Taroko Asian Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Redding

Walking in the restaurant has amazing decor and is well put together. The hostess was very welcoming and sat us immediately even though we were early for our reservation. Then it all went downhill. While everyone else's servers were calm and collected, doing an amazing job, ours was terrible. She spent the first fifteen walking past our table just saying "sorry" every time we caught glances. Keep in mind they weren't super busy and all the other staff served tables immediately. Finally when she came to take our drink orders we told her we were ready to order our meals too. My wife ordered the tamarind margarita, I just got a soda, calamari for the app, kimchi fried rice with crab as the protein, and the honey prawns. Our server forgot to bring us our drinks so another server brought my soda and a water for my wife. Finally we were told that they were out of tamarind, so my wife ordered a plain margarita. What she ended up getting was what tasted like tequila and sweet and sour mix in a whiskey glass.

The food started good at first, but even with the server stressing that the app would come first, my wife's food came with it and mine didn't. The calamari was amazing. Lightly breaded, and tasted super fresh. The kimchi fried rice was ok, but lacked any real kimchi flavor and there was hardly any crab in it, just a few shreds which was super disappointing because they charge $6 extra for crab. My food didn't come out, and after 20 minutes of waiting and my wife's food getting cold because she didn't want to eat without me, our server finally tells us that they forgot my food and they would start it now. A couple minutes later my food arrived but by then my wife's food was cold and what I had just gotten was cold too. The broccoli tasted like they just took it out of the fridge, and for $23 you get 6 rubbery, tail still on shrimp that taste like they cooked them from frozen. The manager comped my plate but when we got the bill we noticed my wife's $15 tamarind margarita turned into a $23 margarita with no warning of the up charge, and the only exception being that's what they charge for tequila. We refused to pay that, but said we would pay the initial $15 that it said on the menu since she drank it. The bill ended up being $54 for some good calamari, some bland fried rice, and a terrible margarita.

Best part was when we got home and reheated the rice we found a chunk of sharp plastic in it. Not worth it at all. I know new places have bumps they have to iron out when they open but this was ridiculously bad. I feel like with a different server we would have had a different experience because ours was just terrible. Don't think we'll be back to give it...

We were referred to this restaurant by the American Modern Hotel where we were staying and holy yum! That was just about the best Asian food I have ever had! Who knew Redding had such a hidden gem tucked into their downtown? the restaurant is somewhat unique, a fusion of Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and more! The menu was fairly diverse!

We arrived at about 6pm on a Wednesday and they were already 3/4s full. The person who greeted us said they had a lot of reservations that night, but they were able to squeeze us in still. While we were there, the restaurant got packed with people. It’s clearly a popular place to be full on a Wednesday night! And after eating the food, I know why! Our server recommended the crispy chicken bun appetizer, and it was everything as wonderful as it promised to be! Very unique too. It ate like a taco with the sweet sticky bun serving as a taco shell and the balance of the crispy chicken with the hoisin and that spicy mayo…it was an explosion of flavors in your mouth! It comes with two bun tacos, which was perfect since I was dining with a friend.

For our main courses, she ordered the crispy shrimp with a honey cream sauce and I ordered the Korean kalbi short ribs bowl. Both of them were amazing! The shrimp was perfectly cooked, the light, crispy breading on the outside went well with the delicate honey cream sauce drizzled on top. I appreciated that they did not drown it in sauce like most places do! And the Korean kalbi short ribs bowl was another flavor adventure! You can see from the photo that there was a lot in the bowl and when eaten together, it all worked harmoniously! Their Kim chi is outstanding too!

The service was exceptional and we will definitely be back when we are in Redding again in December. This restaurant is a must try if you appreciate...

So this was our first time to this restaurant. It is still fairly new to the area. It's a bit pricey I think, but I will let you be the judge of that. I will make this review a little easier to read than my normal ones.

Positive remarks: customer service was above and beyond expectations. They kept our glasses full and our table clear of dirty plates. Very attentive staff, very friendly. Kayla, our server, and also the bartender for the restaurant, made sure we were well taken care of. Thank you, Kayla 😊. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very unique. I have not seen decor like this since being in Asia. Whoever designed this place knew what they were doing. Saturday evenings, there is live piano music that is played while you eat your meals.

Neutral remarks: parking is plentiful but only free after 6pm and on weekends the water is tasty, filtered, but not ice cold you can walk in and get a table, but a reservation would be best just to be safe

Negative remarks: the menu has errors on it. They have not fixed them the mixed salad is pretty looking but VERY heavy with dressing, and for some reason, the sesame dressing is also very spicy. It's also $8 on the menu, but they charge you $10 on the bill. I ordered the honey glazed prawns, which were fantastic, but they fail to tell you that the tails are still on them. BE AWARE when you eat them, the breading and honey glazing covers them pretty well, and if you're not paying attention, you will get one on your mouth. I had to pull each tail off, which interrupted my eating experience. Overall I was happy with this restaurant visit and will be attending again, hopefully on a Saturday evening instead so I can enjoy the mellow keys of the piano while I eat. Hope you enjoyed my review, like, and follow for more...