Tao Tao

My family has been coming to this restaurant nearly my entire life. My parents found this restaurant when I was a teen, I'm 63 years old now. My wife and I drive from Pleasanton to Sunnyvale, and my brother in law and his wife drive from Morgan Hill to Sunnyvale, to eat at Tao Tao. YES, the food is THAT GOOD! The people that work there are fantastic, many have been working there for 20-30 years. Daniel is the best!! All of the food is tasty, fresh and full of flavor. Their Mai Tai's are phenomenal.

Tao Tao Chinese Chicken Salad is iconic… They set the bar for this dish… It’s the best I have ever had… and they make a kick-butt Mai Tai, too. Highly recommended

Crazy good . We had the classics. Shredded chicken salad YUM. TAO TAO BEEF , YUM . We also had the spicy eggplant 🍆 also really good . Eggplant was perfectly cooked. Also tried their Mai Tai as well as the Grog drink. Both wickedly STRONG. If you order the grog make sure you order a coke to back it up on. All and all Loved it all

My parents use to take me in the 90’s as a child, and I am so happy they are still around! Some of the best fried pork won tons ever and amazing Chinese food. You won’t be disappointed with anything you order!

We came for the MaiTai's...THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! The bartender was awesome and chatted us up a bit. The food was BAM! We got the TaoTao beef and the small chicken salad (it was HUGE)! My wife loves the wonton chips so we got those as well. The portion size for everything was great! The prices were reasonable, drinks were awesome but the service was incredible!

Went to the Tao Tao Cafe yesterday, Saturday October 9, 2021. First time in 15 years.. It was as great as I remember, and I’ve been eating at Tao Tao since the late 1970’s when I lived in Sunnyvale and Los Altos. Without a doubt the BEST Chinese Chicken Salad I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten it all over the country…Los Angeles, NYC, San Francisco, London, even Israel. It is still the best. I ordered two large containers, one without nuts and one regular. I don’t mind saying my wife and I finish them both tonight. Damn I wish I lived closer. I’m in Rohnert Park…

Great food and service. The chinese chicken salad and Tao Tao beef are our go to favorites . The Asparagus Chicken in black bean sauce was great, as was the Seafood plate with vegetables.

Excellent service. Delicious appetizers and entrees. Atmosphere is comfortable.

This is my favorite place to enjoy a wonderful Mai Tai and incredibly good food. The owner and staff are truly incredible. I eat there generally once a week, sometimes 2-3 times a week. I have been going to Tao Tao for about 40 years and I don’t know what I will do without them. If you haven’t been there you should go and give yourself an amazing treat. I strongly recommend the Tao Tao Beef. ❤️

Been going for years!!! Love the Chinese Chicken salad and Tao Tao Beef!!!

This place is fantastic, my family has been going here for over 50 years. We’ve only experienced a few misses over those years. We do have our favorite dishes as a family, so please discover yours👍🏻

What a gem! The food, the service, the atmosphere are all fantastic! Four of us shared a small chinese chicken salad, tao tao beef, sweet & sour pork, steamed rice and won ton soup. So good, plenty for us with a little left over. Yum yum!

Favorite Chinese restaurant in the South Bay. Large portions, fantastic Mai Tais and great service. Great for parties/groups of people. I would highly suggest the group menu which allows a wide variety of dishes. I would otherwise suggest the Tao Tao beef and the famous Tao Tao chicken salad (best salad ever). I like Tao Tao so much that I will drive half an hour just for the salad.

As far as i can tell the food hasn't changed for 30 years. Other restaurants flavors change even if they don't change the recipes but, whether you like it or not you can be assured that the tastes and flavors are the same as the last time you were here. And the interior is well maintained which is another thing that sets it apart from many other restaurants. One thing that has changed? The wait staff has gotten downright pleasant! I wasn't greeted with a surly what do you want but a pleasant hi how are you today? Yes i love the chicken salad with that salty mustard taste. And the Mai Tai? It's still awesome

Family Favorite Chinese Restaurant. Never a disappointment eating here! Known for their "Chinese Chicken Salad" w/Hot Mustard dressing!

