Starr Restaurants - Buddakan NYC Review

Buddakan is Asian fusion -- and even though we knew this is Asian fusion, the food was below average. The Tuna Tartare spring rolls are absolutely superb (and we might come back just for those), but the entrees are small and ... meh. The short ribs were just way too salty.

The services was excellent though -- you don't get such an attentative and nice staff often here in New York.

Love the food. prices are very reasonable for that quality. Interesting wine card. The staff was friendly and we enjoyed our evening.

Have been here a few times and I must say it kind of feels like what you're paying for is the trendiness of the place because nothing stands out to me as THAT amazing, but they do have some pretty good dishes. The chili rock shrimp is great and not spicy at all and the tuna tartare spring rolls are AMAZING. I did not particularly like the king crab and lobster Shumai - I found it didn't have much flavor at all.

There is no cheap drink here except water.

In general I don't particularly like places that are really dark and really loud and Buddakan is the extreme of both, hence one less star. Also factoring into that is what I find to be somewhat awkward seating arrangements depending on where you sit - I once was seated right by the entrance at a giant square table where you could not hear or see anyone but the person directly to the side of you which was unfortunate and kind of defeats the purpose of bigger square/round tables compared to long ones. However in general it's a fun environment and while it was very loud I did find the music to be enjoyable!

The restaurant is a trendy and ultimate nyc experience. The decor was elegant and beautiful. Spacious with high ceilings, gorgeous chandeliers and exotic animals accenting the colors. The food was outstanding. The portions are on the smaller size. The menu seemed to me as an Asian fusion. Can t wait to go back. This is the perfect place for a celebration.

This place is seriously amazing. The service is excellent. The food is superb. The decor makes you feel like you're in some exclusive club that just happens to serve great food. It has such a nice ambiance with the music and decor. It can be pricey though, but I don't think it's overpriced for what you get.

I came here for my anniversary a couple years ago and it was definitely a good choice. I can't wait to go again.

Absolutely amazing. Stunning inside. Beautiful food and great service.

The food and service and atmosphere was impeccable i have since been a second time it was just as good as the first time.

Fantastic experience. Delicious plates, great service and a great vibe all around. One of my favorites in the city

Beautiful decor. Excellent service. Outstanding food. Everything was delicious. I didn't care for the loud music, made conversations difficult. And it's very expensive. But the food is well worth it!

As the of second-generation Chinese immigrants, I used to take pride in pooh-poohing Americanized versions of Chinese dishes. Turning my nose up at cardboard cartons of chow mein and holding up a plate of slimy sea cucumbers, I would tell myself that I knew what real Chinese food was, and it was better.

That s not to say I didn t enjoy eating the crispy fried chicken cubes drenched in sticky sweet orange sauce from time to time. But I never acknowledged it as Chinese food, and certainly not of the authentic variety.

It wasn t until recently that I stopped and asked myself what exactly it was that I took so much pride in. What does authentic Chinese food really mean?

Many Americans perceive ethnic food to be an inferior cuisine, based on the expectation that it should be cheap. This kind of thinking often arises out of ignorance a misunderstanding that Chinese dishes are simple, consisting of inexpensive ingredients and prepared in a rudimentary style. Things are slowly changing these days, with more and more foodies becoming interested in regional Chinese specialties, even prompting the Wall Street Journal to declare that, when it comes to fine dining in America, Chinese is the new French. And yet, foodies are still unwilling to shell out the same amount of money for Chinese soup dumplings as they would for a French duck.

The widely-held belief that Chinese food is just plain bad for you is yet another false expectation of what authentic Chinese food should be. Recent restaurant reviews confirm that the words greasy and unhealthy are unfortunately still very much synonymous with Chinese cooking, and the xenophobic myth that MSG causes illness remains prevalent among many white Americans.

But what many Americans believe to be authentic isn t really authentic at all. Indeed, the birth of Chinese food in America resulted from years of racist attitudes towards the wave of Chinese immigrants arriving during the 1800s. Opening up restaurants was one of the few ways the Chinese were allowed to stay in America, and soon Chinese chefs began to tailor their recipes towards the prevailing sweet American taste buds. And so the Chinese food Americans are familiar with is actually either just a miniscule fraction of what makes up Chinese food culture, or would not even be found anywhere near mainland China.

Growing up in America, I often felt caught between the Chinese food my parents served at the dinner table, and the Chinese food being sold in restaurants all over the country, as if those were the only two options available to me. When I started to reclaim my Chinese identity and cultural heritage as an adult, I realized that I needed to discover what authenticity meant for myself.

For a long time, I adhered to this vague notion that authenticity referred to purity that true Chinese cuisine could not be tainted by foreign influence. Down with the beef and broccoli myth of America!

