TAO — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I’m giving this place one star, and here’s why:

First, the music. If you like hip hop, you’ll be fine — but it’s extremely loud, like being in a nightclub or disco, not a restaurant. I came here to eat, not to party. The volume made it hard to hear our waitress, and it was impossible to have a normal conversation with the person across from me. Every part of the restaurant had loud music, and near the bar it was even louder.

Second, the lighting. It was so dark that almost everyone had to use their phone’s flashlight to read the menu. When the food arrived, you could barely see it. It’s hard to appreciate a dish when you can’t even see it clearly.

For food, the experience didn’t get better:

Starter: Caviar King Crab Dumplings with gold. I’m not sure if gold is even healthy to eat — if it’s not, it should be mentioned. The dumpling had king crab, bamboo shoot, and a little caviar on top, but it tasted mostly like wet dough. Nothing impressive. And for $28 for three tiny pieces, it was disappointing.

Main #1: Lobster. It tasted burnt — and not just slightly charred, but the whole thing smelled and tasted like it had been over an open flame for too long. I pointed it out to the waitress, who took it back to the kitchen. When she returned, she said the chef confirmed this was “the way it is” because they cook it over an open flame. That’s not an acceptable answer — lobster shouldn’t taste or smell completely burnt.

Main #2: Seafood Fried Rice. Fried rice should be flavorful, with some oyster sauce or soy sauce, and have a nice, slightly firm texture. Instead, the rice came plain, and then they brought out a separate bowl of very hot broth with seafood, which they poured around the plate. This turned the rice into a mushy, wet mess — more like a soupy risotto than fried rice. It completely missed the mark for an Asian-style fried rice dish.

Overall, the food was overpriced and poorly executed, the environment was unpleasant due to the noise and darkness, and the chef’s response to feedback was dismissive. Between the loud hip hop, the pitch-dark room, and the disappointing food, this was an awful dining experience. Definitely not worth the...

TL:DR - overpriced, poor quality food with bad service and experience

The full review: We dined at Tao this past weekend. It was my third time at this location. I hadn’t been in years as my first two experiences were very poor, but I figured I’d try it again as I love the New York and Vegas outposts.

Showed up with the full party right at 8:15 (the time of our reservation). We were given a buzzer and told to wait in the lounge. At 8:32, I went back over to the hostess stand and was told that they were overbooked. Mind you, if you don’t show up within 15 minutes of your reservation, they cancel it and charge you $25 per person. Funny how that only goes one way… At nearly 8:40, someone came over to take us to our table. As we walked towards our spot, we saw at least 15 open tables at the restaurant…

After sitting down, we ordered relatively quickly. Our food then took over an hour to arrive… despite tables around us (all of whom were seated after us) receiving their food before us. Two of the items we ordered were not even put in either, so we got to wait additional time for those. To top it all off, the food itself was simply not good. Due to a dairy allergy, we had to remove the sauce from one of our chicken dishes. The chicken looked and tasted like frozen chicken from the grocery store (and it was not white meat, which is something I do appreciate at the other Tao locations).

The waitress was nice enough and apologetic about our experience, but the manager did not come over and nothing was comped, which is something that fine dining establishments (and frankly most restaurants in the US) will do when they muck things up. Nearly $400 for dinner (no alcohol) and everyone had to actually eat when we got home.

Finally, for what it’s worth... This is LA. Ditch the dress code. We were told on the phone they enforce their no shorts policy as it’s a “fine dining restaurant”. I have not once been told not to wear shorts in LA (at any 5* or Michelin* restaurant), whether they are tailored...

Our recent visit to Tao was a mixed experience, largely shaped by the service provided by our server, Alexa. Unfortunately, her attitude and approach to customer service left much to be desired and significantly impacted our evening. Service •Initial Interaction: Alexa appeared disengaged and uninterested in offering food recommendations or making us feel welcome. It felt as though our presence was more of an inconvenience than an opportunity for her to provide excellent service. •Order Delays: We waited nearly 20 minutes before she took our order, and the process felt rushed. Despite confirming that our starters and mains could be served simultaneously, the dishes arrived sporadically, creating awkward moments for our party of five. When asked about the delays, her response was dismissive and unprofessional, blaming us for not making our expectations clear, which was both inaccurate and unnecessarily confrontational. •Tipping Interaction: At the end of the night, Alexa’s approach to handling tips was highly uncomfortable. She took it upon herself to choose the highest percentage of gratuity without consultation and then hovered intrusively over guests as they adjusted their tips, even making comments about the amounts. This behavior was inappropriate and made the entire group feel uneasy.

Other Staff

On a positive note, the rest of the staff upheld Tao’s reputation for hospitality: •The host and entrance staff were polite and professional, setting a welcoming tone. •The gentleman who seated us was courteous and well-dressed. •The bus staff were polite and respectful, though they could benefit from additional training to streamline their work.

Overall Experience

While the ambiance and professionalism of most of the staff were commendable, the experience with Alexa significantly detracted from our evening. Tao’s brand is synonymous with high-end dining, and unprofessional service like this is out of step with...