I can't tell you how many times I have been here thru the past 10 years since it is my husband's favorite restaurant in the 'burgh. I also do really like it! I have had everything on the menu more than once and nothing had ever been disappointing. Therefore, it came as a shock when we learn they are were closing for a while. Knowing how long it took them reopen some of their other restaurants, we are a bit sad. Maybe they will make it a little less dark inside which would be great. Sometimes it is a bit too lick like a club in there. Also perhaps they could add the octopus tacos to Tako Torta ! We visited for one last hoorah last weekend. The octopus wasn't on the menu but after checking with our waitress, they still had a few. We got both this one and then queso! I got chips for the queso since I don't do gluten and then corn tortillas with the tacos. The octopus was well cooked as usual. I had a frozen pain killer which was great. See you soon I hope! read more

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Very small, dimly-lit, Mexican restaurant with delicious food Have a bunch of drinks + taco options. Tacos come in a serving of 2 per order, but they are fairly large so this is enough Their namesake is their octopus taco. I got this, chips & guacamole, + their passionfruit beverage. It was all fantastic Service was unbelievably fast Downsides are that the place's seating is fairly uncomfortable (lots of stools with no backs) and it is pretty loud. read more

täkō - Tako (octopus) taco, al pastor taco, chips + guacamole, and cocktails - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

What a cool spot! Awesome mural. Moody lighting. Creative menu. It's definitely a vibe! I enjoyed my cocktail which was called pirate's cove. It had tequila, passionfruit and lime. Yum! Also really like the guacamole! I went halfies on a couple taco orders with my friend and tried a Baja fish taco and a grilled mahi mahi taco. They were both good but the mahi mahi was my favorite of the two. The other diners also tried shrimp tempura tacos and the maitake mushroom ones and enjoyed they both but especially the mushroom ones. This is definitely a great spot for a night out on the town. The tacos are large and satisfying. read more

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Fast and delicious The tacos and creative and delicious. A perfect option for a quick snack or meal. The staff is helpful. read more

täkō - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I've been wanting to try this place for quite a while. We went in the Saturday night of the Draft weekend. I was surprised that we walked right in and got immediately seated. We sat for a long time actually waiting for a server to come speak with us and get our drink order. So long, despite not being a full place, that I told my wife I wanted to get up and leave. I was very, very frustrated. I had been glancing at their menu on Yelp and saw some tacos that I wanted to try, unfortunately the restaurant cut their menu back to only five tacos to choose from. I'm guessing to simplify things for the Draft crowd that they anticipated coming. Our server finally came to take our drink order and after so long we knew what we wanted. The server wasn't exactly friendly or attentive. We started with street corn as an appetizer, it was awesome. My wife had the chicken tacos and didn't like them. She said they were mushy and had an off flavor that she didn't enjoy. I had the birria tacos. They were not bad, they didn't come with any sauce/juice as all the other birria tacos I've ever had typically come with. I have to say, I was disappointed in the menu being reduced and other than the street corn app., just wasn't impressed. The service was not good, my wife's taco were bad and my were okay. I'll not be rushing back unfortunately. read more

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We made a reservation here on a Friday night, so it was nice to be seated right away. The vibes and ambience in here are cool and enjoyable. Our server was amazing, very friendly and recommended things for us. We ordered the Poké bowl which was a special and it was very good. Even the rice was good on its own. Tons of fun toppings. The only thing I would recommend is a little more fish and something crunchy. Had a lot of rice left over. The queso was also really good, had a little kick to it, and we got it with the chips, which were fantastic. Very disappointed with the tacos, however. We ordered the Carnitas and they were flavorless. We also ordered the Korean, which was better but still lacked. Tacos were decent size and overfilled with stuff though so really only needed to have two tacos per person if you're getting appetizers. read more

