Starr Restaurants - Buddakan NYC Reviews

Had a great dinner with my wife on our 10 year anniversary. Loved the food, service and ambiance.

Very good everything, especially the cocktails.
Food is a very American version of the Asian, but good.

From the outside it looks fairly unappealing to the unfamiliar eye but once inside you'll be surprised by the food and ambiance. Expect a wait and a hefty(but standard) bill for the neighborhood.

Great contemporary Asian fusion menu mixed with fantastic ambience. My partner and I loved dining at Buddakan. We deferred our menu decisions to the advice of our server and he was absolutely spot on with his recommendations. Loved it!

Very nice fusion place and interesting and good cuisine. Nice atmosphere. The central hall is beautiful to be specified when booking

Best pekin duck ever. And raw tuna spring rolls were superb

Classy decor, modern and well-made Asian-American food.

Excellet place, brilliant food. We had chcefs selection. Light colourfull

Simply amazing! The ambiance, food, service, everything is top notch. Highly recommend getting a ton of options and sharing because everything is good.

An amazing experience, perfect food and drinks. Pleasant employees. It's a must visit.

Loved the food. Had more then one appetizer. And food was a descent size they tell you its shareable but if you dont order a app its just for onen person.

Loved it. The atmosphere, the service and the food. We choose 7 different dishes to split among the three of us and it was perfectly. Its on the upper price level, but would definitely recommend it.

Great Asian fusion restaurant! Loved the food and atmosphere!

Great food and drinks. This is a very elegant atmosphere and the staff was so engaging and helpful.

High quality, small portions, not cheap but worth the cost.
The specialty cocktails are delightful!

Great service, wonderful drinks, and amazingly delicious food. Only complaint is that some parts of the restaurant are really dark.

Great service. Beautiful presentation of every dish of well prepared and intriguing food. I did not enjoy eating in the dark and the particular room I was in was extremely loud. The experience did not justify the price. I will not be back.

An absolutely amazing experience, great service and fabulous cuisine

Took the Mrs for her birthday. Loved the place, good food and awesome ambience.

Food is great, staff is awesome and the atmosphere is really nice, overall very good place and not super expensive, quality to price ratio very good.

The photos as posted, do NOT do this place justice. I walked in and it was breathtaking. As soon as we were seated, I just knew this place reminded me of a place I've either already been or seen before. And I nailed it. SATC movie, this is the place where BIG and Carrie had their engagement party. Score! So, this place is impressive and is perfect for night out with friends or a romantic dinner. The food was simply delicious, I mean everything we ordered was fantastic, even for the most discerning palate. We ordered the Mongolian Lamb Chops, Short Rib and Scallion Pancake, Tea Smoked Spare Ribs, Whole Sea Bass, Chicken, Wild Mushroom Chow Fun and Vegetable Fried Rice. Yes, a lot of food but well worth the gluttonous behavior.

Amazing place - some of the asian food I've ever had.

OK so you want to feel like a star. movie star, rock star, you get my drift right? The glits, the glam its all part of it. Well people if you want to feel the part here in New York City, then you make a reservation at Buddakan! You will feel like the world is watching you put on the best performance of your life in this fantasy of a restaurant! Sure it isn't easy getting a quick reservation and the bill might be a little steep but what the heck, you're a star and you deserve this!

Start out with one of there signature drinks. Tranquility is Jackies favorite. Vodka with lemon grass infused in it. The name says it all because after a long night on stage us stars need to slow down and relax. A few of these will take any edge off!!

Now i am no vegan or vegetarian but if you are then you are in luck. they have an appetizer that will make your taste buds dance. the edamame dumplings are amazing. They are like little bombs of goodness that explode in your mouth.

On to dinner. make sure ready because you are in for an experience. sizzling short ribs for me and glazed blackend cod for her. Yes rock stars you are going to give this meal a Grammy because its going to put your senses into overload. Bite after delicious bite of perfection. simply delicious. You wont leave hungry but you will want more more more!

You know what time it is now dont you? Come out to the stage take a bow or get ready to have your encore because the crying chocolate dessert is next!! malted ganache and coffee ice cream......need i say more?

Be the star you want to be and go to Buddakan!!

My Buddakan Experience
I had the best Clams ever!!! it was a fine dining with an Amazing View. Still the best Restaurant i ve been to in NYC.
Fine Dining
Culinary Elegance
Excellent Food
Good service
Food Presentation
Lovely Ambiance
Breathtaking view
Highly Recommend

We enjoyed our meal & would be back. We did not have to wait but we booked an early dinner @630 on a Sunday. I love that they do not rush you but may impact next seatings. Great background music & service topped off our meal.

Must try: chilled Udon noodles

The atmosphere is perfect, and the food is honestly normal.

