Pao by Paul Qui

Our evening at Faena Hotel was truly unforgettable. We started with the amazing Carmen Cabaret in the theater, which was an incredible performance and a fantastic way to begin the night. Afterward, we had dinner at Pao by Paul Qui, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations. The food was outstanding, and the atmosphere was perfect. Special thanks to Cristian, the GM, who made sure everything was perfect, Kevin, the bartender, who crafted amazing cocktails, and Marco, our server, who provided excellent service throughout the evening. I highly recommend both the theater and Pao for an unforgettable night in Miami Beach!

I loved it! The ambiance was intimate, and the food was absolutely amazing—I was truly impressed. The customer service was excellent as well; our waiter was informative and very helpful.

Exceptional service and flavorful exciting food! I did a summer night dinner, and the atmosphere was not particularly busy, but otherwise an excellent evening. Fried Chicken and Maguro are standout dishes.

The braised greens with crab, complemented by jasmine rice, offered a perfectly balanced sauce, greens, and protein ratio—truly a comforting dish. Our waiter, Jed, recommended a ceviche that was equally spectacular, demonstrating his excellent knack for suggestions. The Kinka sake, with its delightful floral notes, paired exquisitely with our meal. Don't miss out on the wagyu and the unique corn ice cream for dessert. For a more elevated and romantic experience, opt for a booth for two and enjoy the live soft jazz music. It truly enhances the ambiance."

The Ora king salmon was our absolute favorite - the seared sake toro melts in your mouth as well as the Ora king salmon dish with pineapple all of the flavors explode in your mouth. To finish our favorite dessert was the coconut sorbet half shell! 10/10 experience between food and ambiance, we sat outside which was quieter than inside. Be ready to spend $$$$ though!

First the restaurant it self is beautiful. A big room centered around a statue. The room while look beautiful is not the best for loud noises, the bar in the corner can at times be noisy and distracting from the food experience. The food while tasteful and very well presented, is tougher than what you normally get in Michelin restaurants. The fried chicken was really spicy and could well have been followed up with an taste cleaning bite before the next dish. Some of the dishes such as the wagyu suffers with the rougher tastes as the meat is drowned. The main ingredient is not allowed to shine through as one often expects at Michelin restaurants. This does not mean that the food is bad, every dish was tasteful, interesting and well presented. The waiter did explain them in great details, in a way that allowed us to follow and understand him properly. A great restaurant visit if one is in Miami Beach.

Elegant atmosphere and really delicious dishes. We had the scallops with the black noodles which was the highlight. The wagyu was amazing also, along with the fried chicken and mushroom steak. They really should light up the Damien Hurst horse in the center of the drining room!

We came here because of Chef Pao. Each single dish Olga picked based our preference just fits our taste of buds perfectly. We enjoyed each bit of It. Pao is the chef who definitely knows how to cook, not just rely on the dish representation. We definitely want to come back.

This place is impressive, I was blown away when I walked in by the ambiance, the docoration and the attention to service. The staff is all so professional. They great you by name. They remember your order, they go above and beyond to curate your dining experience. I was so incredibly impressed and I have been to a lot of fine dining places in Miami but this one just makes you feel special from the moment that you walk in. When I came they sat us at a comfortable booth and asked for our preference on water. Our waiter then suggested a couple drinks and gave us a moment to look over the menu. I loved that they suggested different options based on what your preferences are. I went with a lychee drink I loved it becuase it was not a martini it actually had a rose in it and it was absolutely delicious. We started with a whole assortment of different tiraditos and then we did the uni and corn dish and the chicken and a cucumber salad. Every dish was better than the next however the uni was one of a kind! But loved how they pair everything and suggest based on your preferences. This spot is special not only because of the amazing food but also because of the attention to detail and incredible service.