Cool intimate atmosphere and a great late happy hour that starts at 8pm during the week! Pick a taco, dip and a margarita and have a great evening. read more

täkō - Margarita - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Came by again after 3 years. Not as busy as before, but that may be because I went there at 5 pm when they just opened. The inside is the same - dark and moody for the ambiance. The decor is unique and fun. Why come back? Specifically for the Täkō Taco. We ordered 4 of them and two others to try. The Tako Taco is still the best. The flavor and crunch is really enticing and addicting. Besides Mexico, I cannot think of a place that has a better taco in Pennsylvania or Maryland. Service is great. They constantly came by to check on us and it was speedy when we were here. I didn't really like their bathroom placement in the restaurant as it opens up towards the tables. read more

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Tako opened up several years ago and we never got to try it before moving. After hearing from someone that Tako is the best restaurant ever I decided to pop in while visiting Pittsburgh on business. Ambiance is sort of night club dining vibes. Music isn't too too loud but there is music playing. Lights are off. It's a pretty dark restaurant. We got seated at a high top. I couldn't tell if there were regular tables elsewhere. Kind of wished I'd gotten a regular table. Menu is nice and I like the options. I got Al pastor tacos and they were pretty good. Not the best I've ever had but I am spoiled and have been to San Diego a bunch and get really good tacos out there often. The queso was really yummy as well. Definitely worth a try One thing I did not like was how CLOSE the tables are to Each other. During the entire meal the waitresses had to stand in between our table and the other one to take our neighbors orders and was basically touching me and her hair/ponytail was dragging allll over our high top table and into our plates - seriously off putting. Luckily we noticed and were able to move our plates out of the way... but the table was tiny so we basically just had to hold our plates up and out of the way until she left. Really weird and probably not sanitary. Not a big deal to me but just kinda weird. So I give 4 stars. Food was good! read more

täkō - Al pastor - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Went to Tako in Pittsburgh and it did not disappoint! My husband is a big mezcal fan, and their mezcal cocktails were right up his alley -- super smooth, creative, and well balanced. We tried a few tacos and honestly, the tako (octopus) and the carnitas were the standouts, packed with flavor and cooked perfectly. We also gave the Korean tacos a shot; they were good, but the other two really stole the show. Cool spot, great energy, and awesome drinks + tacos combo. Definitely a place we'll come back to whenever we're in town! read more

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Wife and I were looking for a nice pre-show meal in downtown and we lucked into a wonderful patio experience at TAKO (seriously, this place is hopping so make reservations or get there early!). After our waitress seated us in their street "occupying" enclosed patio, we made sure to start off with some guacamole and house made tortilla chips. The guac had a nice lime note with good salt level. Very mild but fresh. Afterwards we both ordered tacos of course! I had the Carnitas and my wife had the Maitake Muchrooms. The carnitas was spicy and juicy and the Maitakes were full of body with a tangy cabbage slaw and a spicy aioli. The waitress stayed attentive despite the rush and food arrived at appropriate intervals (guac came out quickly with time to eat before our taco entrees). We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and will definitely go back, maybe with a bit more planning ahead of time! read more

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The food was excellent. The decor quirky in a good way with ocean pictures. We did not eat the octopus offerings because this creature is farily intelligent but the beef tacos and other taco offerings were excellent. THe noise level was high-that is why they got a 4 instead of a 5. I am sorry that they are closing for renovations. We will return once they reopen. read more

Saturday night. 6 people. No worries, space in the outside eatery. Inside, eclectic decor. Music bumping! Super chic. Friendly staff and they were working hard. Eating outside lost a little of the charm as you aren't in the cool decor but the same music was bumping (think some 90's classics. My 14 year old was disgusted when Britney Spears came on but I was thrilled.) Chips and salsa- decent size. Offering 3 salsas: awesome in theory but one had no flavor, one was too sweet and one too spicy. No good baseline. My bistek tacos while looked amazing and chock full of meat fell really flat in flavor. I stole a piece of lime off my friends plate and added that to the tacos but it still needed salt. It still didn't 100% taste just right. Needs a heavier hand with seasoning. The queso fundido was good. read more

