Starr Restaurants - Buddakan NYC Reviews

Very good food but not enjoyed ... The music is so loud that you cannot speak.

Goooooood freakin` food! Love the sparred filet of beef, with lobster rice and noodles. The staff is nice and helpful with everything, from beer to wine and to the food. The restaurant itself is supercool with a dark interior and chill lounge music. the best thing is that you just order your main course and then you share the side courses with the rest of the group you are with. I highly recommend going there!

It's amazing how much you can enjoy the delicious meals here and this location have the best decoration in NYC Restaurant is amazing and beautiful at the same time. It was a nice experience I went over a year ago but I never commented but I think the site deserves to be described as how incredible the meals and the entrances are also the best. I give it four stars because I think you have to have a little more respect with the customer and I noticed that they rushed us to eat and also the meals together with the desserts !!!!

Amazing experience, and they accommodated me as a vegetarian and brought out options that paired well with the dishes my friends were having. Service was amazing!

The tasting menu is a great way to experience a wide variety of the menu. My only complaint about the restaurant was that the ambience in certain parts is subpar (long dark hallways on bottom floor), so if you get a reservation, it'd be wise to be sure to specifically request not to be seated there. Food was extremely filling and rich, maybe a little too fried for my taste, but it was great to taste.

Huge, scene-y, fun. Not super delicious, but tasty enough that you won't go hungry.

Table service was great. We saw a lot of customers taking photos without mask on, so we wanted to spend a quick second for a photo before we leave. And we specifically chose to do so at the giant empty stairs before the restaurant almost closed - it s a huge empty space with NO PERSON around, which we think it s safe enough for other customers that sitting downstairs.

However, 2 waitresses stopped us right there with a very harsh, mean, and cold tone that making you feel almost targeted, unwelcome, disrespected and uncomfortable. Like we did the most horrible selfish thing here but not those others.

Don t get me wrong, it s definitely the right thing to have mask on at all times and I as a customer totally respect and appreciate that. But the tone from waitresses (not the waiter serving my table) could definitely have been softer and nicer.

Expensive though worth. Staff was great, pork buns were the best we've ever had and was neat to sit in the same room as seen on the Sex and the City after having done the tour a few days prior.

Spectacular dining experience.
BUDDAKAN

It was a great experience, but there is definitely room for improvement.
We have booked a table online. I have given information about the birthday, but somehow nobody knew about this. Especially the crew taking the reservation can improve. We had to wait 20 Minutes for our table. We have been asked by 4 different persons if we have a reservation and what our name is. The staff in the entrance area seemed to be overstrained - it was quite chaotic and unpleasant.

But it dramatically changed, when we had our waiter Susana. She was caring and courteous and highly professional. It is because of Susana, that our rating is up to four stars. She was great - thank you!

The food was excellent, a little bit cold, but I expect that this is due to long distances.
We had the Chili Rock Shrimp and the Beijing Duck. Both delicious.
Please take some time and look at our pictures and rate them.

We also recommend that for white wine there are white wine glasses, and for red wine there are red wine glasses. Our glasses have been the same (white wine glasses also for red wine)

But the food and Susana made up for this.

Dear people, that was awesome. Just wonderful. Reserve a table with Jeanette. It is magical!

The food was made from high quality ingredients and cooked very well. The service was good. The bill was $150 including tip for a cocktail, 2 orders of dumplings, 2 egg rolls, a chow fun with mushrooms, and a chili chicken entree. It was not Chinese food. It was American food with a "thai chili" hot wing sauce veneer. Other than that, it was almost completely tasteless, with nary a peppercorn of the promised "Chinese pepper." You can go to Ollie's Sichuan and pay a small fraction of the same price for a veritable Sichuan feast replete with leftovers. Maybe we should have ordered the more sushi-oriented items or more American "fusion" items as it was certainly fresh, not unhealthy, cooked to a high grade of quality, with nice-restaurant finishes including a traditional wait staff.

Decent food, great ambience, quick service, ideal for a great evening of dining experience

Can't go wrong, Meat Packing, excellent food, drinks, decor and ambiance on point....

