Lunch today was spot on! The food was hot , tasty and fresh! The restaurant was very clean and neat. Our server was very good and friendly! We def will be back! Thanks for the job you do! read more

Our favorite sushi restaurant in Tallahassee! It was our first date and we've enjoyed it ever since! Great service and a casual vibe. The perfect place to go on a Sunday afternoon because it's located at Bannerman crossing, so you can walk around and shop afterwards. Sushi is great and consistent! So many choices! The bento box is always a favorite of mine and you get a ton of food for the price. It always heats up well for leftovers too! I recommend the wontons with the crab and cream cheese...our personal fave! You can't go wrong with anything on this menu and there is something for everyone! read more

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Best sushi for miles. They always have interesting specials. The hot food is also fantastic. The black bean sauce is my girlfriend's favorite to add to whatever side she gets. There always seems to be new servers but they are always nice and well trained. The vibe is very professional and clean. Perfect for a date or business meeting. Hear rumors that before the 2020 lockdowns they had a buffet. Never saw it but I heard rumors that it was epic. I hope they bring it back read more

Dao is my weekly go-to, and for good reason. The crispy honey chicken is absolutely on point--perfectly crispy, lightly sweet, and full of flavor every single time. Consistent quality, quick service, and food that keeps you coming back. If you're looking for a reliable favorite that never misses, Dao is it. read more

Food, Service, Ambience are all Top Notch! Same goes for other two Lucy Ho's testauran read more

Came here with a group of 11. Made the reservation 2 hours before going with no problems. They sat us in the back area, which was very nice and private for our big group! We had Delaney as our server and she was very attentive, kind, and patient! She even took our group picture that my mom wanted outside of the restaurant! Everyone enjoyed they food & I especially enjoyed my favorite dish: pan fried noodles! Would definitely come back here again if I am back in the area. read more

Dao Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

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Dao is one of my go to places in Bannerman. I always order a hot and sour soup and it is good. Sometimes it is spicier than others but that doesn't bother this spicy person. Instead of a bento box or sushi special, I ordered just one roll- a Hurricane Roll. It was a piece of fried whitefish with onions and Mayo. I have had many sushi rolls from here and love the bang bang mango roll but usually sub out another fish rather than a krab base. I've had my share of their bento boxes, which are very good and it is a lot of food. Today I had lunch of the crunchy spicy pork with fried rice. I keep coming back here! read more

Dao Restaurant - Dragon Fly Roll - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

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Over a year ago, my wife and I went to Dao for our Wednesday night date night.  This had been one of three locations on our regular date-night rotation.  Up to this point, we had seen a decline in customer service.  Everything was slower, certain items on the menu were unavailable, etc.  Still, we kept coming back because whatever we got at the table was fantastic.  On the night in question, we sat for almost 10 minutes without service.  I flagged the hostess down and another waiter to no avail.  I mentioned this to the hostess on the way out and barely got a, "Sorry about that."  So, we did not go back till yesterday (11/23/2025). We were in the mood for sushi and were in the area.  Surely, the experience could not be as bad as before.  We were greeted by the hostess and sat at a table with no wait.  There were at least four waiters and two hostesses working.  We were one of 6 tables inside.  We sat and watched all but one waitress pass our table.  The table behind my wife ordered drinks, had them delivered, and then ordered food.  Another couple was seated behind me.  We had seen no one and were looking around to see if we could get a waitress's attention.  One did walk up, but she stopped at the newly seated table behind me, taking their drink order.  My wife is usually the patient one, enjoying experiences, taking her time.  Before I could say anything, she looked at me and said, "Let's go".  On the way out, we mentioned the service issue, as I did before.  The hostess first wished us a good day, then gave us a confused look when we told her we had not received service.  The hostess had sat us in a nearly empty restaurant less than 10 minutes before and had already forgotten us. Yes, the food at Dao is good.  Yes, they have adequate staffing and have been around for a while.  Yes, their location is ideal and probably costs a good bit in rent.  However, something has changed in their management, rendering customer service as an afterthought.  We will NOT go back again.  Too many good to great sushi restaurants in Tallahassee to spend money at one that does not put their customers first. read more

