I will frequent the place at Queen St at least twice a month. Like the food, and the ambience, is so peaceful and pleasant. I usually go upstairs to pay my respects, then enjoy my lunch...I leave, feeling so good...and happy too as I had a 'meatless' meal
Pros: Nice Food, Pleasant & polite staff, Peaceful environmentI absolutely adore this place and come in for lunch whenever physically possible!
Set in a serene Buddhist temple, it features a daily set Bento Box menu and an a la carte menu for those wanting something different.
The food is divine: fresh, flavoursome, and fragrant. The Bento Boxes (my favourite!) always feature a delicious vegan 'meat' dish (the fish and chicken are particularly excellent!), a side dish (the battered cauliflower is out of his world), some rice, and a super-refreshing salad (often fruit, which strangely works!).
After you eat, it's possible to head upstairs and chill out (for free, although a donation is welcome) in the relaxing meditation room, or meander through the art exhibition (which currently features a beautiful range from an Indigenous Australian artist).
This place is well worth making your way to, even if you're never in the city! Make it a lunch date and treat yourself :-)
Pros: Delicious vegan food, Well priced, Serene ambiencetwo types of dumplings, good going. I think a good tasting dumpling is hard to make so this one was a good effort but not something I would want to go back for but the cumquat tea I would go back for. A pleasant little cafe with a small menu, nice art gallary and a real live female monk helping out. I kept noticing her socks were pulled up over her pants as I sipped my cumquat tea.
Pros: tea yum, dumplings, pleasantWent to Fo Guang Yuan in Queen St, it has changed a lot. It is only open for lunch and there used to be a rotating menu with different dishes available each day but now there are only three main courses available. I was told the restaurant had become too popular and noisy and the Fo Guang Shan Buddhists who run it decided they wanted something simpler and more peaceful to suit the religious nature of the operators and the building surrounds. Now it is more like a tea shop with a wide range of cakes and deserts available.
I had the Curry Laksa for $12.00 it was quite nice with a fair quantity of noodles and some vegies and tofu. The other two dishes available were some combinations of vegies and rice or noodles for $9.50. This is an okay place to go for lunch if you are in the city and need somewhere to eat because there are not any other options unless you go to White Lotus up near the market. It is also very peaceful with the sounds of the city replaced with gentle Buddhist music.
I remember the first cafe/restaurant opened by Fo Guang Shan was a small operation in Lonsdale St just up the hill from Swanston St. This seemed a better location being more central to all the action. Now it seems like a special trip needed to get up to the Queen St premises, although they own the current building so it really is their home.
The main purpose of this place is as a religious centre, but it can be a very relaxing place to escape from the city and sit and eat a healthy lunch and/or have a cake with tea, in a peaceful and calm environment, either on your own or chatting with friends.
Pros: peaceful, friendly staff, interesting surroundingsFo Guang Yuan has changed in the last 6 months. It used to offer a reasonable menu of food for lunch and only open from 12-2 daily ( i think). Now it is open 12-3, and is mainly about desserts which are not vegan. They ALL contain dairy and I am talking dozens of them! They do have some "snacks" such as dumplings and "chicken" nuggets, and about 3 noodle dishes if you are looking for a meal. I find it very limiting. Teas are lovely, but it's not worth the trip for a pot of cumquat tea for example, especially when as a vegan I can't even have a bit of cake. I agree with one of the other reviews, about the laksa being good, and it is still on the menu.
Pros: nice ambience, peaceful , consistenthave the laksa really good value also any of the curries. overall for the price it is great value and please note the staff seem to be volunteers
Pros: tasty food, great staff, portions just enoughI've been here twice and I really don't like the food here- I found it oily and bland. However I do like the place - the service is good, the tea, and its nice having an art gallery next door. Nice place to be on your lunch break after a hectic morning at work, but don't come here looking for good food.
Pros: friendly staff, nice tea, nice venueIt's a bit daunty as you walk in since it's more like an art gallery then a restaurant. The food's good. Price is okay. Service is good.
Pros: Food, Location, Artwork
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