Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Chinese
Buffet
Taiwanese
Chinese name 蓮香齋, address 台北市松山區南京東路五段188號地下1樓之1. Several locations. All-you-can-eat European style veggie buffet featuring over 200 dishes, at around NT$700 per person. Menu includes the use of mock meats (some containing whey). Moved from Chang Chun Rd. Reported closed Oct 2018.
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188, Sec. 5, Nanjing East Road, Songshan District (at /in the basement), Taipei, Taiwan
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Last update on 14 Oct 2018 by DZet
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Added by eric on 01 Aug 2007
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9 Reviews
First Review by linjamie
JudyK
Points +46
you should ask staff "is it vegan?" if you're vegan. - Edit
FINALLY I had a dinner at Jendow vegetarian buffet taipei ! the slices of raw fish and sushi are plant based but they taste like real fishes.
Read moremany foods contain dairy products or egg. you should ask staff "is it vegan?" if you're vegan.
ついに夕飯なベジタリアンビュッフェ「蓮香斎」行けました！刺身は見た目も味も本物そっくりですが植物性とのこと。特にサーモンは騙されたかと思う位のクオリティ。卵や乳製品を含むものもあるのでビーガンの方は店員に尋ねてみた方がよいと思います。
Guest
vegelover
Points +336
Eye opener Vegetarian Buffet! - Edit
Was amazed by the numbers of customers there, the variations of food, lunch is 600TWD + 60?Service Charge.
Read moreBeautiful, mouth watering vegetarian food.
Easily accessed by MRT.
Pros: Location, Food yummy, Clean
Cons: Crowded
Guest
convertedcow
Points +120
Fantastic variety - Edit
We were surprised at the variety of food on offer with nice surroundings.
Read moreThe food was of good quality. Most of the labels were in Chinese. There were some clear signs in English re egg dishes and the desserts were clearly marked egg and non-egg containing ones. One will have to take precautions with the "European" section as the pizza etc may contain dairy products but not labelled as such. There was even a section of several different types of mushrooms.
Pros: Large selection, pleasant surroundings
Cons: A bit of a walk from the metro, Could get lost in there!, Might not find what you want due to size
Guest
JesseD
Points +836
Vegans Beware! - Edit
What everyone else has said here is true: if you want a fine-dining experience, and you're not vegan, you'll probably find this place incredible.
Read moreBut unfortunately it's very vegan-unfriendly. There is no service (other than a rushed person coming around to take your money and remove your used crockery) so no one to ask about what's vegan. I asked a busy chef, and he begrugingly said that all food not labelled (in Chinese) as having egg or milk was vegan, but this was clearly not the case as dishes containing cheese (eg pizza) weren't labelled, and something I thought was tofu (without any labels) was clearly egg, and I needed to slip out to the restroom feeling like I was going to vomit. There were also unlabelled chicken nuggets which (from my experience) are never vegan.
I checked with the same chef and he assurred me that the mayonnaise dressing used on would-be delicious freshly-made salad wraps was vegan, as did the staff member making them. While she made my order, I (somewhat rudely) turned over the packed and it was clearly labelled 'nai-su' (lacto-vegetarian).
I also tried to politely ask a staff member at the desserts counter whether the Haagen Daas rasberry sorbet was vegan (it sometimes has flavourings derived from milk) and was going to ask if I could see the lid of the container, as I know from another restaurant that it shows the ingredients. She just shouted back at me (as if I was crazy) that all the Haagen Daas products contained milk and egg, and didn't give me a chance to explain that I was asking about sorbet.
The conclusion I reach is that they usually label what they add egg and milk to on-site (eg desserts) but don't check ingredients for products they buy (eg fake meats), and certainly don't want to be asked about it.
If you want to impress someone with a taste for fine dining, bring them here. But if you're vegan and can't read or speak Chinese, then this place is simply not worth visiting. If you want a delicious, enjoyable and vegan buffet meal, I recommend going to Evergreen. In my two visits there (both over a year ago) staff were friendly, helpful and very happy to take me around and explain (in English) what was vegan, though it was hardly necessary because all dishes were labelled as vegan, lacto etc, along with their name (if you can read Chinese). I also find its more spacious and less ostentatious interior more pleasant, and they also have a bigger range of (vegan) food, including traditional Taiwanese desserts.
