I had a blast dancing here on a Friday evening and I don't dance in public, but I danced my ass off due to the safe environment and quality of DJ.
Also, the food served after restaurant hours during nightclub hours is amazing and not to be confused with typical 'drunk food.'
Very clean atmosphere and not weird like some nightclubs that I avoid like the plague.
This place is awesome!
The happy hour is unbeatable.
We went into Tabu the first day we moved to Ashland. The bartender Brian, gave us advice on where to work and where to rent (all of which was accurate) plus he mixed a solid cocktail. The service was awesome and he was truly helpful in all aspects.
Six weeks later we went in again and he remembered us, which was super cool. Not just our names, but our whole story. He asked us how job hunting was and if we had found a place to live etc... Wish I had that kind of memory.
Everyone who works there is friendly and the service is prompt.
I recommend the quesadilla and spicy margarita. Delicious!!!
I thought I was going to get some nice Mexican food in the restaurant portion, that turned out not to be the case.
Although the food was affordable, it was very bland for being Mexican food.
Also the service was mediocre. My friend and I had a server who although he tried to be accommodating, looked like he was less then thrilled to be there and took his time with us even though there was one other group in the restaurant.
The decor of the restaurant needs some updating. The seats were cracked with the stuffing coming out, the walls need to be cleaned and re-painted. I did not feel comfortable in how the dining area looked over all.
Overall, I tried to give this restaurant a shot, hoping it would be a hidden jewel, but it just seemed to disappoint.
I think it has a great location and if the restaurant gets some TLC it could be a great spot.
This is just for happy hour:
Tabu has an excellent happy hour menu- I just wish I had read the reviews before I came. The crowd was thin (it was Tuesday) but it was obvious those there were using the hour and space to catch up with friends or greet a loved one after work- the space was nice and intimate for such. On to the food...
$4 - house margarita- excellent blend and huge glass- I would put this against most house margaritas. The bartender was very friendly and generous with the tequila.
$6 chicken quesadilla- ugh. Â The quesadilla was fine but the chicken was low quality! I could of done better with chicken from a can. I dont know if I just picked a bad day or its the one bad item on the menu. Â Everyone else was truly enjoying their food with relish.
Spend less money then I, get the $2 tacos or potatoes, and tip your bartender well.
This place has great food, a great location, but could use a little help. Â We had a spur of the moment meal here, while in Ashland. Â The food was excellent and the pricing fair, but the place is a little run down, with nicks in the walls, really funky (okay, gross) restrooms and weird staffing problems (they carry the kitchen trash THRU the small dining area. Â The wait staff was okay, if a little loud, and sort of distracting. Â I would go there again, for the food, but this could be a really excellent restaurant if they would spend some time to correct some service issues.
Review Source:The pork barbacoa and apricot chicken with garlic mashed potatoes were very good. Â However, the service was very slow. Â The wait staff kind of wandered off for a while after the meal. Â With so many people trying to get to a play on time after their meal, you think they'd be a bit more clued in to getting the bill over to you after you've finished eating. Â Also, there is a serious flight of stairs up to the dining room, so if you're traveling with anyone who would have trouble with the stairs, probably pass on Tabu.
Review Source:We were looking forward to exploring this restaurant, but the service was down right horrible. This has to be the worst experience we have ever had in Ashland. Our waitress was unfriendly, rude and made it so we never wanted to go to this restaurant again. AND to top it off, she added an 18% gratuity to our bill on a party of five adults and one child, so we had to pay her for horrible service. If I can help anyone at all... DON'T GO HERE!!
Review Source:I have honestly NEVER been treated with such disrespect and mistreatment at any restaurant ever in my life. Â If I could leave zero stars I would. Â We came to Tabu on a recommendation from a local and we were so excited when we read the menu outside. Â Upon entering we noticed there was no hostess stand so we just stood at the top of the stairs for quite an awkward 5 minutes as the waitress looked at us and said nothing a few times. Â Once we were acknowledged she asked if we had a reservation, when we said no she sighed and said "I guess we can take you" and told us we could sit at one of two two person tables and said she'd bring us a third chair. Â We waited for ahold solid 5 minutes before she brought that chair.
