TAO

everything about this restaurant is great except for the most important thing the food. the place is absolutely beautiful, it's one of the largest and most impressive dining rooms in the city. the service is very attentive as well. but the food was not great at all. the sushi was decent, but that's because it was slices of uncooked fish. all the cooked dishes were either too oily, too salty or too bland. very disappointing. bottom line: great place to go for drinks, not so much for dinner.

I've been here a few times, once for my birthday. They always seat us late, even though we always make reservations. It's more or less 20 minutes late but they have the bar if you get stuck waiting. The food is generally decent, the exception being the chocolate brownie and ice cream dessert. The best part was that my friends got them to spell happy birthday in chocolate sauce on the plate and it was great. Do NOT order the sushi here, it is not good at all. The miso soup also needed some work but other than that, the spring rolls were great. and so are the vegetable dumplings. The service was fine, we were seated way too close to other people though and we could hear every word of their conversation, it was not pleasant. Also, this place is very touristy. Our waiter was attentive even though it was a busy night. The food was generally okay and the service was decent except for the seating us late but like I said, they usually do. Try it once because the food is generally worth it and the atmosphere is great with the giant Buddha statue, try to get seated on the second level if you can.

To wait 45 minutes in a not so cool restaturant and then get seated with average service,they seemed rushed and going through the motions, and then get the food that was not hot and tasted as if it were cooked in advance was not worth the wait, and it is not cheap.

I have been to this place about 8 or 9 times and most recently on a mini honeymoon with my hubby. We had the chicken dumplings for appetizer, very good. I had the wok seared sirloin and the kung pao chicken, also amazing. For dessert, the molten chocolate cake was out of this world and the raspberry won tons were ok. The service was, and always is,verygood, and the people very nice. The atmosphere is VERY sexy and drinks very good. My only complaint is the $12-14 drinks, and the expensive food.

My boyfriend and I met friends who were in town from England. Our friends wanted a "New York experience" so we took them to Tao. Our reservation was at 9:30 p.m. We arrived early and were told we could probably sit around 9:15. At 10:30 p.m. we were still not seated and with ZERO explanation. We were given a drink card for four free drinks of which the bartender didn't honor! The worse service and rudest people I have EVER come across in the 7 years I've lived here. Please save yourself the headache and DO NOT GO! It is definitely not the right New York experience we had hoped for our friends, to say the least.

Talk about overrated. I think this place is average at best. The food is so overpriced for what you get in return. The music is so loud you can't have a conversation, but maybe that is part of being a hip restaurant. Service was just ok. I won't be returning to Tao on our next visit.

I have been to Tao many times, and the atmosphere is by far the best part, followed not too far behind by the food. However the service is pittiful. I had a reservation for 7:00pm on a Friday night that I made 1 month in advance, I did not get seated at my table until 9:00pm!!! It was the worst experience I have ever had at a resturant to wait to sit, and I would have left and gone elsewhere but with a party of 5 on a friday night at 8:00pm you do not have much of a choice. The food is great, the atmosphere is great, the service is slow!