Buddha Bodai Vegetarian Kosher Restaurant Review!

No eatery has had me warily wondering if their meat alternatives were actually animal-flesh-free like The Original Buddha Bodai Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant on Chinatown's Mott Street in New York City. Honestly, I'm still shocked and if their website didn't confirm that their cuisine is totally vegan (unless specified that the dish has dairy on the menu by the item), I'd be sitting in a pathetic puddle of shame right about now.

And that's saying something, as their official restaurant name clearly has the word "vegetarian" explicitly stated on their banner and menu. And not only that, the mock meat cuisines are listed as "Veg." meats right on the menu by each item! How much more convincing do you need, right?

If I were to pick two favorite dishes from Buddha Bodai, it'd be their Lemon Veg. Chicken and BBQ Pork Lo Mein.

Let's start with the vegan fried and sweet Lemon Veg. Chicken: I took one bite, looked up at my friend and whispered "you're sure this place is vegan, right?" She grabbed a piece of the lemon chicken, chewed for a moment, and raised an eyebrow in doubt. And thus, our coping-mechanism mantra of "vegetarian is in the name, so it must be fake meat" was born!

Buddha Bodai's Lemon Veg. Chicken is an optimal faux meat eat, as the chicken is sweet, tangy, slightly refreshing because of the lemon, and CRISPY. The crisp is especially apparent, because the chicken is breaded before being fried. And the texture is out of this world! The stringiness in combination with the firmness of animal-chicken were accurately present. And what really got me? Not only did this chicken taste like chicken at first bite, but it left the aftertaste that animal-chicken does too! I was flabbergasted, as no other vegan alternative has ever been this spot on in my experience.

Now that lo mein was scrumptious on every level, but we must talk about that vegan BBQ pork. I cannot stress enough that this pork tasted exactly like BBQ pork from traditional American Chinese food spots. The only aspect missing was the chewy fat that pork typically has, but I prefer that as I was never a fan.

This pork was smokey, sweet, and savory all at once. And the texture was the exact of real pork. I wish this BBQ pork came in it's own entree, because that would be my go-to at Buddha Bodai.

Though, Buddha Bodai does serve boneless veg. ribs, so that will be my next venture once I frequent the establishment once more (and to infinity).

Another delicious delight that I had the pleasure of scoffing down at Buddha Bodai is their General Tso's Veg. Chicken. The vegan General Tso's Chicken followed the same taste and texture #goals that the lemon chicken did, only difference was the sauce and way of crisping. This General Tso's sauce was a beautiful replica of the General Tso's I've had at fancier Chinese restaurants: sweet and full of umami. And the crisp of the General Tso's Veg. Chicken differed from the Lemon Veg. Chicken, as the General Tso's was not thickly breaded like the Lemon Veg. Chicken was. I'd say that the General Tso's Veg. Chicken was actually more crispy, because it had a thinner layer over the vegan chicken meat.

So, let's get talkin' dumplings and wontons: we ordered the steamed dumplings with mock meat and wonton soup.

Out of the two, I'd say that the dumplings were my favorite because they consisted of a minced, gingery vegan meat. The dough was chewy, and lightly sticky, like all dumpling doughs should be.

However, the wonton soup was both good and subpar. The broth was incredible: salty, savory, and comforting all at once. However, the wontons weren't my preference, as there was no mock pork meat to mimic traditional wonton soup. Instead, I believe there were chinese onions and maybe seaweed? I'm unsure, as their menu didn't specify, but the contents were definitely green. Nonetheless, they were tasty! Just not what I was expecting.

In addition to the plethora of the mock meats and carbs we ingested during our visit to Buddha Bodai, I decided to keep our bodies (or bodais) humble and healthy by ordering a vegetable entree. My vegetable of choice was Chinese Broccoli and it did not disappoint for even a second-- which is arguably a rarity for vegetables ;).

The Chinese Broccoli was sauteed in garlic and a bit of oil and was served in the natural broccoli juices that Chinese Broccoli releases when cooked. This dish added such a satisfying balance to the heavy indulgence that occured for the majority of our eats at Buddha Bodai.

Overall, I'd rate Buddha Bodai an A-. Their mock meats were flabbergastingly realistic, the service was quick, and my only qualm was the fact that they only take Visa or Mastercards as a form of card payment.

I cannot wait to check out what else Buddha Bodai has to offer with my non-vegan pals, as I am confident that all of their dishes will knock the socks off of any meat-eater (or vegan, for that matter).

You can view the Buddha Bodai Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant menu here.