Restaurant in New York City, United States
Group dinner that doubles as a night out.
Tao in Chelsea is a credentialed Asian fusion dining room — ranked #576 in North America by Opinionated About Dining in 2025 — that works best for groups who want real kitchen ambition alongside a polished, high-energy environment. The dual Japanese and Thai menu operates at $$$ pricing, with an unusually deep wine list of 225 selections and $25 corkage. Easy to book, dinner only, open until midnight most nights.
If you are planning a group dinner in Manhattan's Chelsea that needs to work simultaneously as a night out and a meal, Tao at 92 9th Avenue is a strong call. It is the kind of place that handles a table of six or eight without friction, where the room does some of the heavy lifting for you. For a solo diner or a quiet couple's dinner, the format and scale will feel mismatched — consider Dimes or Hortus NYC instead. But for groups who want a proper dining room with real kitchen ambition behind the Asian fusion menu, Tao earns its place on a shortlist.
Tao runs a Japanese and Thai dual-cuisine program under Chef Ralph Scamardella, with Wine Director Nikki McCutcheon overseeing a list of 225 selections across a 4,430-bottle inventory. That wine program is unusually deep for a venue in this category: California and France anchor the list, Champagne is a strength, and corkage sits at $25 if you bring your own. The cuisine pricing lands at $$$, meaning a typical two-course dinner without drinks runs above $66 per head. That positions Tao in a mid-to-upper tier for Asian fusion in New York, not a budget option but well below the omakase-format Japanese rooms that push $200 or more per person.
The kitchen's output under Scamardella spans both Japanese and Thai traditions rather than blending them into a homogenized pan-Asian menu. If you are returning after a first visit, the stronger play is to anchor your order in whichever of the two traditions felt more precise last time and order further into it rather than sampling across both. The wine list rewards the same approach: the $$$ pricing tier means many bottles clear $100, so ask McCutcheon's team to guide you toward the California selections if you want value density relative to the list's overall positioning.
Opinionated About Dining ranked Tao at #576 in North America in 2025 (up from #588 in 2024), which places it in a credentialed tier that goes beyond pure scene value. That trajectory matters: a venue climbing the OAD rankings while operating at this scale is demonstrating kitchen consistency, not just front-of-house management.
Tao opens for dinner only, Monday through Thursday from 5 PM to midnight, Friday and Saturday until 1 AM, and Sunday until midnight. No lunch service is offered at this location. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means you are unlikely to need more than a week or two of lead time on most nights , though Friday and Saturday at prime hours (7:30 to 9 PM) will fill faster. If your group is flexible on the day, a Thursday booking gets you the same late closing as a weekend without the weekend-night crowd compression.
General Manager Adam Lore oversees operations for owners Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss, the Tao Group principals. The operation is polished at a hospitality-group level, which means service is consistent and trained rather than idiosyncratic. That is an asset for groups who need the logistics handled well; it is less interesting if you are after a chef-driven room with a singular personality. For the latter, Buddakan nearby offers a comparable scale with a slightly different energy.
For more options across the city, see our full New York City restaurants guide, and if you are pairing dinner with a stay, our New York City hotels guide covers where to stay nearby. The New York City bars guide is useful for pre- or post-dinner options in the area.
If you are curious how the Asian fusion format plays in other cities, Dos Palilos in Barcelona and Aalto in Milan are worth comparing. For high-end American dining benchmarks across other markets, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Smyth in Chicago, and Providence in Los Angeles each represent what rigorous kitchen programs look like at scale in their respective cities.
Quick reference: Dinner only, 5 PM daily, easy to book, $$$ cuisine, $$$ wine list with 225 selections and $25 corkage.
For most nights, one to two weeks out is sufficient. Friday and Saturday between 7:30 and 9 PM are the tightest windows , book those at least two weeks ahead. Mid-week dinners, especially Monday through Thursday, are easier to secure on shorter notice. Tao's booking difficulty is rated easy relative to comparable New York dining rooms at this price point.
The menu spans Japanese and Thai traditions under Chef Ralph Scamardella. If you have been once, identify which cuisine direction felt stronger on your first visit and order more deliberately into that side rather than sampling broadly across both. The wine program is worth engaging: Wine Director Nikki McCutcheon's team manages a 225-selection list with California and France as the core strengths. At $25 corkage, bringing your own is also a genuine option.
No dress code is listed in the venue data, but at $$$ pricing in a hospitality-group-operated Manhattan dining room, smart casual is the practical floor. You will not be turned away in jeans, but the room and price point both read as a step above casual. Think of it as the same call you would make for any mid-to-upper tier Manhattan restaurant on a Friday night.
Tao serves dinner only , lunch is not available at this location. Doors open at 5 PM daily. If your schedule requires a midday meal, this is not the right venue for that visit. For dinner, Thursday is a practical alternative to Friday or Saturday if you want a later closing (midnight) without peak weekend volume.
The venue data does not include specific dietary accommodation policies. Given the dual Japanese and Thai menu format, there are likely options that work across common restrictions, but for anything specific , allergies, strict dietary requirements , contact the restaurant directly before booking rather than assuming the menu will flex on the night.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in the venue data. In a Tao Group operation of this scale, bar seating typically exists and often allows walk-in access, but this location's specific configuration is not confirmed. If a walk-in or bar option matters to your plan, call ahead to confirm availability rather than relying on general assumptions about the format.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao | Asian Fusion | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #576 (2025); WINE: Wine Strengths: California, France, Champagne Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $25 Selections: 225 Inventory: 4,430 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: Japanese, Thai Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Dinner STAFF: People Wine Director: Nikki McCutcheon Chef: Ralph Scamardella General Manager: Adam Lore Owner: Noah Tepperberg, Jason Strauss; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #588 (2024) | Easy | — | |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Book at least one to two weeks out for weeknight dinners; for Friday or Saturday, aim for two to three weeks minimum. Tao runs dinner-only service at 92 9th Ave, and weekend slots move fast given the venue's size and dual role as a dining and nightlife destination. OAD has ranked it in the top 600 restaurants in North America two years running, so demand is consistent year-round.
Tao runs a Japanese and Thai dual-cuisine program under Chef Ralph Scamardella, so the menu spans sushi and sashimi alongside Thai-influenced dishes. Wine Director Nikki McCutcheon oversees 225 selections with particular strength in California and France — the wine list is priced at $$$, meaning expect plenty of bottles above $100, though a $25 corkage fee makes bringing your own a viable option. Focus on dishes that play to the kitchen's Japanese and Thai strengths rather than ordering across every category.
Tao skews dressed-up casual to night-out attire given its positioning as a dinner-plus-nightlife venue in Chelsea. There is no documented formal dress code in the venue record, but the crowd and setting call for something more polished than jeans and a t-shirt, particularly on Friday and Saturday when the room runs until 1 AM.
Dinner is your only option — Tao does not offer lunch service. Hours run Monday through Thursday 5 PM to midnight, Friday and Saturday until 1 AM, and Sunday until midnight. If you want a midday meal in the neighbourhood, you will need to look elsewhere.
The venue database does not specify a documented dietary restriction policy, so check the venue's official channels before booking if you have serious allergies or requirements. The dual Japanese-Thai menu does offer range, which typically means options exist across dietary preferences, but confirm specifics with the team rather than assuming.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the venue record, so it is worth calling ahead if bar dining is your preference. Tao's format trends toward full table service for dinner groups, and given the scale of the operation — 4,430 wine inventory, a full management team including GM Adam Lore — this is a sit-down dining operation rather than a casual drop-in bar.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
