Tao Organic Cafe + Herbery

The food here tastes fresh and flavorful! I try to make my own bowls all the time but there's something that warms the soul with the bowls here. I love that they also have an herbal shop. The overall environment is very calm and peaceful.

Love this place in every way. The atmosphere is magical and feels worlds away. The beverages are unique and delicious. I had their bowls as well and they were so tasty. There’s a shop in the back to check out also. You’ll find books, jewelry, supplements and much more. Full of friendly people.

This place is fantastic and feels like you’re hanging out at a Spa. The ambiance, staff, and herbal store all feel peaceful and restorative. The food is clearly healthy (the desserts of course have some sugar) and you feel good after eating. We had avocado toast and the curry bowl which went down so quick and easy I forgot to take pictures. The coffee (Americanos) was perfect, the service was welcoming, friendly, and helpful, and there was a sense of community there which felt genuine. We can’t wait to go back especially for Thursday Date Night which is (as of 2024) 2 entrees, 2 glasses of Wine, and a dessert for $45. Spectacular deal for healthy food!!

Absolutely love this place - Delicious Food, Great Vegan Options, Employees are very kind and chill, Love that it also has a little herb/supplement and crystal type shop attatched to it. Definitely a new favourite spot, I will be coming here for the rest of my time living in the Twin Cities!

Finally stopped in after wanting to for a long time, and I can tell you the experience was even better than expected! Half café, half wellness boutique, the environment was bright, friendly, and comfortable. The Sun and Moon potions were tasty and came in a properly large mug! It was rejuvenating to visit. Thanks Tao, can’t wait to be back again.

Being someone who lives south, this was a delightful find. Few cafes offer cooked wholistic food with such great taste. The staff was pleasing and helpful in explaining the ingredients and menu options, so I could eat everything to my tastes. My food was quickly delivered to my table. Utensils and a cool water dispenser are available for self-service. My broccoli curry bowl was delightful. The sauce makes it! However, the seared tofu and cilantro are perfect accompanying flavors. They use a lot of natural herbs and have a robust selection of vegetarian menu options Interior tables line two street-side walls of windows, making it a most delightful ambiance. They offer many healthy beverages, some in the front cooler, ready to go on hot summer days. Others are hand-made when ordered and are served hot. I had the Earth Potion and was delighted with the taste. It is crafted from house-made cashew date milk, which is why it is so fresh and delightful, along with hits of vanilla and maple flavorings. They have a new “Centered” drink made with cacao and cinnamon. I’ll definitely try that some fall or winter day. You can also order elixirs, tonics, and shots to sip on out on the patio and enjoy conversations with friends and family. I parked on a nearby street and had no problem. It’s an easy walking distance to other local shops. But, first, I recommend checking out the shop that is attached which offers many awesome gifts. Overall, I really like how health-conscious the business is. I highly recommend this holistic cafe if you're in Minneapolis and looking for quality, simple dining.

Stopped into Tao having neglected to take the few minutes to check it out on my previous excursions to the twin cities. Wow am I impressed. They offer a healthy variety of organic, locally sourced eats and even offer elixirs + health tonics as-well as coffee drinks & teas. I was greeted by a wonderful staff member who was very kind and helpful when asked about the menu / cafe. While waiting for your food, you are able to go explore the shop in the back which is full of herbal supplements, locally crafted goods, & a bunch more stuff that fit the holistic health vibe. Food itself was great and tasted very fresh. Super nutritious and I love that they go the extra mile to source quality, organic ingredients. Would highly recommend checking this place out!

This is a hidden gem neighborhood stop, IMO. The chai is AMAZING... orange, cinnamon, available with coconut, cashew or whole milk. I have also had a couple of the bowls in the past .. generous portion, great for lunch take out. Stop by!

Some of the best health drinks and potions anywhere. Great owners and a quiet, restful interior. The sandwiches and bowls are exceptional. Also a bookstore with many remedies. Storied and unique in the upper midwest.