täkō - Bienviniedos - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My favorite place in Pittsburgh. The aesthetic is always on point, the food is delicious, and I love trying their new cocktails every time. It's one of those spots I always bring friends to when they're visiting from out of town, and it never disappoints. Servers are always really attentive too! read more

täkō - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Seated via Yelp Reservations Food & Drink: 3.5 / 5 - Mixed drinks: Not too strong on the alcohol; blended pretty well. Unfortunately, had to have a substitute for the El Jefe because they were out of Don Julio 1942. They also didn't have the Frozen Pineapple Upside Daiquiri available, so was unable to try that. I contribute this to it being the end of a week and wouldn't recommend going on a Sunday, which I rarely do for most restaurants due to that reason. - Food: Snack - Pork Belly Steamed Bun: - Not a fan of fermented cucumbers, but the combination made the dish as a whole delicious. Appetizer - Fried Brussel Sprouts: - Even though I am of the firm belief that not everything in the world needs to be "fried", these were delicious. However, that is more due to the combination of the dish itself, which made up for the slightly charred Brussel Sprouts. Main Entree - Chorizo tacos: - Definitely have a bit of a kick, but they make sure that each taco is loaded enough that makes it well worth the price. Dessert - Churro: - It's a Churro...delicious, but exactly what you expect. The sauce combination provided enhances the flavor and the churro itself breaks apart perfectly for dipping. Service: 5 / 5 - No complaints. Waitress was very attentive and made sure to check in periodically. Very knowledgeable as well and was able to answer all my questions. Vibe: 3 / 5 - Tables are really close together, which I am not a fan of, but understand because of the size of the place. However, the whole tinted lighting experience is alright. It is trendy and gives it a "fancy romantic vibe", but I am indifferent to that aspect. Although, I understand that you have to make yourself "unique" in this industry. Overall: 3.5 / 5 - From the moment you walk in through the commercial style freezer door to the moment you sit down, Täkō ensures a unique experience with the atmosphere itself. The service was perfect for me with no complaints at all and the food experience overall was satisfactory. They offered a 4 course meal at the time, which I happily partook in and believe it was well worth the price. Definitely will return and try other items on the menu, but I would not recommend going on a Sunday if you enjoy mixed drinks as there my be a lot of substitutes. Recommend? Yes read more

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Food was fabulous. Had the Korean BBQ tacos and the fish tacos with an order of the queso to begin. 2 med spicy margaritas were perfect! Service was great. Nice vibe. We sat at the bar. read more

täkō - Vibey chandelier. - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Ambiance was amazing. We went on a date night. Had the chicken and the shrimp tempura tacos. There were out of tako that night (bummer). Queso did was great. read more

I've been here a couple times now and have always had a good experience. The red lighting is an interesting vibe. The drinks are good and the service is great! The bartender kaylee is really awesome! read more

täkō - Margarita - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Täkō is such a good time. We stopped in for my birthday dinner and really enjoyed ourselves. The tacos are really good but hands down the best thing on the menu is the queso fundido which is served with warm tortillas. Papas bravas are also fantastic. And the churros are mouth watering!! Very loud and very dark so not for the faint of heart. read more

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This place has a great vibe and an impressive drink menu. The coconut margarita was amazing, and the guacamole was super fresh and flavorful. Our server was friendly and the service overall was solid. My only gripe is that the drinks come with a lot of large ice cubes, which makes it feel like you're getting less cocktail. The interior is a bit dark, but it actually adds to the atmosphere. The tacos were delicious--and surprisingly big! Bonus points for the nearby parking garage, which made getting there a breeze. read more

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The food was was tasty service was very good. The drinks were a bit weak. The 2 review is because of the 3% service fee added on top of the bill. Ot is stated this does not go to staff. Just raise the prices of your offerings as published on the menu. Adding 3% after the fact is infuriating. We have eaten here twice before and we frequent several Descshants properties. We won't be back as this service fee crap is tantamount to false advertising. Just stop it read more

