Tao Downtown New York City

Tao Downtown is on West 16th Street, a ten-minute walk from the Whitney Museum of American Art. It is a sprawling venue focused on Asian and Japanese cuisine, including a substantial sushi program. The room runs smart, reflecting an aesthetic that leans heavily into a club-like atmosphere.

While the Meatpacking District remains a five-minute walk away, this address avoids the area’s smaller, tighter front doors in favor of a cavernous, subterranean layout. Other spots in the neighborhood trade on intimacy or proximity to the street; Tao chooses scale instead. It is a venue designed for those who prefer the dining room to double as a dance floor, prioritizing the energy of house and hip-hop over the quiet, focused service found at its more restrained Chelsea Market neighbors.