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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaOur new specials are here! Grilled Swordfish, Fish and…
Announced 1 week agoMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Buddha's Belly is a cheesy-in-a-cute-way restaurant at the foot of the 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica. Both the decor and the food are Pan-Asian/Asian fusion, fake but fun for what it is. It's not authentic Asian food (if you glance at the menu displayed on the window, it offers everything from Vietmamese rolls to pad thai to Singapore noodles to ahi burgers) but it's relatively cheap and tasty eats in a touristy area.
My sister ordered an appetizer special, a duo of Ahi Tuna Tartares. She enjoyed it although the portion size was tiny for the price (2 neat blobs of tuna on tiny rice cakes for $12).
The husband ordered another special, the Ahi Tuna Burger on a rice bun with Sweet Potato Fries. It too was an appropriate size for a small child, he finished it in 3 bites and we all stole some of his sweet potato fries which were perfectly crispy and went well with the ketchup and spicy mayo on the side. It also came with some pickled spicy cucumbers which were good.
My aunt had the Vegan Tofu Salad and her husband ordered Singapore Seafood Noodles. Both seemed to enjoy their dishes and yes, they too were very stingily portioned.
I had the Spicy Crispy Calamari Salad. A dozen crispy rings were scattered on top of a bed of greens with cilantro (boo, I hate cilantro and it didn't specify the cilantro in the description :( ), it was decent but nothing spectacular.
We took a few touristy pictures of ourselves rubbing the Buddha's Belly for luck and the total came out to $60 before tip. Not bad for 5 people although we left hungry and made a beeline for a nearby froyo place immediately upon leaving.
People thought this was:
Buddha's Belly: Surprisingly affordable, great ambiance, friendly service, and convenient location -- however, as many of the other reviewers have pointed out, the food is sub-par fusion at best.
I ordered a duo of tartars (spicy tuna tartar and a non spicy tuna tartar) -- the flavors were subtle and were placed atop a soggy rice cracker. Although the presentation was nice, the flavors weren't anything too memorable. I tried some of my sister's Calamari salad -- which again, was standard. The calamari wilted the salad a bit and the sauce was pretty tasteless. The teriyaki burger was 'delicious' according to my big brother -- but the odd rice bun fell apart in his hands as he tried to stuff the dwarf sized burger into his mouth.
A relatively good deal for the location but the portions are miniscule. If you're going to catch a game, there is a nice flat screen tv by the bar. Make sure you rub Buddha's belly before leaving for good luck! Overall 2.5 stars.
People thought this was:
The location is great (right around the corner of 3rd street promenade), the service is good, the atmosphere is elegant and comfortable, and the prices were reasonable. If only the food was any good.
The dishes suffer from a sort of identity crisis. They just aren't right. There are onions in the Pad Thai and I was never quite sure what the Shao Bing was trying to be.
Came here for dineLA- and got the tuna tartare (very good, lots of ginger), chili shrimp (meh, really salty) and the green tea ice cream (can't go wrong with that)... My friends got the korean steak (good!!), a MASSIVE bowl of spinach ramen (really good too) and a tofu stir fry (don't remember the name). The chocolate fondue was really good, but kinda overpriced.
The server was kinda weird, we're still not sure if he's trying to be funny or if he's angry. Parking was right around the corner at a garage for $3, awesome. Overall, the food was okay, not amazing and the prices were very reasonable.
First of all, it's Pan-Asian food, so no, it won't be as authentic as the bowl of rice and unidentified meat you had from a stall in Shenzen.
But the food is good, very good actually for the different cuisines they are attempting. So with reasonable prices, good service, and full bar, it's some of the best food you will have anywhere NEAR the Promenade. And the people watching outside of the huge windows is mesmerizing.
With an overpriced joint like P.F. Chang's everywhere this place has all the makings of a huge chain. Check it out before it goes that route.
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My fiancee and I were doing some shopping in the area. We realized that the evening we were there was the first night of Dine LA.
As we checked the menu and compared it to Dine LA, one of the plates would have been more expensive if we ordered the Dine LA menu. The two others would have broke even so nothing special here about Dine LA.
Still the food was very good. I had the ramen and my fiancee had the spicy shrimp.
