Buddakan - Philadelphia

Our table ordered an array of dishes, including the Tea Smoked Spare Ribs, Spicy Rock Shrimp Bao Buns, Lobster Egg Rolls, Shrimp Lo Mein, and Grilled Lamb Chops, among others. The drinks were fantastic, and the service was both swift and attentive. To top it off, we were treated to a complimentary birthday dessert—a delightful surprise for my friend—featuring delicious fried donuts with three different dipping options. This trendy and elegant restaurant truly captures the right ambiance for any occasion. I always have a great time at Buddakan, and if you're considering making a reservation, consider this your sign to go ahead and book it! Also, they offer valet parking, priced at $30 for SUVs and $24 for non-SUVs. Enjoy your dining experience!

We were disappointed with Buddakan despite hearing many recommendations. It simply didn't meet our expectations. The food was just average — nothing particularly special or memorable. We visited during restaurant week and tried the spicy rock fish bao buns, ginger and chicken dumplings, ribs, lemon sesame chicken, shrimp pad Thai, and desserts. The ribs were the highlight, but unfortunately, we received mostly end pieces that were fatty and filled with cartilage. I expected better quality at a restaurant like this. The lemon sesame chicken was another letdown; while the chicken itself was good, the lemon sauce tasted artificial and was overwhelmingly strong. We did enjoy the pad Thai, but overall, most dishes were just okay. Given the prices, I wouldn't return.

I made a reservation a few weeks in advance for restaurant week on a Saturday. However, we were never informed during the booking process (whether through OpenTable or a phone call) that they wouldn't be participating in restaurant week on Saturdays, which really defeats the purpose of the event. The food was average; it was strange that they served a massive pile of crispy potatoes alongside the aged beef. It was unappealing and difficult to enjoy such a large portion of something that was essentially leftover. On a positive note, the lamb chops were excellent! Overall, this place didn't stand out to me compared to other options, so I likely won't be returning.

I always wanted to visit this restaurant in NYC but never had time. Bumped in to it in PHILLY and I made time and let me tell you I was not disappointed. As always joined by my wife we made the visit heads up make reservations this place gets packed and quick! Call them in faster and safer . We got in a couple minutes late due to parking restaurant offers valet but I found something on the streets. Walked in got greeted instantly and sat down pretty quick. Me wife and I had a corner seat next to the bar not to bad . Our waiter came through introduce him self and right away offer drinks and appetizers for starter I had the pork belly bao buns my wife had the chicken ginger dumplings. Both were very tasty bao buns were soft and pork belly was seared to perfection, dumplings were probably the best we’ve had in a while . For the main coarse I had the Barbecue Pork Tenderloin (chinese broccoli, giant panko onion rings) tenderloins were juices and tenders onion rings were crispy love my decision on choosing this dish my wife had the Crispy Calamari Salad sweet miso dressing and she loved it said that salad had the right amount of freshness and crunch. I also had a couple beers kirin light definitely was feeling kind of a light afternoon so no complaints here very refreshing. My wife had the non-alcoholic sunrise (passion fruit, peach, lemon, grenadine) she enjoyed that drink had the perfect freshness and tangy hit very good. Lastly dessert we usually share one dessert but since the meals were amazingly great I ordered two the dim sum donuts with three different dippings chocolate/cream cheese passion fruit strawberry donuts were super soft all dippings were good but the one that got me was the cream cheese our next dessert was the The Winding Road(chocolate cake, banana buttercream, caramel peanut) now that right there was truly amazing I’m a peanut butter feen this hit the spot the combination of the peanut caramel and banana cream was of the chain. This is literally my favorite spot starting today can’t wait for my next visit thanks staff for taking care of us so well and thanks chefs for giving us amazingly tasty food. Till next time KJ

It was raining out this evening, so we stepped into this restaurant, not knowing what to expect. It was a little pricey but we enjoyed and the food was outstanding. We sat at the bar. Alex was our server/bartender thank you for an enjoyable evening.