buddakan

the sashimi tuna at buddakan might have been the best sashimi i've ever had.  it was the brightest shade of red, and so fresh that i could almost see through it.  the lobster fried rice was also decadent, as well as the shrimp pad thai.  for dessert we had the white chocolate cheese cake.  can't wait to back!

omg!  great service and ambiance but oh my god the food is overpriced and not good!!!!  we ate here a few years ago back in it's heyday.  don't waste your money!  go to chinatown or washington ave. for better tasting and cheap asian fare!  i will certainly not come back again! i do not know what happened to the food quality!!!  please don't waste your money here!!!!!

waste of money. the whole concept of this place is really confusing - their food has no unifying theme and it's pretty much tasteless, not to mention the lack of variety in sake (i believe they have 4 different kinds - that's it!) for an asian styled restaurant. we dined here for lunch so there was zero atmosphere and for the money we spent, i expected a pretty big bang and some satisfaction, but the potato chips we ate after our meal here were tastier and had more nuance than any of the food we were served . our waitress did nothing to make our meal enjoyable and this whole concept of a "rolling kitchen" just sounds lazy to me and like they don't care about their diners, but more about their own convenience. i can't quite get over the fact that if i order a quick to prepare main dish, it could possibly appear before my appetizer. are you kidding me?!? as far as i'm concerned, this place is a waste of both time and money.

i was quite surprised at how large the restaurant was inside. when all you get to see from the outside is a big door, you can’t really see what’s happening on the other side. there are a lot of tables here, and several levels.  we tried the spicy rock shrimp bao buns. these were like the pork ones, but without the oink, and included pickled slaw and jalapenos. these were nice and spicy and zesty with a sour and sweet crunch. let’s face it, i love anything with crunchy slaw on it. for those of you non-pork eaters, this is a great way to enjoy a bao experience. these are the  general tso’s dumplings, which were filled with chicken and a hot &

okay. when you enter buddakan you will be taken away by its amazing size and ambiance, but the food was average. a bit of a disappointment for myself, but i recommend trying for your own experience. of the many starr restaurants i've dined at, this is by far my least favorite.

the tuna tartare spring rolls are so good i had them twice thru the meal. instead of gettg dessert, i ordered these. the dim sum was good. the duck with five spice is tender and delicious - too much vinegar drsg in the salad though that came with it. the haze martini is awesome. the shrimp bao buns are delectable. all in all, great food, atmosphere, will have to go back for dessert though

the food was fantastic, we had a very knowledgable server, but the food came out painfully slow. we had probably a 20 minute lull between appetizers and entrees. it wasn't worth the wait, and i will not be coming back.

overall i would say that buddakan is a great place to go if you are looking for a fine dining experience and want to have some non-alcoholic drinks with
appetizers and dessert (i would probably leave out the appetizers
too). the main entree are just not worth it.

absolutely a worthy experience. great menu, many choices. ambiance perfect!
friendly staff, warm welcome. we ordered a couple different fiches to share, although portions are not large, quality of food exceeds portion sizes.
so... we ordered the tempura king crab- so delicious! came out fresh, hot, and tasted amazing. crab was just as it should be, and the light sauce it came on top of was perfect pairing. also tried scallop and shrimp spring rolls, also good, but nothing extraordinary with them- not to say we didn't enjoy them, but not much more than a good spring roll. entree, roasted duck breast and mongolian short rib. rib was one large rib, so tender, it melted in your mouth and braising sauce delicious!
tried also the dungeness crab sticky rice, also amazing.
no, for dessert, salted caramel chocolate tart!!! great balance of flavors, and special was chocolate macaroon, with coconut tapioca and marscapone cheese with a fresh sorbet to accompany it.
overall.... great meal, slightly pricey, but worth your signature on the bill!

buddakan was by far the best place i ate at in philly for the overall ambiance, design, menu, and creative flavors. if you come to philly and do not eat here we can no longer be friends.

the sea bass was amazing. it was so good i don't even think it's legal to be that good. sea bass is not something i would have ordered, it was recommended to me. when i say u must order this dish i mean you must freaking order this dish. u will loose ur mind. that's a promise.

best meal i've ever had. i went here last night as a group of 5 and it was only the best meal i have ever eaten. there wasn't a single course we didn't enjoy. the edamame raviolis were to die for, along with the duck breast, house rice and beef dumplings. it is a bit pricey but beyond worth it.

it has been 10 years since my last visit. buddakan is memorable to me because this was where i had the best kobe beef ever - thinly sliced served over hot stones - buttery melt in your mouth quality. nothing i had at megu in new york or la tour d'argent in tokyo compares. buddakan doesn't serve the kobe beef slices anymore so i opted to check out the bento box lunches. it's a quick way to get reacquainted with their menu. and, i think it's the best deal ever, $15 for 3 choices. verdict: the best small plates were the edamame ravioli, grilled lamb chops and the kobe beef slider. i'd go back for more of these. the egg and noodle soup was the least successful because the broth was too salty. i was already warned by my server but she gave the udon noodles a good recommendation so i tried it. nevertheless, it was still too salty. it's a warning to those who have high blood pressure since salt can trigger an e

great meal - don't miss the curried cauliflower and the milk chocolate carmel tart was sublime. great service staff

great choice during restaurant week. i chose to dine at buddakan with some friends for philadelphia's restaurant week, which features a three-course dinner menu for $35 and lunch for $20. i went with two friends for dinner and i was quite impressed with all four components that make a dining experience special: 1. atmosphere 2. service 3. drinks and 4. food.
walking in on a wednesday night for our 9:15pm reservation, buddakan was immediately a sight and sound for the senses. the restaurant was busy, but not packed, and the lighting and cool music in the background made for an eerily swanky experience. we were seated right on time, and the servers were courteous and attentive, but not overbearing. i had a rum drink called charm, which contained fresh crushed strawberries and basil. the basil added a very fresh and herby take on an otherwise somewhat typical drink. two of these $11 drinks went down very easily. for appetizers, i had the steamed chicken dumplings. as far as dumplings go, these were fairly typical. they were delicious with the soy-based dipping sauce, but nothing that really set it apart from any other asian-inspired restaurant. for the entree i tried the pan-friend pocono trout with a red curry sauce. the fish was absolutely delicious. the portion was large and the fish was cooked perfectly. the heat from the red curry was just enough to add the needed 'kick' to the dish, but it did not overpower the fish. for dessert, i tried the mini-doughnuts with chocolate and fruit-based dipping sauces. these are not your average krispy kreme or dunkin donuts pastries. the doughnuts were small (about the size of a chicken nugget), had the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside, and were warm and chewy on the inside. i detected allspice, which gave the doughnut a mild asian flavor, but i don't know for sure whether this was actually present in the doughnuts. i left buddakan feeling sated but not overly full. as swanky center city restaurants go, pricing is fairly average, however for a restaurant week meal this restaurant is definitely a home run.