Pros: huge range of foods, all you can eat, beautiful interior
Cons: difficult to know what's vegan, little service , expensive
Guest
AndreaPassini
Points +204
Best vegetarian restaurant I've EVER been to!!! - Edit
I found the listing for this restaurant on Happy Cow and after reading about the 200 buffet choices at the Jen Dow...I knew we had to go! We asked a Taiwanese friend to write the address down in Chinese, and the taxi driver had NO problem finding the restaurant. It is a bit deceiving looking on the outside of the building. There is a cafe that says VEGGIE CAFE in English, but is obviously not the Jen Dow. A friendly Taiwanese man asked us in English if he could help and we said we were looking for the buffet style restaurant. He said he was a customer there and it was inside the building...in the basement! We went down an escalator...and were very pleased and surprised to find a huge fine dining hall...full of 200 vegetarian choices!! It was FULL of Taiwanese people...and monks! The choices were innumerable...the mock meat selections were delicious. I FINALLY was able to to try kimchi since it didn't have seafood in it! I was so ecstatic to be able to try ANYTHING I wanted from the buffet. Normally my choices are very limited. I DEFINATELY ate too much...but it was worth it! My husband and I live in Japan, but are trying to find a cheap flight back to Taiwan...mainly to go back to this restaurant!! Its a great way to experience all the flavor of Taiwanese food...without all the fishy/meaty grossness!!
Read morePros: choices!, healthy, clean
Cons: a bit pricey, eat too much
Guest
Junivera
Points +144
A must ! - Edit
Amazing selection of food, dessert and drinks. Lots of vegan choice. price is high NT 700 but really, a must to try!
Read moreDon't rush, take your time. I came as the resto open and leave just before they close. Plenty to eat, so we must give ourselves plenty of time.
Pros: Amazing selection
Cons: Price
Guest
Coolman7528
Points +117
Unimaginable amt of food - Edit
Went there last week in my trip to Taiwan from Singapore. I would say that in comparison to Singapore vegetarian food, be prepare to 'drop your jaws' & full of "Wow!!" when you enter this restaurant! The varieties of food is just too much! Too many food to choose from & you'll be in confusion, not knowing what to choose from... Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese???!!! So, my advice is go there real hungry, so you can eat as much as you like!! But I would say for their charges, NT700, it is really on the high side but luckily for me, someone is giving me a treat & also they advice me to buy their voucher, its much more worthwhile!
Read morePros: Huge Assortment of food, Haagen Daz Ice Cream
Cons: Very noisy, Very crowded, $ on the high side
Guest
Jeffrey
Points +379
Scrumptious but pricey - Edit
The assortment of food in this place is just astonishing! At least 3 different cook-to-order stations, and all kinds of other foods. It is almost all asian-style food though, so you are looking for western dishes, this isn't it. They even have a wide variety of juices, teas, fresh smoothies, etc. included. The only drawback I found was that at over $600 NT per person for lunch, it is far out of my price range. Luckily somebody treated me!!! If you can swing it, or for a very special occasion, by all means have a go at this veggie smorgasborg!
Read morePros: huge variety, quality food, nice atmosphere
Cons: high price
Guest
linjamie
Points +62
5-Star Vegetarian Restaurant. a MUST MUST-TRY! - Edit
If you have very limited time in Taipei and you want to experience what Taiwan could offer for vegetarians, try this one!!!
Read moreMy parents & I took my in-laws,who are from Vancouver, to the restaurant, they were really impressed! My mother-in-law even wanted to take some photos so that she could share the experience with her friends in Canada (and she did!). And they usually try not to eat too much but on that day in the restaurant they couldn't resist -- there was too many dishes to try, and they were so yummy!
Pros: great food , clean , nice setting
Guest
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