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Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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I love this place! Partly for the fond memories surrounding us going, but the food was fantastic! I had never been a fan of sushi before (in fact, had a few bad experiences with sushi) but was willing to try a "good" place. Wow! So yummy!! Highly recommend it!
There were four of us in the party and we didn't have reservations--highly recommend you make reservations--so we had to wait for like an hour. We sat in the bar downstairs and got properly drunk while we waited. By the time we were heading to our table, it was standing room only, and difficult to move.
As with everything else in Vegas, it's pricey. But worth it. With dinner, you get a hand stamp to get into the club upstairs for free. That was pretty cool. Unfortunately I was with some people that didn't want to go to the club, so I just poked my head in and looked around but didn't stay.
The bathrooms were very cool too.
It was almost midnight when we settled the bill and left. The place was PACKED and the music was loud, but enjoyable. I'd definitely go back again and again!
The only downside, besides being pricey, was that it was hard to find inside the Venetian. I'm not sure which entrance it's at, but I always get lost inside The Venetian!
I tried giving Tao Restaurant a second chance, but it has still failed to redeem itself from previous experiences. A huge factor in my poor rating for this venue was the lackluster service. I called about 2 weeks in advanced to make a reservation for 7 and we STILL had to wait over 40 minutes for our table to be set. What's the point of making a reservation if we're stuck waiting in the lounge anyway? The hostesses were not very helpful or friendly either. "Your table will be ready in a few minutes" turned into a dreadful prolonged standstill in our evening. I have the slightest feeling they dragged it out intentionally just to entice us to order drinks in the lounge, but we did not cave.
Finally seated in the nippy upper level right in front of an overpowering AC system, us poor gals decked out in Vegas-appropriate dresses shivered as well browsed through the menu. The fish clay pot I had my eyes set on was taken off the menu, so I played it safe and ordered the black peppered filet mignon w/ udon once again. It took me a while to regain the sensation in my tongue from the blazing hot flavor, but the rest of my friends thought it was pretty tasty. The miso glazed Chilean seabass was one of the best dishes at the table. Who knew such a thick, buttery, succulent filet accompanied by a pile of spinach could be so worthy of drooling-status.
I still think the prices are overpriced for what you're getting. $18 for fried rice is just flat out absurd. The only reason we decided to dine here was to get stamped for the nightclub so we could pass up the entire line with free cover. Smart idea if you plan on dancing the night away at Tao, but after this experience, I'd much rather scout for VIP passes on the strip or find a promoter for a hook up.
PS: Don't forget to bring floss if you order the black pepper filet mignon. I walked out front door with black specks all over my teeth. Hawtness.
The food is just so-so. Felt a tad overpriced, but the menu was very unique. I ordered the black… Read more »
Went here this past Saturday for a friend's birthday dinner. We were only able to get a 6:45pm spot because we called to make a reservation the day prior to arrival.
I love the dim lighting and overall ambiance of Tao Restaurant. The place is bit noisy to be a romantic dinner date spot, but it suited our needs for the birthday dinner. The club music playing in the background pumped us up for later.
We hung out at the lounge while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive and took advantage of the photo ops. This place offers eye candy galore for both men and women...bonus!
Items we ordered:
* Lobster Wontons with Shiitake Ginger Broth ($18) - my friends said this was tasty. I didn't try any, so can't attest to the taste...although it smelled wonderful. The wontons were served in a clay pot, simmering gently in it's ginger broth.
* Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Vegetables ($34) - this dish was once again very delicious. The fish was cooked just right...crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside. The stir-fried veggies and fried tofu pieces rounded out the dish perfectly.
* Crispy Spicy Tuna Roll ($16 / six pieces) - I really enjoyed this roll, which consisted of spicy minced tuna spread thickly on crispy rice cakes (cut into rectangular pieces).
* TAO Angry Dragon Roll with Eel & Kabayaki Sauce ($15 / eight slices) - I enjoyed this roll, but it's just your standard eel roll...nothing special about it.
* Kobe Tartar Tempura ($19 / eight slices) - The minced Kobe beef was wrapped in seaweed, which was then encased in sushi rice and deep fried. On the side was a bed of marinated, sliced Shiitake mushrooms (which was sweet and delicious).