My fiancé and I dine here regularly, however after our dining experience on 2/15/26 we will not be coming back here. We were sat almost immediately, but waited about 35 minutes to even be acknowledged by waitstaff. It took us asking two different hostesses for a waiter before one finally came over. After ordering or drinks and food, it took about another 45-50 minutes to receive all of our food. Mind you, multiple tables (at least4) that were sat after us had been taken care of immediately and received their food and drinks, AND got their checks and left before we did. Around the hour and a half mark we had waited for our waitress to show up again to ask if we were ready for the checks. It took another 40 minutes after that for her to take our check behind the bar. We again had to ask MULTIPLE waitstaff and hosts for our change. It took another waitress addressing OUR waitress about us not getting our check for her to finally come back. We asked for management and got told he was "busy packing doordash orders" which is a load of crap. As someone who works in the restaurant industry the customer service wasn't great at all and we witnessed other tables going through the same thing. We had grace up until the point where it took almost another hour just for us to receive our change. Don't waste your time on eating at Dao if it's "moderately" busy. You'll wait 2.5 hours for everything. read more

We came here on a game day, so perhaps they are better than what we experienced... The ambience was good - the place is spacious and clean. Service was very slow, even though the restaurant was only at 15% capacity. The food was just unimpressive or bad. The house salad was wilted and inedible. The soup was warm, not hot. The sushi was just decent. It was very cold, as if it came out of the fridge. Someone at our table got the sweet and sour chicken and it reportedly tasted like ketchup. Someone else got the crispy Thai style chicken, which was cold. read more

I came here on a Friday night for dinner. It was bustling and it was a 40 minute wait. Perhaps during busy times it is best to make reservations. Upon walking in, it was a nice casual and slightly classy atmosphere with cute little decorations. I enjoyed the atmosphere. I had the sashimi platter and it was really great. I asked for ikura and they accommodated that. The tuna tuna tuna roll was very nice as well The waitress had a sense of humor. It was hard to get the to go lids on the boxes for some reason. She bought us fortune cookies at the very end read more

Dao Restaurant - Sashimi appetizer - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

Our regular carryout spot, which they accomplish with 99% accuracy. Best Asian food in city and has been for decades.

This place has the worst service ever. We've been 3 times a failed to get even a drink order on time and we ended up leaving each time.. 3 strikes..you're out. The service at this restaurant is absolutely horrible. How funny i gave it a 1 star review and shows up like 3...haha. Nice..pathetic actually. read more

Super underrated restaurant. Service was phenomenal. Quality of fish was great too and I'm very picky with this, being from Miami and now living in Tallahassee. The sushi martini was very good if you like crab (there's a lot of crab in it). The sushi was phenomenal. Top 3 best sushi in town for sure. My boyfriend ordered the curry and said it was great as well. Prices were super reasonable , I expected worse. This place was overall great and we'll definitely be back. read more

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Extraordinarily disappointing bento box luncheon. The spring roll was soggy, the noodles were terrible, and, since when is mushy celery an ingredient in Cashew Chicken. We've dined here previously, but it's really gone downhill. read more

I feel so sad giving them 2.5 stars, but our bill was $82 for three people without tip, so you're looking at almost $30/person and I can undoubtedly say it's NOT WORTH IT. The apps. came out first - sweet + sour soup - a classic Chinese dish. It hit the mark flavor wise - it did lack substance, such as more tofu or pork in it. Scallion Pancakes were an insult - $1.75 for each quarter (YIKES) / very pricey for JUST A BITE. I will say, the star was the Coconut Curry sauce (sweet) & stole the show - delish! My Surf & Turf was an outrageous price ($16) - very small pieces of steak with a bite of tempura shrimp - overall, portions were tiny and unimpressed... Our waitress didn't acknowledge the 45 min. wait for our sushi and was dismissive of the situation - no managers made the run to our table to check-in about our experience...my nephew and I were waiting for our sushi for what felt like FOREVER! We rarely complain at all, so I will say this: SAVE YOUR SELF THE MONEY & get FAST FOOD CHINESE instead because it will come in handy - price & quality of food will supercede this experience! read more

