Tao Downtown

If I could give 0 stars, I would. Food is subpar and came out cold. The service is horrible, and when you ask the manager (a.k.a. Rude asshole) to explain why they charged you for extra drinks and a double tip he will yell at you and send you off with no explanation. With so many options in NYC do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. I would never spend my money here again. What’s sad is that the original Tao in midtown is actually great but this new one downtown gives their name a bad rep.
Review your bill people or you’ll be paying or things you never ordered!
Food: overrated
P. S. I noticed a lot of people commenting how they were overcharged and ripped off, how this continues to go on is absolutely ridiculous.

Loved loved loved it, my wallet not as much.
Visited with friends while in the city wedding dress shopping and we had a great time celebrating. This was a great place to take the girls that had never been to NYC before, the décor is fun and the giant buddha that is lit is beautiful.
Our servers were fantastic with recommendations and prompt service. The lobster pad thai melted in my mouth, the entire table loved the crispy coconut shrimp and scallops.
The sea bass… I’m still dreaming about it! It is in my top 10 of all time for most surprising and most amazing dish. Even our non-​fish eaters that tried it LOVED it. NOM!
We ordered family style, be careful… that can be very dangerous for the bill. It was worth dropping the money for our special trip but it isn’t something I would do every night.

I have been to Tao Downtown a few times for drinks, appetizers and private events. My co worker wanted to dine here for restaurant week and so we did on the last day of restaurant week which was this past Friday night. We had a 6:15 reservation which we ended up being late for due to issues with Über (we called for two cars neither which showed up– that’s another story in itself). I knew we were past the late «grace» period and was worried we would lose our reservation all together especially being a Friday night. However, the host was very accommodating and told us we could sit in the lounge immediately and have a full dinner or wait about 45 min to an hour for a regular table. We decided to wait for a table. I have had appetizers in the lounge before but I didn’t want to have to lean over a cocktail table to eat my meal. We were not in a rush. Exactly 1 hour later our table was ready. I have to say the restaurant week menu is a great value. I ordered the Chilean Seabass appetizer which was delicious! I’m surprised to see other reviews that the portion was small! This is an appetizer, not a main course. You get two skewers of fish. Both are very generous portions. I had the Mongolian beef for the main course which was very good. If you like spicy then order this! However it was not overly spicy in my opinion. To finish off I chose the warm chocolate cake with salted caramel gelato. Chocolate cake=Heaven!!! Delicious! The salted caramel gelato was good, I just felt it was a bit too salty for my taste. I do love a little sea salt in my deserts, I just wish this was a bit more subtle. However, it was not a deal breaker. Did I mention how good the warm chocolate cake was? We also ordered sautéed Bok Choy and Lo Mein for the table. The Bok Choy was delicious and our server forgot about our Lo Mein. Not a deal breaker because the food was plentiful and I don’t think we would have had room for the Lo Mein. All in all our dinner was very good. Drinks are quite expensive here so we switched up to white wine at dinner which is a bit more affordable ($ 12 a drink vs. $ 17). By the time you order two drinks and add tax and tip, that easily another meal! Would I come back here again? Definitely!

We went there last week. Sunday dinner for 2. we had reservation and we waited 30 min. to be seated … the hostess was very unproffetional, she forgot my name, and after that we are asked 3 times in the next 15 min. After that no one came to us to offer something to drink or to give us an explination … no appologies… why this? because it’s supposed to be a good and expensive restaurant and i was looking to have a good time /​service.
The music … was exacltly like in a club, very loud, we didn’t understand the server and he seemed very careless and sour.
In the end we ordered the special of the night… T-​Bone steak 20 oz and i payed 140 $ for that !!! GUYS A KOBE BEEF IS 120 $ and there they charge me 140 $.I was explained that to the server and he was laughthing and he dindn’t no solution.
I wish to give ”0 stars ” to this shamed restaurant and shamed Executive Chef and General Manager. Noboddy bothered to come and see us and we payed and left very upset.

I dined here with group of 10 people on January 1^st. If anything can be described as cool, it’s the Tao Downtown. From the moment you enter the premises, you are hit by the stylish décor and plates of food floating past you, whetting your appetite.
There is a great selection of appetizers and main courses on offer, all centred around the restaurant’s Asian fusion theme. We shared a selection of vegetarian and meat-​fish starters. (Unfortunately do not remember the names of the dishes)
The main course menu doesn’t make your life any easier, with so many delicious sounding dishes to choose from.
The restaurant itself is gorgeous, ambiance was dark exotic, the food is delicious, service was excellent and wine menu was an utter delight. The prices are reasonable for the area. I would definitely recommend it.

