Tao

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42 E. 58th St.
New York, NY 10022

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(212) 888-2288
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Carry Out

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Food & Dining

Reviews
( 70 )
( 110 )
( 54 )
( 43 )
( 57 )

Best

On my recent trip to Manhattan, wanted to indulge in some fine cuisine so on Saturday we made reservations at Tao. Like everyone else has pretty much said, the wait is extended, n...

Worst

Overdone concept - between the Buddha and the DJ playing the most BORING and UNINSPIRED techno I think I've ever heard. But have to say it matched the food and the service! Noth...

Decent Food Comes at a Price 9/11/2006

The food here is pretty good, however the atmosphere is sub par. I literally could not hear one word out of my friends' mouths the entire meal. Horribly loud music. Not what I'd call a pleasant dining experience. more

I will never go back ! 8/17/2006

First, the place was look bigger in the website than real. When I get in there, there were 4 hostess, I was going to ask them if my friend were there waiting for me, i was ignored by 3 of them!!! Finally, 1 girl was nice she paid attention asking to help. more

The food was not I was expected! 8/17/2006

The food was not what i had expected. The waiter/bus boy service was beyond annoy. They will constantly walk by your table and look as if you are going to steal something off the table. We didn't even have food on the table yet and they kept on walking by staring.The food was beyond over price for what we ordered and not worth the money at all. more

Worst service ever 7/20/2006

I went to Tao with high expectations. I was visiting from Atlanta and made the reservation one month in advance. We did not have to wait long for our table, but from there the service went down hill. We sat and sat until finally someone came for our drink orders. Then we asked about the menu and we were given an answer that made us feel like we were bothering him. When the food finally came it was just average. Never did the waiter come back to see if everything was ok or if we needed anything. Finally after being ignored for 45 mins. I had to go to the bar twice to get us new drinks. When the waiter did came back he brought the check without asking if we wanted coffee or dessert. He was mad that we did and we ordered both. Again to never get a coffee refill, we called a manager over. That did no good, because we still did not get a coffee refill nor did the manager come over to us again. We felt as if the manager did not believe what we were saying, and if he did he was not going to anything about it. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. When you pay so much for a meal that is just average and the service is terrible and the management does not care you do not recommend it to anyone. DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!! Cons: Service, ambience more

Like Dining In a Dance Club 7/19/2006

So, I went here for a birthday and was pretty excited because I'd heard a lot of good things about this place. I was not prepared. I went hoarse trying to talk over the incessent drum and bass music (really, its not neccesary to have it THAT loud, you can set a mood without deafening people). The food was good, but nothing so unique as to warrent such a high price tag, same for the drinks. We had brought cupcakes for our own dessert but since we knew our 'Happy Birthday' song would be drowned out by the music, decided to go to another bar to have more drinks and do it there. I would day this place is best for drinking at the bar before a night of clubbing to get you in the mood. If your hungary or want to have a converstation, save your money and your vocal chords and head somewhere else. Pros: Nice waiter, and cute too! Cons: Loud Music, Price more

KNOW WHAT TO GO FOR 7/17/2006

Tao is the kind of place that def gets alot of hype, in some aspects may not live up to it according to other reviews, but this is a place that you have to go to knowing exactly what you want to get there. My boyfriend and I have been to TAO on numerouse occasions and the food was always good, it is true that many other places in NYC offer the same ambiance and decor, But TAO def. Stands out with a great bar scene, wonderful drinks (MOJITOS ) in particular and the BEST BEST BEST dessert (The fortune cookie), as far as the appitizers are concerned, GO for the Seaweed sald, which is unique in offering many variaties of seaweed over ice in pretty ample amounts. Unlike other restaurants of its kind in NYC the portions are shareable and actually fill you up if you come hungry. As far as the service, it all depends on the waiter waitress you get, but going to posh places like this a hint of snobbiness can always be expected. Overall the place is great for some appitizers, drinks, and ambiance:) Pros: Drinks desserts ambiance Appitizers Cons: some servie, some entrees more

