• CLOSED: Buddha's Veggie

  • (30)
    10

    Closed

  • White Veg-options
Vegan-friendly
Chinese
Take-out
Asian
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Chinese restaurant that was previously all veg, but switched to offering flesh meat since winter 2009. Separate veg menu and cooking. Menu includes various mock meats like veggie ham and veggie goose. Spacious interior with large round tables as well booth seating. Reported closed, Sep 2019.


Venue map for Buddha's Veggie
© OpenStreetMap contributors

30 Reviews

First Review by jasvir

marystestkitchen

Points +34

Vegan
13 Sep 2019

Yummy westernized Chinese food

I eat at Buddha's about once every 3 weeks; whenever I feel like indulging in some greasy, satisfying Chinese food.

They have really delicious veggie ginger beef, mock fish dishes (my new fave), Singapore style vermicelli noodles, etc. They have a "meat" menu and a "veggie" menu so be sure you have the right one! Some of the dishes on the veg menu are NOT vegan-friendly (like the chow mein) so be sure to ask.

It's a westernized food, so there are lots of deep-fried stuff drenched in sweet/greasy sauces.

Service is really typical of a Chinese restaurant, I feel. Blunt. Not exactly graceful. Some may construe as rude. But there is that cultural difference. Don't expect your waitress to be super-attentive or personable. All this aside, the service is generally accurate and fast.

Prices are expensive for what you get (comparing to similar restaurants in Vancouver) but don't have much of a choice if that's the kind of food you want in Calgary.

All in all, I would recommend this restaurant to friends. It's tasty and good for a once-in-a-while indulgence.
Updated from previous review on Thursday October 24, 2013

EDIT 2019:
Sadly, they were inconsistent when identifying vegan options. Some items IDed as vegan were not. I haven't returned for years.




Updated from previous review on 2019-09-13

Pros: tasty food, fast service

Cons: food tends to be oily, wait staff tend to be blunt

shell_mew

Points +32

Vegan
18 May 2019

Minimal descriptions

Ordered the curry with veggies from vegetarian/vegan menu. When I got it it came with almost no veggies and in bowl with lots of questionable fake meat such as shrimp and other weird faux meats. It did not indicate on the menu at all about all the items in the dish and I asked if they brought me the wrong dish. And they said it was all vegan and not too worry. I said I couldn’t eat it and they still charged me full price and said it wasn’t their fault I didn’t know what I was ordering.

HeatherAshley

Points +58

Vegan
11 Apr 2019

Ate here got very sick

Went here and felt very sick afterwards not many real vegan items on the menu

Pros: Tofu ice cream is great

Cons: Not vegan friendly

kjwburfoot

Points +83

Vegan
31 Mar 2019

Not as vegan as they say they are

Many of the items they claim are vegan-friendly contain whey powder. Also, after looking at their publicly available health inspection reports online I will never go back.

Pros: Separate veggie menu, Reasonably priced

Cons: Staff not honest/knowledgeable about ingredients, Poor health inspection records, Rude service

Amin123

Points +13

Vegetarian
26 Dec 2018

Used to be my favorite restaurant but I will never go back again.

I was there with my family, 7 adults in total. We weren't super hungry, so didn't order a lot of food. After our last dish came out (which took a long time to make), the server told us that we need to order more food or else they would charge us $9 for each adult present.

I've never been to a restaurant where you're forced to order more food.

The server told us that the amount of food which we ordered wasn't enough to meet the minimum of $9/person - which in fact it was. So we ordered another dish anyways.

When I tried to explain that we had met the "minimum order" for 7 adults, she then changed her tone and said that the kids were also to pay the $9 each.

I am really sad as the food is very good, but after being embarrassed by the server in front of my family, we will never go back, nor will we recommend this place to anyone else.

EeliakRellim

Points +32

Vegan
10 Dec 2018

Amazing!

This is one of our favourite places to go out for dinner. Very friendly service here we love all the vegan options very good food!

MeiLi

Points +387

Herbivore
21 Dec 2017

So many dishes!

Huge Chinese vegetarian/vegan menu. Fresh, made to order. Knowledgeable staff. It's a shame they started serving meat but this just means they need more veg love from all of us. So give them a try.

