At Kāio, every plate is led by confidence and shaped by fire. Bright, seasonal ingredients are layered with smoke, spice, acidity and texture to create dishes that are vibrant, expressive and full of character.
Fire you can see
Kāio is a live-fire restaurant at The Whiteley in Bayswater.
Fire is the oldest way to cook, and the most honest. It asks for great ingredients and a steady hand, and it rewards both.
An open tabun oven at the heart of the dining room. The theatre is real cooking, not performance for its own sake.
At the heart of the kitchen is an open fire. More than a cooking method, it is the soul of the menu. It brings remarkable depth to sweet shellfish, richness to carefully aged meats, and quiet complexity to vegetables, fruit, and freshly baked flatbreads. Never overpowering, the flame gently coaxes out natural sweetness, introduces delicate bitterness, and creates layers of flavour that simply cannot be achieved any other way.
Mediterranean & Levantine
Mediterranean & Levantine flavour over fire, vegetables and surprising ingredients.
Mediterranean and Levantine influences run effortlessly throughout the menu, balancing elegance with boldness. Raw and cured dishes celebrate purity and precision, lifted with citrus, herbs and subtle spice, before giving way to flame-grilled seafood, slow-glazed meats and vibrant seasonal vegetables.
Familiar ingredients are reimagined with unexpected pairings: grilled nectarines with burrata, watermelon with squid, smoked maple with truffle, creating dishes that surprise, delight, and invite another bite.
From the fire
Charcoal Roasted Half Chicken, Sticky Rosemary & Nduja Sauce · Braised Beef Short Rib · Grilled Octopus, Romesco Sauce · Glazed Iberico Pork, Ginger & Garlic, Fennel & Apple Slaw · King Oyster Mushroom & Spring Onion, Crispy Wild Rice & White Miso
Kāio Signature Flatbread: ‘Caesar’ Style Dressing, Anchovies & Parmesan · Heritage Courgettes, Mint Pesto & Whipped Ricotta · Spiced Lamb Ragu, Pickled Red Onion & Pine Nuts
The Whiteley, 163 Queensway, Bayswater, London W2 4BD. Tuesday to Saturday. Dinner: 6:00pm to 11:30pm. Contact
The result is food that feels generous yet refined, playful yet purposeful; a menu designed to awaken the senses and celebrate the elemental beauty of cooking with fire.
