n/naka

n/naka is a two-Michelin-star modern kaiseki restaurant located in Los Angeles, founded by chef Niki Nakayama.[1] The name is a portmanteau of Nakayama's first and last name. In 2019, n/naka was named to Food & Wine's 30 best restaurants in the world.[2]

n/naka
Restaurant information
Established2011
Head chefNiki Nakayama
Food typeKaiseki
Rating Michelin Guide
CityLos Angeles
Coordinates34.0251246°N 118.412216°W / 34.0251246; -118.412216
Websitehttps://n-naka.com/

History

Nakayama opened the restaurant after selling her first venture, acclaimed sushi restaurant Azami, in 2008. After selling Azami, she purchased the building that now houses n/naka, and ran her sister's restaurant in Arcadia. Nakayama originally intended to build an open kitchen, with food preparation visible to diners, but ultimately decided against it, preferring that diners not see her and focus instead on the food.[3] Nakayama's wife, Carole Iida, is a sous-chef at n/naka. She joined the restaurant in 2012, after closing her own sushi restaurant.

In 2019, n/naka received two Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide,[4] one of only six Los Angeles restaurants receiving two Michelin stars.[5]

The New Yorker called n/naka the most prominent kaiseki restaurant in America.[6]

The restaurant is featured in Season 1 of the critically acclaimed Netflix original series, Chef's Table.

As is the case with many kaiseki restaurants, most ingredients used at n/naka are sourced locally.[7]

References
  1. Rosner, Helen (11 March 2019). "The Female Chef Making Japan's Most Elaborate Cuisine Her Own". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  2. "These Are the World's Best Restaurants: North America, South America, Africa and Middle East". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  3. Fuhrmeister, Chris (2018-09-28). "'Chef's Table' Recap: How Niki Nakayama Overcame Misogynistic Kitchen Culture and Forged Her Own Path". Eater. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  4. Dixler Canavan, Hillary (3 June 2019). "Michelin Debuted Its California Guide With No New Three-Star Restaurants". Eater. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  5. Chang, Andrea (June 3, 2019). "Michelin Guide awards stars to 24 L.A. restaurants; city shut out of three-stars". Los Angeles Times. I just want to say: We’re a team of 20, with 13 girls and seven men, a tearful Niki Nakayama said onstage of her Palms kaiseki restaurant, n/naka. California is a state of dreams, and our restaurant could only exist in California.
  6. Rosner, Helen (2019-03-04). "The Female Chef Making Japan's Most Elaborate Cuisine Her Own". ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  7. Wells, Pete (2019-03-19). "Kaiseki, Straight Up With a Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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