Vegitrd

Points +129

Vegetarian
26 Jul 2016

Okay

Most items were fried or had high oil content. The tofu used was a soft silken tofu and did not seem like the best consistency in the dishes we chose. But it seemed like the best option in the area.

orski

Points +91

Vegan
17 Nov 2015

Wonderful

Hot and tasty sweet and sour faux pork. The brown rice was al dente. The restaurant was fairly busy. My server was attentive. It wasn't health food, but I wanted an indulgence and found it.

Next time I'll bring one or two friends along, and try more
dishes.
Re-visited, with my brother, veggie dumplings were delightful,
"Special Rice" was the best rice I've ever tasted, Vegetables in Coconut Curry very mild, incredibly tasty.

Updated from previous review on Thursday July 16, 2015

Pros: Fusion of a variety of asian cuisines, Gifted chef, Friendly staff

Cons: closed on Monday and Tuesday

fondducoeur

Points +1167

Vegan
20 Jul 2015

Great Selection

The veg menu is very large, so that is great. I tried the fried drumsticks and the veggie beef and broccoli with black bean sauce. The drumstick appetizer was actually really good. The veggie beef tasted fine, pretty much what I remember non-vegetarian Westernized Chinese food tasting like. Definitely pricey for what you get ($14 for the entree, plus an extra $3.50 or so for the rice!), but it was worth it to have nice vegetarian meal while staying in Calgary. I thought the service was fine, no complaints.
Updated from previous review on Monday July 20, 2015

Pros: Big Menu, Tasty Food

Cons: Expensive

NancyCardinal

Points +20

Vegan
21 Jun 2015

God it was good

This was the first restaurant I went to that catered to vegans. They had a menu for vegans and vegetarians and a menu for meat eaters. My food was awesome I was so impressed.

Pros: You can bring your meat eating friends , The selection is great

aFirefly

Points +31

Vegan
20 Nov 2014

Disappointing Food and Poor Service

I was anticipating delicious ginger meat-alternative and salt 'n' pepper veggies and somewhere, it went awry.

I will start off by clarifying that the woman serving us was alone, but there was only one other table. The service was very slow, regardless. We had to ask for water and she only came around once at the end of the meal to refill (although they were empty longer).

I had the "veggie ginger beef lunch combo", veggie spring rolls, and deep fried eggplant in spicy salt. I didn't like any of it, unfortunately!The imitation ginger beef didn't have the same taste of the ginger beef sauce, even, and there was an pleasant almost smoky taste to it. It came with rice and veggies. Not stir fry veggies. just boiled peas and carrots. Portions were generous enough, though it was working against me today! The spring rolls were a good texture, but I did not like the taste at all. I was with some omnivores, one of whom had ordered salt and pepper squid she reported was good! I wanted something similar so got it in eggplant.

It was definitely fresh, it came out steaming! Texture was nice and crunchy! But it was so salty. My friends tried it, and they reported it was much salter than the squid. Too bad! They said their meals were fine, though!

Pros: Options

Cons: Slow, Poor service, Food did not meet expectations

Peacemonger

Points +21

Vegan
06 Sep 2014

Menu changes: daily & lunch specials, gluten-free

Buddha's Veggie has made some changes in their menu over the last few months. Some people have commented that they think the regular prices are high compared to other Chinese restaurants. Buddha's Veggie now offers a daily special (vegetarian or meat) for $10. The specials include ginger beef, sweet and sour pork, beef and vegetables in black bean sauce, kung po chicken, chicken fried rice, and shrimp with cashew nuts. Obviously, the vegetarian versions are fake meat. They have lunch specials, as well.

Someone commented that they found the gluten-free options to be far too limited. The menu now lists about a dozen gluten-free items, which are variations on tofu, mushrooms, almonds, and veggies. I believe that the restaurant increased the number of gluten-free choices fairly recently, perhaps because they were on the GF restaurant list in Calgary, and thus getting a lot of people requesting these dishes.