Had the weirdest and most unprofessional experience I've ever had with a small business recently. I put in an online order in December and didn't have any update on shipping or timing so I called them and they apologized and said I should have been notified of a back order. They insisted they'd have someone deliver it today and apologized even going so far as to offer to put some extra goodies in my delivery for my troubles. Order wasn't delivered on the day they said they'd drop off so I called and followed up and was told they just forgot to deliver it. I even offered to come pick up in store so I didn't have to wait around all day for a delivery but they were really insistent on delivering to my house. Finally had it delivered and after all that the order wasn't even correct and there were no aforementioned extras. So weird. Why would you offer to go above and beyond and then over promise and under deliver? Also heard from a friend that they had a terrible experience in store involving an unhoused person. So overall super unimpressed.

When you enter this café, you are transformed to a place of peace and joy! I love the feeling of the cozy tables, windows onto the city, and truly beautiful food and beverages for any mood you may be in. The staff are so friendly and inviting. We ordered coconut milk with our coffee, and they made a fresh pot of coffee and we were delighted with the creamer dish of freshly pressed coconut milk. They also make fresh cashew milk daily, creamy and absolutely heavenly. Street parking is easy and plentiful. Highly recommend coming here if you are in the uptown area!

I ordered Tao off of Postmates when looking for a healthy quick meal, and I'm so glad I found this spot! The menu has a huge variety of fresh, healthy foods. I ordered the Coconut Curry Bowl and it was delicious! The veggies were perfectly sautéed and surprisingly weren't soggy even though they were covered in sauce. The sauce was tasty and mild, the coconut really cut the flavor in a great way. The tofu was a little salty for my liking, but the sauce helped. Overall, will definitely order from here again and try to visit!

I enjoyed coming here for Thursday date night (two drinks, two entrees, and dessert for $45). It was delicious, healthy, and the patio was cute!

Calm vibe. Great tea and food selections. I like to shop upstairs while I wait for my order. Fast and friendly service.

Fantastic first experience. Stopped by for lunch with my sister. Had a tofu bowl and pressed juice that both were so so good. Vibe here is super chill and nice store in the back. Staff were friendly and efficient. It was sorta busy but our food was ready promptly. I never would have stopped in here without the recommendation of my sister and super glad I did. I'll be back very soon.

The staff there is very rude and slow preparing orders consistently, especially the Male cook who purposely delays orders up to a half hour for no apparent reasons He was also very rude and unprofessional to deal with when asked when an order would be ready. Once when eating there with my girlfriend her food came out 15 minutes before mine as well so I was forced to just sit and wait while she was almost finished with her meal. The staff used to be much more friendly but it has changed dramatically. If I could give this place -5 stars on service alone I would.

The service used to be so much better. The cook is the meanest and most chaotic man ever to put in front of customers. He also has never made food so that I could eat at the same time as my friends. Somebody always has to wait too long. The servers look really unhappy and never smile. The food portions have shrunk by a lot.

I ate at Tao after a showing on a Sunday and the vibe was great. There is a cute patio outside for nice days and a good amount of seating on the inside. There are a lot of Vegan friendly options, I had a Smoothie and the Veggie sandwich. The service was quick and the staff was so kind!

Coming to Tao Natural Foods was the fulfillment of all my vegan daydreams. As I went through their menu, I had the opposite problem of what I usually do when I go out to eat: there were too many good options for me to choose from. It was a breath of fresh air to know that I didn't have to request a ton of modifications on what I ordered for it to be vegan friendly! Despite it being extremely busy when I first arrived, the staff that took my order and brought my order out to me were so hospitable and easy-going! I ordered the Tao Bowl as well as a Sencha Green tea. The Tao Bowl just looks like eye candy with all its vibrant, contrasting colors of the different veggies, beans, and rice, and tasted just as delicious with the addition of the homemade sesame sauce. It was slightly tangy, slightly crunchy (balanced with the smooth avocado added in) and delicious! For the portion size you get as well as the atmosphere, the price was reasonable as well (around $13 for the Tao Bowl). The Sencha tea was also delightful. They serve their tea loose leaf so it's a bit more flavorful too! The space was very peaceful! It has a charming, re-modeled modern farmhouse feel to it with bright colors and vintage lights. I felt right at home...so much so that I ended up staying for 2 hours to read a book while savoring my tea. This place is perfect for a relaxing afternoon lunch, coffee date, or reading/ studying at! I'll be back!!