* Black Pepper Sizzled Filet Mignon with Udon Noodles ($29) - can't say much about this since I didn't get a bite, but it looked and smelled good. The serving was plentiful, compared with the other dishes.
* Molten Chocolate Cake ($10) - this came with coconut ice cream, but they honored our request for vanilla ice cream instead.
* Assorted Ice Creams and Sorbets ($8) - served with a couple of almond sesame cookies.
Drinks: Glass of Scarbolo Pinot Grigio ($10) / Tao-Tini ($13) / Orange Dragon ($13) / Bottle of Corona ($8).
For our entertainment, we witnessed this drunk lady that somehow ended up on the lap of the huge Buddha. She was posing for pics until security escorted her out. I guess we're not supposed to sit on the Buddha's lap? Darn!
Another great experience at Tao Restaurant. I will always make it a point to dine here on every Las Vegas trip. Can't wait to experience this place with my future boyfriend. ;-P
The girls and I decided to dine here on Saturday night at 5:15pm. Yes, we dined that early. I… Read more »
I ate here and was rushed in and out like I was in some fast food joint. Our server made up their mind that we were not big tippers (ageist, much?) and treated us accordingly to their wrong assumption. The food was okay but not worth the price or hype. I loved the decor and ambiance. My drink left something to be desired, as well. Will not be returning to any of this chain's locations. Not well played, sir!
My experience with Tao's Restaurant started before we even sat down to eat! I actually set up a reservation for a party of 11 with Maria - the res manager a week before we were in town. She just had me fill out a very simple CC Auth and we were good to go.
Getting to the hostess stand can be a little bit of a journey as by the time you are getting in for dinner, people are already lined up to get into the club. Once you make it to the bathtubs (best part of TAO hands down) you are golden!
And on to the food...
Started the meal with Pork or Chicken (sorry, I forget) Gyoza. It was good but CMON BABY, Gyoza is Gyoza. We also had the Vegetable Dumplings with Crunchy Cucumber Salad. Both were so light and refreshing.
My entree was a wassabi crusted Fillet with Onion Rings and a side of Sake braised Shiitake Mushrooms. The Mushrooms were so tastey and perfectly tender. I had when Shiitake's get mushy. The fillet came out a true medium rare and the Wassabi crust set it over the top. My spoiled ass even found a cab from Napa on the wine list. **Side note - don't you have being out of California and seeing whack wines on the menu?**
Too bad I didn't leave room for that Giant Fortune Cookie I keep hearing about.
After dinner you can also get a stamp that can get you another stamp that gets you into the club for free!
I've been to the club here before, which will be reserved for a seperate review. Dining at Tao is one of those Vegas experiences that you will remember. Located at the Venetian, which is like a LEGO-land comprised of the Gritti Palace and the Royal Danieli with St. Mark's and the Grand Canal thrown in for good measure, Tao is a Buddhist temple amid this garbled baroque mess.
You will need reservations here and expect to have a drink at the bar, which isn't all too bad considering the loads of eye candy hanging around, as if they are apart of the scenery, so you will be sure to see something that you like. Take the opportunity to order a Grey Goose and soda, sit on one of the couches, and look at all the hot Asian broads w/their raven tresses and wasp-thin waists, and the European bitches in their Milanese high heels and tossed-boob salad exploding out of their wrap-dresses. Yes, yes, tres chic, I know.
The dining room is dim, crowded, and there's a thousand conversations going on at one and the same time. Not sure if I'd come here for a "special occasion" type of dinner, as in ask your girl to marry you or to tell your mistress you're married. Our waiter was cool, reminded me of a SoCal dude, like he'd hang out in Venice Beach.
For dinner we started off with the spicy tuna tartare and kobe beef shashimi - both were to die for (the tuna was crisp and crunchy, and the kobe beef was like eating Kobe Tai, go figure). With our main course (we both got the miso glazed Chilean sea bass) we paired it up with the lobster and kimchi rice (again, an excellent choice).
I'm a sake novice and was open to suggestion: we started off with the sake sampler, and with our dessert got the sake dessert sampler, I believe, and me and my bud both agreed that the cloudy Voices in the Mist was our least favorite - I walked out of here a bit rocked. For dessert we opted for the giant fortune cookie.
