Alex Chang

Alex Chang | Co-owner & Chef 

Alex Chang is the chef and co-owner of Kiko, an Asian-American restaurant in downtown Manhattan which was recently named one of Esquire’s 2025 Best New Restaurants. He owns and operates Kiko alongside his wife, sommelier Lina Goujjane. Born in Hong Kong to a Mexican mother and Chinese father, and raised in Tokyo and California, Alex’s global upbringing shaped his eclectic culinary style. He began his culinary journey in college, hosting supper clubs in his college apartment at the University of Southern California. Later, after staging at Tokyo’s two-Michelin-starred Les Créations de Narisawa, he refined his craft at celebrated restaurants like Animal in Los Angeles, Pujol and Quintonil in Mexico City, and In De Wulf in Belgium. When he was 24, he opened Vagabond in Miami, earning Zagat’s “30 Under 30” and StarChefs Rising Star accolades. He later led The Exchange at LA’s Freehand Hotel, which received praise from former LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold and a spot on publication’s Best 101 Restaurants list. In 2019, Alex and Lina tested the concept that would later become Kiko in Los Angeles as a series of pop-ups, which was met with critical acclaim. After moving to New York City, Chang worked as the executive chef of Soho House in the Meatpacking District, as well as Il Buco Alimentari in Manhattan and Il Buco al Mare in Amagansett. In Fall 2024, he opened Kiko in Hudson Square alongside his wife, Lina. At Kiko, Alex harmoniously blends globally inspired dishes with Asian accents, balancing innovation, comfort and creativity, while drawing on his multicultural background and international training. 

Lina Goujjane | Co-owner & Sommelier 

Lina Goujjane is the co-owner and sommelier of Kiko, an Asian-American restaurant in downtown Manhattan, which was recently named one of Esquire’s 2025 Best New Restaurants. She co-owns Kiko with her husband, chef Alex Chang. Born in Paris and raised in New York City, Lina developed her passion for the hospitality industry at an early age, while working front of house in her family’s formerly owned iconic West Village restaurant, One If By Land, Two If By Sea. A graduate of Hunter College in New York, majoring in art history, she eventually developed an interest in wine and honed her expertise while working at some of the country’s most respected restaurants, including The NoMad in Los Angeles, David Chang’s Majordomo and the two-Michelin-starred Sushi Noz in New York City. In 2024, Lina and her husband, Alex Chang, opened Kiko, after initially testing the concept as a series of pop-ups in Los Angeles five years prior. As co-owner and sommelier, she thoughtfully curates the restaurant’s wine and sake program, with a focus on rare and distinctive sakes alongside ageworthy wines from lesser-known regions, each chosen for its expression of place.