TAO Uptown

Hi, I was able to book a table for 9 people at 7 pm on a Friday night by calling the restaurant that morning when they opened around 11:30 am. No issues! I noticed some negative reviews about unpleasant servers but we experienced none of that. I was a little nervous because the restaurant is so popular but we were given a small welcome by the hostess desk. We then waited in the bar lounge area for the rest of our party to arrive. We were seated at a great table in the center of the restaurant to admire the massive Buddha and beautiful decor. Then drum roll please…. We meet our server. It’s Precious!!!!! I had just read amazing reviews online about her service and had wondered if we would be fortunate enough to have her help us!!!!!! She’s amazing and so informative in a way that it’s like talking to a good friend. She will guide you to the best food choices and was super helpful with my best friend who has dietary concerns for gluten free food options. She was super attentive, she spoke to the chef about making a sushi roll for my 5 year old daughter that wasn’t exactly on the menu knowing how difficult it can be with picky child eaters. We were blessed to have her services and I hope Tao knows that!!!! I also saw other servers working very hard along with a person who seemed to be the manager. And I don’t want to forget the gentleman who cleaned up our dishes, brought our water. Very kind and fast! We enjoyed our drinks, I had the Ruby red dragon and my husband had a Midway mule. The sushi rolls were fresh and yummy. I had the shrimp tempura with a delicious sauce on the side. All the small plates and dim sum options we got for the table to share were big hits. We then enjoyed a few desserts that Precious made a wonderful production of bringing to our table; the chocolate Buddha and the 20 layer upside down pineapple cake. Chef’s kiss to our whole experience! Thank you!!!!

“Let go of the world in order to obtain it” as well as “be kind to all and contend with no one” are what stood out the most to me in Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching.” Lao Tzu is of course the founder of Taoism. Or the founder of the concept of “Tao.” But of course, when you combine the philosophy and the stories with food and pleasure, you get the best of both worlds. Both body and mind. And you really can’t go wrong with anything at TAO. Everything I had was great. An excellent menu and an excellent restaurant to say the least.

Ambiance (5/5): The establishment is extremely ornate and decorated in theme from top to bottom. I love how much detail and elegance they put to each room (not to mention the 16-foot buddha statue in the main dining room!) Be aware that the lighting is dim and the background noise is loud! The front bar room is so loud that you have to shout with your guest. Our party of 6 was seated in a tiny booth which we had to ask for an additional chair to accommodate us.<br>Service (5/5): We were able to get someone’s attention to order and we were refilled on water often. The food was organized by appetizers and entrees that arrive all at the same time. The wait between ordering and food felt reasonable to short. The waiter also specified that certain dishes quantity (i.e. potstickers) could be increased to accommodate our party size for an extra cost.<br>Food (5/5): TLDR; every dish was honestly SO good; I was surprised and will rank the items by ‘must get’ to skippable:<br>Short Rib Bao Bun (3 pc): The short rib was so tender and flavorful. The bao bun was soft. The sauce was thick and worked well with the short rib.<br>Pork Potstickers (5 pc): I preferred this over the lobster and scallion dumplings. The exterior skin is pan-fried with a nice glaze, hint of truffle. The bite was umami from the creaminess of the Parmigiano Reggiano.<br>Chicken Satay (3 pc): The 3 pieces of chicken were relatively large, very tender, seasoned well. They were well complemented with the peanut sauce that is worth keeping to dip into other things! Don’t sleep on the side of spicy cucumber salad, which was so well balanced in tartness and flavor.<br>Pad Thai: This is one of the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had! The flavors are bursting, with a balance of sweetness, nuttiness from the peanuts, and tartness from a squeeze of lime.<br>Peking Duck for 2: This dish is definitely more than enough for our party of 6 and appeared to be a half serving of the whole duck. The duck pieces are pre-cut for us to self-assemble into the wraps (not the usual bao bun but like thin tortilla wraps). I think I counted 8 wraps?<br>Triple Pork Fried Rice: The rice has a lot of depth and generous chunks of pork. The rice is thicker than regular jasmine with a more chew which I liked.<br>Dragon Tail Spare Ribs: Although this has a nice flavor, handling with your fingers makes them super sticky for your whole dining experience. The restaurant should give out wet towelettes if this dish is ordered!! Meat was tender and easy to chomp off the bone.<br>Tuna Tartare: A small quarter-sized tartare dollop is served atop a small cube bread. The fish was fresh, presentation was beautiful. Was hoping for more tartare for the price point but it was very good. Overall, the dish was not filling so would skip if the party is hungry.<br>Lobster and Scallop Dumplings: Great flavor with reasonable chunks of meat inside. Just preferred the potstickers a lot more!<br>Bok Choy: Pieces were chopped in half and cooked with a nice crunch. Topped with something that gave it more texture. The garlicy taste was forward (in a good way).<br>Rainbow Roll: While it was fresh and the individual pieces were large in portion, this felt like any other sushi roll. Skip this!<br>Side of White Rice is $9?! That’s theft and is skippable<br>The amount of food ordered was probably a little more than what we needed but glad we ordered as many as we did.

