The Original Buddha Bodai Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant

Service was pretty great.

The automatically bring you a kettle of hot tea! Wonderful!

I ordered a plate of dumplings and some sesame balls .
Everything was freshly made and very delicious !
The decor was cute.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this charming vegan Chinese restaurant nestled in the heart of Chinatown, and I must say, it exceeded all my expectations. The sesame chicken was an absolute delight; crispy on the outside, yet incredibly moist on the inside. It was so irresistible that my party ended up ordering it twice!

The chicken lo mein transported me back to the comforting flavors of old-school Chinese cuisine that's hard to come by, with its perfectly oily and delicious noodles.

While the BBQ chicken fried rice was good, but I should have ordered chicken on the side. Nonetheless, it was still a tasty dish.

Overall, this cozy vegan Chinese restaurant has quickly become a new favorite of mine.

The waiter was funny and helpful. You do have to order pretty quickly. But no rush

With its delectable offerings and inviting atmosphere, I can't wait to return for another delightful dining experience. Highly recommended!

They take resos and have walk-in options too, but the place is fairly small can possibly seat up to 40 people at a given time. We decided to walk-in on a Sat around 1 pm, and had to wait for five minutes to be seated on a table of four.

After going to the other Bodai Kosher, I decided to give the OG a try! Service like every other Asian restaurant is just perfect. Food arrives within 10-15 minutes of ordering and comes out as it is ready.

Our consisted of some very average dumplings which consisted of Fried Vegetarian Meat Stuffed Eggplant ($5.95 for 3 pieces) which was the best one, Steamed Taro Dumpling, which one of my genius friends ordered by mistake, and was not good at all, a Beech Mushroom Rice Roll ($6.95) which was just ok, and a Sticky Rice Shumai (4 pieces) which was decent!

We got a Triple Mushroom and Spinach Soup ($4.95) which our table didn't enjoy much, and a House Special Congee ($6.95) which was quite flavorful.

We also got the Fried Cumin Lamb ($12.95) which was also the best dish on our table, followed by the next best, which was Pineapple Chicken Fried Rice ($13.95). The pineapple of course wasn't enjoyable, which was also present in the most disappointing dish of our table (and a yelp favorite), Sweet and Sour Ribs ($15.95). In general, we just enjoy a lot of spicy food, so for those who can't handle spice - this is definitely the best dish one can order!

The Sliced Fish in Black Bean Sauce ($14.95) and Crispy Pan Fried Noodles ($16.95) paired quite well.

Overall, a good experience, excellent service, and satisfied bellies with some excellent vegetarian food! Will visit again and will definitely recommend!

Food was good overall. My friend and I split a noodle dish with vegetables and each got our own appetizer. We felt like it was a bit on the expensive end for what it is, and we were confused by some of the labeling on the menu. Our party of four was half vegetarian/vegan and half not, so the half that ate meat ordered dishes like the lamb and dumplings. These weren't labeled as "veg" so they were confused to receive dishes that were using fake meat alternatives. (If it's any consolation though, it was kind of hard to tell if the lamb was meat or not... it had good flavor!)

Complimentary tea was nice. It was hard to get the attention of our server after the food had been brought out. They do accept credit cards!

This was the first vegan restaurant my daughter wanted to eat at in NYC. She did her research and it came highly recommended. Since it was known to have long lines, we got there early for lunch. The line moved quickly and we even got the premier window seat. It was a little cramped, but made it cozy in the cool weather.

It's a Chinese vegan restaurant, but you would've never known there wasn't any meat. Every dish tasted like the authentic Chinese dish and I would definitely eat there again even though I'm an omnivore.

First time having an entirely vegan meal. Blown away by how delicious meat substitutes are especially Chinese style. Everything was super fresh and flavorful. My favorite was the sampler appetizer which had pork, chicken, and beef substitutes. The fried bread on top was divine and I'll be craving that for sure. Super yummy!

My only complaint was that the dining room was insanely hot. Like utterly baking. Very uncomfortable, but that's winter in nyc I guess.

A must-try for any vegan or vegetarian. They live up to the hype and are worth the sometimes long wait for a table. Favorite items are the sesame balls, the BBQ vegan meat, and the mushroom congee. They also had vegan soup dumplings on special the last time I went and they were to die for. They offer dim sum until 3:30pm. They also have a full menu of entrees available all day.

Vegan-friendly dim sum!? Be still my plant-based heart!

I came here twice in one trip to New York. First was for my friend's wedding "rehearsal dinner," and the following was for dim sum because they stop selling it after 16:00. Makes sense Bodai, but you make me need to come back once more and there were no regrets.

Our dinner was fantastic all around. We ordered a variety of dishes to share family style, with some highlights being their fried taro cutlets (LOVED these), their Cha-Shu, and their Eggplant simmered in curry sauce. Food came out super quick and everything was delicious.

On my dim sum visit, I felt like I picked out everything on the menu. I loved their rice rolls and Shark Fin Dumplings the most, with the tripe being a great surprise. I wasn't a fan of their 'spare ribs' nor their sticky rice dumpling, but considering the sheer amount of vegan options here, I can't complain. This was a great treat for myself who's used to now finding maybe 1-2 options with my parents at dim sum restaurants.

For all my meat eating friends out there, this is a great spot to consider if you're looking to eat less meat, and remember to order veggies too! It's not just the mock meat that vegans eat. These are considered a treat for us!

Service was wonderful and it definitely gets busy. Try to make a reservation and keep parties smaller to be seated sooner.

Visited this restaurant for dim sum. So many great options to choose from and everything tasted fresh and authentic. My absolute favorite was the spinach rice rolls.

The service was nice and staff were attentive, the restaurant was clean. I would come back here again.

Great lunch special. So affordable n comes with delicious soup. Reminds me of home cooking