Hotel
The Standard, High Line
The Meatpacking District hotel with Le Bain and the Boom Boom Room, another pillar of downtown celebrity nightlife.
Cultural Significance
TAO Downtown represents a specific and enormously successful model of New York City nightlife: the mega-venue that combines high-end dining with full-scale nightclub culture, all wrapped in dramatic theatrical design. When the TAO Group — led by Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss — opened this 10,000-square-foot colossus in the basement of Chelsea's Maritime Hotel in 2013, they were not attempting subtlety. They were building a temple, quite literally, centered around a 16-foot illuminated Buddha statue that presides over a cavernous space of multiple dining levels, plush banquettes, and a pulsating nightclub that comes alive after midnight.
The cultural significance of TAO Downtown lies in its unabashed embrace of spectacle. In an era when many restaurants chased minimalism and understated cool, TAO doubled down on maximalism — soaring ceilings, dramatic lighting, cascading water features, and a menu of Pan-Asian cuisine designed as much for Instagram as for the palate. This approach resonated powerfully with the celebrity clientele that gravitated to the venue, where bottle service tables could run into five figures and the energy of the room on a peak Saturday night rivaled any concert venue in the city. TAO Downtown quickly became one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America, a feat that underscored the commercial power of combining food, nightlife, and celebrity culture under one spectacularly designed roof.
TAO's position within the broader TAO Group empire — which grew to encompass venues including Marquee, Lavo, and Avenue — made it a linchpin in a nightlife conglomerate that effectively controlled a significant portion of Manhattan's celebrity entertainment infrastructure. For celebrities seeking a guaranteed atmosphere of energy, exclusivity, and VIP treatment, TAO Downtown became the default choice, a venue where the production value matched the fame of its clientele.
Notable Celebrity Moments
2013
Grand Opening Spectacle
TAO Downtown opens with a massive launch event that draws Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and the New York nightlife elite. The venue immediately establishes itself as the largest and most ambitious restaurant-nightclub in Manhattan, generating buzz that positions it as the decade's defining nightlife venue.
2015
Drake's Birthday Celebration
Drake celebrates his birthday at TAO Downtown in an event that becomes one of the most photographed celebrity parties of the year. The guest list includes Rihanna, Kanye West, and dozens of hip-hop and entertainment figures, cementing TAO's status as the go-to venue for A-list birthday celebrations.
2017
Kim Kardashian's Fashion Week Dinner
Kim Kardashian hosts a Fashion Week dinner at TAO Downtown that draws the Jenner-Kardashian family and their extensive celebrity orbit. The event highlights TAO's dual identity as both a serious dining destination and a see-and-be-seen venue for the social media age.
2019
Super Bowl Weekend Takeover
TAO Downtown hosts a series of Super Bowl weekend events that attract the worlds of sports, music, and entertainment under one roof. Athletes, musicians, and actors converge for what becomes one of the most star-studded weekends in the venue's history, with multiple VIP sections operating simultaneously.
2022
Post-Pandemic Nightlife Revival
TAO Downtown reopens to full capacity after pandemic restrictions, and celebrity attendance surges as New York's nightlife scene rebounds. The venue's ability to weather the pandemic and return to full strength demonstrates the durability of the TAO brand and its hold on celebrity nightlife culture.
In Film & Television
TAO Downtown's dramatic interior — with its towering Buddha, moody lighting, and cavernous spaces — has made it a compelling filming location and cultural reference. The venue has appeared in episodes of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and "The Real Housewives of New York City," both of which have used the restaurant as a backdrop for scenes depicting high-end Manhattan nightlife and celebrity dining culture.
The TAO brand more broadly has been featured in "Entourage," where the original Uptown location served as a recurring setting, and the Downtown location has since inherited that pop-culture cachet. TAO Downtown has also served as a location for music video shoots and appeared in numerous Instagram and social media content created by celebrity visitors, making it one of the most visually documented nightlife venues in the social media era.
Frequently Asked Questions
About TAO Downtown
TAO Downtown is a massive Asian-inspired restaurant and nightclub located in Chelsea's Maritime Hotel at 92 Ninth Avenue. Opened in 2013 by the TAO Group, the 10,000-square-foot venue features a 16-foot Buddha statue, multiple dining levels, a lounge, and a nightclub space. It has become one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America and a premier celebrity nightlife destination.
TAO Downtown regularly attracts A-list celebrities including Drake, Rihanna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and numerous athletes, musicians, and actors. The venue is a particularly popular destination for post-event celebrations, birthday parties, and album launch events.
While TAO Uptown on 58th Street (opened 2000) established the brand with its intimate Midtown setting, TAO Downtown is a significantly larger venue at approximately 10,000 square feet across multiple levels. TAO Downtown places greater emphasis on nightclub culture and late-night entertainment, while maintaining the same Pan-Asian culinary concept and dramatic design aesthetic.