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I was excited to finally try this place out after hearing good things. I came in on Sunday and there was just a short wait before I was seated. The waitress was kind enough to go over the meeting when I let her know we were first timers. We ordered appetizers, sushi, and entrees. Our appetizers were fantastic and right after we got them we were served our entrees. I thought it was strange our sushi did not come at the same time and when I asked the waitress about it I could tell by the look she gave that she forgot to put our sushi order in. She gave us an excuse about them being behind on the sushi orders and it would be a few more minutes on it. I had the Sesame Chicken and as soon as I started eating I was somewhat disappointed. The chicken was tasty but it was only slightly a little warm. The biggest issue was the broccoli being very cold like it came straight out the fridge. I mentioned this to the my waitress who said she would bring me some more. The broccoli she brought while not as cold was still not hot like I would have preferred. The sushi was finally brought out mid way through us eating our meals. Aside from these issues my other food was enjoyable and the sushi was fantastic. My only other gripe is we had to keep chasing other waitress down in order to get refills on our drinks. The owner was also very nice and did stop by our table. I would definitely be willing to give them another shot and think I just may have came in on a bad night. read more

Dao Restaurant - Sesame chicken - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

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What a lovely brunch buffet experience! Surprisingly, to me anyway, our waitress offered to bring out soups on request. I ordered the miso soup. It was hot and flavorful. As a vegetarian, I noticed quite a few options on the buffet. There was one veggie sushi option, but also veg fried rice, noodles, white rice, mixed salad greens, seaweed salad, tofu with mixed vegetables, bok choy and veg egg rolls. There was a separate dessert/drink bar. I grabbed a can of some sort of Taiwanese soda. It was delicious! I decided to skip the desserts, but observed others in my party seemingly enjoying theirs. I noticed that when we arrived around 10:30, the place was mostly empty. As we left, the restaurant was nearly full. What a great location with a beautiful exterior in Bannerman Crossings! The inside was gorgeous as well with fabulous light fixtures and decor. I'm am so glad I was able to try out this brunch after hearing all the buzz about it. It definitely lived up to the hype! read more

Dao Restaurant - Sunday brunch- miso soup, tofu and mixed vegetables, veg egg roll, etc. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

I have reviewed this restaurant before; but wanted to comment on the meal I ordered recently. We were warmly greeted and were seated almost immediately. Notably, I love the ambiance and our server was on point. The appetizers were great (tom tom shrimp and krab rangoon). Though my husband and daughter enjoyed their meals (sesame chicken and mongolian beef), I did not enjoy mine. I ordered the grilled salmon teriyaki with asparagus and shittake mushrooms. The teriyaki sauce was very "watery" and I could barely taste the teriyaki; and the mushrooms/broccoli/onions medley was just plain bland - no taste at all. Fortunately, I was quite satisfied after eating the appetizers and my egg drop soup (which is always tasty). I took salmon home and put my own sauce on there; plus, I added seasoning to the veggie mix and stir-fried them for a minute or so - it was tasty at that point, so not a wasted meal. :o) read more

