Chocolate Buddha Review

Had a great tome, try the Korean fried chicken, amaaaaazing sauce

Highly recommended!! Top restaurant in Melbourne, not only in food quality but service- would like to highlight the excellent customer service we received on Chocolate Buddha! Lucas is an amazing Manager and host!! Absolutely all the waiter/waitress were efficient and super friendly. We haven't been for a long time in a place where we have such a great night- involving food and service. Loved it. We will be back!! Thank you Lucas!!

Food is amazing and the service is impecable. Atmosphere is relaxing and casual. You may have to wait a little while for a table during busy periods but it is worth it.

Best vege curry I've ever had! Very good coffee too.

Great food, service was alittle lacking 25 minutes for 1 beer

Good train selection. Plus..... vwoooomph... schluuuuuuuuurrt...

Waitress was amazing! Told her I was coeliac and she immediately reassured me about everything they do to make the meals coeliac safe, and also showed a few other menu items not marked gluten free but could be made gluten free. Food was also exceptional but the staff really made it next level

I have been going to the Chocolate Buddha for over 6 years now
and it was great at the start it then had a few bad years, but now i am happy to say i visited a few weeks ago and i will be heading back this week too as the food & Sake are at an all time high.
Very happy to Recommend ;o)
Jason

PS OMG People We are in Melbourne if you want Coffee go to a cafe we have lots of them and
if you want great Japanese food and drink come to Chocolate Buddha!

Everytime different taste! And some foods has no identity....Japanese food? Korean food?

I'm from Sydney...and not ashamed to say I have organised a trip to Melbourne before purely to go back to Chocolate Buddha. Everytime I know I'm going to Melbourne, one of the first things I do after booking my flights is make a reservation here. The food is amazing, they are excellent at catering for intolerances, and even when exceptionally busy the staff still do their best to make sure you are taken care of. It's worth the wait for your meal if they're busy, your patience pays off.

Absolutely wonderful service and the food was beautiful :)

Service was friendly and accommodating, real great. So was the food! Both visually and in taste

exceedingly overpriced and woefully average. undistinguished flavours not worth a revisit. if you're craving Ramen or small menu izakaya do yourself a favour and head across the street to Shujinko.

This is one of the best gluten free restaurants in Melbourne. Staff are very friendly and attentive, especially in checking whether people have food allergies. Food is very tasty and especially good for udon and ramen when it's cold.

Don't get coffee from here.
I can't comment on the food but the beans they used tasted stale, the extraction wasn't great and my latte was 1/3 head.

Premium price for a 7/11 coffee.

Average food and very high prices with greeting staff very insistent on a tip despite giving a $20 tip directly to our server.

This is a nice quiet retreat to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The food is quite good but I would not say authentic. Great to catch up here with friends for a coffee in a nice setting.

Food was good, service was great. Not too sure about the 10% weekend surcharge though.

A favourite 'go to' with yummy and interesting food and drinks in a friendly atmosphere.

Best customer service. Amazing staff and the food is sensational. If you are ever in Melbourne, this is the place to eat. Thank you to our server Jessica, you are a goddess :)
Table 2 - 16/2/2019

Trendy place serving a decent variety of tasty Japanese food.

Exquisite food..especially their black coconut icecream, great dining experience

Tried the plain noodles dumplings, not as good as I thought

Our group had such a lovely experience with dinner here. There was a bit of a wait to get a table we had reserved, though the staff were helpful with that and we waited at the bar instead. There was also a mishap around a gluten free dish order being mixed up with a non-gluten free one, though the staff promptly addressed it. The space works well for larger groups for a special occasion.

Delicious, reasonably priced lunch plus great service.. cant fault it

Lovely eating experience.
5/5 service
4/5 food
4.5/5 atmosphere and decor

Eclectic menu with good variety. Service is fast and good.

#friendlyservice and great food. Prompt & friendly service.

Lucas and the staff were delightful. Excellent food. Great place to dine. Gluten free menu is superb. Highly recommend.

Good food and great atmosphere. Waiting staff are friendly and attentive. It s a nice and relaxing place for a delicious food after an ACMI session.