After we sat they brought out water. Â The next time we saw the waitress was 10 minutes later when we had to ask for the chips and salsa she was bringing to all of the other tables and to tell her we wanted to place an order. Â It took no less than 30 minutes to get our food. Â All the while we saw several new patrons come in, sit, order and be served. All who came in after us. Â Not one word of apology or excuse was offered to us at any time. Â
The food was good which makes it so sad the service was an absolute zero. Â We again had to track our waitress down for boxes. Â We would have asked if we ever saw her but after our food was delivered we never saw her face again, not even for drink refills. Â When she put the boxes on the table she turned heel so fast we had to yell after her to ask for our checks. Â Apparently at this restaurant separate checks are NOT allowed as we were rudely told "we don't do separate checks it says so on the menu". I do not recall seeing this and it would have helped if it was mentioned as I have never dined anywhere where they would not accommodate this. Â When we told her we did not see this on the menu she replied "well it's gonna be a while because I'm really busy". She came rushing back in 30 seconds and threw our separate checks down and ran off. Â We'd waited for so long to pay that finally one of us grabbed an employee and asked them to take our checks because we wanted to leave. Â My friend followed her and ran into our waitress who then gave her a dirty look and said to her "well I can see you are going to make me do this your way"
Needless to say for the first time in my life I left $0 tip. Â Who wants to go to a restaurant and spend their hard earned money only to be treated like this? Â Take my advice, spend your money elsewhere!
Decent moderately priced place with a good happy hour and after hours music. Â It's a little too much fried food for my tastes but they do have salads and you can get the dressings on the side (they do tend to put a lot of dressing over stuff). Â Wait staff is nice and efficient and the bartender is a good pour. Â I thought the menu used to be less Mexican and more South American, but maybe it varies. Â I'd like to give Tabu 3.5 stars. Â It's a good-for-the-money kind of restaurant. Â Not great, but good, and much more satisfying than dozens of overpriced mediocre Ashland eateries.
Review Source:Loved the tapas!
Friends from Ashland recommended this tapas restaurant.
We finished everything...fried plantains, Cuban black bean soup(2 orders), Poke marinated tuna, mushroom tapa, & chicken empanadas. Â This was enough to fill all 4 of us.
The plantains were thick & soft inside, which I prefer to the thin & crunchy version. Â The soup was thick & flavorful. Â The tuna was zesty. Â The mushroom tapa & empanadas were delicious. Â
Our waitress was friendly. Â We had a wonderful leisurely time. Â We were there on a Mon. night. Â There is a bar area on the other side of the dining area. Â Â
On Sat. nights they have DJ salsa dancing after 10pm. Â We met the manager, James. Â He is a tall, friendly young man who had to duck entering doorways. Â The restaurant dining area is cleared of tables for the dance floor. Â The floor is small - 10 couples will pack that floor space. Â The DJ played some nice salsas, then some Tejano style songs which we do not normally hear at a dance club. Â We had fun dancing. Â We left at 11:30pm when it got slightly crowded on the floor.
This is one of our usual places to go when we visit.
Service is very good. Seems like the owner is very involved in his business also. He showed us to our table and popped in and out of the lounge all evening.
I like the ambiance. It is a mixture of ethnic art reflecting the food that is served, which is a mixture of latin cuisine from Cuba, various South American countries, Mexico, etc. It's also and older building with traditional wooden bar work of roaring lions. The top of the bar is a colorful tile mosaic.
Very tasty stuff food. Some of my favorite things to get are the empanadas. The cuban black bean soup and the mushroom tostadas are also quite good.
3.5 stars - food was at least a 4, but waitress was very inattentive (didn't bring salad first, never checked on us after bringing food), also ambience was a little off. Dim to the point of no visibility and music could have been turned up a little to drown out conversations from neighboring tables.
Review Source:Sweet little joint just off the main drag. It seems like the tourists haven't quite found this place. Inside the hostess and waitstaff were nice, the bartender was friendly, the atmosphere was pretty cool, and the music was on point. There is a small happy hour menu. I had the small nachos plate and they were quite a surprise (enough for 2) with fresh salsa and tasty cheese. With tacos, empanada's, fish and meat selections, this is a rare little gem from the ordinary american fare in Ashland. Not to mention the multiple tequila-infused cocktail selections to choose from. I will visit next time in Ashland for certain.
Review Source:3.5 stars.
