving. Bring your appetite somewhere else.

Great restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. For starters we had the bread with cultured butter, tempura mushrooms and 6 oysters. The bread is a must take - so delicious, fresh out of the oven, and lightly salty. The mushrooms were very nice and crispy with a good sauce, but slightly too much batter we felt. The oysters were ok: quite small though (not worth it at 5 dollars per oyster). The mains were fantastic. The ahi tuna with passionfruit was so soft and the combination worked perfectly. The striploin steak was one of the most tender pieces of meat I’ve ever had. No need for chewing. Absolutely incredible. The potatoes were also especially light and crispy. Overall, a great spot, definitely should check it out.

+6

The food was tasty but over-prepared in my opinion. The oysters had too many ingredients to really taste the oyster itself and the burger could have used just a pure dill pickle instead of a fancy, homemade seeming pickle. Service was impeccable though and if you’re lucky enough, the owner might just be hanging around to chat with and share a shot with! Also, there are three different rooms with three distinct vibes so many celebrations could take place there!

+3

Favorites: Beef Tongue Skewer and Roasted duck The food is tasty and they have great selection of wines to pair with your food. They have limited space of seating inside. However they have some tables outdoor with heaters.

+2

Service was great - friendly professional staff. However, the food was frankly below our expectations. Truffle french fries seemed like the ones you get from the supermarket and deep fried. Wish they were hand cut.

Ashley Hung

Hmmm I’m not sure what to think about this place. The only real standout for me was the Parker house rolls. Omg the whipped mascarpone. Also the beef tongue skewer, which was marinated in sweet soy sauce and was a pleasant surprise. To be fair we didn’t even try any entrees, but we made that decision after doing lots of online cross-referencing which I think speaks to the menu offerings. Nice ambiance and service.

Gill Tan

Presentation and ambience were great, food was pretty good but pricey, and service was just OK. We went for Mother's day and there were only two other parties there the whole time, when all the surrounding restaurants were full, which is pretty suspicious. Overall, the food was pretty good, especially the scallops, fried shrimp, halibut crudo, and truffle fries. Scallops and shrimp were perfectly cooked, fresh and tender, and the flavor of the lemongrass coconut sauce for the crudo was well prepared. The overall issue I had with the food was that they tried too hard to be "quirky" or different but failed to execute. They added things that were unnecessary and out of place, which made the dishes confusing and sometimes took away from the brights spots of the dish. The food would be better if they simplified the dishes (getting rid of the unnecessary elements to let the good parts shine brighter), channeled their "creativity" into execution and mastering the basics, and leaned in to the stuff they do well (seafood dishes, fried dishes, etc.). I don't need roasted grapes and pickled mushrooms with my grilled quail, I just need a juicy and tender quail. I don't need whipped tofu with my mushroom tempura, I don't need a bean pesto with my burrata, I don't need apples and shishitos on my pork chop, and I don't need banana bread donuts with my paté. To be fair, they have a lot of potential. They could improve many dishes by leaving components out or replacing them with something simpler and more standard. And this would all be fine if their prices were lower or they were experimenting in their own time and on their own dime, but that's not the case. Even though there were many aspects of the meal that I enjoyed, I didn't have a great overall impression of the meal. The "extra" and unnecessary stuff just overshadowed everything else. And the service wasn't great. There was more than one staff member per customer, yet we still had to get up to ask for stuff. Even after making eye contact with the staff multiple times some of them just continued to talk with each other. They didn't have anything to do, they were just making drinks for themselves and drinking them. If I were the manager, this kind of behavior would be unacceptable. Even if their food was amazing there is no way I'm paying these prices for this kind of service. The presentation and ambience is great, but all you have to do it look beneath the surface to see the truth. After tax and tip we spent about $80/person for lunch.

Mythily Parthasarathy

Overpriced, noisy and underwhelming in terms of food! Service was okay. They have one vegan starter, one vegan salad and a vegan side. Ordered asparagus from the sides and mushroom tempura from the starter. There were high on salt and had not much flavor. The tempura was excessively crispy. Very disappointed.

Sanjay Subhedar

My first visit here. We tried different cocktails, I had the Sekoya Slushy, we the the fried mushrooms, Burrata salad and chicken on skewers. For the entree I shared the gnocchi and the Ahi tuna. I found the entrees to be relatively small in portions. Staff is very friendly but service was slow . The rolls were delicious also the crispy potatoes were good

My first visit here. We tried different cocktails, I had the Sekoya Slushy, we the the fried mushrooms, Burrata salad and chicken on skewers. For the entree I shared the gnocchi and the Ahi tuna. I found the entrees to be relatively small in portions. Staff is very friendly but service was slow . The rolls were delicious also the crispy potatoes were good

+6

Overpriced, noisy and underwhelming in terms of food! Service was okay. They have one vegan starter, one vegan salad and a vegan side. Ordered asparagus from the sides and mushroom tempura from the starter. There were high on salt and had not much flavor. The tempura was excessively crispy. Very disappointed.

Hmmm I’m not sure what to think about this place. The only real standout for me was the Parker house rolls. Omg the whipped mascarpone. Also the beef tongue skewer, which was marinated in sweet soy sauce and was a pleasant surprise. To be fair we didn’t even try any entrees, but we made that decision after doing lots of online cross-referencing which I think speaks to the menu offerings. Nice ambiance and service.