In the end, $244.00 for two before tip, which, in my opinion, isn't bad at all considering what we got. Will definitely make it here again and do our best to revitalize the economy.
Ok so maybe I could get equally good or better Chinese food back home in the SF bay area but the decor and service here were remarkable! I loved the giant Buddha although I found it amusing since Taoism doesn't necessarily+buddhism. But that's ok it was really fun to check this place out, now if only the prices were a bit more reasonable I'd be a real fan.
We had the tuna tartar (sort of japanese style), the peking duck for 2 which was very tasty but small, and some veggies in a black bean sauce that was very tasty as well.
Cool ambieance!
Good food!
A little on the pricey side but worth it.
I had the miso glazed sea bass
The Venue is a little on the loud side.. we were here for dinner.
The food was tasty, but the service was horrendous. We came to celebrate a birthday, and only saw the server 3 times during the night. My entree didn't come with rice and I asked for a side order, it didn't come until after I was finished with my dinner. The Tao-Tini's are delicious, and the desert was very good. I would forget about their sushi, it was disgusting and unpalatable. Forget about asking the manager for anything because he does not care. We were promised a front of the line stamp to get into the night club, but had to wait amost 30 minutes after we paid our bill, for the lady to come by and stamp our wrist.
Good tasting food, but I would go else where next time.
Although I love Tao nightclub, Tao restaurant pales in comparison. We went for dinner and the food is decent, but slightly over-priced for the quality and portion size. We had a nice bottle of wine, the Peking duck for two, black pepper filet mignon, and lo mein with roast pork. The duck seemed a bit over-cooked, the filet mignon was excellent, and the lo mein was probably a poor choice and I'm pretty sure we've all had better at our local Chinese restaurants...
The waitstaff was friendly, albeit a bit slow because it was so busy, and the decor was really gorgeous. A bit loud, but the nightclub is right upstairs so it's not surprising!
But the best part of the dining experience by far was the dessert! We shared a truly awe-inspiring huge fortune cookie filled with white and dark chocolate mousse, complete with a huge paper fortune inside. Amazing and the main reason for the extra star!
TAO!
The best dining experience we ever had!
We set our standards high but TAO always provides!
Pros:
- Decor is something else - The best I ever saw in a resturant! Schick, contemporary and fresh!
- Extremely clean
- Food is to die for! You cant go wrong!
- Service is attentive and usually very professional, personal and upscale!
- This place screams luxury!
What else can you ask in a restaurant?!
Just log into their website to see the style & design!
It is defiantly one of the reasons I like visiting Vegas.
Cons:
- Wait time to be seated can take a while
- Seating at the less private tables can be annoying (too close to other people)
Those are the only things I can think of.
Few Tips:
- As I mentioned, ask for a private table - you'll suffer at the small ones listening to strangers conversations
- A reservation is a must! This place is booked weeks ahead - Order at list 10 days prior!
- If you did not make a reservation, act as if you did and it's their own fault for not updating the list, act mad, surprised and appealed.
Also, if you look like one, act as you are somebody important, celebrity or a hip hop talent. You might need to wait but you will be seated!
Price is expansive but you get what you pay for, and TAO provides a lot In terms of food, service quality and dining experience!
It also got the TAO night club which is awesome, to the best of my knowledge you could enter for free if you were dining that night.
Club is open on weekends only.
Great for groups, dates, business & celebrations!
One of my favorite restaurants in the world!
Yalla Bye!
We celebrated my sister's 30th birthday here. Booked a week in advance and explained that we had to be at a show by 7pm and they were great about our time restrictions and made everything happen. The staff were very fast, friendly and efficient. The food was wonderful especially the duck fried rice. The surprise birthday dessert they prepared for my sister was truly amazing (see pics) and delicious....AND fed the four of us! We loved the atmosphere and my sister said it was the best birthday dinner yet. A great dining experience!
Sort of embarrassed to say that we ate here twice on our 4-day trip - once to get into Lavo nightclub free (although we thought the Tao club would be open that night) and the second time to get into Tao for free right after.
Very good, perhaps slightly overpriced, (but barely) Asian fusion food. Gorgeous, sexy décor and lighting. I had dumplings to start both nights, and veggie pad thai the second night followed by a veggie sampler the second. The sake braised mushrooms we had as a side dish were very rich on the second night.
