Vegan-friendly
Ovo
Chinese
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Catering
Kosher

Chinese vegetarian restaurant est. since 2004 and is not affiliated with Buddha Bodai on Mulberry St. Offers vegan dim sum until 4pm, plus a wide range of faux meat dishes. Reported uses egg in a few dishes. Kitchen stops 9:30pm. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-9:00pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am-9:00pm.


Venue map for The Original Buddha Bodai - Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
© OpenStreetMap contributors

96 Reviews

First Review by A.Z.P.

coconutcat

Points +149

Vegan
19 Dec 2023

Went downhill

First of all, they have a lot of dairy products. Secondly, they raised their prices considerably, especially for dim sum. Dim sum is only a good deal for tourists. Sad. Used to be a legit place.

wanderlustvegan

Points +74

Vegan
16 Dec 2023

Delicious food

Great service and great food , so many options.

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

LuisMadriz

Points +50

Vegan
09 Nov 2023

La mejor comida de Chinatown

La mejor comida china vegana que he probado en mi vida. No le pongo las 5 estrellas por un incidente con uno de los camareros que, prácticamente, nos obligó a dejar la propina que él decidió, no el 10% típico de New York.

Ameisherry

Points +8210

Raw
05 Nov 2023

Thank you😄

Had my birthday meal celebrate here😄didn’t realize that it’s been around since 2009, Everytime I went passed it’s always under renovation finally it’s opened now :)
I’m like telling everyone it’s my birthday lol asking for my birthday wishes lol everyone so friendly :)

Veg jellyfish (cold)
Dim sum appetizer (10 pcs) - bbq meat buns(2) , shu mai(2), Cantonese dumplings (2), shrimp dumplings(2), watercress dumplings (2)
#vegan

Wow this one finally opened, I’ve been passing there so many times and it’s always under renovation, this one has been here since 2009 probably the longest😄finally get to try it😄

Not everything here is vegan, they do have dishes that contains eggs and dairy so make sure asking them before ordering it

Updated from previous review on 2023-08-07

EmdotAlice

Points +3083

Vegan
02 Oct 2023

The best tofu

I accidentally reviewed a place near here with a similar name! This review is for the restaurant on Mott:

Can’t wait to come back here to try their dim sum. Unfortunately we came after dim sum hours, but we were able to get the sampler as an appetizer—highly recommend. I liked the dumpling with spinach the most (wrapped like a wonton) but the vegan bbq pork bun was my partner’s favorite. The bun was slightly sweet and the filling was savory. The tofu skin was amazing and so was the tofu veggie stir fry. Texture and flavor were the best we’ve had.

Note to future self: come in before 4pm for dim sum to try the turnip cake!

Updated from previous review on 2023-02-06

Pros: So many options and large portions, Clearly labels items with egg, Amazing tofu dishes

Dzzzzzz

Points +19

Vegetarian
18 Sep 2023

Delicious!

Clean and quick service

Raychel

Points +491

Vegan
17 Sep 2023

Great fried bean curd

Quick service, amazing food and a wonderful atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

blua

Points +97

Vegan
23 Jul 2023

Great food, extensive menu

It was great to see such an extensive menu almost fully vegan. I tasted several dishes and they were all very good. Portions are quite big, can easily be shared. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is nice.

vagovegano

Points +4424

Vegan
20 Jul 2023

Decent vegan dim sum…

Good to know there is a restaurant like this in NYC that offers vegan dim sum. I ordered the sticky rice in lotus leaf, pan-fried turnip cakes and the dim sum sampler. All were good, but I must say I have actually had better. I’ll need to come back and try some of their regular main dishes.

Pros: Plenty of vegan options

zoedet

Points +77

Vegan
04 Jul 2023

So delicious

Everything is amazing . Definitely get the BBQ “meat”. I can’t stop thinking about it!!

Pros: Tasty food, Laid back atmosphere , Free green tea

ingrid.friederike

Points +38

Vegetarian
16 Jun 2023

Solid!!!

As a dairy-free vegetarian, I’ve had to turn down invitations to dim sum before before of lack of options. So this place gets 5 stars alone for providing tasty dim sum that is also fairly priced. Some of their faux meats are better than others, though.

Pros: Inexpensive, Large menu

Cons: Inconsistent service

adalea

Points +974

Vegan
02 Jun 2023

Really like this place.

Cheap and amazing dim sum. One of the best in chinatown

ValentinaColaceci

Points +164

Vegan
27 May 2023

Wow

The BEST vegan Chinese food, located in china town

Updated from previous review on 2023-05-27

Pros: All vegan chinese restaurant

Cons: Staff is not the friendliest but was okay

Kallday

20 Jul 2023

PastaLana

Points +169

Vegan
01 May 2023

The dim sum my soul needed

Since going vegan, the only thing I have really missed is dim sum. This place delivers!!!

I've been dying for a turnip cake recently. Whenever I go out and look for one, they almost always have shrimp in them. Bummer.

I was so jazzed to find that this place has veganized ALL my old dim sum favorites. There are a few (I only noticed two) dishes that are clearly marked as having egg or dairy in them, but everything else on the menu was vegan.

I was absolutely in heaven! Char Siu Bao! Turnip cakes! Shu Mai! Dumplings of all kinds! ALL VEGAN! What a time to be alive!

This was a very wonderful experience for me. The taste transported me back to my old dim sum favorites, but this was much more satisfying than before because my heart was happier knowing that this dim sum had all the flavor without the cruelty.

Pros: amazing variety, good prices, delicious food

Amanbx

Points +158

Vegan
27 Apr 2023

Buns and Dumplings!!