Our fav place for date night. Love the atmosphere. Not the best for when it's freezing outside as it's drafty but always a good time. read more

täkō - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Decided to try this spot with a friend who came into town to visit. It's a cute, little hole in the wall spot in the Cultural District. They have a small outdoor seating area but they have indoor seating both upstairs and downstairs. They have happy hour from 8p to 10p, half price tacos and apps, and we were lucky to get there a little before it started to take advantage of it. We got a lot of food as a small group so I'll list them below with our rating. The service was good overall though it took a minute to get our checks. The lighting was truly all pink/light red which was cute in theory but bad for photos. It lost a star because of lighting and prices but overall a cool place. I would go here again for like a date night or night out with the girls. Food We Tried: -Octopus Taco; 4/5 don't knock it til you try it. It's texture is really good and the fillings were flavorful. - Baja Fish Taco; 5/5 Also really good! Probably our favorite. - Pollo Asado; 4/5 Very flavorful and filling. - Korean Taco; ?/5my friend devoured this taco so it must have been good. - Chips & Salsa; 5/5 the chips were warm and it came with three salsas for dipping. -Papas Bravas; 5/5 This was surprisingly really good. I thought it was gonna be spicy but it wasn't. Well seasoned and the sauces were very flavorful. I would go back just to order these. - Queso Fundido ?/5; we realized we ordered too much so I didn't try it or have a review but it looked good. read more

We ordered queso fundido, and some tacos. Tasted great, spicy and a nice crunch to the fish tacos. Music was a millennial's dream from TRL playlist. Service was fast and accurate. Dark and moody atmosphere, nice place to start the evening for a drink. HUGE selection of tequilas, seemed like more than half of the menu. read more

Okay! So. I would totally come here again. I really loved ambiance and the service. The drinks were also really yummy. I enjoyed the Papas Bravas. My girlfriend loved the Crispy Mushroom Tacos. I was able to try them. They were pretty good. The mushroom was perfectly crispy. I had the Apollo Asado tacos and I didn't love them. I wasn't a fan the of the taste of the chicken nor the texture of the ingredients in the taco. The best I could describe them are mushy and charred. read more

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Consistently excellent. The food is creative and delicious. I don't care to sit inside, because it's way too loud, but the outdoor seating is so very cool, and it features a great view of the kitchen. The service is very good. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. read more

We stopped by their Witching Hours pop up bar last month which was only open after hours. täkō's very dim lighting and ambiance makes for the perfect Halloween and spooky themed pop up. The drinks that we got were all pretty good although some of them were on the sweeter side which isn't my personal preference. I really liked the Trick or Treat cocktail with the candy corn infused vodka which I thought was unique! read more

täkō - Witching Hours pop up menu - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Great food and service! The tacos are always amazing, I had dessert ones, and was underwhelmed. Otherwise, I would've given five stars. read more

Fabulous! Moody, trendy, delicious, swanky... all the things at Tako. The outside bar along the street/kitchen immediately drew us in and we came back our second night to sit inside for dinner. The chips and salsa right off the bat were delicious, super flavorful and you could tell everything was fresh. All their margaritas are made to order and properly ( no sour mix in sight!). My bf was pleasantly surprised at how good the queso was and we both thought the tortillas that accompanied it were a nice add. The tacos were huge!! So much filling and beautifully prepared. We probably didn't order the right thing for each of our tastes, but we ended up picking at each others and would definitely come back. We topped off the dinner with the fried ice cream bowl and that was also phenomenal. Really neat place and our server was so sweet. read more

täkō - Bistec tacos - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Came into town for business and had a group dinner here. The ambiance inside is really cool, fun lighting and music selection was good, also not too loud since we were there for a business dinner. Started with a bunch of apps for the group, mainly the dips with chips and the street corn. Everything was tasty and plentiful. Drinks were great too. I think everyone opted for tacos, it was a Tuesday! lol. I got the Octopus tacos, they were great! Nicely cooked and seasoned perfectly. We got all 4 desert options for the table. Churros were a hit with the fried ice cream a second. The Mexican flan and chocolate pudding were great too. The service was good too, especially for such a bigger group. If you are in Pitt, stop in, you won't be disappointed. Right downtown too. read more

