Our Story
In the heart of Burlingame, tradition and excellence have shared a table since 1989.
The story begins with John Akkaya, who left his home in Turkey at 16 with little more than determination. After years working his way through the hospitality industry, John was 33 and ready for something new — he'd just earned his real estate license when, late one night, an infomercial stopped him cold. "If you don't offer, you don't know."
The next morning, John found a classified ad for a struggling restaurant called Figaro. He made an offer he didn't expect to be accepted. It was.
What he thought would be a quick fix-and-flip became something far deeper. To transform the space, John needed an exceptional chef. He found David Garro Sokitch — a culinary veteran who had helmed the iconic Tadich Grill and opened his own celebrated restaurant in the Levi's building. The recession had ended that chapter. When John saw his résumé, his first thought was: "I can't afford you." Garro, nearing the end of his career, saw something worth betting on. "Pay me $100 and we'll take it from there." They shook hands. John asked what the cuisine should be. Garro didn't hesitate: "Let's do Italian."
That menu has stood the test of time.
Today, John's son Will carries the legacy forward — and has staked out a vision of his own.
On a cold Tuesday night in September, after an exhausting shift, Will opened a bottle of 1989 Pichon Baron. The same year his father bought Figaro. Something clicked. That bottle — its depth, its story, the way it transformed an ordinary evening — ignited an obsession with wine that never left him.
Guided by Danny Meyer's Setting the Table and Will Guidara's Unreasonable Hospitality, Will came to see Café Figaro not just as a family restaurant, but as something with a larger purpose: a love letter to the great restaurants of New York, brought to the Bay Area. The belief that a neighborhood spot can offer extraordinary hospitality, world-class wine, and food that genuinely moves people — without pretension, without compromise.
His guiding question for the wine list: "Whoever wrote the rule that a little café can't have the best wines in the world?"
Café Figaro is a restaurant with Michelin aspirations and a family soul. Every guest who walks through the door becomes part of a story that began with a young immigrant's dream and continues to grow through the passion of his family.
2025 DiRoNA Award of Excellence · 2025 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence · 2026 OpenTable Diners' Choice