Since COVID has been a thing, I've done my best to remain in the house. This has severely limited the amount of times I've gotten the opportunity to visit a new restaurant so when that seldom occasion does come, I hope to be exultant. Dao most assuredly did the opposite. From an environmental standpoint, the restaurant is good-looking. The type of place you'd love to take a date to whether it be the lunch hour or dinnertime. The service was also cool. Our waitress made it a point to educate us on the fact that she was the only person available during my wife and I's lunch date and reiterated that quite a few times, which became minimally annoying, but I understood she was just trying to be proactive in case the service became delayed at any point but thankfully, it didn't. The trouble with Dao was the food itself. I love sushi. Eat it all the time around the city and whenever I'm out of town so I know a tad bit about it. I can honestly say this was the most underwhelming sushi I've consumed in Tallahassee. It was about as average as it could possibly be to the point of teetering on subpar. I didn't even finish my rolls and that has never happened. On the bright side, my wife's Sesame Glazed Chicken from her bento box was good and was the only thing I enjoyed tasting. I don't live too far away but I can't see myself coming here again unless I'm looking for a conveniently located meal and something other than sushi. read more

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My friend has always raved about this place and I was so excited to try it for the first time whenever I made my way back to Tallahassee. I was sadly disappointed with my experience. It was a Tuesday night and my significant other and I were making our way from Jacksonville. We called the food in a hour ahead of time just to be safe. Upon arrival, they had me pay and have a seat and said it would be right up. I watched 5 parties go in and out with their pick up food as I sat there alone. There were three tables siting in the restaurant. I waited an HOUR for my to-go order once I arrived. I understand some restaurants are having difficulty with everything going on but I've never had to wait two hours for a to-go order. I was there so long that three sets of customers asked if I worked there.... My suggestions would be to improve the organization and flow of the service provided to customers. And have your customer pay once they receive their food. Because not many will wait two hours for $80 worth of sushi.... The sushi itself was average. It was decently fresh but some of the flavor combinations were off. I probably would give it a better rating if it wasn't such an ordeal getting it. I don't know if I'll come back! But it was really pretty inside! read more

It's a fantastic restaurant! My granddaughter loved the kids shrimp she got. She said oooo this is so tasty and of course the food always good read more

my go to dinner spot dine in or pick up. So delish!!! Seafood is fresh and the garlic green beans are amazing.

Numerous visits, varying numbers in party from just me to 8 of us. NEVER fails to surprise and delight the palate. One of the best egg drops I have had in 50 years from restaurants across the country. Consistent appearance, texture, and taste. appetizers are almost a meal in themselves! Entrees are very varied and always pleasing. Portions extremely generous and no matter what has been ordered it is delivered to the table quickly, very appealingly presented, and tastes even better! I'd highly recommend DAO for any occasion from a quick mark for one to a group of 8 or more, or to impress out of town guests. This restaurant is definitely one of Tallahassee's best kept kept secrets and a true purveyor of great offerings. read more

I guess it's commendable the prices have not increased, but the lunch portion has been nearly halved. If it had not tasted terrible, I would have been more disappointed by the volume. As it was, I finished half, which equates to 4 of the 8 bits of meat on the plate. I've been getting the dish for years, and it was the worst I've ever received. Barely any sauce, the dish was left tasting mainly of their dirty fry oil. So, if nothing else, change your oil more often Dao. I let them know as a courtesy, expecting no accommodation based on past experience, and in that regard, they are still quite consistent. read more

Finally had a chance to try Dao and was not disappointed! We had a tuna tataki appetizer (unpictured), mu-shu pork and beef negimaki. Everything was fresh, full of flavor and enough to take some home. Look forward to trying the sushi in the future. Service was attentive, friendly and the restaurant was clean and a nice ambiance. read more

Dao Restaurant - Dinner Beef Negimaki - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

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I'm afraid DAO may be on its last legs. This evening at 5:00 we were seated right away (there were not many people dining), but had to wait more than 10 minutes before a server came. Just as "Emma" arrived and told us her name, the Host pulled her away to do something else. We got up and left. Small numbers of diners, inadequate servers and no apparent management will kill this restaurant. I hate that because it has long been a favorite of mine. read more

Food is consistently good. Service good including times we have done take out. Atmosphere is relaxing.