Food: unique, full of flavors and textures, good variety Service: responsive and helpful Ambiance: huge unicorn centerpiece with palm tree wallpaper in a dark environment

Saturday 7pm - With the amount of time I've been to miami both on the beach and the other side ( brickell, downtown ), this is the first time I've seen a Michelin mention Asian restaurant. In fact , the chef is also Filipino like me and hence was excited to try this restaurant. I like exploring and trying high end ones , this one is in the Faena , a gorgeous hotel that I've gone to previously and tried the Argentinian steakhouse . Pao's esthetics is classy , elegant , open , with high ceilings and well decorated . The spiral staircase leading was reminiscent of the one at beauty and Essex in nyc . As soon as you reach the top , you're immediately greeted by friendly faces , the hostesses. As we waited for the rest of the party to arrive , we decided to sit at the bar ( my favorite activity ) and had the mixologist make us some cocktails while people watching ( it is miami after all )! Now the food, we ordered family style with some recommendations from the waiter. We had the kinilaw, aburi, grilled greens for starters , followed by the fried chicken ( crowd favorite ), then the pancit negro, tobanyaki , braised greens ( my favorite ) and tobanyaki . 5 people , a bottle of wine and 6-7 cocktails , all in , we paid $160 ( not bad ) . I like the idea of the elevated Filipino dishes and don't want to be as critical , rather encouraging but memories are often based on stimulants and while the kinilaw , pancit negro , fried chicken and tobanyaki were flavorful , I was hoping for a more home cooked taste ( not presentation). I would love to come back again or try his other restaurants to have a better basis of comparison. Highly recommended for a southeast Asian type of cuisine in a beautiful setting with good service.

Great experience! Went for a work dinner and there was a prefixed multi course menu. Everything was phenomenal and the service was on point. The only downside was the portions were extremely small (like main course of duck was two bitches small). The actual restaurant was also beautiful!

Top notch experience minus a bit of a wait to be seated for our reservation. Service is super professional almost too much so. Not a lot of options to choose from on the menu but that tells me they do things to perfection. All our requests were met and I wouldn't expect anything different for a high end spot. I wanted to try a bit of their sushi as well as other options. I'd say the dessert was the highlight so save some room.

FOOD: As someone who grew up eating Asian and Asian fusion food in SoCal, I personally felt like the Asian fusion could have been executed better outside of the raw fish dishes. The dishes truly are just one to two bites per person, so definitely an occasion spot. Thinking about the uniqueness of the dish, the quality, and the price point, I'm not sure if I'd return because I thought the food to be just average. The most worth it dish was the fried chicken in my opinion. SERVICE: this was the best part of the restaurant. Service was very attentive and they gave some great wine recs too AMBIANCE: it's faena, so expect it to be pretty

We had an incredible dinner at Pao. From the moment we walked in the restaurant, the service was impeccable. Our waitress, Olga, helped pace the meal perfectly, and she made outstanding recommendations. The few pieces of salmon I ordered were outstanding--even though there are other more "interesting" dishes on the menu, the fresh fish here is worth ordering. I'd also highly recommend the bread service, as well as the cucumber salad and the fried chicken (especially paired together). I will honestly dream about the cucumber salad. For dessert, you can't go wrong with the corn ice cream sando. Yes, it sounds strange, but it is delicious. Pao is a lively and beautiful restaurant, so it's perfect for a fun group dinner or a date night. I can't wait for our next meal here!

Lovely experience here, great service and food that can be accommodated for a gluten allergy. Nice large outdoor terrace for when weather is nice. Will definitely return when in town.

Actually made reservations at a sister Faena restaurant, which to my surprise didn't honor a miami spice menu they had on their website. That turned out to be a happy little accident, because I ended up at Pao. The interior is very classy. Well spaced out. Good aesthetics. They have an outdoor terrace as well, but it was closed tonight. The place had a good flow of traffic and a great supporting staff. Lead server Vlad took amazing care of us from attentiveness to menu guidance, and the second server was very detailed and helpful as well. Food was presented nicely, with good plating. Used plates and silverware were refreshed regularly by default. Ingredients such as the fish and spices were of high quality and the uniquer, yet familiar recipes hit the spot. They were able to handle my dairy sensitivity without any issue and honored the miami spice menu. Bathrooms were clean and kept clean throughout. Upon reseating napkins were folded and seat tucked in. Highly recommend and would return. A true five star experience.

Pao is definitely an amazing restaurant. The hostess greeted us and informed us of the Allure show and asked if we would join. Very attentive and great to be informed! Our server greeted us by name at our table already knowing from our reservation, he was amazing and very knowledgeable about the menu and history of Pau and their chef. The food itself was exquisite. Flavorful and presentation wise it was impressive. Definitely see the potential of a Michelin star in its future. The venue although beautiful has a dome like celling which caused a lot of echo and a very loud restaurant. Gets pretty difficult to carry a conversation. So maybe sitting outside would be best for those looking for a more intimate night.