But I quickly realized that this definition was much too simplistic. Take General Tso s chicken, for instance. It s one of the most popular items on any Chinese takeout menu in America: crispy, fried chicken in sticky brown sauce surrounded by broccoli. Completely irresistible, and not remotely authentic, right? But trace its history far back enough, and you find that the dish was invented by Peng Chang-Kuei, a chef born and raised in Hunan, China. He conceived of the dish in Taiwan in 1949, naming it after a Hunan general and highlighting traditional Hunanese flavors. When Peng Chang-Kuei later opened a restaurant in New York in the 1970s, he made the dish sweeter and less spicy, and Americans flocked to his restaurant in droves.

Does the fact that a Chinese chef created General Tso s chicken excuse the dish from its American influences? Can t this adaptation be seen as a subset of Chinese cuisine made by Chinese, for both Chinese and Americans?

Great place and food. The decor is amazing. I was just disappointed because I expect to see the large buddha but it is located in the philly location. All in all great place. A little pricey.

Great for a large group. Big table plenty of room for all to move around and talk. Wait staff is friendly and helpful. Food and drinks are great. Can be a bit loud but for us it added to the party atmosphere.

great asian food, big selection and very impressive look.

An amazing experience only to be out done by our server Chaz!

Excellent service, portions are made to share, got monkfish which was a decent spice level & lobster fried rice.

Only down side is you need at least 4+ ppl for tasting menu. With covid it be awesome if they removed this because cutting down on groups

The food was good and the ambiance was nice.
I plan to return.

Very nice food and great atmosphere. Chocolate pistachio cremoso dessert is just out of this world you must try it!!!

One of my fav place in NYC. Amazing food, great atmosphere and cool people !
See you soon!

One of the Greats:

Superb service.

Superb menu.

Superb dishes.

Superb ambiance.

Superb wine list.

Extremely inexpensive considering the standard and quality !

Love the food here. Clean an d simple. Very authentic Thai food. Price is good. Dinner special 12.99 for 4 courses, a deal! lovely people. Super clean

Best Ever. Amazing food, amazing taste, amazing interior.

Fun spot for small or even large group. The dishes are creative and there are even options for vegetarians and those with food allergies. This is a trendy restaurant in a trendy neighborhood so prepare for a festive time.

Very professional service, great food and in a beautiful decor.

amazing food. great scene. loud but fun. good service

This is by far THE best restaurant I've ever been to in NYC! If you're looking for an amazing experience at a beautiful fusion-kitchen restaurant then this is the place for. The only thing to keep in mind is that the place is very expensive, but for a festive occasion or a once-in-a-lifetime experience you should definitely go there.

Still my favorite southeast Asian place
The starr group always deliver

I just absolutely love this place I take my son every week! I take my friends my family when in town. Food is great! There's vegan options games are cheap. Great selection of drinks.

We arrived at the time of our reservation and had to wait in bar area for quite some time. When we were finally seated, it took us some time to get the waiters to notice us. Then we ordered wine and then again the waiter disappears for 15 min. It took us about 35 min to order the food. And then the food came. It was just wasn't good and overpriced. Everything was either super sweet or with no spices at.all (the lobster rice). It is not recommended in any way possible.

Cool place, interesting design. On the expensive side, food was good. I was more than upset when they placed me at the entrance to the back kitchen area when they were clearly not busy at the time. That s why 4 stars instead of 5.

A delicious shop that you can enter without making a reservation
You may not have to force yourself when you are busy.

An appreciation dinner from my Daughter and her Husband...I was immediately taken in awe upon entering. It's been a long time since I have dined like this.. I truly felt special in all it's beauty and wonder! Food, Staff and Service combined makes it a special place for special people. Truely loved!

Amazing amazing food! A must for any trip to New York!

From atmosphere to food, it does not get better than Buddakan. This will be my first stop whenever visiting NYC.

Great atmosphere, I really liked the food and the camera (pearl) very nice

Super cool restaurant. We had four people and we tried the chefs tasting menu. Delicious. Lots of food, highly recommend it.

Great food!!
Not a place for espresso.

Excellent food and service was good but it felted a little to rushed.

Best dinner ever! Satisfying and filling!

I came here to celebrate a birthday and the 6 of us ordered the tasting menu (#2 to be particular), I was going to chose 3 but the waiter told us it was an extraordinary amount of food.

The entire meal (16 courses) was amazing from start to finish. I can't say anything bad at all. Everything tastes delicious from the umami loaded edamame dumplings to the crunchy spring rolls to the creamy shrimp to the moist beef to the perfectly paired desserts. I do not want to get into detail about each dish because you must try it for yourself. I can honestly speak for all 6 of us that we enjoyed the meal and can't wait to come back for more, perhaps try the tasting menu #3!

The food, drinks, ambiance and vibes are amazing. Very expensive but I think it s worth it.

This restaurant, of Sex and the City fame, completely surprised me! I expected all hype and little substance, but instead got incredible service and fabulous food!

I loved that the food wasn't pretentious, just gorgeous flavours and the best quality ingredients cooked with excellent techniques.

I would highly recommend the dim sum tray for two, there wasn't a single delicacy on there that we didn't absolutely love.

Food is great, but it s feels like a tourist machine we re the waiters run between the tables. If you re lucky to get seats in the middle I guess it s more fun .