I’m keeping it 100 because for a $140+ solo dinner, the experience should be seamless. There were some serious culinary highlights, but the service was a major letdown.<br>​The Service: 1/5<br>I felt invisible from the jump. Security door entrance ignored me while on their phones. Once I sat at the bar, it got worse. Two male bartenders ignored me for over a 2 minute while I was sitting right in front of them. I eventually had to raise my voice just to get Diego’s attention, which is frustrating—you shouldn’t have to "be loud" just to be acknowledged at an upscale spot.<br>​The Food: 4/5<br>The kitchen was the saving grace of the night:<br>​The Best: The Yellowtail was incredible, and the Rock Shrimp Lettuce Wraps and Red Dragon drink were delicious.<br>​The Okay: The Salmon was standard. The Tuna Tartar was tasty but tiny—more of a snack than a dish.<br>​The Disappointment: The Lobster Wontons were more like potstickers.<br>​The Drinks: 2/5<br>I loved the "Woman of Power" Sake Flight—highly recommend! However, as a fan of the anime Bleach, I was hyped for Ichigo’s Dream. It was a total miss—extremely sour despite being described as sweet. I also had concerns about the "bottled" gin used; it didn't have a label and tasted like a well drink. Even though I didn't enjoy it, I was still charged for it.<br>​Verdict: The menu is massive and there are some gems here, so I’d come back for the food, but the hospitality needs to match the price point.

Lucky Hour...Tao's version of happy hour starts at 5. its okay, nice vibe (kind of), no welcome or hello at entry, no one to open the very heavy doors, no waitress until after giving up and ordering at bar, food presentation a little adorable but unbearably sweet. Chicken wings fairly priced and big but TOOO sweet. Drink was nice if you like sweet drinks especially for the price. crowd was mostly business after work which was nice. personally I won't be back but somebody else might enjoy it - for the price in the city, It's worth a visit.

Celebrating my 50th birthday on April 1st at Tao was already special, but our host, Precious truly made it unforgettable. From the moment we were seated, she guided us through the menu with incredible knowledge and care—recommending standout dishes from appetizers all the way through dessert, along with perfect pairings that elevated the entire experience.<br><br>Every suggestion was spot-on, and you could tell she genuinely wanted us to have the best possible evening. What meant even more was her kindness and attention to detail—she took the time to capture beautiful photos of us.<br><br>Her professionalism, warmth, and thoughtful service went above and beyond. I highly recommend Precious to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. She made a milestone birthday truly extraordinary.