LOVED the ambiance. Love their lychee martinis. The cauliflower side was delicious. The 3 way lobster was yummy. I enjoyed everything. Salmon tartar was very good also. Went on a Monday night around 7pm. There were a good amount of people there. Make reservations in advance, especially if you’re going on a weekend day.

Visited this restaurant for restaurant week. the decoration is great. I like the appetizer and the dessert but the main dish (Mongolian beef) is just okay. I don’t like the sauce on the beef. But overall it is not a bad experience. I would like to come back and check out their night club soon. 3.5 overall

The bbq duck rice and the chicken lollipops are my favorite to snack on… But I mostly go here for the delicious drinks!

Decided to try the downtown location to catch up with a girlfriend for dinner. The ambiance is beautiful. I actually like this location setup better than the uptown location. We ordered from the restaurant week menu. The satay Chilean Seabass was delicious! The previous reviews were right about that. My friend had the shrimp pad Thai for her entrée which she enjoyed. I had the bbq chicken which I didn’t really care for. Wish I also ordered the pad Thai. For dessert I had the grasshopper cake which was also delicious. The reasons for me only giving it three stars is because I didn’t like my entrée as well as I didn’t like that I had to order a side separately. My patron pomegranate margarita had no patron in it. But more importantly when I got home I had a horrible stomach ache. I’ll be throwing out my leftovers.

I’ll start from the beginning. Upon entering there’s a coat check which is nice. Once seated we were greeted promptly and the service was consistent throughout the meal. The seating was tight and I could hear my neighbors conversation which I hate. I would expect a bit more room and privacy as this place isn’t cheap.
At the advice of someone here I ordered the mango chili martini which was terrible! Seriously! $ 17 for a 2oz drink that tasted peppery as hell! Skip it!
The Chilean sea bass appetizer while small is tasty. For my entrée I had the Mongolian beef with comes on a small bed of string beans. I ordered a side of white rice. I don’t eat a lot at once so about half way through I was full. The to go bags are pretty nice and I had lunch the next day. For dessert I had the chocolate cake With salted caramel ice cream. It was fantastic!!! I was stuffed but it was so good I finished it.
My friend had the Shanghai fried rice which I found a bit dry/​undercooked and chewy but he loved it.
Overall I think it’s a bit overpriced but the ambiance is very nice and I did enjoy my meal. I would return again.

A few friends and I decided to heck it out for restaurant week. Coordinating an evening that works for everyone– check! Online reservations through open table– check! Trudged through the leftover remnants of one of the largest snow storms in NYC history– check!
Ok, Tao downtown is huge and hip. Definitely the place you want to go to with a big group, ladies night out or maybe even a sexy date (though it can get pretty loud). It’s a place to see or be seen. Dark lights, loud music with dj, sexy couches, great waitstaff and a random 2 level statue in the front and pricey cocktails!
Note– If you’d like to drink MGD on a 2 for 1 happy hour special while wearing your flip flops, this is not the place for you.
I have no idea what the dj’s name is, but I love him! He really went in on the 90s hits. I was snapping my fingers continuously at the table– for real! And this was a Wednesday night.
Onto the food. The menu is just as you’d expect– Asian fusion with a large selection of sushi. We were there for the prix fix meal which unlike that of many other restaurant week participants, actually offered several options. Appetizer– satay of Chilean sea bass on a bed of seaweed (?). Wow! I wanted to lick the plate. It was so full of flavor. I would go back right now, just for that. Onto my entrée. I got the Mongolian beef. It was decent, but honestly after exposing my mouth to the Chilean sea bass, it was impossible to top it. Perhaps if I had this on its own it would have been impressive, but it kinda stopped at just ok for me. Dessert– chocolate cake that came with ice cream. This was really rich. If you love chocolate, you will love it. I typically don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I could make an exception for this from time to time if I needed to.
The only aspect I wasn’t much a fan of was the darkness of the bathrooms. I guess it’s for the sexy factor, but I’m not a fan of trying to figure out which stalls are occupied while walking through a dark hall.
Overall great experience.

Tao was extremely expensive. We expected that, and it would’ve been OK if our meal was outstanding. The service was great, it really was. But the food was just OK. It was extremely salty and there was nothing that just knocked our socks off. There’s really not much else to say.

I went here with a friend, for the first time, during Restaurant Week.
I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass Satay for my appetizer, the Chicken Pad Thai, and the chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream.
All sounds delish, right?
Wrong!
About an hour into my meal, I began to feel sick. Really sick. As in nausea and stomach cramps.
I didn’t want to alarm my friend, so I toughed it out (which was incredibly stupid of me, in retrospect).
I was sick in bed for the next couple of days. Ugh.
I will only have drinks here, next time.