The food was great, moderately priced, and came out hot and fresh. We ordered the calamari, bbq wings, crab quesadillas, and empanadas - completely stuffed full of food for $47.
Service is SLOW and a little scattered. If you've got the time, and you're not starving, it's definitely a great place for delicious food.
If you wanna shake what your momma gave you, you have to go to Tabu. I'm talking salsa dancing, every Saturday at 9:30pm. The dance floor is very small, so if you're not an experienced salsa dancer you may want to move aside and make room for the professionals (that's what I do). You'll be amazed how awesome these dancers are! Â I saw a girl in the highest heels and the shortest skirt shake it so fast it didn't seem humanly possible! Â It was quite the show! Â So, if you're in for some fun, I highly recommend Tabu. P.S...order a mojito, it will send you into orbit!
Review Source:Nouvelle Latino fare at Tabu is fresh, light, inventive, and ooooh so tasty. Â Half a menu's worth of nummy Tapas - including house-marinated olives, empanadas, and Chilean Cerviche; a tomatoe-based Lobster Bisque with chunks of it's namesake shellfish as big as your head; Fish Taco's with three different sauces - chipoltle crema, jalepeno-lime crema and a mango-habenero salsa - spanning progressive degrees of heat; and a lovely roasted tomato salsa that does not necessarily come standard to your table the moment you take your seat.
Oh ... and thou shalt not forsake the Caipirinha - a muddled cocktail of cachaca (a sugar cane brandy), and lime. Â Go ahead, try to have just one.
This restaurant makes me smile. Â The food service is perky, cheerful and efficient; the South-American rhythms contagious, and the after-hours dancing the most outright fun you've had in ages (Salsa on Thursdays and Saturdays, lessons provided; Reggae on Friday night, no lessons required). Â Caveat: the drinks, though truly some of the best in town, are a little slow coming out of the bar. On a busy night this knowledge is power - order your second drink as the first is served ... ;-)
Pretty good stuff. Definitely enjoyed the varied tapas. Delicious. Favorite tapas dish was Oven Roasted Mushrooms with Goat cheese, chili oil, blue corn tortillas. In close second were Peruvian-style flaky turnovers filled with shredded chicken, jack cheese, pico de gallo and corn served with roasted salsa. Again, not Earth-shattering creations here, but tasty and solid. And, as I was traveling from the Midwest, I wasn't going to NOT have a Rogue Valley wine. The selection was a Roxy Ann Pinot Gris, which was perfect.
Review Source:It was a dark and stormy night....
Actually, Gayle and I arrived in Ashland last Tuesday to a combination of snow, hail, and cold. After checking into the Peerless Hotel, we walked around and visiting some of our previous favourites (e.g. Blue Heron Gallery, Frank Philips Pottery, the Ashland Co-op, and Bloomsbury Books). After awhile, we were both in the mood for dinner and in particular, Gayle wanted some hot soup. We first unsuccessfully tried Louie's Bar and Grill, but they were out of soup and Gayle wasn't in the mood for a burger and a beer. So we wandered onward, passed up the Tightwad Tuesday special at the Ashland Bistro ($12 prix fixe for 3 courses plus $12 per bottle wine), and decided on Tabu Nuevo Latino Cuisine.
Jen K. and Toni M. have both dined here previously and rated Tabu at 3 Stars. That's about right, although maybe I'd bump them up to 3.3, with the possibility of another visit in the future.
It was a quiet weekday night. I thought the service was relatively quick, friendly and engaging. Gayle very much enjoyed here pomegranate martini and I liked my beer. On the other hand, the food was just OK. I had the empanadas which were borderline bland and a little too deep fried for my taste. Gayle had the the Cuban black bean soup and the fish tacos. It was a nice meal together. However, something was missing and beyond the OK food, we had a hard time putting our finger on it.
Tabu has seen better days. We've been going there since it opened in late 2001. It's changed owners at least once since then, and I suppose we just have different tastes. The portions at lunch were large--the Pinata Burrito is the usual burrito-the-size-of-your-arm, and Tabu Nachos could feed a room full of hungry football fans, but the taste would have them crying foul. Bland; I thought the chicken was out of a can, but I think it was just really, really bland. Service was friendly, but the kitchen was really slow. I'm told that the pulled pork sandwich is good.