A great value if you're interested in going to either club, but we weren't especially impressed with either club. Still a decent dinner choice on the Strip.
Ambiance- 5 stars
Service- 4 stars
Food- 3 stars
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4 stars overall
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Sake braised Shitake mushrooms: 4.5 stars. Nomnomnom
Miso glazed sea bass: 4.5 stars- YUM.
Five plus five Ingredient fried rice: 4.5 stars. Good, but a little soggy.
Pad thai noodles: 2.5 stars- Too sweet and some noodles were cooked well and others too soft.
Black pepper sizzled filet mignon with udon noodles: 3.5 stars- noodles good and flavorful, but filet mignon had too much black pepper and salt.
Kung pao chicken: 2 stars- too sweet!
Lobster wontons: 2 stars-meh. Nothing special.
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Even though we had a reservation at 8:30PM, it took them 30 minutes to get us seated on a Saturday night. Our waitress was really nice and helpful, but the lady at the bar downstairs was not nice at all. No smile, only attitude.
Craving some fancy Asian? This is a great hot spot. I put on my high heels and cute little dress and headed over to The Venetian and was not disappointed. The ambiance is very dark and sexy- candle lights and rose pedals floating in tubs of water. The service was great. It seems they have a large staff and are ready for large crowds. This is a great place to eat alone, with a friend or in a large group. The food was good but not spectacular. I ordered a rare Ahi tuna with spinach and it was very salty. The sushi rolls and Salmon specialty with avocado were great. Reservations are recommended, every time I visit this place is packed.
Came here for a business dinner. The club scene here must be really good - otherwise, I don't know why it has the reputation it has. The food was so-so. It's ultra dark and loud in there. It was kind of weird to dine upstairs and see part of the place roped off and empty. I was expecting a cooler vibe.
Have been here several times & I will come here again & again just for the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Vegetables ...it is sooo good! Just melts in your mouth. Thai Fish Hot Pot with Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Squid and Clams also great. Hong Kong Xo Shrimp with Long Beans and Jasmine Rice is good, but I have had better. The Japanese Seaweed Salad Sampler is okay...I guess I don't like seaweed that much. Martinis also yummy...had a watermelon martini which was refreshing.
Service is fast, great. Decor is great...get a 2nd floor table on the edge for a great view of the giant buddha...hey, there is a koi pond under there!! (Didn't notice my first time here).
Highly recommend before coming to Vegas or when in Vegas...call for reservations! Or expect a very long wait, dinner @ 11:30 pm or forget about eating there that night. This last weekend we were there & settled for an early dinner due to their anniversary celebration & with the with likes of P. Diddy there that night...getting in at any other time would have been impossible. Also pricey, but hey it is Vegas.
Solid meal, good environment, but a little too loud during dinner.
I had no expectations for this place, especially because no matter how many times I DON'T want to end up here [at the nightclub], it happens anyway. That being said, this review is for the restaurant, which I can say I'd rather go to more than the nightclub.
The best thing I ate here was the kobe beef sashimi, which was one of our appetizers. My friend claimed it was good. I don't think I will ever doubt his taste in food after tasting the sashimi. It is super flavorful and it felt like a party in my mouth (please, no dirty comments, haha). The lobster and shrimp dumplings were tasty too. The lobster wontons could use improvement, so I wouldn't recommend it.
As for my main course, I had the tuna with peppercorn sauce (I don't think that's on their website menu), which I thought was pretty good until I had a taste of my friend's miso glazed sea bass. Soooooo delectable. It melted in my mouth. I really enjoyed my meal and the wait staff were really nice.
Tao is a bit overpriced, but I'm still willing to come back, especially for the kobe beef sashimi (if I didn't mention it enough times). Plus, it's actually really nice inside. The ambiance and decor are great.
Cool- plain and simple. The ambiance and decor is great, the service is excellent and the food was exceptional. The pad Thai and appetizers (too many to count) were delicious.
The bar area is great if you want to grab a quick drink and something small to start your night. If you are planning on ending your night here- have dinner and get a line pass to the club.
The Verdict: "The ultimate zen experience."
