- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Buddha's Vegetarian Foods
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Chinese Vegetarian, Chinese [Edit]
666 Dundas St WToronto, ON M5T 1H9
Neighbourhoods: Alexandra Park, Kensington Market
(416) 603-3811
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
21 reviews for Buddha's Vegetarian Foods
Review Highlights
"cheap, huge portions, tons of choices."
(in 3 reviews)
"I'm not even a huge fan of spring rolls."
(in 3 reviews)
"awesome hot sauce - goes well with the noodles."
(in 7 reviews)
Loading...
21 reviews in English
-
Review from S D.
Toronto, ON
1/13/2012
Great food, huge quantities, and very cheap! What more can you ask for? The Imitation Duck in particular is delicious. If you go to this restaurant with a group, there will be plenty of food to go around, and if you go by yourself, you'll have tons of leftovers to take home for seconds!
The only item on the menu that I did not care for at all were the yams. Yuck. Otherwise, excellent selection. -
Review from Anthony K.
Toronto, ON
11/16/2011
I LOVE THIS PLACE!
First off, I have been waiting for a good Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant for a while! I was a little skeptical reading different reviews of this place, so I decided to give it a try myself. Man! Was I surprised.
Go with a group of people! To say the portion is generous is an under statement. I went on my own twice and either time could I finish what I ordered.
Don't be fooled by the exterior! Although this place looks like your average hole in the wall Chinatown restaurant, the food is actually above average.
Surprisingly clean! I guess because there is no meat involved in the cooking, the restaurant generally feel cleaner.
I would definitely recommend this place, it may not have the atmosphere one desire now a days, but good food trumps all that and goes a long way.
P.S - They only take cash, so make sure you bring some when you go!Listed in: ChinaTown
-
Review from Jasper C.
York, ON
2/12/2012
True definition of a hole-in-the-wall eatery and, yes, the servings are insanely generous - first timers are always shocked when they see the portions. The mock meats, wheat gluten and stir-fry items are fairly average, but their noodles, spring rolls and hot and sour soup are quite decent. The food isn't addictive, but it's the value and health quotient that draw customers back. A great takeout venue.
-
Review from shyni y.
6/18/2011
I have been waiting for this place to reopen for a while now.
I have visited the place several times to see if it was open only to be greeted by the hand written sign that it was closed.
By complete fluke, I finally got there - and with the person who had originally introduced me to their goodness.
I made the ultimate mistake of ordering my own dish + some spring rolls. I justified this action by saying to him, " I am starving - and you know, even when I'm just nippish, I eat a lot - so I am sure I can do this seeing that I am STARVING."
When the food arrived, my tummy started jumping up and joy for food - there was quite a lot, but no worries, I was starving.
OMGosh there were so many mushrooms of different kinds, I was in love. Even better was that it didn't look or taste all that fried.
GREAT spring rolls. VERY VERY HOT. do NOT touch until 5 full minutes pass by otherwise you WILL burn your mouth.
As i start digging in to the main dish, I realize that the tiny little dish must be magical because I KEEP EATING AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF FOOD.
awesome hot sauce - goes well with the noodles...the bok choy and....well, everything.
SO. MUCH FOOD.
I was so full with goodness - I had to get the rest of'em to go, with lots of hot sauce. I really was scared that the food will start spilling from my eyes, that I walked looking up for a while, to my friend's complete embarrassment - but he was not as embarrassed as when I started walking slowly hunched forward because my tummy was just stretching towards the ground.
GREAT value.
GREAT food - it tastes delicious even the next day =]
Not so great decor but THANK goodness for the air conditioner in the back (it's actually kinda cold back there).Listed in: Korean & Asian Restaurants
-
Review from Aviva S.
Updated - 6/25/2011
One dish was split between me and the friend I was eating here with. We ate less than 1/4 in the restaurant, and split the rest in half to take home.
3 or 4 days later, I still have a lot of it left. WOW. Big portions is an understatement.
Money well spent.Listed in: Places I Checked Out Due to…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/22/2011
The proportions and price easily give this place 3 stars. The value is through the roof. Ended up… Read more »
-
-
Review from Termina F.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2011
Definitely a fan.