Popular place. Check it for yourself. Spainluc @Instagram

had a dinner on valentines day and although the place was exceptionally crowded the staff managed to find us a seat. as others have commented the noise level is high so unless you are prepared to tolerate that i suggest you not go. the asian style food was tasty and we tried a number of different smallplates. the wine list was quite diverse which contributed to the meal. scene lives up to the hype with the food well presented without being great

you can have the best experience there if you go with just appetizers. the ambiance is just awesome.

Fantastic food, fantastic atmosphere, great service. Pretty pricey, but well worth it for special occasions.

A very beautiful and big leagues with decorations Of the ocide you

Excellent food and in a cool atmosphere. My only advice is to avoid the place with a large group (i.e. >8).

Most of the food was amazing. Love the tuna spring rolls and the upside down calamari. The lobster fried rice was uber salty. Service could have been better with the waitress blaming the other staff for everything, including bringing us the wrong desert.

Great Food! Great sharing menu. Be prepared to wait. Very loud. Good atmosphere.

Incredible, unique food. Great drinks. Great service. Good atmosphere but a bit loud.

New York best kept secret! Delicious & Upscale Dining!

Soaring Ceiling, Excellent to Mediocre Food

My spouse and I recently took a friend to Buddakan - it was my first time as well - and generally loved it. The space we sat in had 40' ceilings, and a very luxurious and dark interior. It was certainly a pleasure to just sit there. Service was excellent and attentive. The food was very good, although ranging from excellent for the variety of appetizers and shared plates we enjoyed, to simply so-so for the meat entrees. The latter still had exceptionally tasty elements, it was just the texture of the meat was less than ideal. Overall, a great experience.

A totally overrated disappointment. Unaccomodating watiers, rushed service and lackluster food. With the overabundance of trendy Asian restaurants in this city - this one has nothing significant to offer.

Nice lively ambience. Nice choice of music. Ordered crab, lobster rice, and prawn noodles all great choices. Service was decent. The wait for the upstairs bathroom wasn't too bad taking into account there are only two stalls. Downside, there was no running water in the bathroom which creates unsanitary conditions.

I went here tonight with a large group and we had a lot of variety in the group. From the tuna tartare to the vegetable rice, to the main courses (I had the black pepper beef), everything was exceptional. Our server was mostly very attentive and good, but prepare to be here for a bit due to the several courses.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is modern but very interesting as well. I will definitely be back!

Food was decent but kinda pricey. It s a trendy/boojie kinda spot. Music was very loud...difficult to have a conversation during dinner. Restaurant decor was very nice. My wife and I had a reservation for 9:15 but we were seated almost 30 mins later. The wait staff were accommodating. Minus the wait n loud music...we had a decent time.

What a wonderful dining experience! My friends and I were visiting AC for a birthday and the birthday girl wanted to dine here. We were so happy that she chose this place!

While the service and ambiance were fantastic, the food stole the show as it was spectacular! With 8 ladies- we were able to sample several different menu items. The vegetarian fried rice is a MUST! The calamari salad is also a standout along with the Cherry Blossom sorbet for dessert.

Service was great. Out server was very attentive and knowledgable. When we asked for suggestions on where to go out after dinner, she was able to acquire passes to the nightclub at Caesar's and some discounted parking passes. The birthday girl really wanted to try the Cherry Blossom sorbet, so instead of the standard complimentary birthday cake that they offer- she was handed a scoop of the sorbet with a candle in it.

Absolutely one of the best meals we had in New York.
The food quality is outstanding, everything is delicious, and the dessert is possibly the best I've ever had.
The decor is grand and beautiful.
The staff couldn't be more helpful, and have a very intimate knowledge of the menu.
Obviously, such a place will have a heavy cheque at the end of the night, but it's worth it.
Enjoy!

Love this place. We celebrate my wife birthday and the food and service was great.

Great food. Wine list is on the pricier side. Definitely try the chili rock shrimp.

I walked in with a group of six on an evening, and surprisingly got a table right away. We got one of the tasting menus (parties of 6 and above) and every single one of us thoroughly enjoyed the food. Even though the meal was served to the table, the service was accommodating to two members of our party with food restrictions. Besides that our waitress took time to explain many things, help with the choices of food and alcohol, and was generally very patient and helpful. People said the drinks were good, too. The atmosphere is a bit too upscale for me, and despite being spacious, the place is loud due to the music. All in all, it was a great meal. Great place for groups, may be good for a date.

