Tao Natural Foods

If you’re looking for a happy, welcoming staff, this is not the place for you. I sat inside and worked for quite a while and never once saw anyone look remotely happy to be here. However, since we don’t dine on smiles and friendliness, I will say, the food and coffee are excellent! This was my first time here and I had the sweet potato burrito in (the best ever) gluten-​free tortilla with sesame kale salad and a regular coffee. The burrito was so tasty, spicy, and filling. I would definitely order this again! I will be back and will likely try a dessert — many great gluten-​free/​vegan options like key lime pie, chai latte pudding, and peanut butter cups!

Tao is my favorite place to go for a nice conversation and relaxing time. There are so many good things to say about Tao. The atmosphere, the menu, the shop! I honestly love everything about it.
I usually just get a miel, but if I’m hungry I will also get a Grilled Rachel with a side of sesame kale. My boyfriend always gets the bottomless coffee!

Love the atmosphere, calm, quiet, warm, inviting. I wish I lived in Minneapolis I would be here all of the time! I’ll be back for sure

Had to get something healthy on this tour and this was the perfect place and the little store in the back has awesome organic and all natural products. I bought a couple of candles from there

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.

Great little café and store. Loved the menu and the interior, good vibes all around. I’ve only got the tempeh Ruben which was excellent and I hope to be back soon to try more. Store has a great selection of teas and spices, books and other items for the health food enthusiast.

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.

Tao is a great place to have a healthy breakfast that actually tastes good, too! My hubby liked the burrito and I thoroughly enjoyed the multi grain french toast. Their juices are tasty as well. I don’t think they have meat, but we didn’t miss it.

Finally stopped in here after passing by so many times. I was trying to eat healthy and Tao helped me achieve that goal. I left feeling great and not so blah full like you usually feel when going out to eat. I went with the Greek bowl. Although my order was messed up slightly it was still tasty and so fresh. My husband took down his sweet potato burrito before I had a chance to snag a bite, but he loved it. The best part is the healthy kids menu items! Apples cheese and raisins for the little ones to snack on!

My partner and I shared the sweet potato burrito, ½ macro bowl, and green detox juice. All were excellent. We left with full bellies and a smile. The ½ macro bowl was only available during happy hour, which we were 20 minutes late for. Staff graciously agreed to make this for us anyway. I hope this restaurant still exists next time I visit, whenever that may be!

One of my favorite spots to stop for a healthy bite to eat in Uptown! Great staff and a very relaxed environment. I have had a few different items from the menu which were all great; the sweet potato burrito, the Doozie and the warm garden salad. The goddess dressing is delish. Highly recommended for those who want a good organic meal!

This is my favorite kind of food experience: high quality, healthy and delicious ingredients served unpretentiously. Straight up GOOD FOOD. Small but great selection of beer/​wine as well. Next time I’ll have to try one of their famous smoothies. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

The service here was terrible. There were 2 girls in front of me who were helped and when I was next, the guy at the front just stood at the cash register counting something and didn’t even look up at me. Once he finally did, I ordered a smoothie. The guy making the smoothies took his sweet time and after 10 minutes of waiting, I walked out (and he still hadn’t started the girl in front of me’s order). Other people at my work have had similar poor experiences with the service. Wouldn’t go back here again.

My daughter is a foodie and dietetics major at MSU and Tao is high on her list of favorites, as it is for me as well. I always get the Doozie which is a collection of many delicious foods piled high on a plate with avacado, black beans and so much more. On my last visit I tried the blackened tofu tacos on corn tortillas — listed on the menu as fish tacos but available with blackened tofu instead. This is now my favorite dish and will return for more. The corn tortillas are flaky and will fall apart, but that’s how I know they are made with great ingredients and not bound together with oils or other binding agents. Topped of with a glass of red wine, and it’s the perfect summer evening healthy dinner. Prices are a bit steep and prep time is slow, but worth the wait. Will return as often as possible.

Waited far too long for our juices to be made considering the place was not busy. The juice had so much ginger in it I couldn’t drink it. It was harsh!

This is my type of place. The food is organic and interesting, the service is sweet and attentive if a bit slow, and the vibe is totally chill.
Loved sitting outside in this cool neighborhood, and the lights on the tree were a nice touch.
I enjoyed a glass of Pinot while I waited for the beet salad. The salad was not what I was expecting when I saw beets, blue cheese and nuts. I was expecting your delish but run of the mill sweet and salty salad. But oh no, we’re those capers? Oh yeah! This salad was a lot more savory than expected, and you know what?! I liked it!

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!