Amazing food but a bit on the slower side. We got sweet chili prawn ($15), spicy pk long bean ($12), Tao Tao special chow mein ($20). It was a total of $51.30. It’s a little expensive but once in awhile is nice. The food was better than what I expected. The prawn was firm and the beans were crunchy. The chow mein was bland but with other food is amazing. A big portion for the chow mein/chow fun, especially for 2 people. For me, the tea was AMAZING 💯. The server was very attentive to us and other tables. Would recommend this place if you want a calm and quiet atmosphere.

Ok this is a hidden gem!! Wish the place had slightly better curb appeal so that everyone would know about this place. They service was fantastic and the food was even better! I have a loss of words for how good the Tao Tao Chicken Salad and Tao Tao Beef was. The beef was soooooo flipping tender! If you like spicy mustard get ready for some good stuff. The complimentary tea is on point too!!

Eddie Cotillon

Family Favorite Chinese Restaurant. Never a disappointment eating here! Known for their "Chinese Chicken Salad" w/Hot Mustard dressing!

MoonRule

Amazing food but a bit on the slower side. We got sweet chili prawn ($15), spicy pk long bean ($12), Tao Tao special chow mein ($20). It was a total of $51.30. It’s a little expensive but once in awhile is nice. The food was better than what I expected. The prawn was firm and the beans were crunchy. The chow mein was bland but with other food is amazing. A big portion for the chow mein/chow fun, especially for 2 people. For me, the tea was AMAZING 💯. The server was very attentive to us and other tables. Would recommend this place if you want a calm and quiet atmosphere.

Joshua Wahl

Ok this is a hidden gem!! Wish the place had slightly better curb appeal so that everyone would know about this place. They service was fantastic and the food was even better! I have a loss of words for how good the Tao Tao Chicken Salad and Tao Tao Beef was. The beef was soooooo flipping tender! If you like spicy mustard get ready for some good stuff. The complimentary tea is on point too!!

Linda Cowan

What a gem! The food, the service, the atmosphere are all fantastic! Four of us shared a small chinese chicken salad, tao tao beef, sweet & sour pork, steamed rice and won ton soup. So good, plenty for us with a little left over. Yum yum!

Matthew Southern

Favorite Chinese restaurant in the South Bay. Large portions, fantastic Mai Tais and great service. Great for parties/groups of people. I would highly suggest the group menu which allows a wide variety of dishes. I would otherwise suggest the Tao Tao beef and the famous Tao Tao chicken salad (best salad ever). I like Tao Tao so much that I will drive half an hour just for the salad.

Tony Sumrall

As far as i can tell the food hasn't changed for 30 years. Other restaurants flavors change even if they don't change the recipes but, whether you like it or not you can be assured that the tastes and flavors are the same as the last time you were here. And the interior is well maintained which is another thing that sets it apart from many other restaurants. One thing that has changed? The wait staff has gotten downright pleasant! I wasn't greeted with a surly what do you want but a pleasant hi how are you today? Yes i love the chicken salad with that salty mustard taste. And the Mai Tai? It's still awesome

I've been coming to Tao Tao's since I was a teenager. I've recently retired and moved to Sacramento, but I still dream of the Chinese Chicken Salad. Every chance I get to visit family in the Bay Area, it always includes dinner at Tao Tao's.

Delicious food. Still craving it. The bright white lighting was not pleasant. I wrote to the restaurant about how overly bright it was. They responded within a day thanking me and they reset the lights to dimmed.

Tao Tao has been my go-to since the 90’s when I was a kid, and it’s still just as good today. The food is delicious, the portions are generous, and there’s something comforting about knowing every meal hits the same way it always has. It’s rare to find a spot that keeps its quality for decades, but Tao Tao does exactly that. A true Sunnyvale gem!

Lynn Miano

Delicious food. Still craving it. The bright white lighting was not pleasant. I wrote to the restaurant about how overly bright it was. They responded within a day thanking me and they reset the lights to dimmed.

D A

Tao Tao has been my go-to since the 90’s when I was a kid, and it’s still just as good today. The food is delicious, the portions are generous, and there’s something comforting about knowing every meal hits the same way it always has. It’s rare to find a spot that keeps its quality for decades, but Tao Tao does exactly that. A true Sunnyvale gem!

Great food. Only a few vegetation options. Staff seems impatient, but still worth it.

