Tao's Restaurant

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     

My experience with Tao's Restaurant is a great Disappointment! Overpriced food for amateur cooking which their food shouldn't even been served to the public.

Service: It was extremely Poor! Each time I have to request for the tea to be poured and the waiter/waitress Completely forgot to bring out our course meals. Completely unacceptable!

Food: Tea was cold, been watered down there was even no tea taste in the tea. Main meal confetti duck is the Worst I ever had in my life! Meat was overcooked, duck skin was Slimy and vegies wasn't even cooked at all. It tasted Awful. It seemed like they just boiled/microwave the duck and just put raw vegies on the dish and just poured sauce over it.

Sweet potato panna cotta dessert was Overpowerly sweet that you can't even eat it at all or else I'll vomit and it had a very Strange taste to it, it was totally Appalling!

After eating at the restaurant, I fell ill. After this Bad experience I will Never visit this restaurant again and I will tell all my friends, family and other people Not to dine at this restaurant!

Dec 22, 2011 

5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  5     

Less than impressed. Trying hard presentations, condiments on plates had no flavour, only there for the look (failed anyway). Food was average, 3 out of 7 courses were authentic Asian which was reasonably tasty. They probably should just stick to that rather than mixing in some average pub meal quality western flavour.

Jul 26, 2010 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  7     

Great food and great service! We went there for dinner and it was great so we went back again for lunch. They really took their time and our 6 course lunch lasted for 3 hours, suggest you let them know if you're in a rush. But otherwise everything is great there!

Jul 14, 2010 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

A very enjoyable experience, most refreshing to find such a good restaurant in the suburbs. We had a very pleasant evening!

Jun 12, 2010 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  6     

The presentation of the food is lovely, though I agree with The Age review that there doesn't seem to be much context to it. Tempura followed by pumpkin soup followed by steak then mango ice cream seems a bit mish-mashy. Nothing was bad, but nothing particularly stood out either.

The service is friendly but several steps short of what I would expect at a good restaurant. I enquired about one of the desserts and the waiter was unable to tell me anything about it, and there were pieces missing from one person's entree.
Everything was pleasant, but it was pretty forgettable. If you want tasty food there are much better (and cheaper) alternatives, and if you want a high-end dining experience there are many restaurants in Melbourne that do it better.

Jan 10, 2010 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

I was very impressed with the ambience when I first walked in and choosing our dishes was fun. Presentation of the food is excellent and comes on a variety of appealing containers, dishes and plates. I really like this place because it is an Asian restaurant with a Western twist and I thought the two were combined very well.

Ambience/decor is really important (to me) so this place scores top marks, the only thing I could point a finger at is that the rest room doors are shabbily painted!

Jan 07, 2009 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  10     

I've visited this place about 5 times within a year. They have fantastic food which is interesting to look at & once you place it in your mouth is such a delight. Although they take their time in serving your food, initially we had to adjust to this, it's because they want you to enjoy & savor your food, not just gobble it down. The service is also very good & you feel at ease. For a 6-7 course meal, it doesn't hurt the wallet.

Oct 25, 2008 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Excellent. Unique. We went back more than 10 times within 3 years. And having company's Christmas party here. Enjoy the place and food very much.

Oct 11, 2008 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

My parents and sister had highly recommended Tao's to me so I took a punt and invited a few friends to join me for lunch. We were all VERY impressed by the tasty and interesting food, amazing tableware and truly excellent service. (Upon finding out it was my birthday, the lovely hostess, Joanne, brought me an extra dessert with tiny candle, one of their cute little teapots in a Tao's gift box and a $10 voucher for our next visit and the staff all sang Happy Birthday to me!)

We had a wonderful day (including the two young kids) and can't wait to get back there again. We all plan to bring lots of other friends and help spread the word. Frankly, I couldn't understand the less than kind reviews I have read in some newspapers - too precious by far!

My only criticism is that such an interesting concept might do better in a "trendier" suburb - Hawthorn, Albert Park, St Kilda perhaps? (and yes, the old Tyrolean chalet look is a bit awkward but it's only 5 minutes from where I live so I'm happy!) 10/10 to Joanne and staff!!

May 26, 2007 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Fantastic presentation. Fabulous service. A refreshing dining experience.

Apr 22, 2007