First visit to Chocolate Buddha's Popup. Many familiar things on their menu. The salmon-yak with asparagus was delicious and the noodle dumplings filled with prawn and salmon also hit the spot. Friendly and super efficient service are still a feature of this loved Melbourne institution.

Very nice lunch location especially being located in Federation Square makes for a great stop from a bike ride. A Bento box with a beer goes well in my book.

Was very happy with the service and food quality. A little bit pricey but understandable based on locality and target market. Not too kid friendly but more geared for business people or older tourists. Wasn't too busy overall and the bento boxes were fantastic

Beautiful Lunch, fast efficient service, Bianca excellent customer service, you are a wonderful asset to the business. Authentic Tasty Fresh Japanese food. Thank you we will be back.

Went 2 CB with two others. It offers a variety of Japanese-style dishes with gluten-free & vegetarian options. My glass of wine was $12 & salad $15. The waitress attempted 2 explain the menu over & over again. They did not pressure us 2 leave when we were done. They're directly across the street from Flinders Street Station & near r multiple tram stops. Be prepared 2 climb steps 2 gain entry

Food was very good, prices reasonable, service not bad. An amazing cold starter (which sounds horrible) spinach and sesame seeds drizzled with a kind of light soy/teriyaki sauce. Amazing!
Shaded from the heat on a hot day with great views of fed square and Melbourne sky line. I'll be back to this place again.

It was the first time I visited this chocolate Buddha and though in the in the middle of the Melbourne tourist zone of Fed Square, it is fantastic. The food is traditional Japanese yet creative... fun and relaxed. You must try the dumplings and the salmon sashimi... accompanied by large choice of sake, I cannot wait to go back!

Really nice !!, very expensive and a bit cool if you are sitting outside during winter, very popular place, as any other of Federation Square. Great time guarantee, staff really efficient and helpful !, Food really tasteful.

Extremely friendly staff with meal options to suit anyone s dietary requirements. Exquisite Japanese food prepared with the utmost attention to detail.

Great place . Reasonable price. Yummy food n deserts to die for!

Nice Japanese soups with fresh ingredients - very tasty

Delicious food, great to see such a well thought out menu of clean food, with a large gluten free menu that does not disappoint. Outside seating, in the right weather, makes it even more enjoyable.

The menu has improved recently, with more options and variety for gluten free diners. It's a lovely spot for people watching (when facing out through the windows), and to escape from the weather when you're in the central part of the city. The people are friendly and efficient; yesterday I dined by myself and was treated really kindly by the wait staff, one of whom remembered my name! The vibe is good and I love watching other people having animated conversations at the communal tables.

Lovely staff, the chili pork ramen was nice as were the soba noodles. The winner of the night were the kingfisher maki. Really nice atmosphere although a little overpriced.

Fantastic reasonably priced Japanese cuisine, service is fantastic, and what a great view. Communal sitting allows for friends and family to sit together :-) highly recommended.

Fantastic new renovation
Brilliant food & atmosphere
Highly recommend 5+ stars
Thank you
#Greatfood #Dinner #Lunch #Japanese #Fedsquare #Melbourne #Sushi #Sushitrain #Japanesefood at Chocolate Buddha

Awesome food and awesome staff would highly recommend. Keep up the great work guys!

Nice and simple Japanese restaurant, they have an extensive gluten free menu and vegetarian options. They also do take away. Staff is nice and attentive, especially the lovely girl that was at the bar the 2 times I went there.

Brilliant place to go for yummy gluten-free Japanese food. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the refurbished restaurant is even nicer than it was before

Lovely, calm space looking onto Fed Square - perfect for a light and simple lunch from the iyazaka (sharing) menu. Lots of healthy menu options. Great, friendly service too.

Wonderful helpful service from when we booked through to when we left. The waiters suggestions were spot on worth trying. Vegan well catered for. Will definitely come back. Highly recommended. Best to book but can walk in.

Great spot for lunch. If there's an event or performance on stage at Fed square, you can enjoy it from the outdoor dining area.