Bougie atmosphere but really just came here for the food. The location in Philly is also just as amazing, thank you Stephen Starr for this NYC gem. Regarding food- Edamame dumplings are the most mouth watering food you will ever eat!! Highly recommend here. They taste like garlic butter edamame mash potatoes but amazing.

Edamame dumplings: like I said above, AMAZING. Order comes with 4 dumplings and you'll want to order 3 dishes.

Pinot Grigio: alcohol is pricey here and not worth it spend your money on the dim sun

Tuna tartare egg roll: order comes with 4 rolls. Not my favorite dish but the tuna was delicious.

Lobster egg roll: order served with 6 cut pieces. I do not recommend it was flavorless and only one piece of lobster.

Crispy cauliflower lollipops: unreal. Order comes with 5 and they taste like Mac n' cheese balls. They are buttery and crispy with just the right amount of truffle inside.

Pork bun: order comes with 3. If you are a fan of pork buns then you will love as much as I did. Meat is cooked perfectly but has a little bit of kick to it with the spice added.

Beautiful restaurant with creative and flavorful foods. This is a great place for a nice date or celebration. The general tso and oxtail dumplings were incredible.

Always delightful! The edamame potstickers were delicious! And the banana cheesecake was amazing!

Amazing place to check out upscale Chinese food,love the ambience

Awesome food, drinks and service. Every dish amazing across three courses although I do wish they would turn the lights up a little.

GORGEOUS.......place and many of the clients but with 2896 reviews to date, it's obvious why it's impossible to hear yourself thinking.........oops, you're not supposed to be thinking!!!

Absolutely a must if you're in NYC! Understandably the price is high for the quality of sophistication and tasty combination of Asian flavors!

The food was served really fast. The waiter was so attentive taken the orders. I love this a lot. I can't wait to visit this Korean bar food again.

Amazing atmosphere! It's definitely one of the best high-end restaurants in New York City! Expect to spend couple of hundred bucks on a nice dinner! Their food is top notch, we tried a lot of stuff like crab in the noodle, also lobster rice and everything was so good! For dessert i would recommend to try their Chocolate Pistachio Cremoso it was just the cherry of the cake for the night! Looking forward to visit this place again and again!

Well known for the famous scene in the Sex and the City Movie, this fine dining Asian fair has elegance and food to keep you enthralled for a most perfect outing. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and had helpful suggestions about the menu. The dumplings come in sets of 5 and the entrees are in mid-size bowls. They may try and convince you to buy more, claiming that the food comes in smaller portions, but I honestly though that ordering two entrees and one set of dumplings is enough for two people. Hope this helps!

Unless you don't like food, you won't be dissatisfied. A technical, imaginative dining experience with an exceptional staff. And a staff who has grown friendlier over the years.
A nice place to have a conversation with a variety of table experiences (I imagine I would become friends with the captain to have better reservation options if it was more local to me). Its a place you can have a conversation, over cocktails and food that is consistently very good.
Google being across the street has clearly been good for the location. The clientele is extremely upscale, and for a meal of this caliber it is affordable.
The menu is elevated Asian street food for the American palette, so sweeter and less spice...approachable, with hidden delights, and lots of options.
Full disclosure I have eaten at this place for many years now. It hasn't changed much over the years. Becoming a local staple, has been a good thing and the ambiance, familiarity has grown on me personally.
If you are a cautious food global tourist looking for a good entry way to a variety of Asian cuisine, its hard to think of better.

Awesome service. Food was incredible. The general tso's dumplings were unreal along with the peking pork. Highly recommend it. That said, it's $$$$ but worth it.

Trendy occasion with club like atmosphere which is good. Interior decoration and structure are broadly mixing up different elements. Edamame dumplings were beyond expectation but almost covered up the entrees followed. Have to say even with the crispy birds nest at side the pepper beef is still kinda mediocre and the price just makes its sense. Above all good place never wastes ur time of meeting some who you'd like to get along with and (hopefully vice versa.

This place is amazing. Food taste amazing, service is quick and best of all, it's not that expensive. Perfect place to take a date or just grab food with a friend.

I did my good diligence and looked up tapas on Yelp and Running goose came up. The pictures, reviews really sold us. Well... at least me because I've never had tapas so what the heck did I know. Moving on, we get seated our waiter was super nice and attentive (we were the only people there) my Bf was skeptical reading over the menu. He was like "wait, this is tapas?" I'm like listen here this is not my fault but we are here and we will eat! We told ourselves we would try new places and step out of our comfort zone. So, it's only right that we stayed. We ordered each tostada to taste, the Gabas, the Brie and a Salmon burger/sand which. We shared everything took turns taking bites. He was not impressed lol. He kept talking about the tapas he had in Madrid (such a show off) and I was like welp lol I have nothing to compare it to. Everything was delicious to me. BUT what lost me and lost a star was that Salmon sandwich that they called it. I didn't realize it didn't come with Fries! They have to be ordered separately womp! Then the weird relish didn't do it for me. The Salmon did not taste fresh and the buns were just soggy from whatever sauce they put on.