Items ordered: pork chow mein, sushi, other fusion dishes
[Pros]
+Awesome decor with bathtubs filled with petals and candles lighting the dim entryways and a massive buddha statue in the main dining area
+Great food, my favorite was the garlicky, pork chow mein
+Polite service
[Cons]
-Pricey (but it's worth the experience)
-Drinks are really pricey with small proportions
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, a great place to hit if you are in Vegas! Great spot for pictures too!
SOOOOO Overrated. I have had 2 mediocre dining experiences here. I celebrated my birthday here, and it was sooo gross and ghetto. Bottle service at the club was a total rip off, certainly not worth the 400 bucks. We had to walk up 3 flights of what was probably the most gross filthy old staircase I've ever seen (in heels!, wtf?). We were seated outside by the bar on these crappy mat-bench things (which were dirty and dusty). They looked like wrestling mats that you'd see in a high school gymnasium. Also, these gross old hags came over and sat on the bench next to us (they didnt buy a bottle or pay to sit there) and were smoking cigarettes. We had to track down security to ask them to leave. Anyway, the environment was so lame and I was so irritated that I drank waaaay to much (so I wouldn't be aware how badly everything sucked). I blacked out and woke up the next day in my room at the Encore. I was delighted to see that my wallet (and the 3 grand inside it) had been stolen. Being in Vegas with no ID, wonderful, let me tell ya. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing birthday. If you are looking for a special experience, this is not the place. I don't understand why it gets so much press, it's a real dump. Now I know why they have to pay celebs so much to go here. If they weren't getting paid, they wouldnt be caught dead here. And as far as sushi goes, if you want an impressive meal, head to Nobu or Sushi Roku (see my review). My next nightclub experience will probably be at XS, it looks waaaay better.
My first two-star review - and well-deserved, lol.
Why do so many non-asians fall for the Asian-named, fakey Asian themed restaurants?
Could I open a retail establishment with an 'exotic' name like Shangri-La, Tao, or Buddha Bar and start raking in the bucks because Americans believe in exotica due to never traveling internationally?
Le Bistro??
Le Car????
This place is as overrated as they come. My bias is that I don't like Vegas in general, but this place reminds me of the worst fakey aspects of Vegas, Hollywood, and Beverly Bills. The real Buddha might have laughed his belly off at the vanity, superficiality, and ego-parfum of this place, or silently glided through the materialistic depravity.
I had a vegetarian bowl....about 3.00 worth of vegetables with a 400% markup, which was my fault. I read some online reviews that were all so glowing I lost my marbles and went. Lost some bucks, and more importantly I wasted another sliver of my life. Going to Vegas even for that 80 minutes, after being in Zion National Park , almost ruined the serenity I gained the during the whole trip.
The restaurant Tao has nothing to do with the real Way of the Tao, as far as I can see. It's just another trendy, forgettable, disposable waste of time and money, situated in a shopping mall!
Wow - this place is packed! In a crazy way!
I was not a fan of the long lines outside the restaurant that included people who already had reservations. That's a little bizarre to me, but then again, Vegas in itself is pretty bizarre.
Tao wins in the arenas of drinks and appetizers - seriously their Taotini is the most delicious drink I have ever sipped. And the Chilean sea bass skewers were truly incredible.
This is a good place to start your night in Vegas, but make sure to leave plenty of time to wait in line even with a reservation. And prepare to speak loudly to your dining partners because the music is bumpin!
this restaurant is FANCY! it was a nice experience celebrating my bfs 21st bday dinner at this place. everything was expensive-- from appetizer, entrees, sushi, bottles and dessert but totally worth it.
we had:
-for appetizer: scallop tempura --there were only 2 pieces, not worth getting. tasted very bland
-for entrees: 1) kung pao chicken- one of the best! tasty, flavorful and goes very well with jasmine white rice- a must try!
2)shrimp with long beans n rice- it was alright. the beans were good though
3)chef's roll- really yummy n the presentation was wonderful!
4) tao dragon roll- nothing ecstatic about it, but was also just good. not as great as the chef's roll
-for dessert: big fortune cookie - that completed everything! it had white and dark chocolate mousse with fruits surrounding the plate! it was delicious!
our waiter was super kind and did a great job accommodating my party of 5!
