the great buddha cafe

been wanting to try this restaurant and was finally able to do so last friday. upon entering, you can see the eng beetinstore on the 1st floor and the restaurant is on the 2nd. they also have a mini souvenir shop beside the restaurant and will soon have a museum on the 3rd floor. we ordered their beef tendon claypot rice, asado noodles, hakaw, and beef wanton noodle soup. i loved the flavor of their tendon plus it was really soft. the asado noodles was not so good and kinda bland. hakaw was so-so as well, nothing special. the beef wanton noodles were also good and the wantons were big. the overall ambiance of the place was great but they can improve more on their service. we asked for tissue and it took a while before they handed it over to us.

this is a clean restaurant with good menu choices. i love the beef tendon clay pot rice since it was so flavorful and did not have the overpowering flavor of anise. the tendon was so tender and the sauce mixed so well with the rice.

the chicken mushroom clay pot rice was just okay. same with the short order of honey glazed pork. the egg tarts were soft, warm and velvety. i love them. also had a layer of ube inside.

ambience and service is good. does not accept credit cards.

there are merch sold here like shirts, magnets, plushies, aside from the eng beetindelicacies in the first floor. well worth a visit.

mooncake season is here! with beautifully designed chinese baked treats in countless shelves in the market, the only other thing that excites me is the annual dice game. known in manila as mooncake festival and more aptly called mid-autumn festival in china, this tradition can be traced all the way back during the qing dynasty in 1600. it has been said that this celebration is to give good luck to scholars for their exams hence the game being known as zhuang yuan bo bing. it eventually evolved throughout the years and we now veer away from mooncakes as prizes and give out snacks or money instead. but eng beetinhad the wonderful idea to bring back tradition.

there will be two part of my reviews since i have been to this wonderful chinese cuisine, first part will be mostly for their savory dishes and second is going to be more on the eng beetinand their moon cake festival. a year a ago the great buddha was a newly opened cafe by the famous eng beetingroup, strategically situated in the oldest china town in the world in binondo manila. we were fortunate enought to try their dishes
•cream cheese nai cha
•golden custard buchi
•xiao long bao
•hainanese chicken
•pork ribs glazed with hkney garlic sauce
i would highly recommend the great buddha cafe for you to try out.

the second time we joined their moon cake festival so we able to taste different types of hopia, moon cake and buffet chinese dishes like noodles, yang chow, and a lot more.

as the mooncake festival falls on september 13 this year, eng beetininvited us to share this tradition.

eng beetintreated us to sumptuous dinner. we had seafood spinach soup (p 320), stir-fried asado noodles(p 240), fish fillet-tofu (p 340), pork ribs with honey garlic sauce(p 320), and soy garlic chicken (p 600 whole).

every dish waa good and filling.

the great buddha cafe is very different from buddha bar in makati, although both have “buddha” in their names and a large statue of buddha inside the restaurants. if you’re familiar with the original eng beetinstore in binondo, then you’ll find the wonderful cafe on the second floor interesting. the renovated place is now called the grand buddha cafe, where mouthwatering chinese food are served beside a souvenir shop selling trinkets of filipino and chinese culture. soon, there will also be a museum showcasing the history of the famous hopia brand and the process on how hopia is made.

this was our first stop and our meeting place. the great buddha cafe is like a sister of mr. ube and cafe mezzanine. it has a modern ambiance, a casual setting housed in an expansive floor. interior-wise, it’s a step up from a hole in the wall. we shared an order of xiao long bao (php 248, 10 pieces)–soup dumplings that burst in your mouth with a memorable explosion of flavor, especially when paired with the black vinegar and ginger condiment. we also tried stir-fried radish cake with pork floss (php 220). the nice golden crust was a delight to bite into!

having a party at your house? the great buddha cafe is present in the honestbee app or website, so you can enjoy great food delivered at your doorstep. to immerse in the full dining experience, visiting the place itself is more ideal of course.

i was roaming around ongpin while waiting for cousin’s wedding ring and decided to do some chinese grocery. and saw this restaurant on the 2nd floor of eng beetinbuilding.

their nai cha is perfect even without pearls.
beef wanton noodles, the soup is very beefy the noodle is perfectly cooked.
dumplings of course everything is good.

the ambiance is very filipino-chinese feels. it’s air-conditioned inside. they have the big golden buddha inside that you’ll see upon entering.

eng beetincan be considered as a legend in the food industry. they popularized the ube hopia and later on venture out with other pastries. they now have lots of stores within manila. they looked like a convenience store of chinese deli. right now they opened a new restaurant as well. it offers cantonese style cuisines. if ever you've heard of binondo food crawl, you should probably add the great buddha cafe on list of restaurant that you'll visit. it aims to boost the tourism in binondo. with that aim in mind, they added souvenir shop inside their restaurant too. 

