Tao Cafe
(415) 641-9955
1000 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Near Noe Valley and Central San Francisco
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Business Details
Reviews & Recommendations
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loved it
Provided by Citysearch
Great place to hang out and have a drink and a bite to eat.\r will go there again.
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My Favorite Place to Eat in SF
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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my favorite restaurant
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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Beautiful place, yum food and what a cocktail!
Provided by Citysearch
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.\r 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.\r \r
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Good food but tiny portions
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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Lovely in every way
Provided by Citysearch
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
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Great flavors at a great price!
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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Best Vietnamese food in SF
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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Lovely Setting but Disappointing Food
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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Best garlic noodles...
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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Great Vietnamese-French fusion for large parties!
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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New vietnamese fave: Steak or duck?
Provided by Citysearch
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!
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My new favorite place to dine
Provided by Citysearch
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.\r They are not open for lunch, c'est dommage.
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Best place to dine
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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Pretty Good
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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back to simplicity
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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Excellent Vietnamese Cuisine
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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User review by bacua
Provided by Citysearch
This is a great place for dining. Good foods and great service. And the price is right!
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Service is a misnomer
Provided by Citysearch
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.
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