One of the best lunch spots in Minneapolis! It has great food that just makes you feel so good. Along with some great teas that warm you right up on a cold afternoon.

This place is so great! I always get the turkey avocado sandwich and the kale salad. Their kale salad is SO good! 10/10... I also love their little shop that has a bunch of holistic wellness goodies! Parking: free street parking is available. Can be hard to come by when it is busy downtown, but that is obviously not the restaurants fault. This is also a great place to do some work/homework.

Charming unique gem of Minneapolis that's been around for decades! Must see. Stylish and genuine. Excellent hot drinks (the Sun and the Moon- both very good). Nice healthy sensible food. Wasn't too impressed with the appetizers: an ultra tiny bowl of warmed up olives seemingly straight from a jar as well as the teeny tiny bowl of nuts with minimal effort to jazz them up. The food was a bit on the bland side but the drinks, like I said, were REALLY good- this and the ambience (top scoring) makes the previous complaints seem petty. The staff is happy, smiling and full of good vibes. The health store in the back of the cafe and the old twisty narrow stairs leading to an apothecary on the balcony is SO cool. This is a must see establishment that deserves respect. One of the few healthy spots with actual charm.

Listen. My wife enjoys ordering from this place. But it is a gamble on if you will get your full order. Tonight, ordered online. Arrived and had to wait an additional 10 minutes. Back home, sandwich was missing avocado and cheese "the whole reason to get the sandwich"

I wanted to like this place because of the beautiful looking bowls and smoothies but I would say- it's definitely not as great as it looks. The place is actually very small with limited uncomfortable seating (there are some tabling outside) and the food is for sure overpriced. I ordered the radiance juice and the Marco bowl. The juice was horrible- too much turmeric for me liking and the macro bowl was weird- basically just soy sauce for flavoring with a couple of kimchi pieces, it was a sad wannabe and take on the traditional Korean bibimbap. My partner ordered a salad that he thought was flavorless as well but we both agreed that the super greens smoothie he got was super delicious and creamy! I don't know if I would go back for the food, I would recommend the smoothies but still I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

I got the dryest avocado toast of my life with no egg (vegan). $10 with GF bread and tip. Not even a little sprinkle of pepper or salt.

Have driven by this place so many times and was finally able to make it in! The ambiance was beautiful and the service was so friendly. The food is healthy and exactly what I was going for, I feel that even if you aren't a fan of the healthy lifestyle, you could still find something you like here! I didn't get to make it in their shop, but def need to check it out next time I'm there

We love eating at Tao and sitting at the corner with our bowls and soup in the summer. The take out was a disappointment however. Portions were tiny, both bowls and a mushroom broth. Much smaller than when you eat in. I will never order a pickup again.

This place is very cute if you can find the street parking. Some tables outside and tables inside. I got a berry smoothie and splint the tortilla chips and ying yang dip (salsa and guac). Both very good!! The salsa was so fresh tasting. The service was great. Everyone was friendly and the staff seemed to genuinely enjoy their job. I was a little confused with the dishes situation which I later figured you just bring it to the condiment station to stack your dirty dishes. A cute plus, on the way to the restroom, you walk through a little shop that sold different teas and organic treats!

Where have you been all my life?! Best plant based vegan food in Minneapolis- hands down! Wow!! The staff is wonderful and the service is beyond measurable! Every thing I ordered was delicious and filling! From bowls to salads to fancy teas and juices, Tao is a healthy girls heaven! If you are looking for a clean restaurant with great food and amazing taste, this place is a must.