Food was awesome I had the Salmon and my wife ordered sesame chicken. Both dishes were awesome the fried rice was very good. Good drinks great atmosphere. We will be back. read more

I generally find Dao's main courses a little too sweet for my preference and bit overpriced. I had stopped going to this establishment but was in the mood for Pho and they are close to home. I ordered the Ramen Noodle Dinner. It was disappointing. The broth and ramen noodles are competent, but the pork slices were less than appealing. The entree is approximately $15, which made the two thin slices of pork roast seem shockingly absurd. They were dried out and had an off taste. Freezer burn? Stale? Not pork roast taste for sure. I didn't continue to eat them. Everything not meat related was good. I gave it three stars and feel that's about right. To sum up Dao in one word - meh. There are better options nearby though so I'll likely forget about this place for a while and then go back to remind myself why I don't eat there. read more

Dao Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

I had a great first visit here for a going away party. The private dining area is at the rear of the restaurant and can be divided again for more privacy. There were I believe 9 people seated comfortably at one table. We did relocate at one point because the other side of the restaurant was cooler than where we were initially seated. We had one waitress, Sarah. She was STUPENDOUS. Really went above and beyond for our table, IMO. I ordered the Peking Duck. It was definitely different, but I didn't hate it. The duck was not as warm as I wanted it to be. But overall, the meal did not disappoint. I also had a side of the honey sauce which is served piping hot, but also quite delicious. I had the Lavender Dream to drink, it's combines pina colada and Long Island iced tea! It was super satisfying. I enjoyed it. It seemed like most others enjoyed their entrees well enough. The honoree felt her honey chicken was a bit dry and added some of my sauce to help. A couple people also tried the seafood rice, but replaced it with lo mein. Idk if that was the right move. I heard the scallops were over cooked as well. By the time the dinner was over many people said "good choice." So based on hearing that, having stellar service and a sufficient meal. I give this place 4 stars and would return if invited. It's a bit far for me to choose to come out to Bannerman on my own, when there are similar restaurants closer in town. read more

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Dao never fails to satisfy. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Memo offers a variety of delicious offerings. Always a good time with great food. read more

Dao Restaurant is the latest offering from the owners of Azu Restaurant, building on more than 40 years of experience in serving the finest in Japanese, Sushi, & Asian Fusion Cuisine to Tallahassee. read more

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Great place to dine for excellent sushi & eclectic Chinese cuisine. Meeting place once a month for our sushi group. read more

Service was quick. Food was tasteless, you can tell that veggies and fixings that come w the meat/ chicken or shrimp are simply added to the plate NOT cooked with it.. I had the konpao chicken and it was layered with peanut on top as of they had just grabbed 2 big hand fulls of peanuts and put them on top of the dish instead of having the sauce and vegetables/ chicken cooked all together to add a uniform flavor. My son14 asked for the Salt and pepper prawns, which he said were OK. I got some of his vegetables and they were cold, onions also just added to the plate and u can tell they are not cooked with the main protein! Very disappointed- will not come back. read more

I've been coming here since they opened and have had many of the menu items. The Bang Bang Mango sushi roll is one of my favorites made with a tuna roll rather than the California roll. The seaweed salad is very good. For lunch, I usually opt for the Szechuan crispy beef. This dish is the best I've had here and also the worse! The best was when one of the workers from Azu told them not to over cook it. The flavor was so good. I ordered it again the next time I came and ask specifically not to over fry it. It was burned and the flavor tasted "off". I left it on my plate and did not take it to go. I told the waitress about it but nothing became of it. She just told me that she told the kitchen but didn't write it down. I've been in other times since but today, I thought I would try it again. Today, it was much better. I ordered a side of yum yum sauce for it. Their lunch special bento boxes are now $12 and well worth the money (they just went up on their prices). It is a lot of food for the money. There are several entree's that you can make into a Bento box. read more

Dao Restaurant - Bang Bang Mango Roll with eel instead of California roll. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Tallahassee, Florida

