Our Story


The story of Tako Tao actually began in Japan, when, several years ago, our founder made his way into the streets of the Kansai area in search of new food experiences. He took a rather unusual long pause in the city of Osaka, pondering, why Takoyaki is all the rage throughout Japan.  To the young man, the name Takoyaki - grilled octopus ball filled with shredded cabbage - was just like love at first sight. In fact, he loved the food so much that he was willing to leave his accounting practice behind, and throw himself into the food business. This dream finally became a reality in year 2003 when the first Tako Tao opened its business in his hometown- Malaysia.

As an effort to test the market acceptance in Malaysia, our chefs stood behind a Tako Tao grill cart hawking the Japanese-style Takoyaki from one night market to another night market in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Waves of people formed a long queue on the day of Tako Tao's street debut thanks to our special blend of Takoyaki - the world's first Takoyaki made with Chuka Idako, or seasoned baby octopus - and how we prepared this golf-ball-sized Japanese delight. Our chefs made them right in front of our patrons. Since then, Tako Tao's has become a special destination for Malaysians of all ages. The overwhelming demands and phenomenal public acceptance have given us the confidence to venture Tako Tao with branches in shopping malls.

So exactly what makes Tako Tao's Takoyaki so special? It can be summed up as, simply, Tako Tao's desire to fuse the finest ingredients, Japanese culinary traditions, and its own local roots. All of our menu items are made in-house with only the freshest, top-quality ingredients, many of which come from the Takoyaki's origin country - Japan. The consistent food quality and innovative recipes are now being served up everyday with every team member's "heart." To this date, Tako Tako has branched out its Takoyaki selections even more to include, prawn, chicken and cheese to conquer the local Malaysian taste buds. Right after birth of Toko Tao's Chuka Idako’s takoyaki, we have introduced the world's first takoyaki made with Unagi and Abalone Slice.

Thank you for being part of Tako Tao's story.