I have loved this cafe and store for decades! I no longer live in Mpls but whenever I am there I try to eat here. I absolutely love the ginger hot toddies for going into winter1

I've actually been going to Tao for years, back since the early 2000s. I was fairly disappointed to see that they stopped social distancing last time I was here about a month ago. But thought I'd go back. Now after visiting today I am just kind of done with the place. The food service was done by somewho didn't think it was important to wear a make properly, ya know, chin diapering. Whoever was working the downstairs counter for herbs just kept taking there mask off and putting it on when they approached people. Some uppity looking white guy walked in with out a mask on at all. No one said anything to him. Sweet, it's a "health store"

Every time I try a new restaurant I almost always go with what the staff recommends. Often times I'll say, "Surprise me." For my first visit to Tao's, I had the coconut curry bowl and the super green smoothie. First the coconut curry bowl. This was my first time trying Tofu other than in soup. The flavors of peanut, turmeric, coconut and curry were very mild and not overpowering. It was good, and filling, but I wish there was a bit more flavor. Now for the smoothie. The Super greens smoothie was bland. Maybe because I'm used to drinking smoothies with more flavor, and probably less heathy, but I wasn't a big fan. Ambiance: It's a quaint little place with a few barstool seats and 10 or so tables. The owner/chef was very friendly. Overall, I would rate this meal a 6 out of 10. Next time I go I think I'll try the avocado egg toast, or the sweet potato burrito/bowl and add an egg for good measure!

Don't go. Saw a big bug. Food is totally bland, you should def bring some hot sauce in your bag.

Watch your credit cards! Ordered a gift card for a friend over the phone and the gruff employee not only wouldn't let me attach a note or let the recipient know who it was from, but they also charged me a 3.5% credit card fee without telling me in advance. Thinking this was unusual for a restaurant to do this, I complained through their website. A second employee responded that they have no such policy and would look into it. (This leads me to believe that employee #1 is dishonestly charging extra on customer transactions.) After not hearing back from employee #2 as promised, I decided to cancel my credit card and have them send me a new one. Big pain, but better safe than sorry.

I stopped here on my way to the airport for a quick bite before leaving town. The inside of this place is SO cute and has a neat little shop attached full of natural products. I ordered the curry which was amazing. They also offer great options for kombucha on tap!

They have amazing food that you can just tell us made with the best and most fresh ingredients! And if you have a sweet tooth like me definitely get the turmeric cake!!

A favorite of my daughter's, I enjoy this place as well. She generally orders the Macro Bowl (Brown rice, natto, Kimchi, nori, carrots, cucumber, and ponzu sauce) while I prefer the Greek Bowl (Quinoa, mixed greens, garbanzo beans, feta, cucumber, Kalamata olives, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce). Service can be languid at times but I've found everyone consistently pleasant and welcoming. Price points have been creeping upward but ingredients are of generally high quality. If you have time. be sure to check out the shop in back.

I usually love food from Tao but I ordered from them today and was quite disappointed. I ordered the harvest bowl, which I always get. They decided to switch out the honey mustard dressing for tahini, beets for cranberries and the portions on my partners salads wasn't the same as mine. We called and they guy that answered said they have to "make do" with what they have. They should've taken down the menu items they can't actually make at the moment instead of switching out without telling us.

UPDATE: Tao, while still tasty and good, increased its prices in 2008 as well as reducing its portion sizes. So, you pay more, but get less food. I still like the food here---they have delicious vegan milkshakes (12 oz. for $7 ??) and a great black bean burger ($8)---but I've cut back on going here as the place is so expensive and the portion sizes are so tiny. Tao also nickle and dimes you for everything. Add avocado to a sandwich? $2.50. Extra bread? $2.50. Before you know it, your $8 meal turns out to be $13 or more with these add-ons and you leave still feeling hungry. Also, they got rid of their vegan waffle (why???) and their veggie burger is not vegan either (it has cheese in it). What a disappointment. At least they added the black bean burger, which makes up for the loss of the cheese-filled veggie burger. Also, their macrobiotic rice plates pack more of a kick than you might guess, especially with toasted sesame oil. All that said, Tao has great atmosphere. It's a cozy little corner joint with the feel of an old-time diner. The wait for food can be long, but that's only because each dish is lovingly prepared and hand-made; no short-cuts here. The food still is healthy, fresh and nicely prepared. They also feature at least one or two vegan desserts. Tao also has a large selection of health food and body-care items, as well as a small book section, in case you need more than just food.