Phenomenal! Absolutely delicious and easily one of our favorite experiences. Ambiance is great, and service was excellent. Our server was Vlad and he was incredibly professional and helpful and guided us through the meal. Food was wonderful and so delicious - we loved everything we had. I highly recommend this restaurant- not to be missed!

First time visiting the Faena hotel for dinner and it blew me out of the water! Such a beautiful ambience and the decor inside is just absolutely magnificent with a gold unicorn right in the middle of the restaurant. I took my best friend for his 30th birthday and it did not disappoint. We've been wanting to check out the Faena Hotel and I'm glad that I chose this place. We did the Miami Spice menu had a lot of the great options included in it. For apps: Maguro, Braised Greens, the unicorn soup (sea urchin and it's a must!) Our entrees: fried chicken, the short rib asado, and the wagyu short rib Dessert: Chocolate Mille Crepe Cake Everything was phenomenal and our server was above and beyond making sure our wines were refilled and explained the entire concept after each dish was brought out. Will love to be back!

Came here on a Friday night. It's located upstairs and wasn't as popping as Fuego downstairs but it was nice and intimate. Great date spot but definitely very expensive for what it is Food: Singapore chili crab - not what I expected at all since it's not traditional and the sauce was a bit vinegary; wouldn't order this Cucumber salad - not what we expected at all and it was lacking flavor Fried chicken - good The unicorn - delicious Mille crepe cake - delicious

The food was amazing, prior to coming we had ate at nobu and were not satisfied ONE BIT. We left to come to Pao. Pao was an unforgettable experience, Marko our waiter told a story and curated a dining experience that met all of our dietary restrictions. We had the coconut milk fusion ceviche and 3 other dishes along with the uni and toro. The ambiance was like no other, live music- great people, families laughing and enjoying. The service was unbeatable and Marko treated us like royalty he explained everything and turned all of the dishes into a unique storyline of their own.

Came here for a weeknight dinner, and we did make reservations just in case. However, even after the almost 3 hour meal this place never got full. The incredible experience starts as soon as you get upstairs, and you are greeted by the hostess, who was absolutely incredibly gracious. We were seated at one of the best little booth, which is based right in front of the golden unicorn art piece by Damien hirst. Our waiter and his assistant were so on top of their game the entire evening it was fantastic. Perhaps it was because the place wasn't totally full, but even as more people started to trickle in Marco and his assistant were fantastic the entire night. The menu does not really provide a great description of the foods, so please rely on your waiter, or waitress to be able to provide you with a real description. Marco was absolutely fantastic and describing to a T and every detail of the dishes. So this place is definitely not traditional Filipino but we did come here because the chef is Filipino and an award-winning chef at that. So we knew that the Filipino food was going to have a unique perspective intake on it, especially with some of the Latin influences. Everything was super tasty and such a great experience. We would definitely come back again and for two people we ordered quite a bit of food and actually did get full. We also ordered each a glass of wine. And in all I believe it was a little over $350 which included the hotels 20% service charge. I would definitely come back here again as like I said, this was such a unique experience. No complaints whatsoever as every detail here really is paid attention to, and it is quite impressive.

Service was impeccable. All the food was delish. It was beautifully appointed. I cannot find anything to complain about! Which says a lot.

We had high expectations for this place but nothing really stood out except the high prices. The food was bland at times, and nothing really shined or made me want to come back again. It was fun for people watching and dressing up but food wise it was just underwhelming.

Service was excellent. Ambience was very unique and worth checking out. Food was unusual and interesting but the menu was hard to decipher and the portions were very small for the price.