Was taking a friend to visit Chinatown and had to stop by for some steamed and baked Buns and pan fried Dumplings! So tasty and filling! Buns are sweet with a little savory interiors. They come out hot and fresh. We loved it!!

MoniqueGS

Points +566

Vegan
25 Apr 2023

Delicious food in Chinatown

Great food (soooo many options), fast service & fun atmosphere.
They were able to sit us down quickly (party of 6) even though it was rush hour. The waiters were helpful in answering our questions.
We will DEFINITELY come back on our next visit to NYC!

Pros: Lots of options, Prices were fair , Service was quick & attentive

Cons: Gets busy on the weekends , (But that means the food is good 😉)

jollieduck

Points +1419

Vegan
16 Apr 2023

Bleh food

We ordered the pineapple fried rice with “chicken” and the tofu skins with sesame. The sauce was weird and after a few bites I couldn’t get myself to eat more of it. The fried rice was edible but had no memorable flavor. Most meals didn’t come with rice, just mock meat and a small amount of veggies. Several dishes do have egg but they are clearly labeled.

SuperSteffi

Points +395

Vegan
13 Apr 2023

Amazing choice of Chinese food

There is so much to choose from, the prices are absolutely ok and the taste was top!

Updated from previous review on 2023-04-13

Pros: Almost everything is vegan, Not expensive , Big pot of Free green tea

Cons: Can be very crowded

LillianLee

Points +13

Vegetarian
28 Jan 2023

Forces Customers To Pay More Tip (1 star)

I have been a loyal customer coming here for over 10 years and sadly this establishment has changed. The food is still good but the service has been horrible. Last week when I came here, one of the waiters (a younger guy with glasses) forged my check to automatically put a 25% tip. It is illegal for restaurant staff to put their own tip amount instead of honoring the customer's amount. After I confronted him about it he said "no this is our rule and how our restaurant does things". Then he spoke in Cantonese and called my party and I "Useless and inconvenient" while shaking his head. After dialled the Better Business Bureau (BBB) number on my phone to complain about the forged tip, he finally gave me the real customer check which I can put my own tip. And while i was doing the math and calculating the tip, he kept standing close at me to watch what I was doing. This made my party and I very uncomfortable and created a hostile environment. Lying to customers and scamming them by adding more tips is not kosher nor very Buddhist. I do not recommend anyone to come back here again.

Pros: food is good but poor service, Rude and charges for tap water

Cons: HORRIBLE service. Force Customers to Pay 25% tip., Speaks poorly about customers in cantonese, Yells at customers

JoshSilva

Points +2041

Vegan
26 Dec 2022

Terrible Service with High Price

Came here with my wife and the service was awful. We were still ordering while the waiter said “you done” and basically grabbed the menu out of my wife’s hand. We wanted to do lunch menu because it clearly stated M-F 11-4pm and we were there @ 2:45pm. Waiter said sorry no lunch service…. Prices were super high on the regular menu. Food was good tasting. Would not retun

Pros: Easily can be vegan

Cons: BAD SERVICE, Expensive

Mountjoy32

Points +284

Vegan
14 Dec 2022

Fun Menu

Lots of fun choices on the menu you don’t see very often, like shark fin soup. Over all I enjoy eating food from here, although a lot of the dishes read a bit sweet. Also I find the mock chicken to be a bit soggy. I really like the hot and sour soup, turnips, and choy sum. To me those are high points, while the regular dumplings and vegetable soup are low points… they’re both bland.

I’d recommend eating here with a group and getting dim sum and soup to share.

alinakim

Points +202

Non Veg
04 Aug 2022

huge portions and really tasty

The portions were so large, you can take leftovers home for another meal or share! The food was very good and came quickly.

craigmc

Points +32448

Vegan
05 Jul 2022

Hot & huge

First of all the portions are huge, I would recommended two mains between three at most.
It was 30c outside which was cold compared to inside, wow it was hot.
The food was good but nothing exceptional. We had a couple of starters which were okay and the mains which were good. The eggplant was probably my favourite but the crispy beef & sweet & sour chicken were both good as well.
A good solid option but hopefully we will find even better on this trip.

Updated from previous review on 2022-07-05

Pros: Portions, Tasty

Cons: Hot

iloveveganicecream

Points +786

Herbivore
04 Jul 2022

This is SO good

Wow. This is one of my favorite meals I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious. Dim sum is one of my favorite cuisines, and I’ve really missed it. It’s one of the things I would cave over the first few times I tried to transition away from consuming animal products, so it’s amazing to have such a delicious option. ❤️

Can confirm that the following items do not have eggs: shrimp rice roll, vegetarian steamed buns, orange chicken, sticky rice in lotus leaf, turnip cake.

Some things have eggs, and that is marked on the menu.

plantbasedddddddd

Points +92

Vegan
03 Jul 2022

Best vegan Chinese ever!

I grew up eating allll over chinatown so I’m very familiar with the authentic stuff. This is the best vegan Chinese I’ve ever had. I always keep coming back. And the staff is always so nice. And everything is dirt cheap! Best restaurant in NYC hands down. Get the rice rolls! The meat one is the best but they’re all amazing

Pros: Delish, Cheap, Location

Cons: None!!!

guybraverman

Points +703

Vegan
12 Jun 2022

New York’s best dim sum

Wow, what a find. This was our best meal in NY to date. Very authentic flavors and atmosphere. Good efficient service and reasonably priced

Pros: Mostly vegan, Authentic , Great value

Cons: Wish it was 100% vegan, Not organic

DDesai

Points +198

Vegetarian
31 May 2022

Best Vegetarian Chinese Food

Some of the best vegetarian Chinese food I've ever had, if not the best. So many options, tasted great

Pros: So many options , Tastes great




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