TAO Chicago
632 N Dearborn St, Chicago
(224) 888-0388
Recent Reviews
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They host events for people that enjoy killing kids
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I think this place is underrated. I would give it 4.5, 4.6 overall. I walk by this restaurant all the time and always wanted to try, out but they are definitely overpriced, so I waited many years till I eventually went on restaurant week. Three items on restaurant week, Tuna tartar on crispy rice is so so, not to my like, but the steak is great, the desert is super generous portion. But this place is not just food, the decoration is beautiful, the service is very comfortable. Although I would like they play some oriental music during dinner time instead of loud western music. But it is a good experience just being there. I would definitely go back again some other time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Highly over rated place and overpriced. Loud music that gets louder, dark environment, overcrowded seating, service could also be better(maybe they can tuck in shirts so they dont dip into my drink). Worth one time visit to see Buddha and taste the food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
The ambience is definitely amazing. Very nicely designed interior for the restaurant. Food was ok. Not as good as expected. Every dish had a lot of sweetness. We like sweet and sour together but, the sweetness was too much and killed the taste. The best dishes we ordered were, Chicken Satay, Avocado Tempura and Vegetarian fried rice. The Thai sweet and spicy shrimp was too sweet, the pad thai noodles were also too sweet and the cantonese cauliflower was nice and crispy but again, same sweet sauce! There should be some hot sauces served at the table to add to the food but nothing was provided or served. The mocktails were disappointing. We love asian food and have eaten at all good asian restaurants. Never have we experienced so much sweetness in all the dishes. There is more of a hot, sour and spicy taste in asian food which seemed missing. But, overall, the experience was good and we loved the place minus the food. Guess we should have gone to the bar for the happy hour instead. Maybe that would have had better food with the drinks.
TAO is vast and impressive, the kind of space that makes you pause mid-sentence and look up. I hadnβt been inside a TAO in at least 20 years, and never the Chicago location, but Restaurant Week felt like the right excuse to revisit my past and see how it aged. (Pretty well, it turns out.)
Start at the bar and arrive early β the lychee martini is very sweet, but at happy hour prices itβs basically irresponsible not to have one (or two) before heading to your table.
We kicked things off with the Spicy Tuna Tartare on Crispy Rice, which leaned a bit hotter than my personal comfort zone, but was still solid. The Pork Potstickers, however, were the runaway hit β amazing, addictive, and I absolutely could have eaten a dozen without regret.
The Cashew Chicken was surprisingly clever: somewhere between sweet & sour chicken and cashew chicken, but executed at a level that makes you think, βThis is like P.F. Changβsβ¦ but in the best possible way.β Comfort food with ambition.
The Wagyu Skirt Steak was plentiful, perfectly cooked, and delicious. I wasnβt a fan of the cilantro lime dip, but thankfully the soy sauce on the table understood the assignment and handled things just fine.
Cocktails continued their subtle mission to disguise alcohol. The TAO-tini was tropical, sweet, and dangerously easy to drink β a recurring theme.
Dessert was indulgent. The Chocolate Buddha was large, rich, and layered with chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. But the surprise winner was the banana pudding, which quietly stole the show.
We also added a crunchy spicy yellowtail roll, which was a great addition and far less spicy than the tuna β a welcome plot twist.
Overall, TAO delivered exactly what you want from it: scale, fun, solid food, and drinks that sneak up on you. Iβm already looking forward to coming back with a group to try more dishes β assuming it doesnβt tip too far into clubby territory next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We took the 2:30pm reservation and there was barely any food or dessert left. The sushi that was out was warm. It was super noisy. Overall would give it a 2/10, our waiter was nice and the place was unique.
so, we actually had to leave with out eating. Our reservation was for 8 pm. We were not seated until about 8:20 pm. On Saturday night this is a Bumping CLUB, with a DJ. It was so loud in there you could not hear the person across the table from you. I have dined at Tao in Las Vegas and loved it. This was just a horrible experience. Maybe it was because it was Saturday night, but I did not expect the loud, crazy jam music.. If I had wanted to go to a club it would have been ok, but I just wanted dinner. Wont make that mistake again.
Food is great. Service is great... the ambience is just beautiful. I'll definitely go back time of the time.π₯°πππΎ. Although I've yet to experience the club, but it's on the to-do list.
Perfect evening for dinner our daughter and her college friends ... accommodated adding last minute additional guest with a great table, service was good not great, waiter kept disappearing but food made ip for it ... really good portions and every dish was really good.
Restaurantji Recommends
Reservation for 8:30 and still wasnβt seated by 9:30 when I decided to walk out. On top of that the host was rude and had a ton of attitude when clearly theyβre the ones overbooking guests.
Service: 1
Amazing. We love Tao. They gave the seat that I requested for my son's Bday celebration. The food was delicious. The service was excellent.
TAO is vast and impressive, the kind of space that makes you pause mid-sentence and look up. I hadn't been inside a TAO in at least 20 years, and never the Chicago location, but Restaurant Week felt like the right excuse to revisit my past and see how it aged. (Pretty well, it turns out.) Start at the bar and arrive early β the lychee martini is very sweet, but at happy hour prices it's basically irresponsible not to have one (or two) before heading to your table. We kicked things off with the Spicy Tuna Tartare on Crispy Rice, which leaned a bit hotter than my personal comfort zone, but was still solid. The Pork Potstickers, however, were the runaway hit β amazing, addictive, and I absolutely could have eaten a dozen without regret. The Cashew Chicken was surprisingly clever: somewhere between sweet & sour chicken and cashew chicken, but executed at a level that makes you think, βThis is like P.F. Chang's... but in the best possible way.β Comfort food with ambition. The Wagyu Skirt Steak was plentiful, perfectly cooked, and delicious. I wasn't a fan of the cilantro lime dip, but thankfully the soy sauce on the table understood the assignment and handled things just fine. Cocktails continued their subtle mission to disguise alcohol. The TAO-tini was tropical, sweet, and dangerously easy to drink β a recurring theme. Dessert was indulgent. The Chocolate Buddha was large, rich, and layered with chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. But the surprise winner was the banana pudding, which quietly stole the show. We also added a crunchy spicy yellowtail roll, which was a great addition and far less spicy than the tuna β a welcome plot twist. Overall, TAO delivered exactly what you want from it: scale, fun, solid food, and drinks that sneak up on you. I'm already looking forward to coming back with a group to try more dishes β assuming it doesn't tip too far into clubby territory next time.
I flew in from AZ and was so excited to experience Tao. Upon arrival the environment was amazing, food was good and great music. My friend and I decided to sit at the bar. Jaylynn was horrible. She had absolutely no energy, not personable, negative body language, and no smile. At one point she was slamming down cups and mixers on the bar top, disturbing to watch. She definitely needs to be retrained on customer service and experience because based on our experience with her, we will never return to this location. As a bar tender you are suppose to engage, keep good vibes, keep the food and drinks coming, This company should truly rethink whoβs representing them at Sunday Brunch for the city!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Very welcoming service, great food, had a good time there, nice decoration also.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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