This is where I go to get my woo on. a) I had my first turmeric latte at Cafe Gratitude in Los Angeles and got attached to them. Maybe because when the wait staff handed them over, they always made eye contact and said "You are Golden." My Minnesotan face always went bright red at this public display of touchy-feely woo but if I'm honest with myself, it was fucking awesome and I loved it. So now when I need a gently spicy sun of hot sweet drink in m'face, I go to Tao. The staff here don't say shit like that to you, but you can whisper it to yourself. b) Need lemon balm for some witchy solar infusions? How about essential extracts? Making your own massage oil or need a book on herbs? Maybe out of Lion's Mane mushroom powder? Their little shop at the back is well stocked with all sorts of deliciously curious and useful things, and priced super fairly. c) Their vegan food is on point. I had some kind of tempeh rice breakfast bowl and it was great. I haven't tried their baked goods because they always look a little sad. d) The aura of this place (judge away, haters) is glorious. It's open and sunny and welcoming. You feel better just sitting in here. This has become my favorite Uptown coffee shop spot- no pretentious garbage, no too-fancy-hipsterdom, just healthy, earthy goodness where we can all let our woo flags fly.

I probably wouldn't go to Tao if it weren't a five minute walk from where I live, but it's a fairly pleasant place to enjoy breakfast or lunch provided you avoid peak hours. The Good: From what I gather, Tao was one of the trailblazers in the organic, locavore movement, and it certainly shows in the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Everything I've tried on the menu has been perfectly fine, but few things stand out as particularly memorable. One exception is the pancake, which I ordered during my most recent trip to Tao a few weeks back. I wasn't expecting much (particularly for the price--low relative to some of the other stuff on the menu), but I received a couple of excellent buckwheat pancakes topped with a pile of sliced banana and walnuts. Extremely satisfying. During the warmer months, it's also a nice place to grab a table outside and enjoy a slow meal or cup of coffee while reading a book, people watching, or whatever it is you do to pass the time. Very easy-going place. The Bad: They're slow. I typically go when they're not busy, but even then it takes a considerable amount of time for them to prepare your order. Not an issue for me as I purposely frequent the restaurant when I'm in the mood for a leisurely meal, but consider yourself warned. If you do venture in during peak hours, be advised that the seating is extremely limited, and the wait time for food will be even lengthier. Aside from breakfast items, the food can be somewhat expensive relative to the portion that you get, but the pricing structure is ultimately not really out of whack with what you'd expect at Tao's competitors (and for the Lowry Hill/Kenwood glitterati, I'm sure it seems like the restaurant is more or less giving food away). Also on the bad side of the ledger is a classic undercurrent of Minnesota passive aggressiveness. I'm talking about small things and probably imperceptible to the native Minnesotan, but, as a transplant, I've never been able to adjust. For example, the last time I ate I went to find a table outside after placing my order. On my way out the front door, I passed a large shelving unit containing, among other things, silverware, which I took for myself without a second thought. Later, when the server arrived with my food and saw that I had helped myself to cutlery, he made a comment along the lines of "Oh...I see you got silverware...We usually handle that...But no worries". Well, yes, there clearly were "worries" if you felt the need to comment on such a trivial matter; just tell me not to do it next time and be done with it. And so it goes in Minnesota. In any case, despite my meandering review, I'll return to what I said at the outset: A pleasant place for casual dining if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

The worst experience I had in a while!!!!! I was looking forward to try this new place,I really love plant based cafe shops and oh boy what a huge disappointment! The place looks ok,I entered and there was a young girl behind the counter. I ordered the coconut curry bowl avocado egg toast and two mushroom soups,paid with my card and waited for my order. 25 minutes later and nothing,the place is empty,maybe four people are there,the girl behind the counter she was standing right next to us,she didn't even care that we never got our order. I went to the counter and asked her can you please figure out what's going on,your place is completely empty so where is my order ? She stared laughing I guess she was embarrassed, she was looking all over the place and couldn't find it. She asked to rewrite the order so she'll prepare everything again because our order just disappeared. After giving her the order again, guess what ?! She found it!!! It was packed for take away. Omg what a joke! Food served cold,not tasty at all!and honeslty the experience was bad bad bad bad bad ! Oh wait,when this girl finally understood that this is wrong she offered a desert which was so bad ! Have u every tried spicy brownie! DONT ! Will never go back!