I think what was best about this restaurant was the service. Our server as well as the bus boys were on target, very attentive.
All in all the food was quite affordable. This place is almost considered a cheap eat. I don't find myself going out of my way to get here but I would go back again if I was in the area.
Good food, pleasant servers, but if you don't get a booth along the window, then your not going to like your seat. Great for take out!
Thumbs Up!
I vouch for the pineapple fried rice, served in half a pineapple. See what they did? Get it?
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I ate here a few weeks ago because I'm a sucker for gourmet asian food. The ambiance inside is nice- great lighting/music/decor. The food? Decent, but nothing out of this world. I ordered a Thai iced tea (which was great) and the Sweet Chili Shrimp. The shrimp was cooked perfectly..very crispy yet light, but the sauce was incredibly salty for tastes. I remedies this by eating some white rice with every bite.
Decent meal, but I expected a bit more for the prices.
It's been awhile since I've come here. I remember liking their Spinach Miso Ramen, but planned to get something different this time. I decided to try the Chilled Seafood Noodle Salad, partly so I could have the same spinach ramen noodles, only cold of course. The salad also featured a few pieces of crab, shrimp and seared ahi tuna, cucumber, asparagus, tomato, ginger, sesame seeds, crispy wonton slivers and sweet soy dressing.
I was very disappointed! Asian Fusion is risky I know. I try not to go in expecting anything "authentically" Asian. But I still want tasty! The noodles were okay. The seafood left a lot to be desired. The tuna did not look good at all, like it should've taken a sick day. Definitely not sashimi-grade stuff. All of the other fixings didn't make this dish any better either.
I didn't try the entrees my friends ordered, but I did have some of the Sweet Miso Infused Japanese Eggplant appetizer. This I really liked. Maybe next time I can build a meal around it.
The service was lacking today. My friends had to flag down the waitress for drinks and water refills. She was nice, just not attentive.
It was okay. The Dine LA menu was not worth it; the prices didn't really add up, so most of the people in my party ended up nixing it anyway. Maybe that's why they almost forgot to bring my friend's dessert and when we mentioned it--all of our plates had been cleared--our waiter was like, "Oh, you're ready for it NOW?" Then after we paid the check, we were asked to leave to cede our table to another party that had been waiting. Thanks. The bar looked nice, though, and some of the dishes looked really good. I got the tuna tartare. I reiterate: it was okay.
Was in town for the weekend and fell in love with Santa Monica. Of all my travels in CA, this has got to be my fave. Had dinner here Saturday even' and let me tell you....Yummy in the tummy. I had the lychee martini as before dinner teaser; oyster shooters with ponzu and lemon with shizo leaves; the duet of tuna tartare; the squid ink singapore street noodle; and the cod...oh my!!! The cod was so silky and tender...melt in your mouth. For the amount of food I ordered, the bill was not so expensive. The service was very good, the ambience better. You'd think that with a restaurant with such an asian name, the only oriental I see are statues of Buddha!
I am not a fan of the Promenade.
Buuuuut, I was on visitor patrol with my sister, her hubby and their 4 kids. We had just walked along the pier and it was lunchtime. Never eating on the pier, and wanting to keep it that way, we headed inland.
I was thinking RFD or Houstons but like a moth to a flame, we saw all the strollers parked inside some restaurant and it was Buddhas Belly.
Granted, I probably would not have come here on my own, but this is one of the most kid-friendly places I have been to. Usually, I steer clear but since I was adding to the madness, I jumped right in.
They gave all the kids these little magnetic drawing pads to keep them busy and since my nieces and nephews love asian-ish food, this was perfect.
I had the spicy peanut noodles and surprise, the dish doubles as a hangover cure! Tons of chicken and shrimp in a tasty, gooey, slightly spicy sauce. It was big enough to take home too.
We had an order of chicken potstickers and these were surprisingly good. Big and meaty, they are a meal alone.
Other dishes we ordered were the Tuna burger, Green curry and Udon. Everything was just right.
Do not expect super authentic but fine and dandy, and you will be happy.
Another bonus is the full bar. I opted for a (non-alcoholic) sparkling tonic made with beneficial herbs...and despite paying $5 for it, rather enjoyed it.
