TAO Downtown Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

I had reserved a table for a birthday dinner for my sister and me and we had my parents, my husband, and my daughter with us. I was excited to go to TAO since my older sister had taken my daughter there before, and they had a wonderful time; she raved about the place. Unfortunately, my experience fell short. I first called one hour in advance to let the staff know that we were running 25 min late and was told by the hostess that we only had a 15-minute grace period and would be considered walk-ins after that. I was upset but understood, so I texted my family in the group chat to let them know the situation and asked anyone who would get there earlier to go inside and let the front desk know so we would not lose our reservation. My parents got there first (and on time btw) but were told they had to wait for the entire party to arrive before being seated. Now, while I understood and appreciated the 15-minute rule, I was unaware of a specific rule that said we had to wait for the entire party to arrive before being seated, thus even though my parents arrived on time, we were still considered walk-ins as my husband and I arrived after the 15-minute grace period. The staff made it seem as if they were doing us a favor as they informed us that they would seat us regardless and stated that they were already "accommodating" us even though our party arrived on time and within the 15-minute grace period so no rule was broken. There were also conflicting answers about how many people had to arrive to be seated. For example, my parents were told that at least four people out of six had to be there to be seated, but when I arrived I was told everyone had to be there to be seated. Furthermore, When my father and I asked to see their policy regarding this specific rule we were met with "I'm telling you the policy right now" as if we should have known this magic rule and they were doing us another favor by telling us about THEIR policy, which was not even mentioned in the confirmation email that I received a few days prior when I made the reservation. The ONLY policy mentioned in the email was the 15-minute grace period. We were also informed that we would need to vacate our table at 7:30 PM, which gave us a two-hour window for dining. Once again, it would have been nice if all of this was mentioned in the email or, even better, on their website so we would know what to expect. Needless to say, our excitement about this place turned into disappointment. We ended up going to a different restaurant where they were more than welcoming and accommodated us in the way a restaurant should. While I understand that restaurants deal with a lot of customers and, at times, the customers are in the wrong, the way TAO handled our situation was very rude and unprofessional. If I could give them zero stars, I would! Cannot say much about the food since I didn't get to try it, but the customer service experience...

TAO Downtown – A Night of Culinary Delight Tarnished by a Manager’s Appalling Behavior

TAO Downtown is renowned for its striking ambiance, impeccable cuisine, and vibrant energy, making it a sought-after dining destination in New York City. On our recent visit, we experienced both the heights of fine dining and the unfortunate lows of hospitality mismanagement.

The Culinary Experience

The food at TAO Downtown was, as expected, outstanding. Every dish was crafted with precision, presenting a fusion of bold flavors and exquisite textures that truly reflected the restaurant’s reputation. The balance of spices, the freshness of ingredients, and the artistry in plating made for an indulgent and memorable meal.

Service with Grace

Our waitress was a highlight of the evening. Her kindness, attentiveness, and service-oriented approach ensured that we felt welcomed and well taken care of. She navigated the bustling dining room with ease, demonstrating professionalism and genuine warmth. Her dedication to creating an enjoyable experience was commendable and very much appreciated.

A Manager Who Should Not Represent Hospitality

Unfortunately, the evening took a turn for the worse due to the behavior of one individual: a Hispanic manager whose actions were not only unprofessional but also deeply unsettling. His demeanor was outright hostile from the moment he approached our table, seemingly profiling us based on our appearance. His rudeness escalated into direct threats and insults over a misunderstanding—one that was later clarified by our waitress as his mistake. Instead of apologizing or handling the situation with any level of professionalism, he continued to act aggressively, making us feel unsafe and completely disrespected.

As if this were not enough, his refusal to engage in any meaningful dialogue at the end of our meal left us deeply disappointed. We were celebrating a birthday and expected a simple dessert to mark the occasion, yet he was not even courteous enough to listen to our request, let alone accommodate it. The lack of basic hospitality was appalling.

Final Thoughts

A restaurant of TAO Downtown’s caliber should be a place where guests feel welcomed and valued—not threatened and humiliated. It is shocking and unacceptable that such an individual holds a managerial position in an establishment that prides itself on luxury dining and exceptional service. The contrast between the excellence of the food and the toxic behavior of this manager made for an evening that should have been celebratory but instead left us deeply unsettled.

TAO Downtown must take immediate action to ensure that this kind of conduct does not continue. No guest should ever leave a fine dining establishment feeling unsafe. Until then, we cannot recommend this restaurant in good conscience, as no level of culinary excellence can make up for an experience where guests are treated with such...

A staff member at this location repeatedly harassed my partner and I, along with accusing us of theft.

I came here with a close friend of mine for valentines day. I had booked the reservation in advance, though given the only availability was later in the day, I opted to eat dinner elsewhere.

We came in for beverages. The server request to see our ID--something we quickly complied with. What I did not expect was him then taking our IDs and then walking over to manager staff (after heavily implying the IDs we gave him were fake). Evidently the managing staff confirmed the validity of our IDs. Not a single apology. Note, while he was personally checking the validity of the ID, he bent it in such a way we were both worried it would break. While unlikely, I gave the benefit of doubt that this was standard protocol, or at the very least not rooted in some form of discrimination.

I later realized how wrong I was in assuming the best.

We informed the server we'd only be ordering drinks (I confirmed this was okay ahead of time). His attitude past this point entirely changed. It was so uncomfortable to the point that I reached out to the hostess to have our seat changed so we'd be in a different section with a different server.

We quickly finished our drinks in the new section and asked to the pay the bill. Initially, the new server assumed we prepaid for the drinks at the Bar, however, I had told him this was not the case and mentioned we moved sections. After clearing up that misunderstanding we paid the bill in cash.

As we were leaving, the previous server aggressively stopped my partner and I. Shouldering him was a bouncer. By this point I was not only deeply confused, but quickly frankly, scared.

The server, without any attempt to figure out the situation, immediately accused us of stealing. I explained the situation to him. He clearly did not believe us, as he replied with a threat to call the police on my partner and I. I was shocked and now even more worried.

The manager attempted to clear up the situation with only an apology--no attempt at compensation or any sort of grace. We were told by said manager the server would not be apologizing to us. Mind you, said manager confirmed she saw us pay our bill with Server #2 and that threats of the police were not allowed for our bill size.

My partner and I left the restaurant scared, upset, and incredibly embarrassed. This is the first time I was accused of anything like this. I expected at least some level of professionalism from TAO. It was my first time there and will be my last. It felt as though he looked down on us for being younger in a restaurant comprised of a much older crowd, and also ordering only drinks.

I'd advise not coming here at risk of being harassed by staff.

The servers...