Vegan-friendly
Chinese
Buddhist
玉佛寺素斋馆, at 江宁路999号(安远路口), is located in an old traditional-style Buddhist temple - enter at #1017. The menu is also in English and has photos. Relocated from 170 Anyuan Rd. Accepts cash, Alipay, and WeChat. Open Mon-Sun 8:00am-5:30pm.
25 Reviews
First Review by tofutodd
tofutodd
Points +94
Great food and good prices - Edit
Ate lunch here in 11/05. English menu. Food was good, price was right. If i recall they fake meats were more simple such as vegetables or tofu rather than seitan or special prepared or distributed meats, but still very good. Staff spoke enough english. No garlic or onions, I can't remember if they use eggs in some. You can enter the restaurant for free from the side. Would definitely eat here again.
Read morePros: Cheap for Shanghai, Good service, Good food
Cons: Out of the way
Guest
Exorcista
Points +90
Buddha was Raw ♡ - Edit
They made me a salad that looked like sculpture! Beautiful and delicious!
Read moreGuest
Manjuvegan
Points +1162
Gotta love Buddhist temples - Edit
Temples are always a filling and convenient option. Food consisted of noodles (several options) and portions were large. The noodles could use a little bit more flavor, but they were still good.
Read moreGuest
thesunrisedreamers
Points +2231
Great veggie food next to the temple! - Edit
We went on a Sunday when they were giving out free noodles coupons and locals were going crazy for these!! They opened up an extra dining hall where people just ate noodles. We found a seat in the restaurant and ordered a set menu on AliPay. They had a few other options! We ordered 1 Map Tofu set and 1 Eggplant set and they were super good!
Read moreGuest
Holatravels
Points +218
Great value for money - Edit
Massive portions for a very affordable price good selection of meals.
Read morePros: Good price , Big portions
Cons: No English menu
Guest
MiaCohen
Points +2079
Yum affordable meal! - Edit
For 25 yuen you can get a big bowl of noodles with veg and a large round of mock meat. Other dishes can be ordered on a separate menu too. The meal was hearty and yum!! 😋
Read moreGuest
Jessica Bailey
Points +723
Lovely peaceful environment - Edit
Firstly, the entrance is at 1268 - "6" Shanxi North Road. This is important as there is another restaurant at 1268 - "4" Shanxi North Road that is definitely not vegan but will try to convince you otherwise. You'll know you're at the right place when you walk into a beautiful, calm, modern space. We loved it here, we had the "meat" and tofu meals (48 and 38 Yuan) and they came with mushroom soup, vegetables, pickles, delicious mock meat or tofu stir fried and dessert. Plenty of food and very tasty. Next door there is a vegan coffee and snack shop which has lovely gift boxes of delicious assorted cookies to take away for only 25 Yuan.
Read morePros: Tasty food and plenty of it, Tranquil environment, Fast service
Cons: Bit tricky to find
Guest
MuWa
Points +132
All perfect - Edit
authentic vegan food. The entrance of the restaurant is 1268 Shaanxi North Road.
Read moreGuest
sam31786
Points +529
3 noodle options - Edit
I got to the gate of #1017 and the security guard told me that to go to the restaurant I need to call a phone number, and then someone from the restaurant would come to get me. He called the number for me, and sure enough, two minutes later, someone came and picked me up. We walked all the way to the back to where the restaurant is. The menu has 3 noodle soup options, none of which are listed in English. There are also extras you can buy like some veggie chicken, etc, to put into your soup, which they’ll cook up for you. I just got some mushroom noodle soup, and it’s pretty tasty. There’s spicy fermented bean sauce on the table when you sit down, along with some other condiments I can’t identify. If I’m in the area again, I’d come back. It’s a nice cheap vegan meal.
Read moreAlso, it’s not cash only. I paid with Alipay.
Updated from previous review on 2021-11-13
Pros: Tasty , Cheap , Helpful service
Cons: No English , Not very direct in terms of getting there
Guest
MichaelRobinson
Points +3733
Beggars Can't Be Choosers - Edit
My brother and I got here a little lateish so there was only one choice, noodles. We ordered from a photo album menu with the cashier at the entrance, paid and received a receipt so we went and found a table to sit at. If it's comfort and charm you're in search of then this isn't the place, but if you just want a quick plate of noodles in a canteen style environment then you've found it. The orders are called and delivered at a window, the cashier recognising we were laowai brought ours to the table. Maybe because we were both pretty hungry but these were some tasty noodles, we shared a plate, a decent sized portion and inexpensive but full of flavour, we left satisfied to explore the temple.
