Kenta Goto
Owner-bartender at Bar Goto and Bar Goto Niban
Born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, embarked on a bartending career. Hired at popular bar Pegu Club (closed in 2020) in January 2008. Recognized in July 2011 as American Bartender of the Year in the Spirited Awards® at Tales of the Cocktail, the only Japanese person as of now to receive the award. Opened Bar Goto in New York’s Lower East Side in July 2015, followed by Bar Goto Niban in Brooklyn in January 2020. Used to help out at his family’s okonomiyaki restaurant in Chiba. The dish is now a popular item on Bar Goto's standard menu.