So the best meal of the whole vacation goes to... Tao. What do you think of when you think of Tao, besides Winnie-the Pooh, maybe a pathway or a philosophy of the true nature of the world? Tao restaurant located in the Venetian has found their "pathway" through their food.
Unbeknownst to me, Tao is one of the hottest places on the strip. Not only is it a restaurant but a lounge, banquet hall, a club, and celeb hot spot. I guess I know how to pick them! What I like is that the service treats everyone like royalty. The service here is insanely fast and they have more then enough staff on hand. We met one host and then got seated by another, then our server, a water guy, a guy that brings out food, and then a guy that takes it all away. The decor was insane too, dark rich colors, all kinds of fabrics, very bold and very detailed. Of course the 16 foot tall Buddha stands out just a little.
The most impressive attribute about Tao is their food. Tao specializes in Hong Kong Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisines. I know it's a lot but this location is huge so they room for it all. The crispy Tuna roll was unbelievable and all it consisted of was fresh tuna in a roll with a crispy outer ring of something (they wouldn't tell me what is was). Vegetable dumplings and veg egg rolls were surprisingly filling and were perfectly cooked. Of course you have to get something tempura, I recommend the asparagus, it wasn't greasy at all, we loved them. So for dessert you have to get the Giant Fortune Cookie (it's almost the size of your head), yeah it's cheesy but it's filled with white and chocolate mousse and you won't be able to put your spoon down.
Other then the drinks Tao is relatively cheap, at least compared to most of Vegas. But even if it wasn't Tao is worth the visit.
Tao is a pretty good Asian restaurant. and club. and apparently like 5 things in one? anywho, let's start with the restaurant.
the inside looks really nice. giant Buddha statue, waterfalls...and half-naked sumo wrestler posters. that certainly was appetizing
the chicken potstickers were good, but $10 for 5? I guess that's Vegas pricing for you...and for my main meal, I had fried rice with duck, there was not as much meat in the dish as I would hope a $14 bowl of fried rice, although it was fairly tasty.
they have a lot of sake on the list, as well as house specialty drinks. I'm more of a beer guy, so I was pleased to see Kirin and Asahi on the list.
call ahead of time for reservations.
I'd go back next time I go to Vegas, but maybe go for lunch and see if it was cheaper. I was still kind of hungry after the meal.
here's a nice touch - if you go for dinner, you get a stamp to get into the nightclub without (a) waiting on the normal uber-long line [instead you wait on the slightly shorter long line] and (b) paying [not being a nightclub person, this was good].
perhaps I'm just jaded from living in NYC and having large amounts of Asian food available for cheap all around me.
So you want to get into the Tao Nightclub guaranteed without waiting in line for hours?? Have dinner here first !!
We were a party of five (bachelor party). Three of us had the steak, another had the sea bass and i had the sword fish. We also had the dragon roll, two servings of rice, dessert but no drinks. The total came out to around $52 a head (remember we didn't buy drinks) but here's the best part...
After dinner, they will stamp your left wrist that says "Line Pass". Once you get this stamp, go outside of the restaurant and show it to the guy at the front door. He will then give you a stamp on your right wrist (Chinese character) that will "get you in and out of the nightclub as much as you want all night long, no waiting in line".
So really, you can pay cover charge of $30 and wait in line for hours and hours (the line went outside the casino) or you can have a nice dinner and be able to get in and out all night long and not wait in line for an extra $22.
And by the way, i was pleasantly surprised with their food! It was actually very good. At first they said it was a la carte, so i thought their entrees would be small but surpringly they were not. Take our word coming from five grown men that by the end of dinner we were actually pretty full!
Dinner was very good but the ' in and out as much as you want, no waiting in line ' option was VERY much well worth it !!
It's amazing how many people will flock to, and convince themselves they enjoyed, an establishment built largely on hype and trashy Hollywood party skanks. Tao broke my number one restaurant rule; they made us wait 20+ minutes for a Monday night reservation.
Thankfully, Paris Hilton upskirts and Lohan sightings aren't enough to compel me to wait around to be seated after we had a reservation; so we left. And when we did; they could've cared less. Shocker.
