I had one of the most incredible experiences of my life at TAO Downtown NYC. First, the food was absolutely outstanding—without question the freshest I’ve ever had. I chose all seafood, and every single dish was exceptional. I sat at the bar, and the bartenders were truly top-notch—professional, attentive, and made the evening so enjoyable. The atmosphere was spectacular, filled with amazing energy and beauty. Even the bathrooms were spotless, and the attendant was one of the kindest women I’ve ever met. That small detail made the experience feel even more special. What stood out most was the people—I met some of the friendliest, most interesting individuals I’ve ever encountered at a bar anywhere in the world. The space itself is breathtaking, with the grand Buddha creating such a powerful, spiritual atmosphere. From start to finish, it was an unforgettable night. I would highly recommend TAO Downtown to absolutely everyone—it’s an experience you won’t forget.

Val keeps this restaurant running smoothly. Every staff member is attentive, food and drinks are consistently always great. Sean is excellent as well. The entire staff is friendly and accommodating. For such a busy place, I am impressed.

The overall experience at TAO Downtown was excellent. The service was attentive and well-timed, with very little waiting throughout the evening. The staff at the bar was professional and welcoming, setting a positive tone right from the start. The food was flavorful, beautifully presented, and lived up to the high reputation of the restaurant. This is truly a five-star place, perfect for a date night or for celebrating special occasions. The ambiance is vibrant yet elegant, making it an ideal spot to share with a partner or friends. Highly recommended. En pocas palabras para mi gente latina: Un lugar excelente para disfrutar en pareja o celebrar una ocasión especial. Muy recomendado🙌😎

Lauren T

Well, this place is not going to attract a bunch of influencers or professional pizza rankers….but it should. It’s a small place, and like all iconic pizzerias, you stand while you enjoy your slice. You could miss it passing by and if you walk in you might judge it as nothing special, but you would be SO SO wrong. For context, I consider pizza wagon in bay ridge and joes in the village to be solid NY slices. Stellas is my number one spot for a classic NY slice hands down. The pizza is always super crispy, keeps it shape, the sauce is flavorful but not overly sweet or acidic, and the cheese is what you want in a no frills classic slice.

Hugo Miric

Tried a heap of slices in NYC, and Stella’s cheese was my favourite. Other worldly.

Vanessa Dulaney

Honestly can’t stop thinking about their square slices. To die for. The crunch and the flavor. I’m obsessed.

Richard Yu

The guy behind the counter was beyond stoic — no “thank you,” no “you’re welcome,” not even a “goodbye.” Just pointed at the credit card terminal when I asked for the total. But honestly, none of that mattered. This is classic, no-frills New York pizza: delicious, straightforward, and surprisingly affordable for the Chelsea area. I’ll definitely be back.

+4

Andrew Hazelrigg

Solid pizza in Chelsea. My grandmother was named Stella. So this place is probably named after my grandma.

+2

AJ Frankel

Good sarvice. Solid slices at a good price. When others nearby are closing, they are open.

M Keeping

Excellent pizza at a reasonable price! We went to Chelsea Market to grab some lunch which was a mistake. It was so incredibly busy you could barely move. The line for Los Tacos was a 40+ minute wait and everywhere else was jammed. It wasn’t living up to the hype and we weren’t overly impressed with the stores. We needed lunch and left the market and found Stella’s up the street-a two minute walk. SO glad we found this gem! Absolutely delicious pizza slices! Such a good price! Very friendly people working there. I would make a point of going back there the next time I’m in NYC. A great place for a quick, cheap ($) bite. There is a long counter where you can stand and eat. I only wish there were a couple of chairs and small table to sit. Awesome overall!

Andrew

This pizzeria is a hidden gem. Take a plain slice to check it out. I parked car near got hungry and decide to grab a slice. Wow! I live in Brooklyn so I know how good pizza tests like. Highly recommend!

Martiña González

If you’re looking for an iconic pizza slice from ny this is probably one of the best pizza in that area. Def take advantage of their 2 cheese pizza and soda for 5 dollars 👌🏼

Euro Auto Sport

I’ve been coming here over 10 years. Place has changed hands a few times but the recipe is still on point. I was telling the very nice gentleman serving me and friends about only coming to eat pizza here when in NY and he told us about a guy who had come about a week ago who said he used to eat pizza here 50 years ago… love you Stella! May your legacy live on!

I was skeptical about the sizes of the plates, but portions sizes were great. You'll definitely spend a pretty penny here so be ready! There are mostly kids that come here...in their 20s...but great atmosphere. We made reservations for 2 and got seated faily quickly. The only bad part as you can see i was seated where there is a huge column and missed out on the atmosphere during the meal. I would say...dont waste money on drinks here just get food. There are many more places around to get cheaper drinks.