People thought this was:
Yeap, it's the standard good Asian Fusion food. Although it's Asian themed- it's not the real stuff. Oddly, it still tastes really good. Better than PF Changs.
Atmosphere is casual and great for lunch.
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I'm a fan of people watching, and the Promenade is a great place to become an expert.
Anyway - Buddha's Belly is right on a busy corner and serves some fusion dishes along with some more traditional. My friend and I were both craving some noodles so I got the Pad Thai and he got the Spicy Peanut Noodles. I must say that his dish was better than my own and should not be called "spicy". I'm a huge wimp when it comes to spice - so trust me when I tell you that the Spicy Peanut Noodles are quite delish, but not spicy.
Our service was good - everyone including the hostess was friendly and welcoming. For a casual lunch or dinner joint this place hits the spot. I'll go back and try some more dishes next time I'm in town.
I cant decide what i most hated about this place (and I consider myself an unobjectionable kinda girl).
My hot date and I ordered the usual waters to start with miso soups. Waited and waited for about ten minutes and then were finally greeted again by our waitress, sans water or miso.
'Did you guys want to order an appetizer?'
uhhhh, water, misos?!!
We ordered our appetizer, along with our entrees. We figured at the pace they're crawling, we might as well get our food in the system. As we signaled to our bare table, we kindly reminded the waitress about our waters and misos. All it took was a reminder...for our waters to arrive! haha.
Finally, after another 15 min of waiting, we were swarmed with 3 different employees. One holding our miso soups, one holding our appetizer and one holding our entrees. Was this a joke? They didn't see anything wrong with all arriving there at once. They set everything down on our tiny table, rearranging the dishes like a game of Tetris.
What do we do now? Everything is gona get cold! Do we down our misos and get right to our entrees? ahhh, i never realized eating dinner required strategy. This sucked, we acknowledged it, and unleashed our frustration on the waitress (politely). She was overly nice but in the most insincere way. She took our entrees in the back and put them under a heat lamp (and probably spit in them).
The food was ok. The service was ridiculous, and they didn't discount anything to make up for it. Don't go here! There are so many other great places to eat at the promenade...like Bravo! mmmmm....
Last night, I went to Buddhas Belly for the first time. I really liked the name of the place and how they had statues of fat little buddhas everywhere (kinda how i felt after eating their food lol).
The food was nothing amazing but still tasted pretty good.
I ordered the Crispy Chicken Breast and my friend ordered the Pad Thai.
The chicken was cooked well but was a little too dry for my taste. It came with a side of broccoli, cucumbers, and rice with edamame in it. The teriyaki sauce was unique in flavor and so was the orange-ginger sauce.
My friend said that the Pad Thai was the best dish they had (she's goes there a lot). It was basically chicken, shrimp, noodles, peanuts, and some kind of sauce.
For dessert, we ordered a chocolate fondue type of thing that came with small slices of cheesecake and some fruit. The fruit tasted fresh but the chocolate was a little weird.
The staff at Buddhas Bell were very friendly and brought everthing promptly. The place is dimly lit with nice decorations around.
I just wish the quality of the food was better.
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Ate here a while back and I am anxious to head back. Sweet potato fries were delicious. The Ahi tuna was pretty tasty as well. Prices are a tad unreasonable, but worth a try.
I am going to compare this place to PF Chang's. It's an asian place that has all types of asian food done in more of a western style/setting. They have a white porcelain fortune cat. More importantly though, they had a golden porcelain fortune cat, which is chinese for awesome.
Didn't try too many of the things here. But i had the tom yum ramen, which was pretty delicious considering it isn't a thai place. I liked how they put the coconut milk on the side, so you can decide how much sweetness and coconuttiness to put in the spicy and sour soup.
It's not a great place to go, but what i had was pretty good. My friend didn't like her dish though which was the Ahi tuna burger.
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So to start off we (2) arrived around 8:30 on a Saturday night (and basically on the promenade no less) and we were immediately seated, although at what seemed like a table of 4 split into 2 tables of two. There was one lady eating nearly directly beside us and the close quarters were slightly awkward. Our waitress (Mari J) sprang outta nowhere to great us within seconds and took our drink orders promptly. The food took less than 10minutes to be served, and she was always back to refill our drinks and make sure everything was good throughout the night.