Really cool ambiance of this restaurant, spectacular cuisine (fusion of Japanese, French, and Spanish), and amazing experience being able to meet chef Paul Qui!!! The inside of this restaurant is filled with modern (and unique) decor, from porthole window mirrors on the walls, to plants, to a large golden unicorn hoisted high in the air. There is a lot of sunlight that shines through the floor to ceiling windows and it is very bright inside. There is also live music at the restaurant, which was an enjoyable band. The service was exceptional- very friendly and well-versed on the menu. For dinner, we ordered kinilaw (hamachi with coconut milk and heart of palm), Norwegian king crab (with butter), and fried chicken (with sweet chili sauce, banana ketchup and jalapeño). Every single dish had solid flavors (not spectacular, but very good), and the fish was very fresh. Each dish had a beautiful presentation and the attention to detail was exquisite. One of my favorite dishes was the dessert because it was unlike anything I have ever tasted- the corn ice cream sandwich with cajeta and garrotxa cheese. The corn cookies sandwiching the creamy ice cream cheese was pure bliss. At the end of the meal, we were able to meet Paul Qui because we noticed him walking around and checking out the food service and quality. He was very down to earth, was genuinely happy we are there for dinner, and was beyond thrilled to take a picture with us; really nice guy!!!

Incredible food and phenomenal service! 10/10 recommend coming. I was absolutely blown away by everything we ate.

I came here 3 days in a row due to my sister staying at the faena for 2 weeks. The service is impeccable and the scenery is beautiful. However, the food is not up to par with the rest, funny enough the best thing on this menu is the kids short rib sliders. Seriously so good, we had to ask the manager to give us more since they were on the kids menu. Prices goes along with the rest of the faena scene.

One of the best meals we've enjoyed! Our server Olgica Z was amazing, really appreciated her great hospitality. Really nice ambiance and we loved the following: Japanese Smoked Old Fashioned Smoke & Sparks Singapore-Style Chili Crab - so delicious Grilled Eggplant Overall great hospitality from Cristian and his team. Highly recommend and will go back soon!

Ambiance: modern, clean, classic. Great for business meetings or upscale dining Service: phenomenal. Server was very knowledgeable and kind Food: delicious. Quite pricey but good quality is great. I docked a star here because I'm just a really picky fine dine foodie and for price point I would say flavor was slightly lacking in unique quality Drinks: wonderful alcohol to drink ratio

Poa is excellent. The service was definitively on point. This dude knows the menu from top to bottom and did an excellent job explaining every item and had great recommendations. The restraint is beautiful and the vibe and atmosphere is fun. Food was delicious

Delicious food, definitely try the fried chicken appetizer! Great ambiance, friendly service. Drinks were a little overpriced & nothing exciting

There are so many great things about this restaurant, it's almost difficult to decide where to start! Let's just start on the entry, this is a beautiful restaurant, with live music in the evenings. The hostess and wait staff are very welcoming upon entry. We started with drinks, which are all handcrafted. They were not too sweet, and the waiter made some great recommendations. Off to the food, this is an Asian fusion cuisine, focusing on influence from Japan and Thailand to name a couple. The nigiri was amazing...we did the short rib, yellowtail and fatty tuna. TOP QUALITY. The tuna literally melts in your mouth, and the short rib had the perfect crisp. The cucumber salad was very refreshing, served with a yogurt pea sauce...I'm not a fan of peas but the flavors were amazing. We also had the fried chicken and that was just perfect. Crispy and flavorful. For entrees we had the Tom Kha Rice, it was served risotto style, a very unique but great dish. Now the Branzino.. oh my goodness, flaky, amazing flavor profiles and buttery. Still dreaming on this dish. It was served with a white rice which I know sounds simple, but it was cooked to perfection. Our experience at Pao was a good one, the service was a bit slow, but it may be because they really take their time to course things out. But nothing terrible. Honestly cannot wait to go back to Miami to experience this restaurant.

Really 3.5 but I'll round up for the karma. Pao at Faena is undeniably a beautiful spot with an incredible atmosphere. The decor and ambiance are perfect for a special night out, and the presentation of the dishes is visually impressive. However, the menu doesn't wow you. While the dishes look amazing, they lack the depth and richness I was hoping for, especially given prices. The flavor profiles just don't match the presentation. If you're going for the scene and the ambiance, Pao at Faena is worth a visit. But if you're looking for a culinary experience that wows you, the menu might leave you wanting more. Shoutout to Mike for his great service! Excellent service really stands out, especially in a city like Miami.