I had high hopes for this place since I love Azu's however it wasn't anything great. When we got there we had to wait because the kitchen was behind but there were plenty of tables available. As we sat down we ordered drinks which took awhile to come out since the bar was behind on orders as well. We soon ordered apps..we got the hanabi shrimp, chicken kabobs, and edamame. Everything was delicious! For dinner me and my brother ordered the ramen noodle bowl-we both didn't think much of it. It tasted like the ramen you make from packets with the seasoning. Nothing amazing about it. We also ordered the crab explosion sushi which wasn't bad. My dad ordered the Peking duck and it was over cooked and too chewy. My mom ordered the shrimp lettuce cups which was probably the best entree out of all of ours. The way the shrimp was served was different because it came all chopped up. We all were a little disappointed with our food. Only items we really enjoyed were the apps. Hopefully they can work on faster service as well. The server was very kind and the owner came out to ask us how all our food was and gave us a discount on the duck since no one ate it. read more

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Our party was immediately greeted at the entrance and my OpenTable reservation for 10 Sunday Brunch diners was confirmed. We were chaperoned to a semi-private dining area behind a wall partition that had a reserved table set for 10, a perfect start. A waitress came to take drink orders but everyone only wanted water because the Sunday brunch buffet includes a punch bowl along with cans of exotic sodas and drinks, all included! The waitress totally understood and brought out the waters. As we awaited some late comers (insert finger wagging emoji here LOL), everyone conversed and I noticed that the noise level was extremely low or non-existent. That allowed me to hear everyone clearly from across the super large round table as they talked. Nice. The privacy created by the wall partition was nice too. I really like the floor plan of the general dining area which is a mix of free standing tables, booths and bar stool seating (once buffet tables are removed). Starting with a delicious Miso soup (soups available upon request), I ended up eating a wonderful cross section of the buffet sushi and hot foods, but did not eat any of the desserts :/ In my humble opinion, the sushi and sashimi was an excellent value for the price alone. I eat sushi on a fairly regular basis so I am always on the lookout for the best value I can get to consume good sushi and good sashimi. Dao Sunday Brunch hits the proverbial nail on the head! As for the hot foods they of course also were delicious. I indulged in the pork dumplings, curry chicken, steamed tofu vegetables and of course their fried rice LOL! The standout buffet item had to be the seared tuna, a smoky flavored-melt in your mouth goodness delight. YUM! This was a planned "must brunch" get together of Yelpers. I had heard of Dao's connection to Azu which also hosts a Sunday brunch, but that the Dao Sunday brunch buffet is supposed to be larger. I cannot say for certain that the number of diverse dishes at Dao outnumbers those at Azu, but Dao does seem to have a larger selection of Sushi and Sashimi. Plus there is parking at Dao...It's tough to find parking at Azu. A special thanks to my fellow Yelper foodies for making this a memorable experience, and I'm looking forward to many more! Date: 3/10/2019 Party of: 10 Seating: seated in a semi-private room for large parties Meal: Sunday brunch buffet Category: Asian fusion "lite" Parking: Private lot Reservations: Reservations recommended Alcohol: Liquor, Beer and Wine Price: $$ WICB: HECK YES! read more

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It's been a while since our first visit, and my review from that visit, but we decided to give it a try again this past Sunday. We wanted to try the brunch buffet, which looked incredible in all the Yelp photos. We reserved a table on Open Table and when we walked in, there was a table with a "Reserved" sign on it for us. We were taken there right away. We sat for a good 10 minutes until the owner saw that we had not been served and he went and got her for us. She was slow to approach and really slow throughout the meal with drinks, or check - or even the simple check-in. Service aside, the food was really amazing. Especially for a buffet, where you expect sub-standard "bulk" food, Dao throws all they have at you. Sushi rolls, seaweed salad, tempura shrimp and veggies, loads of Chinese dishes - all very fresh and very tasty. It is a very generous buffet and inline with the Lucy Ho / Masa experience we all know and love in Tallahassee. We will definitely be back! I just wish i could eat like I did in my 20's so I could enjoy it all! read more

Ramen is pretty good, bento boxes for lunch are also good. Never been disappointed. Good atmosphere too.