speaking of buddha, they named it that way because they want customers to feel happy, plenty and content which symbolizes buddha. aside from that they used quality ingredients to their food which is a really great value for money. speaking of food they have solo and group orders. 

among the must try are:

claypot rice - beef tendon

claypot rice - chicken mushroom

hainanese chicken

hk style asado

pork ribs glazed with honey garlic sauce

the great buddhe congee

cream cheese nai cha

pork and shrimp siomai

xiao long bao

pan friend dumpling

those are the foods that really made a mark for me. very tasty plus good serving size. i really can't wait to be back and bring along my friends and family too. quick trivia, did you know that eng beetinstands for, eng - forever; bee - beautiful; andtin- precious. pretty much it transcends as to how the great buddha cafe is now. it can be a place where you'll let the most beautiful and precious people in your life to dine in and experience cantonese style cuisines. 

when i think of binondo, it’s a must that i take home some eng beetinhopia with me. what’s exciting is that eng beetinrecently built a 3 story building that sells all their pastries. not only that but they also have some souvenir items and cafe in it. i really got excited when i received an invitation from the great buddha café as their the makers of these classic and crazy-delicious hopia that we all love.

the great buddha is a newly-opened cafe by the famous eng beetingroup. located at binondo, this resto offers a variety of chinese cuisines. we tried a lot of their courses and i must say, sobrang sarap!! favorite ko yung pork ribs glazed with honey garlic sauce (320php) (yah, can eat that all day!!) and yung cream cheese nai cha!! yan ang i-order niyo friends, i swear!! try niyo din chicken mushroom sausage ( 240php) ad their xiao long bao ( 248php) ❤️💯💯

also, after niyo mag eat, may market sa baba na sobrang mag- enjoy ka magshopping 🤗
—
thank you @foodiengr and @chuaroche for the invite!!

the @iloveengbeetin (on instagram) group recently opened their new restaurant, @greatbuddhacafe (on instagram)! a perfect place to enjoy authentic chinese food! 💯 it is located on the 2nd floor of eng beetinin binondo, manila. it has a great interiors! the place is big, bright and beautiful!

you guys must try the pork ribs glazed with honey garlic sauce (my favorite), hk style crispy noodle, hainanese chicken, xiao long bao, golden custard buchi and cream cheese nai cha!

giving it a 5/5! definitely be back! ❤️

the great buddha café is on the second floor of the eng beetinflagship store. they serve a variety of chinese favorite dishes, we recommend the soy chicken with ginger sauce, their dimsum, and their asado. pair it with their nai cha.

the wait staff are very friendly and accommodating.

now coming from the south, my binondo trip would not be that sulit if i don't drop by any eng beetinkiosk, but finding the great buddha cafe' sitting just beside minor basilica of st. lorenzo ruiz, i'm in luck! the first floor is the grocery store for eng beetinproducts which suprised my btw! the great buddha cafe' is located on the 2nd floor. you will singlehandedly notice how clean, spacious and well designed the resto is to cater to different kinds of guests. i honestly loved the design of the bar or cashier area!! very modern!! more than that, i loved how attentive, polite and accommodating the staff is of the great buddha cafe.
now, the best part, their food1. stir-fried radish cake with pork floss - 220.00 (this i super duper love!!!!!)2. the great buddha congee -240.003. xiao long bao - 248.004. shrimp hakaw - 158.005. cream cheese nai cha - 130.00 (this i can drink forever and ever!!!!!)

review as of august 2018

the eng beetingroup recently opened a new restaurant inspired by hong kong cuisine. the great buddha cafe is equal parts cafe and restaurant. the restaurant itself is not too big but quite cozy and the staff incredibly attentive.

dishes i've tried, recommendations are marked with a star (⭐) :

dimsum
- pork & shrimp siomai ⭐
- ham sui kok
- pan-fried dumpling

entree
- beef tendon claypot rice
- soy chicken
- hk style honey asado ⭐
- pork ribs glazed with honey garlic sauce ⭐

dessert and drinks
- golden custard buchi
- peanut balls
- cream cheese nai cha ⭐

your one stop shop/latest tourist destination in binondo is finally here! an establishment that absolutely stood out among the other stores around in binondo! here you will experience a brand new look for their eng beetinstore! it is more bigger and spacious! perfect to cater to more customers! what’s new in their business is that on the second floor, you will find the great buddha cafe! a perfect place to enjoy authentic chinese food! this time, you know it’s clean and in quality! dining in there feels very safe! you guys must try their beef tendon and their cream cheese nai cha! the best! here, you will also find a filipino-chinese souveneir shop! what’s good about this is that the prices are fixed! lastly, on the 3rd floor, which is still under construction, you will find........(secret! surprise!) overall, it was awesome! can’t wait to come back once the third floor is done! 😍