I can't fault any of the dishes we had a Buddakan, they were all incredible. My favourite was the chilli chicken and the banana/caramel pie for dessert. We were there with a large group and had the banquet set menu. Although it included quite a bit of seafood which I don't eat, there were plenty of meat and vegetarian options too. The service was fast and friendly, and the decor was very cool (and dark!). Highly recommend a visit here.

Best pre drinks and food is excellent. Would suggest you go with large group and order up

Great ambiance, everyone was very friendly.
Fried rice, a bit salty. Duck salad was amazing. Dumplings were amazing. Our server was very attentive. I would deff recommend, not sure if i would return.

Very good service. The employees are very friendly and attentive. Optimal food. Worth it.

Amazing. I recommend it all. Had the family style menu 2.

This is my first time to have this restaurant, and I was very contented with their delicious dishes. And it was an amazing experience! I will go back to this restaurant the next time!

Food was amazing. Nice atmosphere as well. Highly recommend and will visit again soon.

Such a great restaurant. The food and staff are top-notch! Ideal for big groups. Look for John if you stop by. He is amazing. Thanks for the sauce <3

Beautiful place, wonderful food. Try the dumplings- you never had something like that.

Huge restaurant (which is less of my style) but food was very good and service great.

NEVER GO THERE ON THE WEEKENDS. The wait time is super crazy. This was my first time going and I was blown away. The atmosphere was great. The service was amazing. The food blew my mind. I loved this place. I will go again. Thank you for the great experience

I really liked the Buddakan, the beautiful decoration and setting any day of the week. For NY it is not that expensive, the food very rich but not very abundant but as we asked for everything to share we ended up being very full. As we had to wait despite having a reservation we took the opportunity to enjoy cocktails at the bar.

This place is trendy with some amazing food. Great ambiance but can use some more light. It can be a little too dark. There are very few vegetarian options but they are delicious.

A place that continues to be very popular. Waiting times a little long but acceptable and food that does not disappoint. Impeccable service.

The best place I have ever eaten in NYC. Their attention to the details are amazing. Specially when the Bald Beautiful Manager named Lopez came and checked on us, we were surprised how even management care about their customer. The Manager spent few mins chatting with us in pleasant manner and asked how the food was and if we have any question. The server was very attentive and polite. No wonder they were jam packed.

Interesting Fusion Concept but somehow just a little too much ...

Buzzing atmosphere and delicious food options. Dungeness crab sticky rice was my fav!

Good service.
Nice plated and tasty asian-inspired food.
Portions are smaller for tapas/sharing style eating.

crying chocolate (dessert) - came with a very good ice cream flavor - Vietnamese coffee

Not living up to its early hype anymore. The food has gone significantly downhill. Still a good spot for drinks and to see and be seen.

It was a great fun pizza spot. The slices were all cold by the time we got them though. Otherwise highly recommended.

Ambiance is very shiek with tall ceilings and gorgeous chandaliers. Edamame dumplings were okay; sauce was exceptional and dumplings were a bit dense. Got the black pepper steak and thought the portion was good, they mix in fried rice basted In the same pepper colored sauce so it looks like you're getting twice the rib eye - well played chef, well played. That being said, the portion was plenty for 2 people and was cooked medium rare.

Smoked sea bass was exceptional. Oxtail dumplings also great.

Wine menu has a 3x markup on average --- A bit steep but you can find some things for 2.3x markup.

The dessert cocktail with Catskills honey whisky is delightful.

Wonderful up scale restaurant. Service is exetermly good. Best dish for my taste is the lamb rib.

A nice choice for having Chinese and Asian foods within a special-looking environment. This restaurant offers very nicely decorated foods. Some of their popular dishes are Lobster Fried Rice, Short Rib, Chili Rock Shrimp, and so on. Recommended for foodies nearby this area.

1: Menu - 1 Star. Overall, great options, fresh and lots of great, shareable dishes. Tapas style. Grab a few from the starters and share a few entrees for your table. Wine menu extensive and not over priced.
2: Ambiance - 1 Star. Amazing spot. Dark with candlelight, music, huge ceilings and real candles. Lots of tables and spots for larger parties.
3: Service - .5 Star. Did not really get a menu tour, had to decide on our own. For this type of restaurant, you would expect to be greeted and eventually given a tour of the menu, especially given the sharing style of food. Nothing stood out that exceeded expectations, as one would expect.
4: Food Quality - 1 Star. Excellent food! Highly recommend the oxtail dumplings. Food came out hot and great presentation.
5: Overall - add another .5 star. We had a reservation for 8:30. Had to wait 30 minutes to be seated, understandable to a point for how busy they are. Hosts suggest to have a seat at the bar while waiting, while its 3 people deep to belly up to grab a drink. Controlled chaos. I would not want to sit upstairs, seems like a different feel then what we had downstairs. We loved our meal and the pace but the wait and moderate service brings this to 4 stars.

I come here really often I love the food the ambience everything

Food, Service, atmosphere, decor - EVERYTHING EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!