It’s beautifully breathtaking inside. The music is relaxed, and I really liked the atmosphere. The music was not too loud. Great for conversations. I went here with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday party. Prices were steep. I ordered the barbecue duck fried rice for $ 20 and a cocktail drink which was $ 17. We bought a cake for my friend and also had many dishes of appetizers. I was not really impressed by the dish I ordered – maybe because of the portion size. I still felt hungry afterwards. I wish it was more filling. There is not much lighting, so it’s hard to take photographs of the meal and of our dinner party. I love the space, but I found the food just okay. I would need to come back and try it again to really experience it.

We came here on a Thursday night at 7.45pm during restaurant week and really enjoyed it. That said, I’m not sure I would have been as happy if I was paying full price. The atmosphere was great — really buzzing and full despite being reasonably early. We were seated right away at one of the tables on the steps facing the main dining area. It was a great view and would have been perfect for drinks and appetizers but not super comfortable for eating a full meal.
I had the Chilean seabass appetizer — get it! It was delicious and a generous portion, I wouldn’t mind paying full price for that. Also really enjoyed the Mongolian beef main, and the chocolate cake (with hot center) and salted caramel ice-​cream also went down very well. We had lychee martinis which were over-​sweet (too sugary and juice-​like) which was a shame. Other than that everything was tasty. The service was good and drinks came out very quickly. One down side was that the main came out immediately after the appetizers were cleared away, we would have liked a bit more breathing room. We asked for a bigger gap before dessert and they obliged.
I would like to come back but would perhaps do more of a drinks appetizers evening. All in all a fun night and we’re very glad we went.

If there’s one thing Tao does well, it’s create a grandiose, breathtaking setting, so well that you almost forget you’re paying $ 17 dollars for a cocktail and $ 30 for mediocre Asian fusion. The main dining hall is huge, recessed down a grand flight of stairs and under a giant statue lit up with projection lights. There are intimate smaller tables for two or three people lining the staircase down that look like they would be a great place for a date.
The dark ambiance and huge ceiling is pretty stunning after the usual cramped Manhattan everything. Even the entrance is pretty grand — you walk down steps through a dark decorated tunnel before opening to a huge atrium. Food is Asian fusion and pretty meh — they have some weird stuff (tuna sashimi and parmesan??) as well as inexplicably overpriced Asian fare ($ 22 for a plate of greasy chow mein??). The crowd is also a little perplexing — for a place that looks so upscale and ritzy, there was a crowd of kids having a 10 year old birthday celebration next to us right next to what looked and sounded like a very inebriated bachelorette party. Service is great. Standout was the drinks, which were delicious and well mixed — but quite overpriced at $ 17 a pop.
I think Tao is a fun place to check out, especially for the ambiance and the stunning architecture, but I really wouldn’t recommend forking out for an actual full dinner here.

Drinks were excellent — delicious, creative, and strong. The bartender in the bar area of the restaurant was friendly, fast, and did a great job making the drinks.
Came here on a Saturday night after dinner and drinks at Bathtub Gin. The place is freaking huge. The space is truly impressive.
It was nice to be somewhere that had a grown-​up crowd (i.e. mostly in their 30s) — there was no muss, fuss or drama. Seemed to be mostly Eastern Europeans or maybe just lots of b&t folks. But it was a chill, good place to hang out for a drink or two.

Trendy, hip décor and vibrant atmosphere, it really does feel like you’re having dinner in a dim nightclub or what I imagine a modern-​day opium den would look like.
The Restaurant Week appetizers were delicious. The Chilean Seabass on skewers with a light sweet glaze was very tasty. The spicy tuna on crispy rice was pretty good too.
I had an entrée of assorted sushi which included the crunchy spicy yellowtail roll, chef yoshi roll, and angry dragon roll. All were pretty good. The Thai glazed BBQ chicken was soft, nicely cooked chicken with a sweet glaze and vinegary vegetables on top.
I liked the main dishes better than the dessert. The Thai lemon basil sorbet had a strong flavor, I did like that they had small cubes of dragon fruit to go with it.