They make the absolute best Chicken salad. I drive orders back to a friend in Sacramento as she requires a fix occasionally. Also, the Tao Tao beef is far and away the tastiest and finest Chinese beef dish I've ever had. I am in my 60's and have eaten all over the world. When in Palo Alto or Sunnyvale, do yourself a favor and try at least those 2 dishes I mentioned above. I definitely recommend that you eat here!

Did quick to go order. Love the Chinese chicken salad and tao tao beef

Very Americanized Chinese food. The Chinese chicken salad was very interesting, especially the hot mustard sauce (also btw, not sure why it's called a Chinese salad bc this dish isn't really a thing in China? At least not that I've seen). The Tao Tao beef was tender but a bit too salty for my taste, though it did have a mountain of rice to pair with it. Was a fan of the wonton chips!

Old school Chinese American food. I came for the Chinese chicken salad that they’ve been known for forever. It’s good, but I’ve had better. The wonton soup is an odd thicker dark brown soup. Strange but they said that’s how they’ve been making it for 50 years. I like a clear wonton broth. Lunch specials are a good deal. They range from about $14-$20. Not bad these days. Service was better than I expected. Clean and updated inside.

Anke Hao

Very Americanized Chinese food. The Chinese chicken salad was very interesting, especially the hot mustard sauce (also btw, not sure why it's called a Chinese salad bc this dish isn't really a thing in China? At least not that I've seen). The Tao Tao beef was tender but a bit too salty for my taste, though it did have a mountain of rice to pair with it. Was a fan of the wonton chips!

DNK

Old school Chinese American food. I came for the Chinese chicken salad that they’ve been known for forever. It’s good, but I’ve had better. The wonton soup is an odd thicker dark brown soup. Strange but they said that’s how they’ve been making it for 50 years. I like a clear wonton broth. Lunch specials are a good deal. They range from about $14-$20. Not bad these days. Service was better than I expected. Clean and updated inside.

Old school Chinese for those looking for Americanized Chinese favorites. The chicken salad is quite delicious and excellent to share. The other dishes are very average. Friendly service and a decent atmosphere for a lunch or group dinner. Plenty of superior places for Chinese but this has its time and place

Jeremy Kushner

Old school Chinese for those looking for Americanized Chinese favorites. The chicken salad is quite delicious and excellent to share. The other dishes are very average. Friendly service and a decent atmosphere for a lunch or group dinner. Plenty of superior places for Chinese but this has its time and place

The food is excellent, especially their Chinese chicken salad which is awesome! What I didn't appreciate was how the kid (a young employee) was busy playing on his cell phone when we walked inside to the front table to get us a seat. He saw us walk up, but seemed to ignore us and kept playing on his phone, until we said "excuse us". He didn't apologize, and actually was kind of rude after we got his attention. He clearly appeared to be having a bad day. Not very professional for such a nice restaurant.

Service was very nice so I feel bad saying this, but probably the worst Chinese food I’ve had in the Bay Area. The broccoli beef was watery, salty, and soggy and it had double the amount of broccoli vs meat. The sweet and sour pork was just as soggy, and drenched in food coloring. Even the tea was unconventional, I think it was barley instead of jasmine or oolong. Not a single Asian customer inside except for us, which is usually a sign for not being an authentic Asian spot. I wouldn’t visit again.

This used to be my go-to in Sunnyvale for Chinese food. Went in November 2023 and wasn't really impressed. I do love their Tao Tao beef but it just felt a bit tired. Soup and rice were just okay. Get the steamed rice instead. Not sure I'll go back.

Andrew Siegel

This used to be my go-to in Sunnyvale for Chinese food. Went in November 2023 and wasn't really impressed. I do love their Tao Tao beef but it just felt a bit tired. Soup and rice were just okay. Get the steamed rice instead. Not sure I'll go back.

Jae Jun

Service was very nice so I feel bad saying this, but probably the worst Chinese food I’ve had in the Bay Area. The broccoli beef was watery, salty, and soggy and it had double the amount of broccoli vs meat. The sweet and sour pork was just as soggy, and drenched in food coloring. Even the tea was unconventional, I think it was barley instead of jasmine or oolong. Not a single Asian customer inside except for us, which is usually a sign for not being an authentic Asian spot. I wouldn’t visit again.

