Takoi — Restaurant in Detroit

Absolutely Divine. Food/Service/Ambiance/Drinks/Energy were all incredible. Cannot recommend highly enough. My only complaint is that I want to try more items on the menu than a person can eat in one sitting, and the things we tried were so good that when we come back I don't know if we can change our order.

The restaurant is very unique and fun; great lighting and spacing that avoids the trappings of too loud/over the top design of hip places trying a bit too hard. Bar area in the front looked awesome too and it seemed like you could get a seat there even if you don't have a reservation.

The service enhanced the experience. Friendly and inviting, and they seemed to be just as passionate about the food as I am: when they put one of the plates down a comment of "I'm jealous right now" gave me a lot of confidence in our order. They were also attentive enough to see when I was burning up from the spice and hurried over to refill our water carafe to give me some needed relief.

The food. Good lord the food. It was so good. We started with the Papaya Salad, which was authentic to the heat levels from my experiences in SE Asia, but delicately prepared and seasoned perfectly. If you have a midwestern sense of spice levels this may not be the dish for you but you'll be missing out. We then moved on to the Lad Na which was simply spectacular. The depth and richness of flavor without being too filling or heavy was just masterful. I thought at one point my wife and I would be fighting over the serving spoon. The Charred Carrots were next and they delivered on complex flavors and textures that made the humble carrots shine. The peanut sauce and pickled cucumber combo really took it to the next level. We closed out dinner with the BBQ Beef and oh boy did it hit. The meat was tender and juicy yet had charred crunchy bits that gave the perfect textural experience. It was served with plentiful fresh herbs, a tangy vinegary sauce, diced pickled chilis, and a creamy sauce for a choose-your-own-adventure bibb lettuce wraps that were some of the best combos I've ever tasted. I would like this to be my public declaration that should my life take a dramatic turn and I end up on death row, the BBQ Beef from Takoi shall be included in my final meal.

As for drinks, I can only speak to the Promises in Vortex and Psychic Mirrors but they were both exquisite and I have to imagine every one of their cocktails are incredible. It also cannot be understated that having a great NA cocktail also makes for a great experience when your wife is pregnant but still wants to have a good drink. Much nicer than having to ask "can you make a mocktail of some kind" all awkward-like. Kudos to the bartender.

Even though you'll be full and satisfied with all the delicious food you just ate, close your eyes and order the coconut milk ice cream. You won't regret it, it's exceptional, just like everything at this...

Let me start by saying that all of my reviews are based on expectations, so I have different thoughts on this place, as opposed to a quick serve diner.

We had reservations this past Saturday night at 730 for 4 people, and had the "chefs tasting", which consists of about a dozen or so dishes bring brought out to try, along with some wine pairings. Everyone who went was a pretty adventurous eater, we had all done something like this in the past at other restaurants in the area.

The Good The place is cool looking. It has a neat entrance and good ambiance. It's also in Corktown, so we were able to walk from a local distillery after we got some pre dinner drinks. We got there and they had our reservations ready to go. The service was awesome too. We had one main server, and a variety of people bring the different dishes to our table throughout the meal. Everyone was super knowledgeable and friendly.

The Not So Good As I stated, we had 4 people. None of us are particularly exceedingly large people, but the booth here was so tight, one could barely move their arms and legs. It may have been ok for 2 people, but it was way too small for 4.

Now onto the food. Most of the dishes were only OK. One or two really blew me away (crispy ribs 4 life), but the majority were just blah. Also, they would sometimes bring out 3 or 4 dishes rapidly. We really couldn't enjoy and really get the feel for any single dish, and we ran out of room on the table regularly. The first dish that was brought was so hot (spice, not temp), it killed the tastebuds for about 15 minutes. Admittedly, they did tell us it was hot, but it was well beyond good heat, it was just hot for the sake of being hot.

Onto the wine pairing. At other restaurants, there was generally a small pour of wine that paired with each (or most) of the dishes. In this case, there was just a drink poured, and when it was finished, we got something new. The drinks themselves weren't bad, but one white wine doesn't necessarily pair well with a noodle dish, a salad, and some ribs.

Overall, the experience was above par, but with the local hype (along with the $400+ tab), I really expected to be blown away, but I wasn't.

I would consider trying this place again, but I would not get the...

My group arrived around 9pm on a weekday. When we entered, the hostess was unfriendly and not welcoming. From the get go, it did not appear they wanted our business and we should have left.

The only good thing about the restaurant was the food which was above average but not exceptional enough to return when the service was so disappointing and really disrespectful. I would not go back to this given the service, especially when you are automatically paying a 20% gratuity!!!!

What was supposed to be a fun night out for my birthday dinner with friends turned into disappointing dinner where we just wanted to leave the restaurant as soon as possible.

We were seated quickly and ordered some cocktails. Specifically a few in our group had ordered a skinny marg with a tajin rim. This cocktail came with the entire one side of the glass with tajin.

We had finished the first round and ordered a second round asking this time for tajin just around the rim of the glass. The waiter, Noah, had brought the cocktails back to us with the entire outside of the glass covered in tajin not allowing us to pick up the glass without getting our entire hand filled with tajin.

When we proceeded to express our concern to our waiter, Noah M., he dismissed our concerns and acted as if he was unaware of how a cocktail was rimmed or made. Additionally, he was the one who had given our order to the bar. Additionally, disappointing, when you’re paying $15-$20 and expect quality cocktails and service. He proceeded to smirk at us and acted ignorant. He did take the drinks back and then he in front of us laughed and mocked our group with his coworkers. He had the bartender pour the drinks into regular glasses and brought them back to us.

We finished our food and just wanted to get out of the restaurant as soon as possible. We paid our bill and left. We will not be returning.

Again, the only good thing about the restaurant was the food which was above average. However, I would not go back to this given the absolute, horrible service…especially when you are automatically paying a 20%...