About Us


KAPPO is an intimate 12-seat chef’s counter offering a tasting experience inspired by California’s landscape. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, KAPPO sits in the Stanford Shopping center.

Under the direction of Executive Chef Nikolas Neuwirt, whose journey spans Michelin-starred kitchens in Denmark, France, and California. KAPPO reimagines the rich heritage of Japanese cuisine through a modern, Californian lens. Drawing from his experience at Niku Steakhouse, Prelude, and Birdsong, Chef Nik crafts immersive menus that celebrate pristine seasonal produce, ancient fermentation techniques, and live-fire cooking.

Chef Nik

Nik’s journey began amid the maple forests of coastal New England, where every changing season revealed a new bounty. That early reverence for nature’s rhythms led him across the Atlantic to France and Italy, apprenticing in Bologna and Paris.

In the Michelin-starred restaurants of Denmark and California, Nik spent a decade refining his craft under the culinary world’s most exacting standards. He found harmony between Nordic precision and California’s bountiful produce and coastlines, shaping a cuisine that champions pure, unadorned flavors presented with thoughtful artistry.

Beyond the kitchen, Nik ventures into the forest, foraging mushrooms, berries, and wild greens that lend each dish a rooted sense of place. An avid diver and fisherman, he slips beneath California’s kelp forests to harvest sea urchins, seaweeds, and color schemes to weave into his nature forward menus.

Today, Nik melds these wildly diverse influences into immersive, seasonal menus, and unforgettable experiences.

our menu

The menu evolves daily with the seasons and market availability, anchored by mainstays such as locally foraged seaweed soup, charcoal-grilled local meats, handmade pastas, and California-grown Koshihikari rice with local uni. Expect nine courses, including dessert, each sourced with intention and crafted with precision.

While live-fire cooking plays a central role—visible throughout the experience—the work begins long before service. Dishes like the seaweed soup reflect this care: bull kelp hand-cut into noodles, served in a clarified broth refined with French technique, and deepened with house-fermented squash miso. These details speak to Kappo’s commitment to craft and a cuisine rooted in California’s landscape.

  • A non-alcoholic beverage pairing ($75) with our 9-course menu.

  • A traditional beverage pairing progression ($85) designed to complement the progression of our 9-course menu.

  • A reserve pairing ($120) featuring a curated selection of west coast vintage wines, beers, and sakes, thoughtfully paired with each course of our 9-course menu.