If you're a fan of organic-fresh-healthy-hipstery restaurants like me, then this is your place. Great for vegetarians too. One reason I LOVE this place is they don't play you on avocado servings. I asked for avocado to be added to my salad, and I had to take a moment of silence. At a normal restaurant, I would dig to find basically a tsp of avocado crumbs somewhere, but they added a delightful sliced (half) avocado to my salad. And for that, I salute them. I ordered the Doozie (favorite salad by far) with avocado instead of the guacamole. They told me right away that their guacamole had a weird color to it, so they would recommend subbing it out for the day, and I'm so happy because the avocado added was great. I also added some feta and it was the best salad everrrrr. My boyfriend got the quesadilla and that was really good too! It was definitely different than the regular quesadilla, but super tasty and he liked it! Love this place! I will definitely be back.

The food, unfortunately, was disappointing, especially for the price. Plus, only one of the employees was wearing a mask during a mask mandate, and the business right through the doorway next door had a few customers also not wearing masks!

don't go here, no one was wearing masks and the food was so bland. Had to dump pepper and salt onto it just to make it okay. AND who only has cashew and whole milk, yall are weird. Coffee is literally better anywhere else, i had to throw mine away and go to starbucks next door afterwards.

Nice, mellow feel to this restaurant. I ordered the tofu sandwich with my side being a kale salad. I added avocado to the sandwich and asked that it be made vegan. Good choice all around. My meal in total cost around 13 dollars with the added avocado and no drink purchase. Friendly service. This restaurant is a little small so just be prepared if you come during busy lunch or dinner times.

Amazing breakfast! Homemade and delicious. A bit on the pricier side but well worth the money with the ingredients your eating. Very recommended!

The parking is painful in Uptown, so expect to deal with that. The cafe is small, only a few tables - most of them 2 seaters. This place had a lot of traffic, mostly people grabbing it to go. The food is fresh, organic & delicious. The hot food takes a while to make, but my sweet potato bowl was well worth it. I also had a homemade peanut butter cup, which was SO good & rich, I'd recommend sharing it with a friend. Seemed a bit spendy, but the food was worth it.

Absolutely love this place. Many twin cities citizens owe some of their good health to their good advice & offerings of superior products at the store. Having come here for years I am greatly benefited with knowledge, books, herbs & other wonderful offerings & a great breakfast & lunch menu. Thank you Tao!

I love this place! It has great food and drinks that are healthy and taste like real food. What I mean is the drinks are not sugary I can actually taste the different flavors of the drinks. And the food is not extremely heavy or greasy. I feel satisfied when I eat there not full and bloated, haha. The food is very flavorful and unique. Also the atmosphere is great, the employees are nice, they play good music, and they do not require you to wear a mask!!

Even though my apartment resides only a few blocks away, I haven't made Tao my go-to for healthy eats, green smoothies, and herbal supplements. In my opinion, this Uptown institution has the potential to acquire a significant proportion of my monthly paycheck instead of The Wedge. Unfortunately, though, it hasn't been able to do so. First, let's start off with the things I love: +INTERIOR DESIGN: A seriously gorgeous one that features tall ceilings, wooden walls (more of the store part), Pintrest-like floors, etc... I think it's one of my favorite designed places in Uptown! Also, if I lived in a fantasy tree-house village, I would imagine cafes and stores would look like this one! (That's a compliment.) +ACCOMODATING FOOD PREFERENCES: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free friendly. There's practically something for everyone, and I appreciate how considerate they are... +HAPPY HOURS AND DATE NIGHTS: I would like to wash down all these healthy greens with a nice glass of white, please. But seriously, Tao is very charming and ideal for a casual date night or hangout with friends. Areas For Improvement: -CONFUSION: On my most recent visit on a weekday, I saw only two staff members working there. One took my order and then began cooking my Breakfast Burrito. The other went to deliver my coffee, but couldn't find me. Luckily, I spotted him on the way back to the kitchen and waved him down. Shouldn't there only be one cook and one person taking orders/ delivering? It would make much more sense. Other customers were confused, too. -SLOW SERVICE: Tied in with the first point, on several occasions I've dropped by and ordered a smoothie. Each time took about 15-20 minutes for them to make, which I think is too long. -FOOD: Some dishes come off a little bland. (Maybe more salt?) That's just my preference though. Tao -- really, if you can streamline your service and elevate the food a bit, I'll be more than happy to dedicate a percentage of my paycheck to you every month. Please understand that I'm often times in a rush, and faster service is needed. I'll definitely come by next month to give this place my sixth or seventh shot. I hope this place can improve!