The lower Manhattan gem I never knew I needed. I've been going here for the last 2 months and I love it. They switch up the food and wine menu regularly. The Assryrtiko Santorini wine on the menu is to die for. Also their pasta is very good. My go to's are the tagliatelle bolognese and the orecchiette pasta.

5 stars for a crazy evening a handful of years ago --Saw a woman's hair catch on fire during our holiday Xmas party - it was fascinating.

That being said, the ambiance and interior of this NYC hotspot is the best.

Food and drinks are incredible.

My husband took me here on Valentines day and let me tell you that the food and service was amazing. We were in NY for our honeymoon. I did not remember that when I made our reservation that I let them know this. We started off by getting drinks at the bar. The atmosphere was great and they played light house music. Now if you are looking for a quiet place, then this place is not for you.
We were sat down and immoderately our server came over to us. I know someone that comes here often so I already had some recommendations of what to order. For our appetizer we ordered the crispy cauliflower lollipops and the short rib and scallion pancake. Both were amazing. For our dinner, we ordered the Charred filet of beef, the sweet and crispy shrimp and the lobster fried rice. The food is served family style. Both the filet and shrimp where amazing but the rice was lacking flavor. For dessert I ordered the Chocolate Pistachio Cremoso. It came with a Happy birthday sign on it because the next day was my bday. They also brought out another dessert ice cream that had congratulations written on it (this was on the house since it was our honeymoon). At first the waitress would not tell us what it was, until we tried it. It was amazing. It was soy sauce ice cream (taste like salted caramel). I would so order that again. After dessert they brought us a glass of champagne each that was also on the house. The service could not be beat. I will definitely be visiting this place again.

I ordered the lobster fried rice. It was trash. No spice, no salt. It was just rice and 7-8 small pieces of lobster. Idk if those are lobster or shrimp pieces. Anyways expected much better from this fancy restaurant. Everyone in the group hated their dishes. Some ordered noodles and it was just full of soya souse. Tasted horrible. 14 people, 10 different dishes. All of them were trashy.

This restaurant is very expensive, with most appetizers starting at $50. The food was okay, but could've been better. Not too many vegetarian options and mostly meat.

the best thing is the food and the atmosphere. Maybe not suitable for deep chatting because of the noise level and the volume of the music

Stellar. Great food for sharing in a unique and artistic setting.

Quite the experience, specifically the space itself. Giant parrot shaped candles, cavernous rooms that don t make sense in NYC. That being said, food was definitely delicious but I wouldn t necessarily say bucket list-worthy.

Great service, amazing food, only the prices might make you think twice but still worth it

I ve been here when they first opened and a couple of times in between. It s very rare when a restaurant that has been opened forever, in MPD no less, to still be very good. The people are a myriad of tourists and locals. It s really a mad house, high energy in the bar, more low key in the library. Service is attentive and pleasant. They have the flow down.

I had the Chili Rock Shrimp, Tea Smoked Ribs, Whole Sea Bass, Dungeness Crab fried sticky rice, Snow Peas and Chocolate Pistachio Cremoso. Rock shrimp - crisp and just saucy enough, Ribs - tasty and falls off the bone, but a bit dry, Fish - moist and not over cooked (amazing for this size restaurant!), Snow Peas - snappy and sweet, Cremoso - interesting with many textures and blend of flavors.

Ordered the table prie fix for a group of 6. Wish they could have told you what was coming out when. Felt also that the rice and noodles dishes coming out first way before meat was a bad idea. You fill up on noodles and then have no room for the meat dishes that come out later. Plenty of food. Very attentive staff. Food was good, creative, I like more spice , but that's just a personal opinion. Presentation was fantastic.

Food was fantastic, service was great, and had a great vibe. Thoroughly enjoyed my evening there and would recommend to anyone visiting NYC!