Greasy? A little bit. Sketchy? Yeah, maybe. Value? ABSOLUTELY.
We read all of the reviews, and they all said that the portions were big, but man, they are HUGE.
We ordered two different styles of noodles, two spring rolls and a side of steamed rice. It was heavy just carrying it the few blocks back to our apartment.
The Curry fried vermicelli noodles were delicious. Not just "good for the price" like I expected. I think this is a good choice for somebody who might find some of the other dishes "bland" (since there is no onions or garlic) since the other flavours and spices really make up for it.
Some other guy referred to the spring rolls as "spring logs" and I found that to be an accurate statement. They were greasy but nothing a pat with a paper towel can't fix, and man were they good. I'm not even a huge fan of spring rolls.
Next time I'm going to eat in. The old ladies who helped us were so sweet and nice. -
Review from Anfernee C.
Toronto, ON
10/26/2010
Let me be clear - I'm a fan purely because of the value this establishment offers. The one elderly lady that works there always smiles and greets me like I'm a relative (shame she doesn't give me a relative discount though!).
The food is greasy, yes it is. The large is damn large, so go for the small, unless you're sharing (which is recommended).
This is not the place to go for ambience/vibe. What you see is what you get - cheap, greasy, veggie Chinese food. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. I love going here with a group of friends and sharing a few dishes.
I dig the hot'n'spicy soup. -
Review from alfred i.
North York, ON
8/4/2011
Great food. Very simple vegetarian dishes. It's a small family owned restaurant which seats no more than 20 people. From a hygienic perspective, it definitely fails -- but in theory, when cooking, the high heat annihilates any lingering bacteria to keep your food finger licking good. The prices here are ridiculously cheap, and the portions are equally ridiculously huge. It's very easy to order too much here. I was a lifeguard across the street street (At Alexandra Park) for about 3 years and we grabbed take out at least once a week.
-
Review from Carmen D.
9/3/2010
Hole in the wall. Cash only. Tiny spot. Don't eat THERE.
Great noodles but it's really all about the FAKE PEKING DUCK.
No, but then it's really all about the noodles.
This is how much I love the noodles. http://www.youtube.com...
Yes I have a noodle fetish.Listed in: TDot Adventures
-
Review from Pennylane S.
Vancouver, BC
3/25/2010
What Buddha's lacks in style and decor, it certainly makes up for in quality, quantity and definitely value, which is why it remains one of my favourite places to eat in Toronto.
I will admit that the fact that it's been around for a while may influence my nostalgic biases but really, where else are you going to find a dish you can eat for a week or one that feeds 5 people for 5 bucks? I've gone with three strapping young men who not even put a dent in two dishes.
Although the selection is the old standard Chinese fare, the vegetarian aspect is a HUGE and awesome checkmark in my opinion, one that I think it is severely lacking in other cities I've lived in (Vancouver, New York). Plus, you can veto the MSG upon request.
I recommend the gigantor spring rolls, spicy tofu dish, imitation duck sheets and noodles with three types of mushrooms. They close at 9pm most days and are completely closed on Tuesdays, making Tuesdays now the saddest day of the week (luckily I have leftovers). -
Review from Matthew S.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2010
When I first discovered Buddha's 5 or 6 years ago it quickly became one of my favourite lunch spots. Massive portions of totally vegetarian Chinese food for dirt cheap. Absolutely no effort put in to decor or atmosphere - a plus for me. And, conveniently located at Bathurst and Dundas. What more could you ask for?
There was a time while I was at U of T that I'd come to Buddha's a couple times a week with a bunch of friends. We'd usually go for hot and sour soup, vermicelli Singapore-style, and one of the chow mein dishes with tofu and heaps of 'shrooms. There's no cheaper way for a vegetarian to stuff themselves to the gills.
Unfortunately, the novelty of the massive portions eventually wore off and I started question the quality of the food. The truth is, most of the dishes at Buddha's are very bland, boring, and taste almost exactly the same as each other.
If you're a vegetarian Buddha's is worth checking out at least once. If you're a meat eater don't bother; you'll find much better options on Spadina, such as Kom Jug Yuen (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). If you do decide to eat here, don't do it too often because you'll get sick of the bland food very quickly -
Review from Sonja Elen K.