Wonderful service, delicious food, good location. Love that there s a full gluten free menu available

Chocolate Budda is one of my favourite restaurants in the city.
The Bibimbap is outstanding and the best that I have ever eaten.
I have withdrawal symptons if I don't eat it on a regular basis.
The staff are attentive and the ambience is very relaxed and fun and best of all the prices are very reasonable. This is all because of the amazing Lucas.xxx

absolutely awesome food, loved every mouth full. service was a bit hit and miss, which was likely due to them just reopening after a fantastic re-fit. can't wait to go back

Love The service!!

Didn t get any reaction from the GF food. Seem to be very careful with cross contamination.

Great location, great price, and great food! Thanks so much :)

Another delicious meal of chicken so nori and soft shell crab rolls, and chicken mushroom spring rolls served promptly with a lovely smile
My favourite restaurant!
Excellent wait staff, thank you Bianca for a lovely evening

Had a wonderful dinner in this very good restaurant. The service was friendly and had great advice, prompt and made the dinning experience lovely. The food was excellent and made for a great start to a night out

Welcome, is the feeling you get from the moment you step into Chocolate Buddha. Beautifully prepared food.

AMAZING!!!! Great service and great food. Very good gluten free menu! Almost three quarters of the menu was gluten free. Dietary options available for almost everything. The kids favourite was the chocolate spring rolls and the gluten free dumplings. Overall a very enjoyable experience! We will definitely be coming back next time we are in Melbourne!

Always good food here. Love coming back every time. Great service.

Beautiful restaurant. Kinda expensive and the food is ok. I always leave a little disappointed :-/

One of the most accomodating restaurants I've ever visited for dietary requirements. We had a table with diners who needed vegan options and gluten free vegetarian options, and the staff were very helpful. They provided lots of options and let us know which dishes may be affected by cross contamination. It didn't come across as an inconvenience at all, and the friendliness was consistent across every member of staff we dealt with.

Love love love! Everything was amazing. Can't wait to come back again

Good location and atmosphere. Poor food and expensive.

Good food and friendly staff. Highly recommend the seared beef nigari with japanese style sauce.

I was recommended this place because of their vegan options and when I asked the manager what options they had; they kindly and very thoroughly explained what I could change in the menu to make it vegan and also showed me the vegan wine and dessert options too. It's one of the few places I have felt so welcomed, excellent customer service and the food was delicious too!

Saturday night, jam packed... but the very friendly waiter managed to find us space on the sushi train. within 5min. Teriyaki chicken, tuna, rice - superb. The vegie sticks were over priced and a little drab. The tablet ordering system is simple and food delivery was fast. Didn't really appreciate the 10% surcharge for a weekend - it's 2020 not 1995.

Even tho we only stopped in for icecream on the way to Pink the lovely lady front of house had the most gorgeous personality and very inviting but also the staff were fabulous to deal with (I cant remember his name but from memory he was a young guy and it started with J). Happy to return again next time I'm passing by. Thank you (sorry about the quality of the pic)

Wheelchair accessible! Fabulous salmon sashimi, nice thick slices, and we are always returning for these platters. Bibimbap was a little too spicy and they were a bit heavy handed with the sauce. Beef and rice was great. Soft shell crab tempura is nice and also as a roll. A great pity there is no ebi tempura. Staff are friendly and accommodating.

Last minute change of plans in the city, we moved to Chocolate Budda. 9 people and we managed to be seated as soon as we walked in.

The waitress soon after poured us all some waters and not long after that our orders were taken. She did a great job explaining what was popular on the menu and I followed a couple of her suggestions and was very happy with my choices-Tempura Pumpkin Roll, Ebi Tempura and the Spicy Tuna Roll

The food was served very quickly and the group all enjoyed the meals, whilst it was busy we could still hold a conversation without having to raise our voices.

As a local business in the middle of the city, I think they are well priced and have maintained a great ambience.

Q: Would I recommend Chocolate Budda
A: Yes , it was my suggestion to take the group there

We had an incredible experience here the food was perfect

Good food, light on the amount and it came out quick. Not really worth the money.