Read morePros: Delicious, Inexpensive
Cons: You have to be inside the temple, entry fee.
Guest
dtvegan
Points +60
Goid food, inexpensive but hard to find... - Edit
We liked the food but the place is hard to find. It's all the way in the back by the main temple and the main incense areas were but you have to keep walking past the newer parts of the temple grounds to find this area. It's very popular so look for a long line of people. It's also interesting how their ordering works...you wait in one line to order and pay on the right and a second line right next to this to then get your food. Staff speaks no English and menu was hard to use but Google translate helped us enough to get by... Food was excellent and deeply flavored but there is a very limited menu...prices were very cheap also! Recommended if you have some patience .
Read morePros: good food, inexpensive
Cons: limited menu, hard to find, confusing layout..be patient!, no english spoken,
Guest
N3n
Points +238
Fine place - Edit
Good:
Read more• The dishes I ordered (fried noodles and vegan sausages) were really good. The noodles are oily and delicious, and the sausage's texture is very meaty (almost too much for me) and it's bit of somehow sweet and smoky, yet not bad.
• Crew is trying to help, even though they didn't fully understand that I am not willing to order anything with eggs or milk.
• The only vegan/vegeterian place around the temple area, perfect for lunch while visiting the temple.
Bad:
• The place doesn't feel so clean, some table aren't being cleaned after people get up.
• Crew don't speak any English so it's harder to know which dishes are vegan, and they don't understand much the idea of veganism since I was recommended some non vegan dishes even after saying what I don't eat.
• Crew don't really know what's inside the dishes and had to ask the chef
• Not all the menu is vegan! Ask abou every dish you order if it contain milk, eggs and other stuff.
• Also the cookies they sell inside and outside of the resturant are not all vegan
• Prices are not one $ out of $$$ as the app says, more like $$ out of $$$
• Crew said the place is open until 5:30pm, not sure I fully understood them though
Guest
Inge
Points +81
maybe not the one with the cheese - Edit
i really liked it. only one dish with brocolli in the round and "cheese?" on top of some filling we found weird because under the cheese were sweet mashed things...
Read morelarge portions! we had 3 starters and 3 mains for 5 people and we couldn t finish!
Guest
SP
Points +1455
Delicious! - Edit
Some others below have written that this restaurant is on the second floor, but it wasn't anymore when I went (May 2015). It had moved to the ground floor, just past the noodle place.
Read moreAlso, the address indicated here is 999 Jiangning, but when I went last month (May 2015), where 999 should be it was all boarded up, looks to be due to construction. We entered slightly to the north, at 1017.
They wanted us to buy a meal coupon at the entrance to prove we were going to the restaurant and not trying to sneak into the temple for free. One of us in the group who could speak Mandarin asked them to walk us to the restaurant instead, but then they just ended up letting us in after all.
The place had lots of round tables, the menus had photos, and the food we ordered was delicious!
As for directions... From Changshou metro (lines 7 and 13) take exit 4 and walk east (turn right) on Changhshou, then go south (turn right) on Jiangning.
Pros: English menu, photo menu, delicious food!
Cons: poor service, difficult to find, no English spoken
Guest
PaulineChiangMai
Points +94
Great restuarant - Edit
The first floor has a small selection of inexpensive noodles and dumplings. There’s no menu, nothing in English, and no pictures. However, you can see some of the dishes (all of the dishes?) as there’s a counter and you can jut point at what you want. We went to the second floor which has a menu in English with pictures. The selection was large, the dishes were creative, and everything we had was very tasty. Although the prices of the dishes on the second floor are more expensive, they were still very reasonable.
Read morePros: excellent food, large selection of dishes, good value
Guest
psiphi75
Points +270
Good restaurant - Edit
They make fresh juices that come in 1 litre serving jars, the watermelon juice was excellent. Very big servings, too big to finish. Otherwise it is a very nice restaurant with wonderful furnishings. Food was good. We were over charged at first because we did not get all our meals, we clarified this with the wsiter and he apologised.