I went to Pao for a work dinner recently. It was approximately 20 people and everyone left fully satisfied! The ambience, food, drinks and service were all top notch! I personally really enjoyed the live music and the restaurant aesthetic! We had a pre-fixed menu as there were so many of us but as pictured we tried several menu items all of which were absolutely delicious! I will definitely be going back!

Great experience if you are ready to spend a ton of money! Loved it! But yes it's expensive and you get those tiny little meals that cost a fortune! But if that's the experience you are going for this is the place! I loved it!

the absolute most amazing experience! the service was amazing the waiter was 10000/10. and the food!!! let me tell you everything had so much flavor. the dessert was my favorite part it was savory and sweet and just perfect

Very intimate ambiance but after all the hype of the food quality was not as impressed. Unfortunately the "72" hour sous vide was hard and very salty. The sashimi was delicious on the bright side.

By far the best dining experience this year. We visited Pao, for our anniversary dinner and were exited because of all the wonderful dining experiences we read reviews on, also the photos of the food looked simply gorgeous. The restaurant itself is just stunning. Located inside one of the best hotels in Miami Beach, The Faena. The hotel is beautiful and the restaurant continues that elegant and lux feel. A beautiful brass/gold dome ceiling and a stunning unicorn statue, dead in the center of the restaurant that overlooks the guests, screams lavish elegance. I believe Marko was our waiter, he had a team that never let a cup of water reach the bottom of the glass, a dirty dish sit on the table long and provided exceptional recommendations and were extremely attentive. We went with an array of small plates and a couple of large plates as recommend by Marko. El Secreto Omakase Tasting. I mean wow, we were amazed how something so simple can be so flavorful. The dish came with 6 pieces of nigiri, that could easily be the best I'll leave it to you chef appetizer you've had. I had the tuna piece that was soft, almost butter like, the white fish was sensational with a citrus zest that left my buds wanting more. The Maguro was amazing, the avocado flavor was enhanced by the sesame oil and tamari. The onions and cucumbers added a fresh touch to what was a bluefin that tasted like a million bucks. It puts in perspective why this fish is so highly regulated and pays out a significant amount per catch. The unicorn, let me tell you... I mean wow. I can see why this dish got Chef a James Beard award. The mixture of the sweet grilled corn provided the base for the sea urchin. All the other ingredient proved the necessary touches that combined and marinated all these flavors together. While you can taste the subtleness of the chili and lime the corn and crunch of the urchin stoled the show. The Wagyu Short-rib was soft, cooked perfectly, the right amount of char mixed with the perfect texture of the meat, literally fell apart in your mouth, delicious! The purée was sweet and distinct, not your typical sweet potato, it was airy and creamy, and gave you a good contrast to the protein. Another hit was the Tom Kha Rice! The rice was almost risotto like, amazing! The mushrooms were quite tasty and the chili oil mixed with the crispy pieces of bacon blended everything together well but that burrata rally gave the rice the final touch you wanted. Make sure to grab a spoonful of the burrata, rice, mushroom and bacon. Your tastebuds will thank you. Dessert really capped off the stellar night. The passion fruit praline mixed with the pineapple, chocolate and the small almond pieces gave you the sweet, salty and little bit of acidity you want in dessert. Like i said, best experience thus far of 2023. To add a bow on top Chef Qui was in attendance and came to our table and thanked us for coming to the restaurant. What an experience! We will be back!!!!

I really loved every dish that I had here tonight from start to finish. The meal was packed with unique ingredients and flavor combinations. My date arrived before me and I had a shoe malfunction which caused me to have to go back to my car and made me about 15 or 20 minutes late for our reservation, and he was sitting there waiting for me, and the staff was being very pushy for him to make an order, even though he said he was waiting on me. By the time I arrived, they had made him order everything for the meal upfront even dessert. He started us with cocktails, the espresso martini was made perfectly, with Tito's, just how I like it, and not too much simple syrup. There was also a pallet cleanser with pineapple and hibiscus. We had the fried chicken and the salmon Agua Chile, as well as the Filipino ceviche for starters. The fish was so fresh, the dishes highlighted the star ingredients through flavors and textures combined. The fried chicken was tender and moist, coated in a sauce that made it so juicy and so enjoyable, with the mint topping, fresh onion and jalapeño. I absolutely loved the short rib rice cakes, a fusion take on traditional Korean rice cakes, topped with a coconut cream sauce. The flavors were divine, and the textures were melt in your mouth good. this was my favorite dish of the night. We also had the branzino, which was cooked perfectly, and very yummy paired with the rice and sauce. There was a live singer and guitarist who performed for about half an hour twice and played an array of modern and older favorites. I had a second cocktail, the little red dress, which, from the description of mint and fresh strawberries, I expected to be more chunky and muddled, but came as a smooth martini style cocktail with bold strawberry mint flavors. very refreshing. I thought the service was very attentive, refreshing our plates multiple times, folding our napkins when we went to the restroom etc. the ambience and floor to ceiling windows around an entire side of the room along with large Damien Hirst horse sculpture in the center made it feel elegant and chic while maintaining the beachy Miami vibe. I had such a nice time and really appreciated this experience.

