Cesta

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Basket Worth Filling

The name Cesta means "basket" in Spanish — and the concept is exactly that: a carefully assembled collection of seasonal ingredients, charcoal fire, and wine, brought together by a chef who insists that quality doesn't have to come at an unreasonable price. Located on the ground floor of a low-rise building in Hannam-dong, Cesta has earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2024, a recognition that speaks directly to the seriousness of its cellar.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Executive Chef Kim Se-kyung graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in New York in 2005, then worked his way through Michelin-starred kitchens in New York and London — including Aureole and The Ledbury. He later joined legendary contemporary American chef Charlie Palmer, eventually serving as executive chef in California from 2011 to 2015. In his first year there, the restaurant was named "Restaurant of the Year" by OC Magazine. Back in Seoul, he opened Cesta with a clear intention: to let as many people as possible enjoy high-quality American grill cooking at accessible prices.

Fire, Seasons, and 800 Wines

The kitchen centers on a Josper charcoal oven — a closed-system grill capable of reaching 450–500°C — used to cook steaks, seafood, and fish with a distinct char that open-flame cooking rarely achieves. Cesta operates its own custom-built dry-aging chamber, where cuts are aged with nuruk (a traditional Korean fermentation starter) before meeting the Josper. Alongside the grill, small dishes draw on seasonal produce with subtle Asian touches.

The wine program is the other pillar. Sommelier Lee Chang-geun, a WSET Level 2 graduate and former judge at the Korea Wine Challenge, oversees a list that now runs to over 800 labels — from rare and hard-to-source bottles to older vintages — paired with cheese and jamón. It was this cellar that caught Wine Spectator's attention, earning Cesta its 2024 Best of Award of Excellence.

The Space

Press coverage from the restaurant's opening described the dining room as lively and tactile — an open kitchen, rattan basket light fixtures overhead, and an outdoor terrace styled to evoke a California winery. The terrace includes a fire lounge suitable for small private gatherings. The overall atmosphere, as one Korean publication put it, is that of "an everyday resort." The American grill format sits comfortably within that register: unfussy, generous, and built around the pleasures of fire and wine.