JohnKeith

Points +144

Vegan
11 Oct 2013

Back to Buddha's

We had given up on Buddha's a couple of years ago. Inconsistent food quality, then a meat menu, spotty service and spotty hours. We were driving by, and thought we would give them another shot for lunch. What a surprise. The food was back to its old quality (delicious) and with the lunch specials, was fairly inexpensive. We tried it again the next week, and the same experience. We are now regulars again, and are loving our old favorites. A word of caution, we have not been back for dinner, so we have no idea how things are in the evening. But with the lunch specials every day, we may not even have to go back in the evening. If you haven't been there in a while, try it for lunch. It's great.

Pros: Great Food, Great Lunch Specials

Cons: Still a meat menu

kimward8

Points +574

Vegan
11 May 2013

Delicious Dry Ribs!

I wasn't sure about this place at first, but I think I just wasn't ordering the right thing. The last few times I went I got the dry ribs, and they are amazing. They remind me of fried chicken, which I used to love before I became vegan. So now this is one of my favourite places in Calgary.

Baxter

Points +121

Vegan
22 Jan 2013

So-so

I've eaten here a few times, and the food is good (actually, their veggie ginger beef is amazing), but the service is adequate at best, and they charge for water!!! I just asked for some hot water to drink and they charged $1.50.

Someone posted that because they serve shark fin soup he/she won't be going back, but the menu says they use mock meat - so don't let that keep you from going.

Pros: Veggie Ginger Beef

Cons: Service, They nickle & dime you!

JacquelineRu88ell

Points +241

Vegan
30 Dec 2012

NOT Gluten Free Friendly

I having been going to Buddha's Veggie for years- it is a great place to take meat eating friends and I have always found them very accommodating. Having been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease- my sister and I chose to go out for dinner to Buddha's Veggie expecting a restaurant that caters to vegetarians to be understanding of dietary restrictions. I was deeply disappointed by the rude response of our waitress- who seemed put out by my questions about which dishes could be made gluten free. (I understand that it is a limiting request- but so many restaurants are wiling to accommodate it these days- I was shocked that Buddha's Veggie was not) Sadly I will not be returning.

Posi Britt

Points +679

Vegan
25 Jun 2012

Oh this place....

I really want to love Buddha's but my tummy says no. Everytime I eat here its super amazing and worth the wait, price, etc. But about 45 mins after eating I get the poops. No idea what causes it. Probably my stomach reacting to a spice in the food. Everyone else I have talked to have never had this problem, but its not a one time thing for me. I have tried multiple times to enjoy this lovely place. My stomach just won't have it. Don't base the food off this. It is really good.

I haven't been since they started serving meat. I am disappointed that they have. It doesn't make sense to me.

Pros: Really good food, Kinda fancy inside

Cons: Expensive, My belly hates it

hiroselee

Points +28

Vegan
31 Jan 2012

So delicious!

I've been to this place three times and it's been great every time. Such a great place to go if you miss greasy chinese food and the greatness of ginger beef! I honestly think the ginger "beef" here is better than the actual real thing, because it's not difficult to chew... it's pure deliciousness.. The kungpo chicken is delicious as well. The service is very friendly and quick! Highly recommended!

unfortunately, they serve meat, but they cook the meat separately from the vegetarian dishes.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff

Cons: unhealthy food, serves meat

unschooling mama

Points +25

Vegetarian
21 Oct 2011

Love it!

We have been going here for a little while now, knowing that it existed through Happy Cow(thank-you)!!!My whole family loves this place. My son(the only non-vegetarian in our home)says that he would happily be a vegetarian if he could eat like this everyday(what does that say about my cooking hmmmm!)our favorites are the dried ribs, ginger beef, and chicken chowmein, and well just about everything!!! Their shrimps were a blast from my meat eating past. Everythings a little greasy(fun!) And we love the service. The only draw back is consistantly the mushrooms do not seem fresh. Oh well, thank God this place exists...a place where veggies can order and not feel like we are aliens from another planet!

Pros: FOOD, Service, did i say food

TLC Veg.

Points +156

Vegan
19 Feb 2011

Buddha's Veggie

The food at Buddha's is pretty awesome if you are looking for deep fried comfort food. Super tasty!! The staff is always great. I am just sad that after all the years of being Pure Veggie they felt the need to add a meat menu.

Pros: vegan friendly, family friendly, great for large groups

Cons: serves meat , not the healthiest choice

Tara2323

Points +36

Vegetarian
08 Apr 2010

Great Location!

