TAKATO — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Updated After Second Visit My second visit to Takato exceeded all expectations, solidifying it as one of my favorite dining spots. This time, I brought my son along, who fell in love with the food and insisted on treating daddy to the experience. We booked a table for dinner on our last day, and from the moment we arrived, we were treated to a memorable dining experience. Seated at a quiet table away from larger groups, we had a perfect view of the chef at work and the bustling hall. For our meal, we revisited old favorites, ordering the Angry Chicken and Bulgogi once again to indulge my son's craving to share his newfound delights with his daddy. Alongside, I opted for the Omakase sushi, a delightful selection of 10 pieces that melted in my mouth with every bite. The only exception was the Uni, which differed from my usual preference. However, upon sharing this with our server, the manager graciously brought out Uni from Hokkaido, Japan, which I instantly fell in love with. To our surprise and delight, the manager also treated us to Sushi ice cream, a creative and delicious dessert that my son couldn't get enough of. Additionally, I couldn't resist ordering the Magon Binsu, a Shaved Korean ice dessert that felt like heaven with each spoonful, reminiscent of snowflakes melting in my mouth. Overall, our last day in Fort Lauderdale was made truly special by our experience at Takato. Our server was exceptionally kind, attentive, and caring, ensuring that every moment of our dining experience was enjoyable and memorable. We left Takato feeling incredibly happy and satisfied, eagerly looking forward to our next visit.

Previous review: Takato, located within the Conrad Hotel, offers a high-end fusion of Japanese and Korean cuisine. During my lunch visit with my son, we opted for an indoor table due to windy conditions, although the restaurant boasts a beautiful patio with beach views. While I was eager to indulge in raw fish dishes like sashimi or sushi, my 7-year-old son's preference for spicy Korean chicken prompted a delightful surprise. Despite my initial concern about the spice level, he found it to be just right—sweet, spicy, with a perfect balance. The chicken, crispy on the outside and tender inside, left us both impressed. The dining experience reached new heights with the bulgogi, served in a fancy presentation. Our server skillfully mixed and cooked it at our table, adding an element of fun to the meal. Accompanied by lettuce and ssamjang (Korean spicy soy paste), we enjoyed it ssambap style, a hit with both me and my son. ( A little but salty for me) Already planning a return visit, I've even booked dinner to bring my husband along. The warm greeting of "Annyeonghaseyo!" (Hi in Korean) upon arrival added to the welcoming atmosphere that Takato effortlessly creates. It's a culinary journey I look forward to revisiting soon. However, I hoped the server was more friendly and kind like the status of their...

tl;dr - Eat here. Make sure you get the wagyu crispy rice and short rib kimchi tacos.

Takato was a phenomenal experience.

It was the best restaurant I visited during my trip to Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Sarasota. It was also my largest bill, but I would say it was well worth it.

I was dining solo and was seated at the sushi bar, which had multiple chefs working in front of a backlit blue mineral wall. Whenever a new person came in to sit at the bar the chefs would all chant some phrase in unison, which really made the place feel alive. Watching the chefs work while I ate significantly added to my experience. One chef pointed at my food to check if I thought it was good and I gave a big smile and a thumbs up.

My server was cool and knowledgeable of each menu item. They filled my glass with sparkling water whenever they came back. They came back often even in a very busy restaurant, with only a little delay.

From start to finish I had the duck bao bun, short rib kimchi taco, wagyu crispy rice and short rib jabche. To drink I had sparkling water, lucky dog session IPA and a glass of Australian red wine.

The duck bao was not nearly as good as all the other items I ate. I personally am not a huge fan of duck, but if you are and you love sweet soft bao buns, then maybe this dish is for you.

Short rib kimchi tacos were another standout. These were the best tacos I have ever had because of the texture and flavor coming from the shells along with just all the ingredients working together to deliver juicy flavor loaded bites. HIghly recommend!

Now, the wagyu crispy rice dish completely stole the show. In particular, the texture of the rice being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside was just incredible. The truffle and real Japanese wagyu also significantly contributed. The dish was a stack of ingredients that all individually contributed to the flavor and texture. It was phenomenal and I cannot recommend it enough.

The short rib jabche is a larger dish by volume. I had my reservations about sweet potatoes because I am not a huge fan of things like sweet potato fries, but high end restaurants usually do a better job with ingredients, so I gave it a shot and wow I was not disappointed. They have the egg on top of the dish and they cut up the egg in front of you and mix it in, which I thought was a little funny. Now the dish overall was delicious. Not spicy, just savory and flavorful in every bite. Feels hard to go wrong with this choice if you like noodle dishes.

And that was my night. A big bill later, but one of the best eating experiences I...

My wife and I took our third trip to Takato over the weekend. This is typically our favorite night out in Las Olas. Unfortunately, one horribly managed evening turned that.

I'll preface this review with the fact that both my wife and I have spent a combined 20+ years working in the service industry. We respect out fellow servers, hostesses and kitchen staff. That's what makes this situation that much more frustrating.

We had dinner reservations for two, were greeted by a short worded visibly agitated and rude hostess. We were sat at a 4 top (4 chair) table positioned poorly. Three of the seats faced the server alley, a place that virtually all servers frequented. Too close for a restaurant of this caliber, especially when there was room to shift the same table away from the organized chaos.

I tried to not let this get to me, but the proximity was so distracting that I couldn't hold a conversation. We politely asked to be moved to a table that had just opened up, it was in our servers section and he immediately went to work for us (our server was fantastic).

The same hostess shot down our server with the same attitude, right in the middle of the restaurant in plain view of us, the people requesting it. The reason given was that a four person table was going to be sat there. Fine, no problem.. let's move on.

15 minutes later a two top (two person) table opened up. We had only received our drinks so my wife politely asked our server if that table was an option. Again, our server was great and when he saw the hostess he asked her. Once again she shot him down with an even nastier face, again on the main floor of the restaurant.

That table sat open for another 10-15 minutes until a single person was sat there.

A restaurant is an experience and service is a major part of that. Our server was exceptional, provided fantastic recommendations on both food and sake. I could let the initial denial go as there was debatable merit, but I can not understand the reasoning behind the second decision. I don't review much here anymore but I hope that my record speaks to the fact that we are reasonable people. It was our third anniversary and it was ruined by service that was unacceptable for a restaurant of this caliber.

Making your guest the priority is the priority, unless those requests are impossible or unreasonable. I feel strongly that the request was reasonable but that the hostess couldn't be bothered. Maybe that's on her, maybe that's on her support. In either event, it ruined our night at Takato and our three-year wedding anniversary...