we were forced to come to this dump because the person who organized the event picked tao, claiming it was great. our reservation that was booked basically meant that we had to hold on to a vibrating pager and stand around in a crowded lounge with smelly people. the few of us that were fortunate enough to get a seat got to sit on a stained uncomfortable sofa where who knows how many tourist with their germs had sat before. while the line backed up out of the entryway, about 4-5 young girls stood around and did nothing at the hostess counter. after 45 minutes of waiting after the time our reservation was booked, we asked one of these ""model"" hostesses when we could be seated and all we got was attitude. it was so loud we couldn't even hear what unintelligent quip she might have spit out. when we finally got sat, we were put in a crowded room where you could elbow the people at the table next to you. what's better, our table was some nasty beat up round rickety old banquet table that they covered with linen and called it good. the service was pathetic, i had asked 4 times for a soda and our server ""sean"" brought me one only after another person at our table had to ask him for it. we had a party of 11, so this guy did nothing to help us because the restaurant gave him a 20% autogratutity on the checks total. there were other kids who would pour water for us, but if we asked them to bring us a drink, they'd say you had to ask the server. our server ""sean,"" with the surly attitude, who hadn't shaved in weeks, stood amongst other employees and stared at us from across the room, as our glasses got emptier and our table became more cluttered with dirty dishes. the majority of the group of us were all locals, and all work in the service industry out here and there's a reason why we've been avoiding this place, and now we have the proof. the food was way below average. we spent $15 on 5 frozen pot stickers that were just warmed and thrown on a plate with soy sauce, and another $30 for pad thai that was ignored by most as it was passed around the table. they boast about their chef who makes sushi that's packed with mayonnaise and tastes like balogna, and the scallops were way overcooked. the person who chose this place was completely let down, and all the horror stories we've heard about this place were proven to be true. the only thing good about the place is their marketing director, for being clever enough to convince thousands of tourists of his hoax that this place is actually worthwhile. the girly bartenders at tao beach can't even add, subtract, or make change when you purchase a drink from them, and don't even know how to make most of the drinks you probably want to order.
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