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Yum yum! We came for some late night bites after a buccos game, and we loved every minute of it. Excellent, quick service in a unique restaurant. Definitely fits the moody (in a good way) vibe! We had guac and papas bravas to start. Guac had heat, lime, salt, and everything I wanted on top of a chip! Bravas were very tasty. Loved the tomato sauce they were in. I had Tako tacos (octopus), and wow, I devoured them. The octopus was cooked to perfection, and the fried chickpeas gave a great crunch. The tortilla was incredible - it had some chew to it. I'm sure it was made in-house. Very good. We love the DeShantz restaurant group! read more

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TAKO had complex diverse dishes full of flavor. The chef's guacamole was unique and delicious. Drinks were deluxe. Main dishes were great. But the churros stole the show! Service was also wonderful! They were very patient with us on a hot day, and we were grateful that having young kids didn't stop us from enjoying this destination. Cool outside seating, and a very different vibe than the inside. Try both for totally different experiences! read more

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Came here for a small party on a saturday night. Its mainly a bar but they do have larger booths upstairs for proper seating. Theres only a few actually taco items on the menu, most of it being drinks, but they're all delicious options, and staff has no issues adding or removing ingredients. Only negative is - A set of tacos comes with 2 for around $15-$17 which i found a little pricey for the quality. read more

täkō - Gringo Tacos - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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The good - tacos were fantastic. Had to pollo asada and the carnitas both were great. Homemade tortillas are awesome and the drinks were pretty good. The not so good - the queso fundido is awful, just liquid cheese. The ambience is really loud - more like a nightclub, so be aware of that. Otherwise a pretty decent experience probably won't go back anytime soon, but had a good evening. read more

täkō - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Had my birthday dinner at Tako and it was very good. Wait staff was very kind and attentive throughout. We started with simple chips & guac and the guac was fluffy and whipped up well. Both tacos were tasty and could easily take down more. The sauce on the carnitas was a bit spicy and the pork was cooked perfectly. Churros was the highlight of the meal. Very filling and the dips fit well. So good and if I'm the area again we will be back. read more

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Love it here!! The margaritas and guacamole are the best I've ever had!! Highly recommended!!!

You must make a reservation 2 weeks ahead of time to get a table here. It's a very small restaurant and so dark inside. Food is incredible. Their reputation precedes themselves. Ratings for what I got: Carnitas taco: 8/10 Pollo Asada taco: 10/10 Chorizo taco: 7.5/10 Queso dip: 9/10 Guac: 10/10 read more

täkō - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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First time heading to täkō in a while and went after an orchestra show. The restaurant was definitely darker than I remember and so I'm glad the menus were on our phones. I love the carnitas tacos and was so excited to get them again. My friend got the fish taco and mentioned how they wished they got the carnitas since they liked mine slightly more. The tacos were great and so was the guac - I appreciated how many chips came with the order. The interior has pretty cool decor and I enjoyed the music in the background. Their drinks menu was pretty expansive but I wasn't in the mood for a marg and they mostly only had tequila based drinks. Our server checked on us once to get our initial order and did not check on us again. We did see him checking in on every other table besides ours but we did not mind since he was the only server on the floor. read more

täkō - Carnitas - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Tako was an okay fit for a night in Pittsburgh! We came in December and it was freezing, but they had extra seating outside the main restaurant that was enclosed and heated. The tacos were a bit on the pricey side in my opinion, but they were pretty hefty and filling, so I guess worth the price. The servers were very attentive and kind. There were no red flags here by any means, but it just wasn't our place. read more

täkō - Tako (octopus tacos) - New American Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Honestly it is pricey but that's why you go for the happy hour and fill up. The bravos are a huge meal by themselves but I still will eat a plate by myself. Great drink selection and if you can sit outside I would definitely take it. So get a Mexican coke and get some tacos cause you will not regret it. read more