Very savory and heathy food. Great employees, who were attentive and dedicated to giving the best service possible. I noticed that the staff new many customers by name, that speaks a lot about this business. The only reason I did not give five stars was price. Seemed a bit high for what I got, but then again I do not know what the overhead is for a business like this one in this neighborhood. I would definitely go back..

Fresh and healthful, but completely devoid of flavor. The berry bliss smoothie. No discernible flavor. Brown rice and beans. Close your eyes. What are you eating? Unknown. Quesadilla. The sprouted tortilla was good. But the rest is mostly like chewing nothing.

I stumbled across this place and fell in love. People who know me best may say I'm a little "crunchy" and this place caters to this side of me! I believe food is medicine and this place sneaks in just the right amount of it! I loved the mushroom broth with immune supportive herbs. I will be back in the morning!

The food was fine, but the man with the glasses was incredibly rude. Not only to me, but also to a DoorDash driver who was just trying to do his job. He made fun of me for using cash and was gossiping about other customers. He ruined my entire day. The woman behind the counter was incredibly nice though, and tried to make up for his poor behavior. He should not have contact with customers.

Tao is liberal with avocado. VERY liberal. And I approve of it. The second coming of Tao is a good one and an excellent place to take the vegetarians in your life. And people who love vegetables and avocados, like me. There's some turkey and tuna on the menu, but it is mainly stocked with vegetarian and vegan items like salads, sandwiches, rice bowls and breakfast. Also chevre quesadilla. That's what I want next. I counted and found 16 instances on the menu where it says "avocado" or "guacamole." Niiiiiiice. I ordered the black bean burger (added cheese), which is enormous and comes with a side salad. The burger is topped with tomato, lettuce and house guacamole (spread thickly on BOTH sides). It was good, but ask for a side of hot sauce if you want it to be great. Even the hot sauce seemed homemade---so tasty that I'll probably ask for that no matter what I order in the future! Fair warning that this meal is difficult to eat because the burger is quite soft. I ended up just forgetting the bun and eating it with a fork so that I didn't fill up on bread or end up with half the burger in my lap. Win-win. If fresh juice is your thing, they have what looks to me like a very well-appointed juice bar. Most of the juices and smoothies are over $6, which is cost prohibitive for me. I'd rather spend $6 on a Crispin or more food, personally. Oh yeah, and after the remodel they now serve wine and beer and cider. They also have full coffee service and Wi-Fi, which I can't believe I've never taken advantage of before. All good things. A couple of the weekly specials stand out too. Date night on Monday includes two entrees, two glasses of wine and one dessert for $28. And Tuesday is 1/2 price wine night. The back of Tao is a natural health shop, which is great if you're looking for herbal supplements, organic gift ideas and holistic health resources. They also offer Reiki, acupuncture, Thai massage and more at reasonable rates. And the atmosphere has changed quite a bit after the recent remodel. They've always had a very relaxing sidewalk patio (nicer than you'd think sitting right on Hennepin, but it's tucked behind some trees), but now the inside is classy and charming too. Nicely done, Tao!

The food and service have taken a nosedive over the past few years. I've been a regular customer since 2015--Tao used to be one of my favorite places to have a nice, relaxing meal. But not anymore! Wait staff regularly mess up take out orders. Once vibrant meals are now bland and overpriced. The coffee tastes like jet fuel and isn't worth drinking on even the most hung-over of Sunday mornings. One time a cashier yelled at me for asking for a spoon. Their water also boasts that it contains every natural element found on the periodic table of elements. Uranium, lead, and arsenic are all natural elements of the period table. I'll pass thank you very much.