Incredible on all fronts. So special from ambiance to service to menu options to taste- a dinner for the record books. We had cucumber salad, WAGYU SHORT RIB TTEOK-BOKKI S, the whole fish and all was amazing.

First time visiting the Faena Hotel. The staff was extremely attentive and food was delicious. They made my birthday a little extra special. The dining room and bar are elegant. It is a bit loud inside, maybe because of the dome shaped ceiling? Anyways, had an excellent experience and will definitely be back.

The space is beautiful, the food is incredible, and the service is amazing (Vlad and team provided over the top excellent service)! I recommend an assortment of nigiri, the hamachi jamon, and the fried chicken (just trust me).

What an experience. Delectable food - Out of everything we tried, the branzino was my absolute favorite. I was legit scraping the plate to get more. The service was amazing, we got there earlier than our reservation time and were seated immediately. I'm guessing they were backed up with some orders since other tables were waiting for their food but we did not have that issue. Felt kind of bad eating while everyone was waiting around but the food would be worth the wait lol. Waiter always made sure our glasses were filled with water & drinks which is always appreciated.

One of my favorite restaurants in all of Miami...PERIOD! One word ... Exquisite. Next time that I go, I will take pictures. This restaurant is for those who truly enjoy refined next level cuisine.

If your wallet is feeling light and your taste buds are lacking sophistication, you might want to steer clear of this establishment. However, if you happen to have a bit of extra cash to spare and a penchant for indulging in exquisite, exotic cuisine, then my dear friend, this is the place for you! As for the rest of you, perhaps a trip to McDonald's with its humble rating of 2.0 stars would better suit your palates. But mark my words, this establishment undoubtedly deserves a resounding five-star rating. Great service, great food and five star ambience. Awesome!

Marco was excellent great service. Food was also amazing I have 0 complaints about my experience.

Truly and exceptional experience to dine in this prestigious restaurant. Everything plate has a story behind it that creates an entanglement of flavors. The chicken is fantastic! The fish on a plate my favorite, but moreover the service and knowledge of every single server and attendant make this truly memorable. The restaurant is intimate, inviting, cozy and excellent for a date. Definitely worth of my time.

I've come to Pao 3x so far-2 Miami Spices (2019, 2021) and Christmas 2020. Miami Spice is where this place shines. Both times, the food and service were fantastic. This place has a way with seafood. I always get the kinilaw, and the Ora King Salmon app is just as good. I will also always order the roasted fish-it is amazing. The desserts are whimsical, tasty, and the perfect ending to a great Miami Spice meal. However, when I came for Christmas, it was like a completely different restaurant. The food and service were mediocre. Maybe the chefs and servers didn't want to be working? I totally get it, I wouldn't want to work on a holiday either. But it that's the case, maybe just close for the day, because it stinks to pay $100+ for a poor dining experience.

Pao is a top-shelf, five-star restaurant with signature dishes complemented by outstanding service. On Christmas Eve, we had six courses of paired dishes and were pleasantly surprised by every serving. Going into the restaurant are expectations were quite high, so in a sense we were comparing Pao to top restaurants in Manhattan and to a lesser extent Paris. In our humble opinion, Pao measured favorably to anything we've experienced in our home city, New York. Our server, Jed, was exceedingly knowledgeable, attentive, and professional, delivering an outstanding experience.