This place has an amazing selection of healthy and natural foods to choose from. I got the sweet potato burrito with black beans and guacamole– a combination I was a little unsure about. I’ve never had kale before and it came with a seseme kale salad. WOW! The burrito was absolutely amazing! The flavors blended together really nicely AND it was healthy! The dressing on the salad was absolutely delicious. It was fresh and had a nice crunch. The only down side was I placed the order online and it wasn’t ready when it said it would be. They took care of it quickly so I didn’t have to wait too long.

Wow. What an excellent meal. My wife and I decided to try Tao Natural Foods because we had a Groupon. Well, let me say the marketing worked. I will be back again many times I’m the future, and I plan on introducing my friends to this uptown gem.
My wife said she has never seen me leave a cleaner plate. I just didn’t want the meal to end.
I highly recommend the Sweet Potato Burrito.

I got the Tao and it was super good. I was expecting lame veggies on rice with beans, but this had so much more flavor than that. I ordered mine spicy and actually requested more spice. Tons of flavor and texture while still being super healthy. I would get extra pickled cabbage next time.
A bonus is the fact they are so willing to make adjustments /​subs for allergies. No hassle or extra charges.

This place is super cute and has great juice and healthy dishes! I find that a lot of dishes are really simple (like the rice dishes) with steamed veggies without tons of sauce or seasoning. I really enjoy simple, fresh, healthy dishes but I can see how this might be bland to another person. I hope to try the sweet potato burrito when I go again!

This is basically a review for their breakfast burrito because that is all I ever order here. The breakfast burrito is on point with fluffy eggs and guacamole, AND it is an appropriate portion (at most places the burrito is so large I end up eating half of it and then feel guilty for tossing so much food).
The chai latte was decent, but I would not make this a destination for the drink. The spice blend they used was good, but it all settled to the bottom, making for an unpleasant final sip.

Love the restaurant and was hopeful that their oatmeal would be as creative as many of their other dishes. Unfortunately, the Irish cut oats are pretty common. I did enjoy the additives and recommend the same. Still searching for Minneapolis’ best oatmeal and am still giving The Boiler Room the top billing.

I’m a little torn on this rating, but my table’s food experience was so uneven it’ll have to land in the middle.
The good:
–A new place to take my food fascist mom! She was excited about the whole organic, natural thing and gluten free options.
–I loved my turkey avocado sandwich! The turkey was local from Kadejan Farms and was thick-​cut rather than shaved. I chose a mixed green salad with it that was pretty standard. However, I will say that $ 11.50 is a bit too expensive for a sandwich and side for me. I guess it includes the premium of eating a turkey that lived on a happy little farm before getting the ax.
–Great options for vegetarians/​vegans.
–Adorable space! The patio, the café, just precious.
The not good:
–Everyone else at my table got the cup of soup and half sandwich deal. They all got the soup de jour, tomato basil, with grilled cheese (each choosing a different kind of cheese). This was not nearly enough food. The half sandwiches were very small and quite thin and the tomato basil was just bland. I tried it. Bland.
–The half sandwich you can get with the soup seems pretty limited, like you can only get cheese or avocado or hummus or something, not any specialty sandwiches, just one-​ingredient sandwiches.
–Very limited meat offerings, if that’s your thing.

Black bean & brown rice Quesadilla and open faced breakfast sandwich were both excellent.
The salsa that accompanied the quesadilla was especially fresh and flavorful (it was also thankfully, not too spicy, as I am mostly Norwegian).
Free radical smoothie was also very refreshing and I highly recommend them.
Excited to check out the date night special next time !

If you haven’t been, you seriously need to go. So good. Ive been several times and it’s always been above par. I had their multigrain waffles this morning and they about knocked my socks off. My date had the breakfast burrito and it was easily just as good.
Reasons to go: Their food is to die for. The juices are a must (I get one every time I’m there). The atmosphere is comfortable. The service is super. And it’s all very reasonably priced. And it’s all natural!

My veggie friend pointed me to this spot as one of her favorites. I’m not vegetarian, but I can eat a plateful of vegetables and be completely satisfied.
Another reviewer noted 16 mentions of avocado or guacamole. One of my favorite foods, I made sure to order a dish with this tasty item.
The avocado sandwich or the avocado rice plate? As I debated, my friend pointed out The Royale. Knowing I may not have time for dinner, I ordered this $ 12 dish with plans to save half for later.
The plate comes with steamed veggies, black beans, avocado, sauerkraut, and flax oil with brown rice. I was much looking forward to the veggies, but they were pretty plain. Almost like frozen veggies. Surprisingly, the sauerkraut was one of my favorite elements. And the avocado, of course.
If I were to return I would definitely try the sweet potato burrito. Two people in my group ordered it and were quite satisfied.
The smoothies also intrigued me but at $ 6+ I couldn’t convince myself. Another person in my group ordered the Breakfast Bounce and said it was just OK. For $ 6.50? That should be a damn good smoothie.