If you have ever dined in Las Vegas then you know it's all about show here. I have been to Tao In NYC and while the food and atmosphere were stellar, they cannot compare to the service I received at the Vegas location. On the way in, giant tubs full of fresh rose petals line the hallway, there is a giant Buddha in the dining room.
The waiter was SO knowledgeable that he was just speaking extemporaneously...just shooting from the hip about the preparation, the sauces, making recommendations. He didn't look at a menu or refer to a notepad ONCE.
Scrumptious! Loved Tao, we had an early reservation, 5 p.m. as we were going to see Phantom of the Opera, so I cannot verify the issues of other reviews who had to wait a long time even with a reservation.
We were promptly seated, and hats off to Titus our server. He was fabulous. When asking for recommendations he was honest and truthful offering an explanation as to why he felt the way he did about a dish. He was attentive, friendly and fun to interact with during our dining experience.
Now to the food, we started with the Lobster Wontons, steamed and not fried and exquisite. The lobster was perfectly cooked, and the ginger broth was amazing, 5 wontons was a great starter, but left us wanting many more.
I ordered the Wok Seared New York strip, it was seared to perfection with a nice crust on the outside, yet tender on the inside. The sauce is bursting with strong Asian flavors that are a perfect accompianment.
Tony ordered the Omakase, which is sushi and sashimi and is the Chef's choice. He was thrilled with everything served on the plate.
The food was wonderful,so we decided to break with tradition and order dessert, that turned out to be a good decision. We ordered the Chocolate Eggrolls served with an Orange dipping sauce, again, truly amazing, there is nothing better than something with a crunch and oozing warm melted chocolate.
Can't wait to go back!
So since my cousins and I were on a budget, we decided to all share our orders. We ordered pad thai, shrimp tempura and some eggrolls.
The pad thai wasn't anything extraordinary. I personally like the pad thai that I've had at San Jose with many ingredients. Tao totally skimped out on us..which brings me to the shrimp tempura. So, when we ordered the shrimp which was $8, we expected there to be at least enough shrimp for the eight of us. however, when the waiter brought out our order, it consisted of two shrimps on a tiny platter. They weren't even prawns, they were those small tiger shrimps that you can buy in bulk at your local asian store for $8 a pack! Ridiculous! We expected at least four pieces of good sized shrimp but for a tiny cocktail shrimp?? No, that was a waste of our 8 bucks. Lastly, my favorite has to be the eggrolls. Maybe I was overcome with hunger but they tasted really good.
As a nightclub that serves food, this is really up there in terms of flavor and quality. I don't know if comparing this to other "club food" is setting the bar too low, but this place definitely delivered.
We had Tao reserved for a company function and the food was top notch, the staff friendly and the alcohol mixing excellent. Each table got a huge plate of delicious sea bass (among other dishes) and everything was gone at the end of the night. I realize its hard to screw up sea bass since it usually comes out shiny and melts in your mouth like a stick of butter, but w/e. It was awesome.
There is a decent amount of presentation involved as well, both in the setting and the actual dishes. I wish I had more details but the open bar slowly made the entire evening blurry and dark. Fun of course....but like...what happened again..? Go eat here, dont expect like 5 star restaurant experience but its fun. If social house was still open at TI then I'd rather eat there but its closed now.
This place was surprisingly good. The interior is beautiful with Asian influences, spacious, simple yet elegant, and very dim. The service was very good and timing of the dishes perfect! Atmosphere was nice and seems like a nice, trendy, romantic place.
- Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice: good, rice was crispy, sauce good
- Filet Mignon Udon Noodles: delicious beef, noodles were good, balanced peppery flavor
- Seafood Claypot: saucy, variety of seafood, scallops were excellent
Everything was good and not overly seasoned as most fusion places do it. Service was great and the atmosphere was nice. Quite a pleasant surprise as I did not expect this hot club spot to have such good food.
This place is wonderful! Service was right on!! (Shout-out to Josh!!) Soo cute, but very knowledgeable and knew the menu inside and out. He also gave great trick on how to order besides the typical a la carte.
The cocktails were delish, very creative and original.
TOTALLY would come back.
Go for dinner and stay for the club...very cool place. The pad-thai was excellent and the service was responsive and pleasant. The bartenders in all areas were fast getting drinks and appreciated a heavy tip with an even heavier pour. Reservations were very helpful.