Overrated, overpriced and I left feeling rushed 7/15/2006

My wife and I were visiting New York from Boston in July and had heard good things about this restaurant. We were disappointed. We ordered the sea bass and the duck spring rolls to start. Both were average. I then had their chicken and my wife tried their salmon. The chicken (Kung Pau, I believe) wasn't bad, but I've had similar food at PF Chang's for a lot less. My wife did not like her salmon and barely touched it (it was dry and looked disgusting). When she told the waitress, the waitress simpoly smiled. Another dish was not offered, it was not taken off the bill, NOTHING was done. I believe we saw our waitress speak to the manager and he decided that it wouldn't be worth it to do anything about the bad dish. We eat out all the time and were shocked that a supposedly ""fine"" restaurant that is successful, would not try to make the customer happy. We handled the situation by not leaving a tip (the approximate price of the salmon) and making a note on the credit card receipt as to why we had a problem with the ""service."" I also spent 45 minutes on my main course so that they would have to wait to turn the table around. AND I'm writing this and other reviews online. What a waste for a restaurant to mishandle an unhappy customer in such a manner! Pros: ambience Cons: food, prices, service more

The best crowd in town 7/13/2006

Great ambience and amazing crowd but eat before you come!! absolutely no variety for vegetarians... and even my date thought the food was not as good. But worth it for late night drinks by the lounge... wear your best accessories though...you wanna be seen here more

WAAAY Overrated and over priced! 7/9/2006

I have been using citysearch for a while now and never felt so compelled to write somethig until now. TAO is one of those places that gets so hyped by word of mouth and does not live up to any of it. The ambience is OK and the food is sub par for the prices. The best part is the bar area and of course the drinks are super expensive. I don't mind paying a decent dollar in a place that really delivers and TAO is definitely not one of them. If you have a take out asian place that you love, it's most likely better food than TAO. more

Great pan Asian food, great atmosphere 7/9/2006

I've been to Tao numerous times--for cocktails, dinner, or lunch. Pros: Great food, great atmosphere Cons: Slightly slow service more

Fun, fun, fun! 6/14/2006

After all this time Tao is still one of the most lively places to go in NYC. Whether you make a reservation for a table, or eat at the bar upstairs, it is consistantly bustling (even during a snow storm that had most of the city quiet this place was pumping). Pros: Lively, Great decor Cons: Loud, Wait for tables. more

Avg food, ackluster service,elegant ambience 6/7/2006

Tao epitomizes restaurants which are sought after, have long wait times and you wonder what all the excitement is about. Its definitely not about food. For me, the high ceilings, the Buddha statue and beautiful lighting did it. The setting is elegant- though the Buddha statue looks weary and not serene. I visited with a friend of mine on a Sat night and had a nice time only because I was with a good friend and Tao is beautiful place- and not because of above average food or attentive service. Music was exceptionally loud and I could not tell my friend what sauce should be used with the dumplings. I wouldnt come back but still recommend it to someone who values the wow factor. There is a certain thing about visiting restaurants where you allow food to become secondary and let the ambience take over and fill the void. Pros: Ambience Cons: Average Food more

Good lunch prix fixe! 5/29/2006

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed the reasonably priced lunch prix fixe. We both ordered the duck spring rolls which were yummy. The kung pao chicken was awesome and so was dessert. We will definitely come back here for lunch and we'll have to try dinner as well. Table service was average. Pros: Good food, Reasonable lunch prix Cons: Average service more

The best restaurant i have ever been to!!! 5/14/2006

I must say i have been to many restaurants in manhattan.. Tao by far is the best restaurant I have ever been to!! I brought my 72 year old italian father in law whom is very stubborn and closed minded about trying different foods other than italian cuisine and he left this place with a smile from ear to ear!! Not only did we love the food but the ambience is fantastic.......when we got to our table we couldn't help but notice the huge statue of buddha....while we were looking around at the wonderful decor Robin Williams walked up to our table and introduced himself to us!!! In all we had a great experience! Pros: service, food, ambience more

