Tao Cafe

The food is outstanding - I always have the fish claypot - yummy! The appetizers are hard to choose from so we always have them all. This is the jewel of asian/fusion cuisine and I can't recommend it highly enough. The owners are gracious and inviting - it is a great place to host a small event for a celebration. Try it!

Pros: Excellent Food

Cons: Not close enough to where I live - in SoCal

Posted 07/06/09

The first time I went there was 2 years ago, and it instantly became my all-time favorite restaurant. I love the food, I go there every time I get a chance, and I never get tired of it. Never. My very favorite dish is the Bo Bun, a delicous rice noodle salad with lettuce, beef, and yummy Vietnamese carrot pickles. I've never tasted better lemonade than Tao Lemonade. The chefs are two lovely Vietnamese women, both experts in cooking, and everything is beautiful there: the tables, the cushions, the color of the walls, the paintings. There are even some lovely little drawings in the restrooms, I almost asked if they were for sale! Anyway, just try it, you'll never get better Vietnamese food than at Tao Cafe!

Pros: Excellent everything

Cons: None!

Posted 07/02/07

I was in the mood for Asian noodles soup and am sick and tired of not getting a good bowl in the city for a reasonable price.
Tao cafe is heaven sent. Beautiful interior decoration, warm, quiet setting and a great reasonably priced menu. I had the tofu (added chicken upon request) with coconut soup and noodles. The soup was not too heavy and creamy but rather light, flavorful and spicy. To go with the hot day I ordered the Mojito. Apart from Pena Pacha Mama this is the best Mojito I have had. Wait staff was so courteous and warm. Even the owner and the chef came out to our table to make sure we were comfortable and invited us to come back soon. I will definitely go back to get some of that authentic goodness.

Pros: Authentic Franco-Vietnamese for a good price

Cons: Parking

Posted 04/28/07

Went there on a Sunday night at 7pm. It was eerily deserted. Service was mediocre, the food was delicious, however the only French influence I observe in the food was probably the tiny portions and high prcies.

Pros: quiet with decent food

Cons: overpriced with small portions

Posted 04/05/07

I'm usually annoyed by French-Viet food but the duck here is as convincing a confit as you'll get almost anywhere. Desserts are epecially wonderful and the garlic noodles totally addictive

Posted 11/20/06

My husband and I invited a group of our friends to experience Tao Cafe with us for the first time - we had heard good things, but wanted to critique ourselves. All we can say is, WOW! Amazing food (fabulous menu), rich textures and flavors - extremely healthy and fresh, great customer service, and the prices were incredible! V. humble place -that just feels comfortable to moment you sit down at your table. There is no question this is a hidden secret in the city. Shhhhhh......oh and by the way - don't miss out on the crab cake wonton dish and the angus beef dish - yummy!

Posted 11/03/06

I tumbled upon this place last weekend. The "Vietnamese-liked" food here was excellent. Spring rolls were delicious. The Tofu steak was unique and so tasty. And the fish claypot was so yummy. This is one of the best Vietnamese restaurant in SF that I have known. A place to be for dinner if you'ld like to try out fusion food.

Pros: Best Vietnamese food

Cons: Parking

Posted 10/24/06

My boyfriend and I went to Tao b/c of the rave reviews. The ambiance is very nice, elegant but cozy too. The servers seemed forgetful but were really sweet so that was forgivable. The imperials rolls were really tasty but we were disappointed by the entrees. I got the vermicelli with pork: the pork was dry, chewy and kind of tasteless, and the noodles had a stale cardboard taste. I don't even remember what my boyfriend got, it wasn't that memorable. We don't plan on going back but perhaps we went on an off night!

Pros: Ambiance

Cons: Food

Posted 08/17/06

I am a regular at that restaurant. Either by myself (it's quiet and the service is really not intrusive) or with my friends or customers. I love everything except tofu (there's a wonderful ratatouille with tofu but i usually request a no-tofu ratatouille). I can almost eat a Bo Bun everyday, it's a warm salad with veggie and beef, very well-balanced and it cost ten bucks, it's even better with some fresh Thai chilies...New-York steak is my second favorite, they cook it medium, so i have to insist to have it rare. At my last visit, I was amazed by the garlic noodles, very tasty and wonderfully executed. I remember having had garlic noodles in the past as a side dish, with no veggie, but this one could be a main dish. I'm not a dessert eater, but my guests are happy with their cakes. So go for it, you'll find something for your taste and the price is reasonable for the quality.

Posted 08/16/06

I had dinner here with a group of 15 for a birthday party, and it was lovely. The hostess and waiters were attentive and enthusiastic. And the food, though i usually shy away from fusion, was a delightful balance of the Asian and European flavors. I'll definitely be back!

Posted 08/14/06

Tao Cafe is quite an interesting place for vietnamese cuisine. Who expects to eat steak? Or confit of duck legs? As for desserts, I go for the Frenchlike desserts rather than the strange but wonderful vietnamese sweets. Those are the dishes that I remember from a ten-course meal I had there with a group of friends. Besides that, everything was good and fresh. Go for it!

Pros: Soothing ambience, fresh food

Posted 06/23/06

This is my new best place to have a casual "noodles time" with my friends (my favorites: the forever Bo Bun with minced beef and the Mi Ga with spicy chicken...yum) or less casual "date time". The decor is pretty and romantic. Service is gentle and not intrusive.
They are not open for lunch, c'est dommage.