Read morePros: good food, nice restaurant, relatively cheap
Cons: check you bill
Guest
nielswied
Points +240
fair - Edit
You cannot miss the restaurant at Jiangning road. Nearby MRT station is Changshou Rd, line 7. Fair dishes. Nowater or tea served with the ordered food. Have a look at the bill, they might try to charge you not used towels. As most buddhist sites: not very friendly (and might be focussed on money).
Read morePros: vegetarian
Guest
sglcklch
Points +3761
Meh - Edit
We have eaten at almost all the vegetarian restaurants that have decent ratings in Shanghai except for this one so we decided to go out of our way to come here... What a mistake! Menu features the usual, if not boring, Chinese vegetarian dishes. Food tasted OK, nothing to write home about. The warm dishes are pretty oily, I suggest getting couple cold appetizers instead. Definitely not worth traveling to.
Read moreCons: oily food, boring menu, location
Guest
eatinggreen
Points +608
Stock standard chinese veg food - Edit
We were hoping Jade Buddha would be a bit better than this. At it is, it is nothing to write home about. Very middle of the road Chinese. The restaurant interior is nice enough - strange layout, but clean and well, typical of any decent Chinese place. More than half of the things we wanted to order were out, which was quite frustrating. What we did end up with was ok.. pretty oily and certainly no 'wow' factor. Just the standard, slightly over-flavoured fare. None of the dishes on offer were unique or eye-catching. Pretty much seen it all before. Do it if you are in the area or really out of options, but don't go out of your way.
Read morePros: clean, tableclothed interior, english menu
Cons: nothing unique, oily
Guest
dnmp
Points +444
Great Food - Hidden Location - Edit
Please note that this restaurant is UPSTAIRS. There is another restaurant or cafeteria that is downstairs. The staff here is very nice though don't be afraid to find them when you are ready to leave (the Chinese usually shout waiter, in Chinese of course, to get the attention of wait staff).
Read moreYou must try the meatballs they are great! I also enjoyed the candied cashews (the name is different from this). I ate the mushroom noodle dish which was good.
Pros: kind staff, near a site to see
Cons: Staff has low English skills
Guest
MDR
Points +110
Good food, good prices--you should go here! - Edit
If you're a veggie in Shanghai, this is a must. Good food and very inexpensive. Menu has some English. Friendly, helpful service.
Read morePros: good food, good prices
Guest
backpasher
Points +161
Enjoyable and affordable - Edit
We ate here last week after visiting the Jade Buddha Temple.
Read moreEnglish menus were available.
The food was tasty and portions were huge. It was a good value place to eat.
Service was friendly and efficient.
I much preffered the Vegetarian Lifestyle restaurants but this is definitely worth a look if you are in the area.
Pros: Good food, good value
Cons: A little out of the way
Guest
veganstastebetter
Points +205
a pleasant surprise - Edit
After a viewing of the jade buddha, wading thru hordes of tourists, it was nice to relax here. I remember being a little confused about whether or not I was in the right place. I also wasnt so sure I was ordering what I wanted, but what do you expect with such a language barrier. I had a very nice meal. Not my fav in SH but definately worth the trip.
Read moreGuest
blackcat
Points +33
A feast for your eyes and tummy! - Edit
Set in the temple gardens the restaurant (upstairs, as downstairs was more cafe style and crowded) was well decorated. The staff were very pleasant but didn't speak English, however there was a menu in English with pictures. The food is described as 'meat' dishes which is a bit disturbing as there are 'offal' titles even though absolutely everything is vegetarain. Once over this hurdle the food was visually appealing and tatsed as good as it looked. It was fairly good value for money, although expensive by Chinese standards. The menu didn't state what the dish was actually made from, and our 'chciken' was made form mushroom (which my husband doesn't eat). The sweet and sour 'pork' was made form potato, it wa svery nice with good fresh veg. You do not have to pay to enter the temple if you just want to eat. If you enter via the temple make sure you keep your ticket to get entry back!
Read morePros: The setting!, The choice, the food presentation
Cons: No English spoken
Guest
craigmc
Points +41879
no menu - Edit
went for lunch today, which was a set bowl of noodles and veg.
Read moredon't know if was because it was a saturday, but the temple was busy.
te food i had was good, but i always prefer a choice. it was cny10, so great value.
the place could habe been cleaner, but as i said it was very busy.
Pros: good healtyh food, price
Cons: lack of menu
Guest
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