This must be the best soup.... or a dot is in the wrong place. L-Barbecued Pork Wonton Soup $1,800.00 Sides includes: Spring roll, and wonton chips. They also have a pre set family style group lunch menu for 5 and up that's not listed but is in the menu photo .. find 4 friends to enjoy.

Disappointed. I've order Chinese Chicken Salad from them for the past 40years. Last couple of orders were lacking and todays was not worth the money. Too bad. They use to have a great attitude but I guess all the money has gotten to their heads.

The food was incredibly delicious. And we ordered a lot. Almost everything on the menu. I brought a large group. The drinks were very good at the bar. Also ordered alot. My problem and it’s kind of a deal killer as you feel like you’re sitting in a Walmart. The lighting is LED and bright white. It’s very uncomfortable.

Scott Urban

The food was incredibly delicious. And we ordered a lot. Almost everything on the menu. I brought a large group. The drinks were very good at the bar. Also ordered alot. My problem and it’s kind of a deal killer as you feel like you’re sitting in a Walmart. The lighting is LED and bright white. It’s very uncomfortable.

Karmic Rescue Without Borders

Disappointed. I've order Chinese Chicken Salad from them for the past 40years. Last couple of orders were lacking and todays was not worth the money. Too bad. They use to have a great attitude but I guess all the money has gotten to their heads.

Dan C

This must be the best soup.... or a dot is in the wrong place. L-Barbecued Pork Wonton Soup $1,800.00 Sides includes: Spring roll, and wonton chips. They also have a pre set family style group lunch menu for 5 and up that's not listed but is in the menu photo .. find 4 friends to enjoy.

Ordered hot & sour soup, and tao tao beef. Soup was lukewarm and was missing the sour part of it's namesake. The beef was very fat and grisley, and some of it was very cold. Service was below par, took 6 minutes to get my order and then 10 minutes to get my soup. The interior was about the only nice thing.

We used to eat here many years ago and thought we would try it again. The waiter reached across each of us many times. He was in a major hurry to rearrange everything on the table numerous times! The chicken salad had no dressing!!!! Was told to use the hot mustard for dressing! WHAT?! The food was NOT as it used to be! So very sad.

While visiting the Sunnyvale area, we decided to give Tao Tao a try. We noticed the menu featured a Chinese Chicken Salad and a Tao Tao Beef dish that looked similar to the ones once served at Ming’s, a beloved Bay Area classic, which closed recently. Unfortunately, these dishes didn’t resemble the originals from Ming’s in flavor, texture, or style. In fact, we did not like the food. Additionally, the lighting and atmosphere were not welcoming at all. The booth along the wall was very old and stained, and the lighting was very blue / cold and too bright, and the decor was minimalist. To be fair, though, the restaurant was clean. If you’re hoping for something close to Ming’s cuisine, this isn’t the right spot. That said, the service was friendly and prompt. The food came out quickly and was served hot and fresh. Our water glasses were always kept full, and the wait staff packaged our leftovers for us.

Beth M.

While visiting the Sunnyvale area, we decided to give Tao Tao a try. We noticed the menu featured a Chinese Chicken Salad and a Tao Tao Beef dish that looked similar to the ones once served at Ming’s, a beloved Bay Area classic, which closed recently. Unfortunately, these dishes didn’t resemble the originals from Ming’s in flavor, texture, or style. In fact, we did not like the food. Additionally, the lighting and atmosphere were not welcoming at all. The booth along the wall was very old and stained, and the lighting was very blue / cold and too bright, and the decor was minimalist. To be fair, though, the restaurant was clean. If you’re hoping for something close to Ming’s cuisine, this isn’t the right spot. That said, the service was friendly and prompt. The food came out quickly and was served hot and fresh. Our water glasses were always kept full, and the wait staff packaged our leftovers for us.

The service at this restaurant was very good but the food was horrific. This is the worst Chinese food I've ever had. I would prefer Panda Express over eating here. Pressed almond duck: It was mushy on the inside and very hard/crusty on the outside. Also didn't really taste like duck. We took one bite and couldn't finish the dish.