Amazing ambience!!! Really enjoyed this meal overall. Started off with tiki blossom cocktail which was perfect!! The karaage chicken was just like chicken nuggets nothing like karage at all. The chicken dim sums were soft and tasty, and the filling was nicely seasoned—perfect with the dipping sauce. Macao chicken was the standout for me: super tender, flavorful, and very satisfying. Everything felt well made and comforting. Would definitely come back for this again. 😊

Spent new year’s eve. Our reservation was at the lounge section. Food was fast, amazing and delicious. Lounge music for the night was very poor. Especially live violin over the dj music was nonsense. Violinist was scratching the ears. It was unnecessary for the night. But over all performance was 👏👏👏

The spread at the bottomless Sunday brunch was great with live counters, sushi and desserts. Probably >40 food selections and good quality. Amazing decor and ambience. The place did get a bit crowded and busy

I went to TAO while visiting my friend in NYC. The food was good, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for good quality asian food. I saw yakitori on the menu and was excited to order it until the waiter told me that none of the yakitori items contain chicken. Not sure who made this menu, but the literal definition of yakitori is grilled chicken skewers, so that was disappointing. We ended up ordering the orange chicken, vegetable fried rice, and garlic green bean tempura. The portions were fairly large and all of our dishes were decent, but not mind blowingly good considering the prices. The atmosphere of the restaurant itself was fun and moody and was pleasant to sit in, but the quality of your service is completely dependent on who is waiting on your table. Our server was very sweet and kind when we sat down and told us to ask her any questions we had about the menu. We ended up switching tables and unfortunately our new server was incredibly rude and got annoyed when I asked her a question about the menu. The table next to us had a very friendly and talkative server, so take that as you will. Overall, I would recommend for special occasions for vibes, drinks, and decent food.

Irene Jayma

Great after hours pizza spot, because of its high traffic the pizza is generally fresh. I usually go for the plain cheese slice and their selection of white slices, last night the broccoli was a hit. The pizza is good flavored with a nice crispy semolina crust. Ideal location, no seating options and not bathroom, perfect for pizza to go

+1

Maria Stoimenova

NY pizza by the slice. Fast, cheep, tasty. Friendly adequate service, no frills.

jillian b

Chelsea pizza place with parmigiana hero’s and delish garlic knots. Sicilian, pepperoni mush - it’s all in the gravy. Cosy establishment with a counter if you want to eat in. Very friendly and attentive team near Chelsea Market.

+1

Haydee

Pizza was good and so was the garlic knots. Just sucks that they charge .75 cents more for every food item after midnight. It's always crowed in there too. No place to sit and eat. Plain cheese slice is $3 or $3.75 after midnight. Garlic knots are $3.75 after midnight as well.

I went here for my birthday The orange chicken tasted like it was boiled then thrown in the microwave. The bao buns were spicy even though I was told they weren't. The best thing was the shrimp dumplings and the seafood rice. The lighting in here is really dim and hard to capture photos wouldn't return

Stepping into Tao Downtown is like entering a dream, the architecture is breathtaking, with those massive Buddhas, ethereal lighting, and an overall vibe that’s pure magic. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like you’re in a high-end fantasy world, perfect for a special night out or killer photos. The food, though? The presentations are absolutely beautiful… think artfully plated dim sum and crispy rice that look like they belong in a gallery. But once you dig in, it’s not that great. The flavors fall flat, everything tastes underwhelming and generic, especially for the steep prices. Service was efficient, but it couldn’t elevate the meh menu. Solid for the scene, but if you’re chasing culinary highs, look elsewhere. Atmosphere carries this one to a three-star save.

Christopher Enright

Got a chicken parm slice. Came out to 7.80$ after 1$ tip. It’s alright but too expensive for what is imo. But hey inflation getting to everyone can’t say I really blame that much

Matthew Orenstein

Prices are made up based on how much they feel like ripping you off

BlueJeh Mizrahi

7$ starting price for a slice. The owner was very cocky, being biased to queer artists, 👩🏽‍🎨 and not providing the price as if we didn’t know what pizza 🍕 was…

Samy Leroux

Too thick for ny pizza and not crispy. They don’t advertise their prices bc everything is $1-2 more than Gotham on 19th. Take too long to take your order. Charge tax on cash. Only thing good about this place vs others nearby is they are open till 5 (allegedly).

Kevin Ruemmeley

The place didn’t open at the time posted. I showed up and instead of simply letting me know, the man working saw me and ignored me. I had to stick my head through an open window just to ask when they were opening (it was already 30 minutes past the listed time). His response was just, “Not right now.” The pizza is good, but it’s really disappointing that they can’t even follow their own hours or basic customer service.

Christofer

This was our go to (every week) until the service started to really fall off and they ripped us off and sent a smaller pie than we ordered. The guys working there now have a terrible attitude. I don’t know what happened to this place, but they really slipped. There are plenty more pizza places in NYC to ever give these guys another chance.