Pagu

Pagu runs two cuisines at once and keeps both honest. The menu opens in Spanish tapas territory — pan con tomate, croquetas, boquerones, shaved ham — then turns toward Japan without apology: ceviche, pork belly bao, miso-roasted black cod, a paella sharing the table with suckling pig and spicy knife-cut noodles. That's a wide spread for one kitchen to manage, and none of it reads as a gimmick.

The room works as hard as the menu. It handles a biotech lunch meeting, a girls' night, a rehearsal dinner, without any of those crowds feeling like an afterthought. That kind of versatility could curdle into blandness, and mostly it doesn't: service runs warm, the food lands as advertised, and the place has built a genuine following. A few visits land flat, slower nights, portions that feel tight, but they're the exception against a long run of satisfied tables.

The trophies confirm the pattern rather than make the case. A Michelin Bib Gourmand and a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist nod back up what the kitchen already proves on a Tuesday: range this wide, held together this well, earns the table.