Pros: Good food, affordable price

Cons: Parking is hard if you dine late, easier for early birds

Posted 06/22/06

By far, this is a best Vietnamese restaurant in SF. Food was delicious. The atmosphere/ambience is perfect for a date. In addition, service was great! I had no problem with service at all (not like other previous reviews-bad days perhaps.) I would recommend this restaurant for everyone to try out.

Pros: Good food, Good service, Gorgeous ambience

Posted 04/11/06

The food was all pretty good. I enjoyed my meal and other I tasted at the table. The service was pretty crappy. They took drink and apetizer orders for some of us but just ignored the others. Then they forgot an entire meal and one person in our group had to sit there waititng for them to make his while the rest of us had our meal.

Pros: food

Cons: service

Posted 08/07/05

Lovers, friends, parents, children, everyone can feel welcome at Tao Cafe, where the food is simple but subtle and soothes a palate made weary by too many heavy meals. The setting is relaxed but elegant, the pace unhurried and friendly.

Posted 05/26/05

Tao Cafe serves delicious food that is a colonial combination of Vietnamese and French flavors. There is nary a dish on the menu that is less than exquisite. I especially like the claypots of halibut and prawn while my wife loves the warm salad. The lovely ambience and reasonable prices make Tao Cafe an excellent choice.

Pros: The food, The Deserts, Vietnamese Coffee

Posted 05/09/05

This is a great place for dining. Good foods and great service. And the price is right!

Posted 05/09/05

We waited 15 minutes to order, then 10 minutes for our drinks, another 15 minutes for our appetizer - by which time our drinks were empty but nobody noticed that. After finishing the appetizer, we waited over 20 minutes for the 2 entrees which arrived 7-8 minutes apart. All the while there was no drink service, not even a refill on our water. The appetizer plates remained on our table throughout the evening even though we stacked them to drop a hint. Good thing, though, because the entrees came without utensils so although chopsticks aren't the best way to eat a leg of duck confit it's better than nothing. To complete the experience we had to ask for the check three times before it showed up. The food? Oh yeah, it wasn't bad, but how can you enjoy it with such aggravating service.

Cons: Service, Service, Service

Posted 05/08/05

I've eaten at Tao a few times and the sweet owner usually comes out to say hi and check on our meal, so I have to write a review considering some the previous review (I guess everyone has a bad day every now and then). The service and food has been great. I loved the pork and noodles dish, the clay pot with seafood and the crepe appetizer. They also have fun cocktails. The prix fixe dinner is a terrific deal. The atmosphere is charming.

Pros: prix fixe deal, nice atmosphere

Cons: parking

Posted 03/13/05

I have to say that in all the times I have gone out to a restuarant to eat in my life, Tao Cafe provided the worst customer service I've ever experienced. After making a reservation they couldn't find our name on the list. After taking our order, they forgot our drink order, 1 appetizer and 1 entree. So me and my boyfriend sat at the table with 1 entree between the 2 of us while we waited for the rest of our food to come out.

The service was so bad I actually saw a group of people come in to eat, sit down, wait for their order to be taken for 10 minutes and then got up to leave due to being neglected. Then we finally waited for our check and had to stand at the counter while the waitstaff tried to figure out which check was ours.

Cons: Customer Service, overpriced, bad parking

Posted 02/18/05

I loved this restaurant. The inside was beautiful, the food was great and the service was good. I would definitely reccomend it.

Posted 01/19/05

Looking for a nice, romantic setting to woo your date? Tao Cafe has the perfect ambiance and serves a well-presented, yet affordable, fare. However, I've experienced tastier, more authentic Vietnamese dishes in San Francisco's favorite hole-in-the-wall spots, as well as my mother's humble kitchen. Overall, I had good experience eating there.

Pros: Romantic, Friendly staff, Beautiful setting

Cons: , Tough parking

Posted 09/01/04

On our frequent visits to SF we never fail visiting TAO Café and enjoying the ambience, the cuisine and, of course, the charming hostess Thuy. Her TAO in Paris which we have also visited was a shadow of TAO Café in SF. A shadow which has blossomed and become a bright light illuminating the atmosphere at TOA Café in all respects. A restaurant that should be visited by all those that love Vietnamese fare.

Pros: Cuisine excellent, Excellent value, Ambience excellent

Posted 06/13/04

Both times I've eaten here the food has been very good. The atmosphere, delightful. The service was a little distracted the first time but great the next (probably just an off night - i realize that people who run/work in a restaurant are just human too).
I would recommend for nice night out- soothing environment, good food - but that won't break the bank.

Pros: great atmosphere, good food, nice owner

Cons: parking not easy

Posted 09/07/03

The colors are soothing, the chairs and cushions we sit on too. Food is fresh, the taste of each dish is pure and zen-like. French style desserts are highly recommended and don't forget the very ambitious frenchy/international wine list at reasonable price.

Pros: best quality for the

Cons: if you don't feel eat

Posted 02/05/03

For a wonderful evening of delicious and well presented cuisine, visit Tao. Food is tastefully presented and the desserts are a must have, so plan ahead !

Pros: Good value

Posted 01/23/03

Went for a birthday party (20 people). Food was great, in particular the green tea ice cream with candied ginger or the apple tart: excellent!

Pros: excellent food, nice people

Posted 01/12/03