I bought my partner here for his birthday and it was also my first time and it was such a great experience all around. I've been wanting to go here for years and I finally got around to it.<br><br>The atmosphere is really great, I absolutely loved the low-light ambiance and the music was a vibe. You truly feel like you're in another world once you go behind the doors, it's almost jarring to leave and realize you're smack back in the UES. The lounge when you first arrive to wait to be seated is really cute and trendy, but welcoming to all types of people.<br><br>We were seated directly next to the Buddha statue and Koi fish (please give them more space, they are living things not decoration) in our own little corner and it was perfect. The service was great, very prompt but we didn't feel rushed and always was able to get someone to come to us if we needed anything or to order drinks.<br><br>The food? Chef's kiss. I had the Lobster and Kimchee rice and it truly was SPECTACULAR. My partner is not into seafood and he tried some and was blown away by how delicious it was and how much even he liked it. He had the Orange Chicken which was also amazing and for appetizers we had the Lobster Parmagiana wonton and another dish that was so good and had the perfect amount of spice.<br><br>The only callout I do have is the bathroom attendant and the fact that the male attendant was soliciting tips. It's already truthfully unnecessary as hell to have a grown person there providing soap and tissue to dry hands and very uncomfortable considering how small the bathroom was, but to also have them asking for tips as if they personally were in the stalls with people is weird behavior. In a country where tip culture has become ridiculously egregious, this was just stupidity over the top. Other than that great experience all around and we will be back.

Having visited many TAO locations across the country, I can say this is easily one of the most vibrant. The staff is typically friendly and professional; however, this visit was a bit of a letdown. Our waitress took orders for only half of our party of 16 and didn't return for another 30 minutes—and only then after we spoke with the manager. Despite the service lapse, it was still a fun night out. The food was amazing as usual. I highly recommend the chillian sea bass paired with the veggie fried rice.

Overall was very satisfied with our meal here! We loved our appetizers so much we ordered another round! The food and the drinks were just simply delicious. Definitely worth the hype!

This was my boyfriends and I first time ever coming here and it was 10/10. Our waiter Precious ( sorry if i didn’t spell it right) was amazing to us. She helped us understand the menu and was easy to talk to. The drinks she recommended and had were the best drinks i’ve ever tasted, and I told her that too- this is the best drink I’ve ever had. She definitely goes above and beyond to make her guest at the table feel welcome and comfortable. The food as well- delicious, hot and fresh. This was splendid and we’d definitely come back.

Fun place. I was nervous because the ratings weren't better but this place showed up!! I called to make a reservation for 1. The man was very helpful. I did the restraunt week special. The tuna tartar was a delicious mix of unami and spice. The Thai shrimp we're perfectly coated in sticky sweet sauce and the veggies were a good balance. To top it off an interactive dessert with crunchy and sweet hazel nuts vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate mousse. 👏🏽 Well done Tao.

Start with their Martini Flights — I chose lychee, appletini, and lemon drop 🍸<br>They have a great prix-fixe menu, which is an amazing deal for the day.<br>I started with the Vietnamese Chicken Salad and had the Kung Pao Chicken as my entrée — everything was delicious.<br>Don’t forget to ask for the Banana Pudding for dessert… best dessert in town!<br>Great prices and excellent service. Highly recommend!

Came here for a birthday dinner, overall the service and food could be slightly better for our party of 7. We had the seafood fried rice on a hotplate, sea bass with mango salad, and 2 pad thai noodles, sausage and shrimp fried rice and the snow pea veggie dish and orange covered chicken. IMO, for the price of the seafood fried rice on the sizzling hot plate is totally not worth it. Also had the dessert sampler which looked amazing. Pretty much we are there just for the atmosphere of the restaurant. It isn’t anything authentic if that is your thing. For 7 people outta the door plus tips is about $380.. which is somewhat reasonable.

Old but still contemporary.<br><br>Such a value. Lunch special!<br>We had vegetable rolls, shrimp, wraps for appetizers and kungpao chicken, noodle, steak for main. Couldn't eat them all.<br>Grand interior never gets old.<br>Serving very cordial as well.<br>Next time, may come alone and eat at the bar.

Worth all of the hype— dishes, ambiance and service are all truly fantastic. Making a reservation is an absolute must. My date booked online for a late Saturday night and we were pretty much seated on time. The filet mignon with black garlic, shiitake butter and sun chokes was divine. The spicy tuna on crispy rice was extravagant. Many other tables enjoyed that as a shared plate as well. My date loved the traditional orange chicken and we shared an order of vegetable fried rice. Highly recommend for an evening of contemporary flair and upscale dining.