We ordered the Ahi Tuna Burger w/ Sweet Potato Fries, and Spinach Miso Ramen (that came onto a tray that we wanted to fiend so badly). ($24ish total) In my opinion the tuna burger was pretty good, a little small, but plenty dense and I'm told the Ramen was "decently great". (the noodles were green..which made it fun! lol)
The atmosphere of the place was rather nice, calm, and relaxing.. although it was more cramped than we imagined it to be (from looking on from the outside). The decoration and design was very intriguing and nice to look at (a lot of bamboo used)
All in all it was a very nice little experience. Probably just what we expected it to be, no more and no less.
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A co-worker recommended this place, she said it was her favorite restaurant. I brought my family here for dinner one night. They serve the standard american-style asian food like Panda Express, Asian Stix or PF Chang's. Not much to brag about.
The Korean steak was probably the best thing they had there. A perfectly seasoned chunk of beef served on a teppan with a bed of vegetables.
We also ordered the salmon burger which was tasty and unique. It consisted of a ground up salmon patty served between two buns made of compressed rice and came with sweet potato fries. The problem: the sandwich was the size of a happy meal hamburger. Other items that were mediocre were the spinach miso ramen, the tempura udon, miso eggplant and shiao bing.
It was satisfying and my family walked out of there happy. However, we have no reason to go back.
Pretty busy place for a tuesday night, service was exceptional. I think it was a bit understaffed that day.
The Shao Bing and the viet rolls were good. Otherwise the tofu steak was quite overrated for a dish. The Alaskan Black Cod was very good, just the the sides that it came with in the Bento box wasn't that great. I'd choose something else next time.
Overall good food but a bit overpriced... and as some asians would say " I could of cooked this myself at home" - this would apply to mostly veggie dishes.
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Asian fusion? I was skeptical going here but it's next to one of my favorite bars so we tried it out.
Nothing on the menu really jumped out at me so I asked the waiter for his recommendation. He gave a about 3-4 and I went with the Grilled Salmon ($14) with balsamic teriyaki sauce, cucumber salad, edamame sushi rice, and steamed broccoli.
The fillet was grilled perfectly. The balsamic teriyaki sauce was good. The balsamic vinegar in it helped it not be so sweet. The cucumber salad was great and the edamame rice was awesome. The flavor was perfect.
My friend had the Korean Steak ($15) with grilled vegetables. I had a bite and it was pretty good... definitely flavorful.
Our waiter was very nice but it took a bit for him to check on us after we got our food.
I'm not a fan of chains or fusion type restaurants, but I was quite pleased with my meal.
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I ate here for the first time last week. I loved it! I was by myself during a lunch break and the staff were super sweet and quick to help me out.
I had the shrimp thai noodles. It was very tasty and the portion size was huge. It was reasonably priced for the Promenade and I absolutely loved the vibe of the place.
Go here if you're craving Japanese or Thai food. I definitely recommend it.
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The miso infused eggplant appetizer and Pad Thai were excellent. My friend's Eight Vegetable Garden Friend Rice was so-so in taste and texture...plus, it was 80% rice, 20% veggies. Not a good ratio. Her appetizer was good though...the pot stickers.
I'd go back!
Does LA get douchier the further west you go? This restaurant makes a case for "yes."
I would never come here of my own volition, let me get that out of the way immediately. In fact, that thought was pounding through my brain for most of the meal. But the perfect storm of bad circumstances struck, and going into why I ended up here is totally irrelevant to the review. I think I can basically sum up my opinion of this place in a single, three-part sentence:
Decent service, OK food, grating patrons.
The worst part about me giving one star is that our server was pretty cool. My food wasn't even that bad (it certainly wasn't GOOD). But I was crawling out of my skin sitting around the people I was surrounded by, and that alone dragged my score down to one star. I cannot in good conscience give it two stars, or what Yelp characterizes as "Meh." It doesn't deserve "Meh." "Meh" is like the underappreciated boyfriend or girlfriend that Buddha's Belly cheats on and then regretfully pines for later on.
