One person ( whose review I did not include) sniffed that you should give it time to "settle in"--others are very enthusiastic, with it seemed to me most others in between.
It certainly gets high points for ambiance...
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42 E 58th St
New York, NY 10022 b/t Madison Ave & Park Ave in Midtown East
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“Do not leave without trying the Giant Fortune Cookie.”In 71 reviews
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“I highly recommend the sea bass skewers what can I say "Wow.”In 161 reviews
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“We go early to enjoy dinner by the Buddha and the awesome food.”In 269 reviews
Yelp Ad
Nikki H.
said
"Went here last night for the first time in my 11 years of living in
NY- I know - shameful. I went to see Raheem DeVaughn and had a great
time. But this review isn't about him. Ha! I arrived for the 8pm…"
read more
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- Jake H.
- Staten Island, NY
- 0 friends
- 3 reviews
Not quite the hotspot that it used to be due to the tourist invasion, but Tao still has great food in a large attractive space overseen by the iconic giant Buddha. I've been to the original in NYC as well as the one in Vegas, both are usually a good time.
If you don't make a reservation, be prepared to wait a long time.
If you do make a reservation, be prepared to wait anyway.
One appetizer that you can't go wrong with - Satay of Chilean Sea Bass
ORDER IT, you can thank me later... -
- Yara C.
- Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY
- 12 friends
- 72 reviews
Atmosphere: solid 10
Food: 5
Drinks: 10
The reason I give it 3 stars is because I had a dinner reservation for 11pm on Sat. And we were not seated until 11:45, we walked in gave the reservation name and I was handed a buzzer as if I was a walk in. Sorry but thats just annoying. I guess its typical of a "trendy" place like Tao...also I'm finding more and more that these huge trendy restaurants never have outstanding food, its always fine but never as good as you can find at a cute, tiny, place off the beaten path. All in all I would go back for some drinks. Also though It seemed as if Tao had its moment in the nightlife/restaurant world in 2011, last week when I was there the crowd was too trashy for my taste. -
Total tourist alert -- I came to TAO the first time several years ago because I had seen the Tao grand opening episode on SATC and it looked amazing.
Came as a broke college student back in 2009 and it lived up to the hype, even if all I could afford was the dumplings from the appetizer menu and one cocktail. All tourism aside, the restaurant is beautiful, well-decorated, and despite the sometimes (very) long waits, the hostess staff manages what must be a plethora of reservations relatively well.
The bar is loungey, but for the crowd this place pulls, it can get awkward. Lots of couches and seats everywhere taking up space.
The actual dining room area unfolds below a giant Buddha and lots of water features. The waitstaff is good, but not every waiter and waitress I've had here lives up to what I would expect the standard to be. Nothing to write home about.
More recently, I came back (no longer in college nor broke), and after living in Boston for a few years, the menu at Tao is appropriately priced. I wish there were a few more options, though. It seems that they are trying so hard to be unique they are missing some key items. I ordered sushi and I think it had dill in it, which wasn't listed (as another reviewer said -- beware of mystery ingredients that you wouldn't expect!), and I did not enjoy it that much. The food was fresh, the presentation was great, and the flavor was fabulous with the exception of that added dill.
Regardless of the few drawbacks, I do really enjoy Tao. Good food, good drinks, chill atmosphere. Great for a date or to impress your SJP-loving friends. -
- Remee A.
- Aiea, HI
- 108 friends
- 98 reviews
I would like to start this review with, I HAD AN AMAZING NIGHT HERE!
First of all this atmosphere is really cool, lounge, chill, and touch of elegance.
The food was all amazing full of flavor and excellent presentation, I feel that the prices were extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.
I definitely recommend the Chilean sea bass satay appetizer or entree, the fish is cooked perfectly, nice crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth, the miso glaze is like the icing on the cake!
The best thing about this place would have to be the service, I have been to many different restaurants in the city and the service here was the absolute best! Jeff was extremely knowledgable, friendly, and was just amazing!
