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| - The food is an amazing fusion mix of an astonishing number of cultures, with substantial portions. The octopus tacos were amazing, the mushroom ones less so but still good. I didn't really care for their highly touted "Street Corn", though. It was kind of a strange version of creamed corn, both too spicy and too bland, if that makes any sense; the texture was just kind of weird, and we both opted to send it back. If something is too spicy for me, then you know it's over the top. I still want to go back and try other things, and definitely have the octopus tacos again. The drinks were also very good.
Service was fairly good, but a little slow. My dining companion has a lot of dietary issues, and the waitress seemed a little annoyed by her many questions and need for changes, and our ultimately still having some issues with the food (see "Street Corn" above), but did accommodate us.
I actually had to go downstairs a couple of times to get the waitress because things were so slow, and being upstairs, there was no way to flag anyone down. This was definitely not so much fun because I've got mobility issues and use a cane (not to mention that no one should *ever* have to get up to go find the waiter/waitress), but no one ever came upstairs to check on anyone eating there unless they were actually serving something. We also had to grab one of the other waiters and ask him to go get our waitress.
If you want a regular table, though, you have to sit upstairs, where there are booths. Downstairs, it is just tall tables with barstool-height seats, or you can sit outside either at a table on the sidewalk or one of just a couple of stools at the window. That's fine when the weather is good, but neither are an option when it's raining or cold.
The bathroom is wheelchair accessible, but unfortunately, it would be almost impossible to get through the forest of bar tables on the first floor in a wheelchair to even get to it.
There is no way on earth a person in a wheelchair is going to be able to actually eat at any of the tables on the first floor, either, and certainly no way to get to the second floor, which is served only by stairs, as with far too many other Pittsburgh establishments. Unfortunately, there is also not enough room to install an elevator, so it is what it is.
They really need to put at least one or two regular tables towards the front of the first floor in order to be in compliance with both the ADA and reasonable consideration for the range of clientele who would like to be able to eat there, though.
Even with those, it would be unpleasant to get through the sea of barstools to the restroom in a wheelchair, because no one likes to be eye level with a bunch of other people's knees and crotches, looking up at the underside of tables.
It's not just people in wheelchairs, either; the elderly and otherwise infirm will also have trouble getting upstairs, and those of us who are vertically-challenged will all have trouble with the barstools as well, even if fully mobile. They are not conducive for almost *anyone* to have a leisurely meal, but truly completely impossible for anyone who is not tall and agile.
It's also freaking *dark* in there, especially upstairs, which is lovely for atmosphere, but makes it very difficult to read the menu, even for people with good vision. My older visually-impaired cousin and I both had to pull out our phones and use the lights on them, and we both had trouble actually seeing our food. It's lighter downstairs, but again, there is the problem with the seating there.
I don't know if they have braille menus or not. I didn't ask, but it seems unlikely, given the lighting situation, which shows no more attention to visual impairments than the seating does to mobility impairments.
It's definitely a trendy place, but the food is really excellent, and there are a whole lot of older and disabled people in this town who are very interested in eating at unusual spots, with plenty of money with which to do so. Tako just doesn't seem to have taken any of us who are not tall and perfectly fit into consideration at all, which is a really major turnoff.
It's right across the street from Heinz Hall, and is open late, so it's perfect for dining either before or after the theater anywhere in the Cultural District. We had tickets at Heinz Hall, and had left ourselves a good bit of time, but we did end up being a little rushed, so definitely leave yourself even more extra time than you think you will actually need.
As always, one star off just for being utterly inaccessible, and another mostly for the slow service.
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