There are only a select few scenarios I can think of where coming here would be understandable:
1) You're from Nebraska and have never really had Asian food, and you and your family just landed in L.A. and dropped your stuff off at your hotel in Santa Monica, and stumbled out in a jet-lagged daze to find a place called Buddha's Belly, which you think would make a first fine meal to start off what is sure to be a glitzy, glamorous vacation in sunny California.
2) You're a white guy who was able to get a date w/ an Asian girl of questionable attractiveness and you want to impress her by taking her someplace "Asian"
3) You end up here because of a perfect storm of bad circumstances, like I did.
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My yelp buddy Beverly Y. encouraged me to support a promo sponsored by forty-one LA restaurants that benefit Project Angel Food. I thought about sending money directly to the organization but the idea of getting a meal in return had me going into Buddha's Belly for the first time. With a very polished décor, I was greeted by a bellying Buddha statue and a server who seemed a little surprised to see me. Noticing that I was the only Asian male patron in the restaurant, I took a quick glance at the servers and into the kitchen and there were no Asians in sight.
Amused but also troubled by the dichotomy of Asian food being served by a complete non-Asian staff, my order of ahi tuna salad ($11.95) was decent with thinly sliced ahi and super fresh greens, ginger, crunchy onions bits, and wasabi dressing. The salad had a good hint of ginger and wasabi, but the ahi was less than what I can get at Coral Tree. My side order of sweet potato fries ($3.95) was cut too small while the center was over-fried and crunchy without much flavor. I thought having ketchup as one of the two dipping sauces lacked imagination, but I was pleasantly surprised at the second dipping that was made with mayo and a hint of lime. The highlight of the meal was the non-alcoholic lychee chiller ($3.50) as the drink had plenty of sweets and pulps, but I also wished that I had brought some mint leaves so I can turn it into a virgin lychee mojito right on the spot.
Although Buddha's Belly espouse to bring together eclectic flavors from a selected few countries in Asia, only remnants of Japanese culinary roots were detectable. Service at the bar was outstanding and very attentive, but the quality of the food did not live up to the price and my expectations.
For more information about Project Angel Food, visit: http://www.projectange.../.
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The main reasons I love this place is the location and the prices! You can walk in right off the beach, or can get your food to go and have a nice meal on the beach while watching the sun set over the ocean :-) !
However, I give Buddha's Belly 3 stars rather than 5 because I'm not usually a fan of "fusion" cuisines, and while this place does it well, I still prefer the traditional versions of the dishes that they serve here. Likewise, the menu can be a hit and miss affair with dishes ranging from nothing impressive to wonderful, and a restaurant worth 5 stars should be consistent in the quality of its offerings.
That said, here are my recommendations:
APPETIZERS
These are the restaurant's low points. While they sound enticing and exhibit some creative fusion techniques, the outcome doesn't really stand out in any way. They take very similar elements from the various Asian cuisines and pair them together, with the result being a somewhat generic version of pan-Asian dishes found at just about every other eatery based on the same theme. For that reason, I think the appetizers are worth skipping.
ENTREES
The sweet chili shrimp: At $15.50 this is one of the most expensive dishes at Buddha's Belly, it's also my favorite. Its essentially stir fried shrimp, asparagus, edamame, and green onion with a prig khing like sweet/spicy chili sauce. It comes served with fragrant jasmine rice.
The roasted garlic fried rice: $7.95. This is a really simple yet wonderful dish, basically fried rice with chives, egg and caramelized garlic.
Seafood noodles: For $12.95 you get great shrimp, mussels, scallops, red and green peppers, cilantro and onion stir fried with Chinese style noodles and a Thai yellow curry sauce.
DESSERTS
While I tend to skip dessert at Asian restaurants simply because I don't think it tends to be their high point, I do recommend the lychee ice cream($4.75) here.
BEVERAGES
While I'm sure that some would really like their "herbal tonics" or specialty drinks, I'm not one of them. I stick with the Thai iced tea, which at $3.50 is a bit much, but its made with high quality organic tea and the quality of ingredients overall make it one of the best Thai iced teas out there.
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I stumbled upon Buddha's Belly last weekend when my BFF and I couldn't decide on a place to eat. I've been to the one on Beverly numerous times thanks to a former job of mine.