Visiting from out of town. Spicy minced pork long green bean wasn't spicy at all, Broccoli beef had only a few pieces of beef and the beef pieces were chewy, chicken chowmein was decent, hot and sour soup looked promising but wasn't sour and not spicy. Also one of the chopsticks they gave us only had one chopsticks in it. Overall the food was a bit bland, which I haven't see from Chinese food before. And all the prices on the online menu were misleading and incorrect. We thought we were going to spend about 40 to 45 and they told us the price was 63. This was just disappointing.

After reading so many wonderful reviews, I was really looking forward to trying this place out for the the first time. Supposedly this was a “hidden gem” that people raved about, and I wanted to make this my new go-to Chinese food restaurant. Sadly, that was not the case and I left feeling very disappointed, embarrassed, and upset. After I finished my shopping at Target, I walked over to Tao Tao and wanted to try so many new things. However, when I came inside and asked to see a menu, I was shocked at the high prices that were not reflected in the Yelp menu. $16 for a small Chinese chicken salad? $24 just for walnut prawns alone? I asked the Asian man who stood next to the counter if I could see the lunch menu instead. “I might come back here for lunch sometime so do you have a lunch menu I could see?” Both the Asian lady behind the counter and the man looked annoyed, as if I was wasting their time and never going to order. The man first grunted reluctantly, “No,” and then took a few steps behind the counter to pull out a lunch menu. The prices were only a couple of dollars cheaper for lunch. Both their eyes glared at me and I could sense their impatience for me to quickly order something, even though no one was behind me and the place was practically empty. The atmosphere was definitely unpleasant. Just to escape the rising tension, I decided to order the $16 Chinese chicken salad to go. I handed the lady a $20 bill that I got as change from Target earlier. She carefully inspected it, first rubbing it with her fingers, then holding it up to the light for 20 seconds, and finally she called over the Asian man. They both spoke in mandarin back and forth in an agitated tone for quite awhile, and by this point I was feeling pretty embarrassed. I had no idea what was going on. Then she turned to me and said, “This is no good. It’s not real.” I was shocked and reached out to feel the $20 bill that felt and looked just like a normal bill. Then she brought out a marker and dashed a brown line through it 4 different times emphatically proving her point. I explained I just got this $20 bill as change from Target 10 minutes ago and that I planned to go immediately back to Target to report this to the manager and get my money back (which I successfully did!). But now I felt they were looking at me like I was a criminal and didn’t believe a word I said. I immediately paid them with new bills, wished them a good day, and left with the salad. Their attitude had already been unpleasant when I just asked to look at a menu, so you can imagine the uncomfortable atmosphere after I unintentionally gave them a counterfeit $20. Overall, I felt the whole situation from start to finish could have been handled much better so that a brand new customer doesn’t leave feeling unwelcome and embarrassed. Yes, when I got home the chicken salad was tasty, but was it worth that kind of price? No way!

Worst food you can ask for sadly. Mostly no protein all veggies. Very underwhelming taste. The chicken curry tasted like water boiled chicken. And the Mongolian beef had almost three pieces of meat and the rest was vegetables. Again no taste at all. ZERO flavor. Zipppp flavor. Very very disappointed

Sunny Chu

The service at this restaurant was very good but the food was horrific. This is the worst Chinese food I've ever had. I would prefer Panda Express over eating here. Pressed almond duck: It was mushy on the inside and very hard/crusty on the outside. Also didn't really taste like duck. We took one bite and couldn't finish the dish.

Frank Blue

Worst food you can ask for sadly. Mostly no protein all veggies. Very underwhelming taste. The chicken curry tasted like water boiled chicken. And the Mongolian beef had almost three pieces of meat and the rest was vegetables. Again no taste at all. ZERO flavor. Zipppp flavor. Very very disappointed

What gives. Just ordered $100 worth of chicken salad and every single carton of it was slathered with so much wasabi that they were inedible. Wasabi isn't even an ingredient in the item description. It seems like it had to be a mistake given that this item comes so highly recommended.

k8lin

What gives. Just ordered $100 worth of chicken salad and every single carton of it was slathered with so much wasabi that they were inedible. Wasabi isn't even an ingredient in the item description. It seems like it had to be a mistake given that this item comes so highly recommended.