Amazing food! We ordered two of each of the appetizers, it was so fun to try multiple unique dishes. My favorite was definitely the crab on bread, soooo yummy. Can't miss the corn ice cream sandwhich dessert either. 10/10

My friend hits me up and is like "Hey, there is a Miami spice event at Pao, we're going no excuses" and I'm like say less, never will I get a chance again to have a 3 course meal at Pao for $50. First thought when entering was how creative the decor, demonstrating elegance with an original twist, such as the skinless Unicorn in the middle of the room (hard to miss). I felt underdressed, thinking I could run back home to change my outfit and come back before my food arrived. Yes the menu is pricey and yes the dishes are small but when you take a bit of your meal you realize the explosion of flavors, which matches the value on the menu. To make this sweet and short, our meal was exquisite, I don't have anything negative to say because every dish was perfect down to the fine detail. In fact I was about to give Pao 4 stars because we waited 15 min before we even got our waters, however the cuisine truly made up for it. Overall I had a great experience and I definitely recommend!

You feel like you are cool eating here. They had live music which added to the vibe. Markos our server was one of the best we have had making suggestions and upselling us any chance he could get (I mean that as a compliment). The food was delicious. The whole fish preparation was one of the top 5 I have had. The maguro to start was refreshing and a refined dish. The wagyu hand rolls were good but I would stick with seafood ones. The cucumber salad was the surprise of the night. So good. The only thing I would skip was the braised greens. For drinks get the japanese smoked old fashioned. Also tried the corn ice cream sandwich for dessert... thought it was a miss. It is expensive but worth it. Also come here to see celebs if you are into that. Top notch place and you will pay for it but quality is there.

Let me start by saying Pao is completely worth it. We have been to several of the Faena restaurants and we have always been pleased, but there is something really special about Pao. I highly recommend ordering the Unicorn; amazing concept, delicious, different, shocking, everything you can expect if you like to indulge your palate. There are safer choices for the most conservative gastronomes, but all dishes were delicious. The attention was great, the wine, and drink selection commendable. One suggestion I have is to try to get a table outside, we dined inside and it was a bit loud.

Well this was disappointing. Things started off promisingly...the atmosphere was quite cool to start...the dining room was in an interesting dome-shaped space centered around a stylistic unicorn. However, be warned that as the evening goes on and it gets progressively more crowded, the noise rises from a light din to head-poundingly unbearable. I ordered the Chef's tasting menu while my wife ordered the Classic tasting menu and my daughter some a la carte items. Unknown to us until late in the meal, the servers mixed up my menu with my wife's so I didn't get the nigiri plate and no fried chicken...they realized this later and brought me a serving, but shortly brought out my Shortribs entree before I had eaten more than a few bites of the chicken. Then they gave my Tom Kha rice to my wife who shared it with my daughter...hmph. I told our server who acknowledged the mistake but then did nothing about it. This was annoying considering they had no clue who was supposed to get what at our table all evening. Wtf? The food seemed uneven, with most items served lukewarm, regardless of whether they were supposed to be hot or cold. The kicker was getting the bill and finding out that the three small glasses of Coca Cola I had were $8 each! And they added a generous 20% service fee for our party of three (presumably for the excellent service). The damage was $725 for two adults and one child including one cocktail and three sodas. No caviar, lobster, Wagyu, truffles, foie gras or any of the other usual suspects that pump up your ticket. The lone exception was the "Unicorn", a single lobe of uni in creamed corn. So maddening...will definitely not return

Absolutely incredible. The food, ambiance, decor, and service all hit the mark. 1. Smoked wagyu short rib - this might be the best thing I've ever had. The combination of the tender meat, creamy sweet potato purée, and the tangy kimchi and slaw was life changing 2. Fried chicken - we almost overlooked this because meh, fried chicken... so glad we didn't! Melts in your mouth 3. Uni corn - also delicious but the uni was somewhat overpowered by the corn 4. Salmon aguachile - perfect blend of flavors 5. Cucumber salad - tangy and refreshing 6. Ice cream sando - unique and a great finish to the meal Our waiter noticed I looked cold during the meal and promptly procured a soft red shawl. We rolled out of there as live music was coming on; the vocalist was excellent. Thank you Pao for making two very tired parents' night! We will be back!