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The Original Buddha Bodai - Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
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Friend
Vegetarian
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.
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5 Mott St, New York City, New York, USA, 10013
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 01 Jun 2023 by Buddhabodai
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100 Reviews
First Review by A.Z.P.
Winterhunt
Points +24
ugh - Edit
Had high hopes due to reviews and was in southern Chinatown so decided to try it. If you like grease and rude service then this is your place if not walk the 5 blocks or so north and go to Wild Ginger and eat well in a nice space with friendly service. This was pretty awful
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Wednesday March 20, 2013
Pros: umm...
Cons: greasy, rude
Guest
rocky-
Points +115
Satisfying the "I Miss Panda Express" Mood - Edit
Disclaimer: I know it's a vegetarian place, I didn't really check if things were vegan (oops), so that's a my bad.
Read moreEver since turning vegan, I do still miss the feeling of swallowing trashy orange chicken and fried rice. This place though satisfies that feeling, although I wouldn't describe it as trashy like Panda Express.
I was surprised at the prices, like $12 (I think?) for fried rice, bro, give me one to go. That was the best part. GET THE FRIED RICE.
The orange chicken had some weird after taste, but surprisingly disappeared when microwaved as leftovers, but it's fine regardless. Very tasty.
The pork ribs (I think?) were alright, but like I said, get the fried rice.
Updated from previous review on 2024-05-20
Guest
NayeliAbrego
Points +2727
First dim sum experience! - Edit
Oh my gosh I love dim sum and I didn't know it. Anything for that fluffy cloud bread 😆 I loooved the vegetable dumplings. Definitely my favourite. Will be back!
Read moreSide note, our waiter was not the best... he was really rushing us and kept coming over to tell us how he didn't like the food here because he likes to eat real meat. Then would continue to describe what eating meat is like and yeah it was not great. Anyway, I write this in case someone from the restaurant sees and can maybe discourage this behaviour as I'm sure it was an odd case :)
Guest
AGV
Points +15
BBQ Pork is my all time fav seitan - Edit
I’ve been here maybe a dozen times and every time the BBQ Pork is just perfection. Highly recommend with fried rice
Read moreGuest
ChiaraConTorta
Points +386
Great Asian veggie food - Edit
I absolutely loved this place! The food is great (sooo delicious), the place is very nice and prices are good considering the rest of places in NYC. If you are vegan and you are in Chinatown, this place is a must!
Read moreGuest
coconutcat
Points +149
Went downhill - Edit
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.
Read moreGuest
wanderlustvegan
Points +74
Delicious food - Edit
Great service and great food , so many options.
Read morePros: Food, Service, Atmosphere
Guest
LuisMadriz
Points +50
La mejor comida de Chinatown - Edit
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.
Read moreGuest
Ameisherry
Points +9269
Thank you😄 - Edit
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 :)
Read moreI’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
Guest
EmdotAlice
Points +3559
The best tofu - Edit
I accidentally reviewed a place near here with a similar name! This review is for the restaurant on Mott:
Read moreCan’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
Guest
Dzzzzzz
Points +19
Delicious! - Edit
Clean and quick service
Read moreGuest
Raychel
Points +491
Great fried bean curd - Edit
Quick service, amazing food and a wonderful atmosphere. Will definitely be back.
Read moreGuest
blua
Points +105
Great food, extensive menu - Edit
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.
Read moreGuest
vagovegano
Points +4744
Decent vegan dim sum… - Edit
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.
Read morePros: Plenty of vegan options
Guest
zoedet
Points +81
So delicious - Edit
Everything is amazing . Definitely get the BBQ “meat”. I can’t stop thinking about it!!
Read morePros: Tasty food, Laid back atmosphere , Free green tea
Guest
ingrid.friederike
Points +42
Solid!!! - Edit
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.
Read morePros: Inexpensive, Large menu
Cons: Inconsistent service
Guest
adalea
Points +982
Really like this place. - Edit
Cheap and amazing dim sum. One of the best in chinatown
Read moreGuest
ValentinaColaceci
Points +164
Wow - Edit
The BEST vegan Chinese food, located in china town
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-05-27
Pros: All vegan chinese restaurant
Cons: Staff is not the friendliest but was okay
Kallday
Is that sesame chicken?
Read moreValentinaColaceci
Yes :)
Read moreGuest
PastaLana
Points +182
The dim sum my soul needed - Edit
Since going vegan, the only thing I have really missed is dim sum. This place delivers!!!
Read moreI'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
Guest
Amanbx
Points +158
Buns and Dumplings!! - Edit
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!!
Read moreGuest
MoniqueGS
Points +566
Delicious food in Chinatown - Edit
Great food (soooo many options), fast service & fun atmosphere.
Read moreThey 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 😉)
Guest
jollieduck
Points +1624
Bleh food - Edit
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.
Read moreGuest
SuperSteffi
Points +395
Amazing choice of Chinese food - Edit
There is so much to choose from, the prices are absolutely ok and the taste was top!
Read moreUpdated 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
Guest
LillianLee
Points +13
Forces Customers To Pay More Tip (1 star) - Edit
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.
Read morePros: 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
Guest
JoshSilva
Points +2041
Terrible Service with High Price - Edit
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
Read morePros: Easily can be vegan
Cons: BAD SERVICE, Expensive
Guest
Mountjoy32
Points +295
Fun Menu - Edit
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.
Read moreI’d recommend eating here with a group and getting dim sum and soup to share.
Guest
alinakim
Points +202
huge portions and really tasty - Edit
The portions were so large, you can take leftovers home for another meal or share! The food was very good and came quickly.
Read moreGuest
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