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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.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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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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107 Reviews
First Review by A.Z.P.
miju
Points +67
Decent but there’s missing something - Edit
Unfortunately we were not welcomed very friendly. We decided to have a lychee ice tea and buns filled with matcha paste. The buns tasted fine and the ice tea was okay but was served in a disposable cup. As far as we are concerned, there are better options in Manhattan with a fully vegan menu for a nice price and atmosphere.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-29
Guest
MacVegan
Points +89
So disappointed! - Edit
We were really hoping this was going to be good - and perhaps we didn’t choose well, but we all thought the same. Got the veg noodles (I suspect the were egg noodles - forgetting this is a veggie not vegan restaurant) and the tofu with Thai basil. Tofu was really weird and sauce lacked flavour. The soup dumplings weren’t as I remember. No ‘soup’ in them and kinda tough. Also got the shiitake mushrooms with crispy seaweed and pine nuts. It was ok, but with so many awesome restaurants (fully vegan) why would you choose this?
Read morePros: Speed of service
Guest
Marta_C
Points +197
Lovely food in Chinatown - Edit
Most items on the menu are vegan and there is a generous selection. They also offer a dim sum menu. We shared a portion of steamed dumplings and had a main each from the lunch menu (about 9 USD each) and that was plenty. I fancied a pudding and ordered the peanut coconut mochi. They were the biggest mochi I have ever seen and so yummy! Staff were absolutely lovely and efficient despite the restaurant being very busy. Finally, if you pay cash you will receive a 10% discount on your bill, which was a nice touch. Recommended.
Read morePros: Most food vegan, Staff, Discount with cash payment
Guest
Nico.G
Points +126
Classic spot - Edit
One of the best options in Chinatown, good food, good service, affordable. Highly recommended.
Read more*rice rolls are a must, can’t go wrong with any of them.
Guest
Profduweb
Points +85
Excellent et abordable! - Edit
Pas cher, rapide, frais et tout simplement bon.
Read moreGuest
111artsgallery
Points +1160
To go order for 6 people - Edit
Had a mix of everything mostly vegans in group everyone surprised how Awsome this place is ,
Read morePros: All vegan/ vegetarian , Reasonably priced , Fast service to go
Guest
lilygauthier
Points +316
great chinese food! - Edit
my second time dining here 🥢! it was good to come back here as my first visit here we unfortunately ordered wrong, and was left disappointed with our meal (our fault, not the restaurants!)
Read moregreeted by friendly staff who gave us a big teapot of house tea, which was lovely. we ordered the sweet and sour chicken, beef lo mein and vegetable fried rice all to share. my boyfriend is a meat eater and he absolutely loved the sweet and sour chicken, which was definitely the best dish we ordered. the sauce was delicious and the chicken is so realistic it's almost weird. the beef lo mein was very nice but i can't say it had the most flavour - i ordered a pot of hoisin sauce to pour over it, which definitely added to an already good dish. the vegetable fried rice was also delicious, but i personally would have liked if the vegetables were a bit softer instead of being crunchy. overall everything was delicious and we cleared our plates! would love to come back for a third time to try some of the other dishes they have on offer 🥡☺️!
Pros: varied vegan options, friendly & attentive staff, quick service , house tea on arrival, delicious food
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 +2987
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 +395
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 +10320
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 +4620
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 +604
Great fried bean curd - Edit
Quick service, amazing food and a wonderful atmosphere. Will definitely be back.
Read moreGuest
blua
Points +149
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 +5309
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 +124
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 +1151
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 +235
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 +653
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
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