I ordered the Spicy Tom Yom Koon Thai Ramen Noodle Soup (yes I had to look that up). It's ingredients included: shrimp, thin egg noodles, lemongrass & red chili broth, tomato, straw mushrooms, cilantro, kaffir lime leaf. Normally, this soup doesn't haven't noodles in them, but this is Asian Fusion. Gotta keep the campers happy.
I was very impressed by the taste of the dish. *ALMOST* tasting like I'm at a real Thai restaurant. Almost. I was feeling sick from my allergies due to the bipolar weather, and it definitely helped clear my sinuses. And fill my hungry tummy. I also ordered vegetable egg rolls and they were delish! Felt like I was at a family party, minus the meat.
The place was decorated nicely, not too crowded for a Saturday, and the staff was nice. I'd go back, not necessarily everyday, but when I'm looking for something quick that doesn't require much thinking, I'll think of Buddha's Belly.
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I am a fan of this restaurant although I can see why some people would not be.
First be aware that this restaurant is FUSION not traditional.
As soon as I walked in, I wasn't sure if this would be a casual restaurant or one of those trendy restaurants that tries to hard to be hip.
If you don't understand..I'll simply state that the tables reminded me a lot of pho restaurants. Why were my chopsticks/utensils in a cup on the table?
Anyway, the menu had a good selection of 15ish entrees.
I went with my boyfriend who ordered the ahi tuna burger ($11) with sweet potato fries and I ordered the yakisoba ($9).
the "fusion" part of fusion restaurants is super important to me.
I want both flavors to blend and balance each other.
The ahi tuna was a perfect fusion of western and asian flavors. Very pleasantly surprised. The sweet potato fries were also very good.
My yakisoba was not too greasy. I wish there was more portion size but that's just cause I'm a piggy.
I was impressed with the amount of meat in my yakisoba. They didn't skimp out like I thought they would.
The service was also great. The waiter brought everything at appropriate times and was kind.
Not bad at alll!
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All these stars go to the very superb Ginger Fried Rice. Most sublime fried rice in the world, and I come from a region where amazing fried rices rule. It is ADDICTIVE. I've eaten here a total of twice, and think about the Ginger Fried Rice on other days.
Sweet little minced pieces of red ginger, red onions, tender shrimp, egg, sirloin steak, bell peppers and perfect rice texture, each perfectly formed, chewy and coated in the gingery savory goodness. HUGE portion for the price. If I had a few hours to spare I could sit and graze till its all gone. Can you feel another craving coming up?
I haven't tasted the other dishes but they look very decent. I may never since I'm hooked on the fried rice.
I ate here last week with a friend of mine, both of us sharing an appetizer (spring roll) and ordering an entree (pad thai and spicy peanut noodles).
The appetizer was decent, but the chicken gave it a little bit of a drier flavor than i would have liked, so 2.5 stars for that. My friend's pad thai was quite tasty and generously portioned.
But the spicy peanut noodles? Out of this world! Absolutely a 5. Very rich and peanut'y with a perfect kick that accentuated the flavors of the plentiful shrimp and veggies and noodles just right! Wow wow wow! I am just glad that I don't live anywhere near this place, or I'd order this delicious but hardly nutritious dinner all the time and my waistline would regret it :(.
Oh, and the service was fine, too. Our waitress was respectfully friendly (not the friendly in the oh-so-fake way that drives me nuts), and she even hand-signed the bill. Little things count :)
And speaking of little things... I would have liked to have been offered an after-dinner mint (come on, how much could those things cost?), and I'm also hoping against hope that some Thai restaurant *somewhere* will offer a decaf thai iced tea.
But those are quibbles. I'd be very delighted to go back to this restaurant, and yes, I know just what I'd order... :)
We decided to try this place. Looked like a typical LA Asian fusion place. Nice decor and it was comfy. We got in at 650Pm and was told 20 min wait. We finally got our seats at 720PM.
I had the spicy peanut noodles. They were yummy and spicy, of course. Not too much peanut sauce, I think. Everyone else seemed happy with their dishes. Even though the waitress came by to refill the waters on the table, she missed the sodas completely. My friend finally asked for the refills.