I hope that the owners will see the reviews (even the five-star mentioned the lack of quality in the food) and go back to what it was when it was great.
Ok, Ok, I am kind of over doing it with the stars but then again I think each place has to be judged relative to its location. Â For Ashland this is it. Â The food is not stellar but it sure is better than some of the crap I have paid a lot more for at other restaurants in Ashland. Â The music is good, live Reggae, good salsa, kind of an eclectic mix. Â The crowed is young and fun although a little clickey. Â But then there is the one thing that makes this place stand out, the DRINKS. Â They hand muddle all the mixed fruit drinks so if you are ordering a mojito or a margarita get ready for something AWESOME!! Â I suggest checking it out if you still have a pulse (for those people who were around with Shakespeare, or are acting like it, you need not come).
Review Source:Dinner tonight was sad. Â We've been coming to Tabu since it opened several years ago. Â Over the years we've watched it move from a destination restaurant to something less special. Â Even as recently as March it was still exceptional, though no longer stellar. Â Prices have decreased markedly over the years, not a bad thing in and of itself, but it's starting to seem as if the restaurant's focus has become economy over quality of food preparation. Â The ads in the theatre program actually mention that meals start at $11. Â We shared the mushroom appetizer. Â There seemed to be more of it than previous years, but it wasn't well made. Â There were hunks of goat cheese which in past years would have been melted in w/ the mushrooms, creating a creamy sauce. Â Instead of 4 tortillas there were 3. Â We ended up leaving maybe 1/3 of it. Â We both ordered the pork barbacoa. Â It was good, not great and was not fully warmed. Â It was accompanied by fried polenta sticks which were terrific and mixed vegetables that were good. Â I had a mojito and Nina had a mint and lime spritzer. Â We wondered whether the restaurant would still be open next year. Â The problem is not w/ the wait staff but in the kitchen, which seems disorganized, careless, inattentive and slow. Â I hope they turn it around, as it's been a great favorite of ours.
Review Source:A return trip for our group. Â Menu has changed, more Mexican in flavor, fewer tapas. Â Food still very good, lots of choices --our table of 4 had salmon, pork, ribs, and chicken. Â Also some great mushrooms as a tapas starter. Â Service v. good. Â However, I missed the broadness of the prior menu; perhaps in the summer they will expand their selections.
Review Source:I discovered Tabu on my last visit to Ashland and will go again when I return in a couple of months. Â It came highly recommended from friends who had their rehearsal dinner there when they were married in Ashland. Â
The mojitos were great and I had a delicious soup, then shared several tapas plates with my table. Â
On this particular evening, they were expecting a large group, so they told us when we were seated that they would need to clear the dining area in an hour to get ready for the event. Â It was no big deal and we had coffee and dessert in the bar. Â
Ashland has a nice mix of fancy and casual places to dine. Â This definitely falls in the mid-range. Â Not at all dressy or pretentious, but not the alterna-vibe either.
The selection is a little small for tapas however the food is great and not the kind of sophistication you would expect amongst the otherwise conservative offerings in quaint little Ashland.
The servings are generous here and even the tapas dishes are plentiful so you should order for sharing.
If the tapas selection were more extensive I would give it a 5.
I really did not like this place, despite the other good reviews. Â From the prices and attitude, I was expecting a unique experience. Â But from a service and quality perspective, the place hovers around a chain restaurant, with a few exceptions. Â Service was slow and despite the fact our group wanted to order tapas and made that clear, they tried repeatedly to talk us out of it by asking each person to order something, after we placed our primary order--we had to send them away. Â Food was mixed. Â The cheese fondue tasted sinfully good and gross at the same time, and was loaded with flour or some other filler. Â The mussels and clams were awful, in a winey-boozey sauce, with most shells cracked upon serving (and shell bits forming a crunchy extra in the sauce). Â The empanadas were quite good, as were the ribs. Â But nothing felt satisfying in the end.
Review Source:This place is so much fun, Salsa Dancing on Thursday and Saturday nights, good DJ's every other night. The drinks are fantastic and the bartenders are great. Word of caution to the ladies, they guys in this place think it's ok the maul the women who come in. If you don't want to Salsa dance with them you might have to kick 'em in the shins for them to get the picture.
Review Source:
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