I can't wait to come back and try everything on the menu!!! -
- Ash And Sally S.
- Los Angeles, CA
- 11 friends
- 113 reviews
We booked on a table Sunday night for 9.15pm in November after getting a recommendation from a local. Here is our experience:
First impression: 5 (lost points as we were early but they sat us half an hour after our booked time and we found it very hard to find any where to sit as the place was packed)
Atmosphere: 10 (wow, incredible. Perfect for a date, noise levels upstairs against the wall was fine, lighting was dim, lots of people looked happy being there)
Food: 10 ( we ordered crispy spicy tuna and crab cakes with mango sauce which came out quick, but I liked that as we were hungry. People on yelp complained about that thinking they were being rushed, but they don't take long to make so I'd rather it come out ASAP. Plus they are appetisers. There was a good time gap before our wasabi filet mignon and sea bass fish that came with greens came out- every thing was amazing in flavour and texture- we eat at fine dinning and this was very good)
Desserts: 6 (after reading the reviews about the fortune cookies, we didn't think it was that fantastic. It's big and gets boring very quick. We ordered the chocolate fondant which was perfect and they put it on the same plate to share every thing between us)
Drinks: 10 (I ordered a cocktail that had red bull, tequila and cranberry juice- yummy)
Service: 8 (lost points for not being able to find our waiter for a while when we needed to order some extra things) -
- Kathleen P.
- San Francisco, CA
- 6 friends
- 18 reviews
I first came here in the 90's and LOVED it. When I found out later that they had a duplicate in Vegas I tried it out, but it was not as good. Not sure why it bothers me they have multiple replicas out there, but overall I love the NYC location even if it has passed its prime for New York standards.
- Great place to bring new to New York visitors. The large, gold Buddha is centerpiece to a dark warehouse with running water and two stories of hip fun.
- You can have both sushi lovers or the guy who likes to order teriyaki, except they have way more selection. The food is exceptional.
- Perfect place to host clients, but beware that the music is LOUD. I actually like this in certain situations where I am a little too burned on furthering a cranial discussion because there is never a shortage of people watching.
- The bar area is really convenient to meet people as it is slightly separated from the bigger part of the restaurant and can easily be the focal part of the night if you cannot get a reservation. You won't feel like an outsider looking in or losing out. -
- debora B.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 3 reviews
Well i used to go to Tao twice a week! twice!
They become snobby, nonprofessional and lazy. the waitresses has an attitude. When we asked for a knife for our steak the waiter said "just manage with what you have" seriously????? when i buy an $85.00 steak i want to be able to cut it!
i have more but i guess i will stop here as this is just showing their unappropriated attitude!
i am very disappointed with Tao. -
- JB H.
- Charlotte, NC
- 14 friends
- 151 reviews
Love the vibe, good food too. We had a reservation and were seated 1 hour and 40 minutes after the scheduled time. The hostesses have arrogant, condescending attitudes. Coconut shrimp were excellent. -
- Robert P.
- Keene, NH
- 15 friends
- 30 reviews
Very good experience here and judging from the people waiting for tables in the bar, others are having the same experience.
First of all the decor and inside look like something out of a movie. Huge statues and ceilings give it a great touch.
The food was pretty good! Kobe beef in different formats and presentation. The Sushi was average at best. Overall very good and the atmosphere was amazing! -
- Epic S.
- Brooklyn, NY
- 0 friends
- 12 reviews
I will go to Tao again for drinks only because of the friendly bartender but for my dinner party it was a "methinkNOT". The wait staff acted like I needed to wait on them (non-racial comment here) and I've truly had better food elsewhere.
I was clasping my hands together (almost rocking back and forth) hoping for a great finale (like mother phucker where my FREE bday cupcake and bday song from the wait staff?) but nothing. -
- Ali F.
- Brooklyn, NY
- 5 friends
- 35 reviews
Effin amazing!
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