Toronto, ON
7/1/2011
Delicious Chinese vegetarian food. Mushroom extravaganza. Great service. Zero decor or ambience. Insanely low price. Huge portions. Awesome!!
-
Review from Giselle d.
Toronto, ON
1/18/2011
Looking for enough leftover Chinese food to last you all next week? Go here. The portions are MASSIVE. This cannot be overemphasized. A 'small' soup practically comes in a bucket with a ladle. My dad, sister and I (ignorant saps that we were) each ordered a starter and a main course -- and the waitress didn't warn us we were doing it all wrong. We certainly felt like clowns when the food came out. It's Hong Kong style, people, so we should've ordered one starter and one main to share. And we still might've had leftovers. The soups were tastier than the mains, which all seemed to be coated in the same 'brown sauce'. They must have giant vats of brown sauce in the back. In my opinion, nearby Chinese vegetarian restaurant Greens makes better food, in smaller portions.
-
Review from Min min T.
Scarborough, ON
4/2/2009
A decent place to come if you're looking to feed a hungry hoard fast, this bare bones diner is known for serving monstrously large portions. The food itself is satisfactory and the menu selection consists of the usual Chinese fare, but there are better options to be had out east in Scarborough or in the surrounding neighbourhoods. Newbies to Chinese cuisine may enjoy the food, but don't bother if you've got a choosy palate.
If you're scratching your head over lunch for Monday, bring a food container here on Sunday night; chances are you will need to take-out. As a bonus, Toronto Vegetarian Association cardholds get 10% off. -
Review from Kim B.
ON
11/28/2008 6 photos
I went with two friends to this place for lunch and like fools, we ordered a big bowl of soup and three main dishes. When the food started coming, it was as if it were a joke...it was literally PILED on each plate. My one friend actually grunted while trying to pick up and move one of the dishes from one side of the table to the other.
Crazier still was the food was pretty good. I wasn't a huge fan of the soup because it had big hunks of slippery tofu in it (and wet tofu just makes me gag), but the rest of the meals were good (a sort of curry noodle dish and two veggie stir-fry dishes).
The place inside looked (and looked even from the outside) like a total dive, and really? It is. But still, if you want good value for LOADS of food, this place ain't half bad.Listed in: CHEAP Toronto
-
Review from Garry C.
Whistler, BC
7/12/2010 3 Check-ins Here
This place has the biggest portions that I've ever seen. I can pride myself on eating a ton, but couldn't finish even half of a serving at Buddha's.
I've been coming here for years and the food is predictable. Lots of noodles, veggies, mushrooms, tofu. It's best to come with several people and get a few dishes and some soup too. You will fill up and have leftovers for under $10 per person. -
Review from Kathleen B.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
cheap, huge portions, tons of choices. they can accommodate any size party, and take out means only a ten minute wait.
you can complain about lack of ambiance here, but it has it's own kind of charm. the people who work there are so nice.
the only downside is it's sooo greasy. the huge portions mean you'll probably stuff yourself and feel sick the next day. my tip: bring some tupperware and pack it up before you over-eat.
this is a great place to take a bunch of visitors; they'll love the laid back atmosphere and huge portions for cheap. who doesn't? -
Review from eune y.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2009
This is the best if not the most aesthetically appealing Chinese vegetarian place in downtown toronto. Personally, I hope they don't get a restaurant makeover attack, it just wouldn't be them and it's totally true about the servings and the prices....I don't know how these guys make money cause their cashew vegetable stirfry is chock full o' the cashews. Personal fav is their giant soya rolls and singapore style curried noodles. You can request that everything be made without msg.
Closed tuesdays. -
Review from Robin D.
2/12/2011
May just be the best Buddhist food place in Toronto. The end.
-
Review from Downtown D.
Toronto, ON
9/5/2010
Cheap, large portions, lots of noodles. You'll have leftovers for the week. As noted by the other reviewers the taste is kind of bland. You might want to add some hot sauce or pepper.
-
Review from Roy A.
Toronto, ON
7/10/2009
Huge portions and cheap. I wouldn't call it authentic asian food and it's not that flavourful but it's tasty enough....