I loved !!!
Excellent food, wine, customer service and extraordinary place

I throughly enjoyed my time at this restaurant! I was my 21st birthday and ordinarily i didnt go to the city so or even have this type of food. i remember getting this amazing appetizer , the portions werent incredibly large however the quality definately made up for the quanity to where it didnt matter at all. I had a steak and it was prepared to perfection. Im a real stickler for my food being prepared to exactly the way i want it, Medium rare. It was perfect! I would absolutely come again. We sat in the table that we saw on the movie sex in the city and the restaurants service lived up to the expectations.

Coconut ginger soup. 3 little words that make me keep coming back. The place is beautiful, tiny but cozy. The owner is there most of the time, very friendly, and he makes sure the food is amazing and you leave happy. I love this place!

Had a lovely meal for a friend's farewell dinner. The appetizers were delicious especially the carrot dumpling. Had the whole fish, crab fried rice and cauliflower perfect combination. The server was super nice and let us linger for a few before it got too busy...perfect for late Sunday bunch. I went to the restroom and the large dining area (closed of course) was stunning. Great time and highly recommended

Delish spot in the city. Awesome fare and nice ambiance.

Amazing food and superb service.
The ambience was perfect along with the table and 20 ft ceiling.

Last night I celebrated my birthday here with my family and it was a group of 13, our server Rafael was Amazing! Some of ud suffered with allergies and he was able to recommend certain dishes and appetizers as to avoid anyone becoming sick. The entire staff was helpful, friendly and the ambiance was to die for. If you are looking for some great service, amazing food and amazing atmosphere, look no further.

Went here for dinner with a group of seven. We did not end up getting seated where we had been told we would be seated, but it was made up to us in the form of free appetizers.

A lot of people had favorites throughout the night. I'll list a few.

Edamame dumplings
Carrot dumplings
King crab legs
Kung Pao Monk Fish
The Whole Smoked Sea Bass
Lamb Chops
The stirfried greens
All the desserts

This was a meal that was up there with Joe Beef for me. Definitely go if you can. You never know when a restaurant will close.

Fabulous fancy Asian inspired dishes in gorgeous surroundings - definitely a good date night spot!

Great and very trendy place with quite fine food. I would not say authentic, but refined to fine people's tastes. Great cocktails and a nice wine selection as well.
My Singapore style chilli crab for the example was very sweet (usually it is firing hot) and made of king crab, which is easier to handle than regular crab. But anyway, that was a nice place to try and the architecture is very nice!

Have been there a few times. Service is very good and food and drinks are one of the best. Prices are high but this is the case when you know why.

Very close to TAO Downtown in the Meatpackers district, this japanese restaurant seduced me from the first dinner, a nice family anniversary. Being one of the famous trending restaurants of the city, frequented by celebrities and similar weirdos, they made us to feel very well giving us a quiet and intimate corner.
The food was delicious and the service was allways caring us.
We will come to visit it every time that distance allow us.

Best place to get a yes after a Tinder date! ... if you date women with standards..

The ambiance, the food and the service was incredible! I was there a few weeks ago and was blown away at how good the food was. Totally worth a visit if you re in NYC

We truly enjoyed our dinner here. It's just a complete dining experience. The atmosphere is terrific and the food is very good as well. Servers and bartenders were very hospitable.

Extended family of 8 for dinner. Had the price fix taster menu. Delicious and plentiful. Dessert was excellent. My only big complaint is the noise. Music is way too loud for upscale restaurant. Mostly couples and families-not at all a bar setting. Hard to have a conversation with anyone other than the person sitting next to you. This place adjoins a shopping area in Chelsea and is a neat place to spend a few hours. The dining hall itself is really neat and the food is amazing. The Dim Sum was top notch and the noodles were just as good.

Great place for overpriced Asian food. Great atmosphere.

Despite some of the latest comments, I think the Buddakan is still quite an impressive place: chic, classy and original. I was not overly impressed with the food: everything seemed to have a fairly plain taste with little left to the fantasy of the chef outside a manieristic execution. However, having had only a single dinner I might have picked the wrong dishes. Service was friendly if not exceedingly fast. I'd surely recommend it for drinks.

Wonderful place to get a unique take on Asian dishes! The cocktail menu was great as well! The quality of the food was great! The ambiance is interesting as it is between lounge feel and club. Great place for a dinner!