+2

Presentation and ambience were great, food was pretty good but pricey, and service was just OK. We went for Mother's day and there were only two other parties there the whole time, when all the surrounding restaurants were full, which is pretty suspicious. Overall, the food was pretty good, especially the scallops, fried shrimp, halibut crudo, and truffle fries. Scallops and shrimp were perfectly cooked, fresh and tender, and the flavor of the lemongrass coconut sauce for the crudo was well prepared. The overall issue I had with the food was that they tried too hard to be "quirky" or different but failed to execute. They added things that were unnecessary and out of place, which made the dishes confusing and sometimes took away from the brights spots of the dish. The food would be better if they simplified the dishes (getting rid of the unnecessary elements to let the good parts shine brighter), channeled their "creativity" into execution and mastering the basics, and leaned in to the stuff they do well (seafood dishes, fried dishes, etc.). I don't need roasted grapes and pickled mushrooms with my grilled quail, I just need a juicy and tender quail. I don't need whipped tofu with my mushroom tempura, I don't need a bean pesto with my burrata, I don't need apples and shishitos on my pork chop, and I don't need banana bread donuts with my paté. To be fair, they have a lot of potential. They could improve many dishes by leaving components out or replacing them with something simpler and more standard. And this would all be fine if their prices were lower or they were experimenting in their own time and on their own dime, but that's not the case. Even though there were many aspects of the meal that I enjoyed, I didn't have a great overall impression of the meal. The "extra" and unnecessary stuff just overshadowed everything else. And the service wasn't great. There was more than one staff member per customer, yet we still had to get up to ask for stuff. Even after making eye contact with the staff multiple times some of them just continued to talk with each other. They didn't have anything to do, they were just making drinks for themselves and drinking them. If I were the manager, this kind of behavior would be unacceptable. Even if their food was amazing there is no way I'm paying these prices for this kind of service. The presentation and ambience is great, but all you have to do it look beneath the surface to see the truth. After tax and tip we spent about $80/person for lunch.

+6

Ashlie Chan

While the attentive service, decor and atmosphere were spot on, the food was unfortunately very mediocre. And for the price, it felt quite disappointing. On the bright side, the raw oysters, octopus and Parker House rolls were great and flavorful. The cabbage salad was crunchy and fresh, but not memorable. All 3 entrees we ordered sadly had something off that wasn't executed to the level I expected. I would not recommend getting the pork chop, duck, or gnocchi. The pork chop was not super moist and inconsistent in the cook, the result being pretty dry. The duck meat itself was moist but the fat wasn't rendered enough, yielding a chewy instead of crispy fat layer. Plus, the noodle and vegetable medley that came with it was flavorless. The gnocchi was pretty pillowy in texture, but there were too many additional ingredients added that detracted from the overall dish.

Racky Wong

Nice atmosphere, great service, but if you come for the food, this is not the place. The portions were way too small for the price, and the taste was just so so. If you come here to get a drink and chat with a friend, good. But if you're hungry , don't come here, as the other reviews said. (Food Pictures were for 4 ppl except the salad and cookies)

Mark Liu

This is our first time and pretty much the last. Service was excellent. It's not easy to find good servers in times like this. Food wise, not impressed at all. Grilled octopus - it's lukewarm. Grilled food especially seafood has to be fresh hot. Disappointed. $16 for 5 small pieces Tempura mushroom - It's ok. Not bad but did not jump out at you. Hanger steak - a bit tough. 3 pieces only for the price. It's more expensive than Flemings or Alexander Grilled quail - Highlight of the night, very nicely grilled. The selections are pretty limited on the menu. For the quantity and quality you are getting and the price you paid, there are plenty of better choices and better value out there.

I don’t quite understand the hype around this place. The food was underwhelming and didn’t live up to expectations. Many dishes, like the skewers and the mushrooms in the quail appetizer, leaned heavily on overly sweet flavors, which didn’t suit my taste. To top it off, they forgot to include cheese on my son’s burger—an oversight we only realized after seeing photos of the same dish from other reviewers when we got back home. My son found the burger too dry and complained, though to their credit, the restaurant didn’t charge us for it. Overall, I found it to be overpriced, and the experience left much to be desired.

This is our first time and pretty much the last. Service was excellent. It's not easy to find good servers in times like this. Food wise, not impressed at all. Grilled octopus - it's lukewarm. Grilled food especially seafood has to be fresh hot. Disappointed. $16 for 5 small pieces Tempura mushroom - It's ok. Not bad but did not jump out at you. Hanger steak - a bit tough. 3 pieces only for the price. It's more expensive than Flemings or Alexander Grilled quail - Highlight of the night, very nicely grilled. The selections are pretty limited on the menu. For the quantity and quality you are getting and the price you paid, there are plenty of better choices and better value out there.

+1

Nice atmosphere, great service, but if you come for the food, this is not the place. The portions were way too small for the price, and the taste was just so so. If you come here to get a drink and chat with a friend, good. But if you're hungry , don't come here, as the other reviews said. (Food Pictures were for 4 ppl except the salad and cookies)

+1