My only complaint about Tao is the incense or whatever it is that blasts you when you walk in the door. Once my lungs adjusted and I stopped feeling like I was about to have an asthma attack (note: I don't have asthma.. thats how much smokey smelly craziness in the air), the rest of the dining experience was lovely.
I tried both the chilean sea bass with miso glaze and the peppered filet with udon noodles. Both dishes were absolutely amazing. When I think of Asian food and beef, I think tough and overcooked. The filet was so tender and flavorful. Right after I ordered it, I was regretting my decision thinking that it was going to be mundane and that I should have gone for something more adventurous, but the dish had wonderful complex flavors that took it way beyond what you would think a beef and noodle dish would be. The sea bass was so flavorful. I have tried chilean sea bass many times before, and I have always been put off by the flavor. This was done right, the miso glaze was amazing.
Our drinks were great, our party of four all selected different cocktails so we could sample each others drinks. All of them were delicious. My favorite was the Tao Love Potion #9.
For desert we shared the giant fortune cookie filled with white chocolate and dark chocolate mouse with fresh fruit. Kind of cheesy, but it was really tasty and the fortunes were pretty funny.
Aside from food and drink, the restaurant decor is beautiful and the service was great, would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Las Vegas.
Hands-down the best meal we had in Vegas!
I had the miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and my wife had the orange chicken. Both dishes were recommended by our server (Jeff), who was excellent. We shared a side of pork fried rice. My wife hates fish and after tasting mine when it first came, she wanted more during the course of the meal.
To finish, we had the giant fortune cookie, which was delicious and cool.
The restaurant itself had a really nice decor, and was pretty packed for a Monday night.
We had a short weekend trip to Vegas and decided to check out Tao since we were staying at the Venetian. It was our first time going into Tao (we later also went to the nightclub), and we found the decor and ambiance to fitting, comfortable, and well-thought. The four of us kept commenting on the Buddha floating over the koi pond, the wall of candles, and the giant portraits that were hanging near our tables. Fortunately, our luck didn't just run out there.
We ordered two appetizers and four main course dishes and were pleasantly surprised with the quality and the quantity. The scallops were amazingly tasty, and the peking duck rolls were beyond my expectations. Our entrees were pad thai, a red curry chicken, a sea bass, and salmon over udon noodles. All dishes were exceptionally prepared and the thai dishes were better than you'd find at most specialty thai restaurants. Impressive. Five stars would be awarded if our server had been more attentive and perhaps if the price were just a smidge lower. Dinner ended up running a little long and we were antsy to get over to our Cirque du Soleil show.
At the end of the meal, we left as a happy group and were extremely glad we stopped in. I'll definitely be making another reservation the next time I'm in town.
Bonus: the other perk of eating there for dinner was that we were able to get stamps to return later in the evening for their must-see club experience. The stamps saved us from a huge wait in line and also got us in without a cover charge.
My friends and I came here for dinner to enjoy some food with the hopes we'd go to the Tao Club without having to wait in line. The food was mediocre and the service was completely horrible. I would be more adamant in refusing to come back except I'm probably not going back to Vegas anytime soon anyway.
My friend made a reservation at Tao for a late dinner. Some members of our group were a little late, but still made it to the restaurant before our reservation was cancelled. For no particular reason, the waitstaff at Tao decided that the appropriate action was to make our group wait before seating us. During the 1+ hour wait, my friend kept going to the host to find out the table situation, as the rest of the group watched patrons finish their meals and the restaurant clear out. Partway through our wait there were numerous empty tables, yet it took another 15-30 minutes to be seated.
My friend complained to the manager of the restaurant, who apologized profusely and brought over our waiter, and made lavish promises to make up for the ordeal our group had been through. They promised free shots, a couple free appetizers, and "special service" from the chef. Well, we received the free shots and some edamame. I never figured out what the "special service" was...
Overall, the experience flat-out sucked. Food was okay, but that's probably only because I was starving by the time it arrived at the table. The time we saved waiting in line was negated by the wait for a table. And if the manager makes an apology I expect him to HONOR it.
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Chinese
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Sushi Bars
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Dance Clubs
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Japanese
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Asian Fusion
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