We stopped in here for drink on a Sunday night after a kind of disappointing ‘watered down’ drinks situation at the Standard Grill, and the place is gorgeous, totally a scene, and great for people watching! I could not believe how packed it was at 9pm on a Sunday– this was a rare outing for me on a Sunday night ;) I know I may come off as lame, but I have a job that I just cannot function well at if I am out until 10:30PM, and still do what makes me feel good the next day: i.e. eat right & workout.
The dining room was packed and people were still just casually filtering into the lounge areas. The patrons did look young, so it could be that, because I def went out more/​later in my 20’s…
That said– do other people work? I couldn’t believe how many people were here! Either it is a testament to the food, which I did not get to try, or the fabulous interior, or the area… I was sorry we did not eat here and I will definitely be back– the room (s) are gorgeous, fantastically laid out, and like I said, full of beautiful/​interesting people.
I just cannot give it 5 stars until I try the food, because it IS a restaurant, but the drinks and service were great, as was the atmosphere and people watching, so think 4.5 out of 5 for now ;)

This is the place to be seen. Walking into here and into the dining room, I felt like I was in an episode of Sex and the City. Beautiful people everywhere, delicious food and gorgeous space. Note that Tao will not seat you unless your entire party is present, which can be a bit annoying since everyone always has that friend that is running late.
Service is top-​notch. Food is super expensive. But the quality and presentation are great. I was a bit disappointed that the entrees do NOT come with rice but once I received my coconut shrimp, I knew I would not need it since the portion to me was a pretty good size. Desserts here are amazing, especially the huge fortune cookie that was chocolate cream on one side and vanilla on the other.
Now this is not a place I would generally come to often, but for a special occasion such as a friend’s bday or an anniversary, I would definitely recommend it. Just make sure to dress to impress!

Tao Downtown is gorgeous. The mood is set as soon as you enter the restaurant. I’d say the vibe is zen, and the environment is definitely upscale.
I went to Tao for lunch during NYC restaurant week. Since it was near my office I figured I’d give it try, and I’m happy I did. We were seated in one of the booths on the first floor, and we were actually seated next to celebrity Randy Jackson (cool)! The dining area is beautiful. We saw a family seated at a table filled with roses (so breath taking) right next to the huge statue. Our meal was well executed, and surprisingly filling. I ordered the chicken satay for an app, and he ordered crispy veggie rolls, both were delish. I ordered chicken moo shu for the main course, and he ordered the glazed salmon (with udon noodles). We were stuffed and didn’t have enough room for desert, so we decided to take it home, and I’m glad we did. He had banana pudding and I had chocolate parfait, both were bomb (especially since we enjoyed it in the comfort of our home). Tao did not disappoint.
Overall I’d give my experience 3.5 stars.

So based on these reviews. I guess it’s safe to say that everyone’s experience is individualized! Just like it is everywhere else… Needless to say, my party and I loved it here! Came for my birthday dinner, reservations at 1115pm… Didn’t sit until 1145pm. Fine. We know they want us to spend money at the bar before we sit which we had no problem doing but it’s like can you make that anymore obvious… They shot us a text when our table was available which was nice… Drinks were strong and I mean I can’t speak on the price but I’m sure they were like $ 15−20/drink. It’s NYC .it’s Tao… and they can do that. If you come to an upscale place in the city and expect to pay less well then you’re sadly mistaken. Go elsewhere lol.
The place itself if pretty phenomenal looking. Huge space, high ceilings, just the right amount of Buddhas decorating this place. It’s pretty perfect and the atmosphere def optimizes your experience.
The food was amazing. Ordered the shrimp fried rice. seared tuna… Chilean sea bass skewers… Some roll… And these little chicken lollipops… Oh my god. We have not one complaint about the food… The winner for me was definitely the satay of Chilean sea bass. You must order them, it’s like the best cut of fish cooked perfectly. It tasted amazingly buttery and melted in your mouth with a sweet splash of whatever that glaze was on it. They were so tasteful and we really loved them. Everything else was so delicious as well and we were full! Your best bet is to go with a few people and order a bunch of shit… It’s perfect .
Def splurge and get the fortune cookie. Everyone at the table gets a fortune and I mean they were pretty appropriate for each person at our table hahaha… It has this fluffy, deliciously airy mousse inside. I favor vanilla more than chocolate but it comes with both… I wish they had one full of vanilla mousse! They also serve it with fresh fruit …
Our experience was really great. Food came out quick. Waiter attentive… I can see how it gets crazy in here or people have a crappy experience with it. It’s the city. people are in here mainlining drinks trying to remember fun and it can get hectic Bc it’s attached to a friggin club lol…
Also, the promoters on here are really annoying lol promote on your own pages I’m sure you guys have like 20 IGs and other public forums where you beg people to come in there…

El tiempo de espera con reservación es alto mas o menos 1 hora pensé que era en punto llegamos 5 minutos antes y ufssss al llegar nos dicen pasen a la barra en un rato los llamamos el rato es 1 hora y 10 minutos