Tao has definitely lost its appeal 5/11/2006

Having dined at Tao twice before, we were looking forward to our third visit. The wait (despite reservation) was 35 minutes (in an over-crowded bar) no apologies whatsoever. Seated by a moody hostess and presented a menu that included live food-samples. Everything was rushed to the table (coffee/tea spoons literally thrown to us). Taste remained unchanged although attention to detail was gone. Filet was returned to the kitchen (full of sinew) again no apology. Attractive decor although the music was far too loud to facilitate normal conversation. The Tao food-factory remained consistent after the evenings lousy start. No apologies for obvious missteps and the filet showed up on the tab anyhow. Over-crowded - table-turnover obviously reigns - and apparent that Tao switched to cashing in on its (ever-continuing-although misplaced) popularity. Plenty of other places in NYC which (still) have the quality and appeal that Tao used to have. Pros: Decor Cons: Too crowded, Loud music, Lousy service more

Great Food/Service :Hosts/Special Events Snobby 5/4/2006

What an experience! The food was fantastic and wait staff was impeccable. Downside: I scheduled a corporate dinner in the skybox and I've gotta tell you, I do this for a living and never have I dealt with such snobby & unappreciative special events hosts. I was treated as though it was a privelage for ME to have the honor of renting the skybox. Usually, it's the other way around. In addition, the front desk female hosts seem to have taken the same snob class as the special events coordinators as they too stand around in solemn faces and seem annoyed that they have to serve you. We were 10 minutes late & they felt the need to remind us we had a 2 hr limit before they needed the table..despite the $1000 check with auto added 20% gratuity! Its no wonder the wait staff seemed to be all male! Pros: Excellent Food, Excellent Wait Staff, Trendy Atmosphere Cons: Front Door Host, Special Events, Table time limit more

Tao is now a tourist attraction .... 5/2/2006

so the great tao turns out to be filled w tourists and kiddies! yes pull hard on the heavy outside door and enter a super dimly lit bar area and then cont further inside to see tourists w their fanny packs and kids hanging around. never have i seen sooo many kids come out of a ""cool trendy"" restaurant before. overall if u dont mind that, the place isnt too bad. the usual pricey martinis are only ok, the lychee was mad sweet, stick w the tao love potion. the food was not bad, the molten chocolate cake was pretty good but theres a lot of coconut w that cake for some reason, i guess its supposed to remind you that they are ""asian"" and ""fusion"" and all that. but not a bad place to hang out and throw back a few drks after some shopping on 5th =P Pros: nice decor, spacious eating area Cons: small bar area more

Love IT!!!!!! 4/21/2006

I dont know why people say the food is not that good. It is amazing, from peking duck to the wok sirloin, hostesses are attentive as are the servers, very profesional managers. Great place to meet women..Love it!!! Pros: food, servers, management Cons: nothing more

Must see place 4/20/2006

You have to go at least once! It's a different experience as a restaurant. Great music, beautiful people, great service.......................... except the part where you don't get seated right away even WITH a reservation. It's worth visiting. Pros: Great place, great music, great people watching Cons: no prompt seating, too dark to read menu more

Fairly priced, ample portions 4/20/2006

I took a client to Tao not expecting to get in but to our delight, we were able to be seated at the bar upstairs witha full menu. I found the food to be delicious and the bartenders/service responsive, which as busy as they were, I was surprised. Overall a good experience for a Tuesday evening... the place was packed. I was a bit surprised the we couldn't get seated at a table for 3 hours and it almost forced me to go to another restaurant... but again, we made it work and enjoyed thre evening there. The host staff was not very accommodating either. Aren;t we all tired of host staff's the are indignant to customers?! What is it with New York restaurants? Pros: good food, fair price, good drinks Cons: hard to get table more
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Menu for Tao


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Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Wed: 11:30am-12am, Thu-Sat: 11:30am-1am, Sun: 1pm-12am
  • Payments: Diner's Club, Discover, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown, Midtown Center
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