- Enjoy the dry ribs, ginger beef, and sweet and sour pork!
- Took none veggies there and they tried the fake meat and said it wasnt to bad.
- Service is fast and food is served hot
- Have used take out and food was ready on time
- Great location with parking

All in all we are happy with Buddha's and will continue going there.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, good service

Cons: room temp was cold, serves meat too

23skidoo

Points +46

Mostly Veg
24 Nov 2009

Nice

At this point, Buddha's is a veggie institution in Calgary. The food is pretty flavorful despite the limitations they work with (no garlic or onions!). It does tend toward the pricey side for Chinese food, but they do not cheap out on the ingredients.
It's a nice little restaurant as well, with good service.

Pros: Good food, Good service

nspanee

Points +239

Vegan
17 Nov 2009

paradise of choices

i'm from switzerland and we don't have anything like that there! before i came to calgary i checked out the vegan places here. when i saw the menu from buddha's veggie i nearly got a heart attack. a holiday to paradise of choice!!!!
so yesterday i went there with my friend and we ordered 6 or 7 different meals for dinner. i knew in advance that we wont be able to eat them all but i just don't know if i ever come to calgary. the waitresses were very friendly and helpful with what to order on the menu if there was no picture of it. just to know what we'll order. the sizes are really good for the price. we didn't have to wait long for the food. the atmosphere was very positive. they packed all the rest for us to take it home.i hope i'll get there another time during this holiday. i already marked the next meals i'll order ;)

Pros: all vegan, taste, options/choices

dagny70

Points +314

Vegan
21 Oct 2009

Deee-licious!

We were not having the best time in Calgary, and headed to this restaurant after a long, hot, tiring day. I was a little apprehensive when we arrived - situated on a busy road, opposite a huge mall, it didn't look too appealing from the outside. But when we went inside, it was large, airy and very pleasant. And then I saw the menu! It doesn't usually take me very long to decide on a meal, but the choice here was amazing. All kinds of dishes, including noodles, rice, veggies, tofu and what semmed like a zillion faux meats!

I finally settled on veggie Won Ton soup and Veggie Beef with Broccoli in Black Bean Sauce whilst my partner had Golden Fried Dumplings and Pepper & Candied Veggie Steak. The food was delicious, really tasty, but I must admit we seriously struggled with the huge portions. They are not for the feint-hearted! We were so impressed with the choice available that we took a take-away menu to show our friends back home.

The staff were nice enough - pleasant, polite, and not too overbearing.

I doubt we will ever return to Calgary, but if we did, we would definitely eat here agin.

Pros: Great choice, Tasty food, Good value for money

Cons: Location

vegan madd

Points +31

Vegan
21 Oct 2009

grease fest

If you've been to China/Taiwan as a vegetarian, maybe this food will be delightful and reminiscent of your time there. Or maybe your looking to have a meal all fried or deep fried-still calling it vegetarian/vegan. This is not a healthy variety of food at reasonable cost place.

Pros: large tables, friendly staff, chopsticks!

Cons: closed 3-5? , too greasy, expensive

Mighty Vegan

Points +96

Vegan
26 Sep 2009

Veggie Pork made my night!

I ate there a few weeks ago while in Calgary. My wife and I got the Mixed Vegetables Wonton Soup, Sweer and Sour Veggie Pork, and some other veggie dish. The soup was a meal in itself. The "veggie pork" was awesome. Next time I'm there I would get the veggie ribs in orange sauce. I couldn't decide between the two dishes that night, both were recommended by the waitress. I eventually froze up and in my indecision deferred the decision to the waitress. She chose the veggie pork.
The restaurant is several miles away from the city center. We drove and there was a parking lot. I presume there is a good way to get there by mass transit. The place itself is very nice and comfortable.
The food seemed kind of expensive compared to similar places. But the portions were large and my wife and I got 2 dishes and the soup and wound up with a lot of leftovers. On top of an expensive dish was also an extra charge for the rice. In NYC where I am from rice always comes with the dish no matter what the price. The menu and prices are online so you can make sure your cool with it before you go if that's a factor.
Overall the place was really good, definitely recommended.

Pros: Good food, Decent ambiance, Pricey

Cons: Not near city center




This page has been viewed 18106 times.