As we were just chatting it up, all of a sudden my lemonade glass f-ing broke. It just split in half. I wasnt playing with it or banging it or anything like that. It spilled on the table, all over my pants leg and sweater. The waitress apologized and sent another lemonade (which I just wanted to toss across the wall). The manager said he would pay for the dry-cleaning or whatever. Im wearing jeans, no need for drycleaning. I wasnt going to make a scene or anything. This experience totally ruined it for me.
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In case y'all didn't know it's not especially easy finding an establishment to dine at on a Saturday in Santa Monica without a reservation and a few friends. It especially isn't easy to find somewhere to eat at on a Saturday in Santa Monica when it's Valentine's Day. So, yay for Buddha's Belly for accommodating my friends and I on presumably one of their busiest nights of the year!
Unfortunately, the positives pretty much end there. The three of us spilt a Tuna and Avocado tempura roll which was dreadful. I absolutely love Tuna, Avocado and tempura style rolls but for some reason it turned out terribly =( It tasted like it was beer battered and it wasn't even fried that well. It was still very raw-battery when it came to the table. Gross. It was also cold. Not an impressive way to start of the meal.
For my main course I had the Salmon Teriyaki which was really not great. The salmon was decently cooked but none of the sides were edible. The rice had some gross, mystery vegetable in it and there was a rancid tasting cucumber salad that was served as well. I know there were two other sides but I'm drawing a complete blank on them... they weren't tasty though.
The drinks were okay I guess.
The service was okay I guess.
Two stars may be a little on the lower end, but it really wasn't good... just very mediocre. If you're in the area feel free to check the place out since it's so convenient, but don't expect anything good.
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Buddha's got his groove back! At the urging of a friend we went for dinner last night and had a fantastic time. The food has much improved. It's still the more accessible Asian Food dining experience (i.e. Amerasian if you will), but the flavors were much more fresh and the ambience was homier.
But what kicked it over the top was the staff - funny, attentive, efficient, and occassionally, sardonic. Our server, Natalie, was like that fun younger cousin you love to hang out with at family functions.
Somehow, some way, soul was breathed into Buddha's Belly!g
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It's like the stepford wife of Asian food. Pretty, well-mannered, reasonable, accommodating,… Read more »
I went to Budda's Belly during an off-hour with a friend so the first thing we noticed was the great table service. Drinks were refilled before we even knew we were low. I just wish it'd been later in the day so I could have tried some of their really cool drinks, such as the lychee martini (a personal favorite of mine, but can vary widely in quality).
The spicy peanut noodles were good - not fantastic or anything - but solid. The only thing that was weird about it was the huge shrimp they stirred in with the tofu. I like shrimp - but not with peanut butter sauce.... that was an interesting culinary choice. My friend's tofu fried rice looks sooooo yummy and in fact, in spite of the huge size of it, she didn't leave a single grain on her plate, so I'm taking her word for it next time.
Very cute place - would be great for dinner, I would think.
You will get free 2-hour parking at the 2nd/Arizona lot if you enter the lot before 6 p.m., just FYI.
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3 of us went - i tried all of our dishes.
Pad thai
Japanese Curry
Coconut soup
each one was blander than the next. No flavor. So then why was the restaurant full? no idea. seriously some of the most bland Americanized (bastardized) Asian food i've ever had. The food comes out super quick, so there is no way they are actually cooking anything maybe just heating up pre made food.
The service was really great though.
Slow service but okay food
People thought this was:
I went here for lunch with some co-workers. We were seated very quickly which was nice. I had the "Spicy Peanut Noodles" and it was really good. Definitely recommend it. The service could've been better, but it wasn't bad. Everyone else liked the food a lot too.
People thought this was:
I was so excited to find a Buddha's Belly so far west!
Had the chicken green curry and I think it was one of the best curries I've ever had. The sauce was just creamy and delicious and the veggies instead were fresh and plentiful - eggplant, carrots, broccoli, etc.
The iced green tea was also delightful.
Service was good, although my waitress did take a while to bring me my refill on the tea but overall a delightful experience.
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Los Angeles, CA
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Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Fast Food
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Thai
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