I loved it, the exquisite food, and it also reminded me of the series, sex and the city!

Had a great dinner here, great dinning area and great food

Amaxing food! Good service, moderately priced. #yumbo

have been there a few times and always come out extremely satisfied. food is superb along with service. waiter's suggestions were right on the money. keep in mind that the menu changes so you may not find the same item. highly recommend it.

Great restaurant with a beautiful bar area and fantastic cocktails! Modern, quirky yet elegant interior, and a dining hall with high ceilings and a huge communal table. Good crowd, and the food isn't bad either!

A lot of tasty items here, trust me, ive eaten here dozens and DOZENS of times and i just dont tire of certain items! in my opinion, these are some of the best off the top of my head & tummy:

-Black Pepper Beef
-Lobster Eggrolls
-Edamame Dumplings
-General Tso Dumplings
-Duck Salad (but i would get dressing on the side)
-Gai Lan
-Cauliflower Lollipops
-Kungpow Monkfish
-Hunan Smoked Tofu
-Cantonese Steamed Sole
-Carrot Cake
-The rice, in any variety (even plain), is highly favored overall, just depends on ur tastes.

- active culinary professional (19+ years)

Very good food and good non-alcoholic drinks. Service was great. Music is too loud, and gets louder during the dinner. Not the place for a dinner where you want to talk.

Nice ambience, lots of vegetarian options, very happy with the food and service, perfect for party, strongly recommend.

Good original dishes and not a bad price to quality and quantity ratio. Awesome ambiance.

Phenomenal decor and atmosphere combined with good service. Food was tasty but nothing mind blowing. Would recommend for that New York feeling.

Very trendy, hip place on the lower east side between Chelsey and Greenwich Village. Great atmosphere, great food and great service. Better make a reservation.

Buddakan is some of the best asian fusion food you can get. Their lobster fried rice is spectacular, as is their filet of beef! Another great note is the decor, with a lovely bar area for cocktails and an impressive main dining hall in the basement, with dark private rooms surrounding.

Always a wonderful experience, staff very professional. The venue has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The food is as if I'm always experiencing it for the 1st time every time and Desserts are art, you almost don't want to eat it, but then you'll end up cleaning the plate.

Sophisticated atmosphere and decor with delicious Chinese food. This is a must go place. Great service in an affordable price!

The food and ambience here is amazing! They have so much variety, and everything is great. I loved the tuna tartare spring rolls and the edamame dumplings. I tried about half of their appetizers, and all were delicious. For their entrees, I tried four dishes, but the broken chicken and the sole were just perfect. I would one hundred percent recommend this to anyone in the area, but be wary of the high prices.

It was our last night out in the city and I wanted it to be something special for me and my better half so booked us in to buddakan. I have been there before and liked it a lot so wanted my boyfriend to experience it as well.
All I can say it was even better than the last time! Susana was our host and did an amazing job! It was so much fun to watch her doing a perfect job and do her part as an entertainer as well! Food was delicious. We couldn t have asked for a better last night out in the city! I am sure we will be back sooner rather than later.
Thank you Susana for making the dinner special!

xx

Really good drinks and service. For the price though I prefer morimoto.

Upscale Asian fusion restaurant. Really enjoyed the good and the ambience is great! They could do better with some music

With a party of 10 we had the chef s choice menu. I love it.

if i could give 0 stars i would
went there last night for my birthday dinner
first got sat in the basement level which was freezing then placed upstairs in a hallway type seat. Ordered drinks, my girlfriend ordered her drinks, i must have talked about beer for 5 min w the waitress and chose one to get. waited 20 min nothing came. Then ordered food, an appetizer came before the drinks. couldn't eat anything my mouth was so dry. Then had to ask the waitress for the drinks, she then brought only my gf's drink, and asked me if had ordered anything???? meanwhile we just had a discussion about two diff beers and i chose one. Frustrated hungry, thirsty, we got up and left.
Great birthday dinner!!! Thanks alot

We had an amazing evening here! We had tasting menu for everyone, and wines recommended by the staff. The food was unbelievable good!! The entrance staff was slow and made some blunders, but while eating, we were really taken care of by friendly and efficient people. The music and acoustics makes for a quite noisy atmosphere, though.

This place is phenomenal! Branded as Asian Fusion, I find that it is markedly different; it is truly creating new dishes vs. Buddakan from existing recipes. You can see and/or taste Asian inspirations but the creations themselves are one of a kind. Applause