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All Reader Reviews of...
Buddakan
75 Ninth Ave., New York, NY, 10011
nr. 16th St.
212-989-6699
| 6.6 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
It's a One Time Deal
Kerita from 10009 | Posted on 8/10/09
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We had a delicious sake recommended by our waiter, but strangely, it was served in these ikea-type drinking glasses. We got the lollipops (be careful, very hot when you bite into them). I would skip these as they really tasted nothing special. We got the pot stickers- yummy, but you might have to add more soy sauce into the chili sauce as it was super spicy. Make sure you order the boneless ribs with mustard- probably the best thing there. For an entree, we got the charred steak in butter sauce. I was expecting more of a flank steak but it was very finely seared pieces of meat with a to-die-for sauce on top. Highly recommended but not for the 250 lb mid western dad.. If you're a party of two, hope for a table on the balcony overlooking the downstairs or they might stick you at the 75 seat communal long table!
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What you'd expect from a trendy Stephen Starr
lulu32 from 10038 | Posted on 7/12/09
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I love the fried rice here, the tuna tartare spring rolls, and the scallops. I think the food is great Asian fusion - BUT it is all overshadowed by the horrific service. When you arrive, you have to stand in the overcrowded bar and wait for about an hour, with nowhere to sit. Finally when they seat you - the decor is very impressive as well - but they refuse to bring out the food in the order you want. What kind of restaurant won't let you choose an appetizer and entree? Last time I came, they brought out my friend's entree before any of our appetizers, which just makes for awkward timing. If this was a take-out place I'd order all the time, but the food isn't worth all the hassle.
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What you might expect...
Nox123 from M5V3N4 | Posted on 11/19/08
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We ate here on strong recommendations, but honestly, we found it a bit more style than substance. It does look stunning inside, but the night we went, it seemed more nightclub than restaurant, and I wanted to dine not schmooze. The staff were all remarkably friendly, not at all snobbish, which I feared they might be, given how attractive they were. The food was well-presented - cleverly served "lollipops", standing upright on sticks, and there was intelligent use of the limited tablespace. The mushroom chow fun and peking duck were fine, however, the food did not wow. It was good...but just good. Best part of the meal were the recommended (by friends and waitstaff alike) edamame dumplings - a light and tasty soy bean puree in translucent dumpling cases. It might be a favourite restaurant of mine if they halved the prices.
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How can you not love this place?
Rick_Green from 08313 | Posted on 9/17/08
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All around great expierence. Stephen out did himself this time around. I can only think of one of his restaurants that hit the mark like this one, Parc in Rittenhouse Square!
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great atmosphere
WILKINCR from 10027 | Posted on 6/16/08
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The food is great, strongly recommend the lobster springrolls, fried softshell crabs and scallops. DESSERT IS AMAZING. THe interior of this restaurant is breathtaking. Good cocktails too
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For a certain type only
IHateScottRose from 10001 | Posted on 5/22/08
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The food is marginally better than one might find in Chinatown, but not double- or triple- the price better. There are occasional standout dishes but not enough to make up for the majority, which are fairly ordinary, if good. The ambience: you'll either love it hate it. I hated it. Gauche to the point of satire. Bored, too-cool-for-school waitstaff. Considering you could pay as much for a meal here as you might at Morimoto around the corner, might as well go to Morimoto. Unless you're looking to pick up one of those Sex-And-The-City cougars lurking around the bar.
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Flashy but poorly run
ljourdan from 11238 | Posted on 2/21/08
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I took some relatives there recently and had the same unpleasant experience as one other reviewer here. I had reservations at 9:30 for five people on a wednesday night. We arrived 5 minutes early. The receptionist checked our reservation and directed us to the bar area where we were to wait for our table. I wondered how the staff would know when it would be our turn to be seated so I asked one of the hostesses, who assured me that everything was under control. We were still waiting an hour later, at 10:30, when the receptionist who had greeted us came to ask us if we had a reservation! Then she realized -- and admitted to us -- that she had given our table to another party and forgotten about us. She apologized and told us she would inform the maitre d' of her cock-up. I assumed it meant we would somehow get compensated, but sure enough there were no freebies on the check. I am embarrassed to have taken my relatives to Buddakan. With such bad service its name does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as this city's great restaurants.
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10 Worst restaurants of the Year
NYCFool from 10002 | Posted on 7/9/07
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I think this restaurant was put on the wrong list, I love Adam Platt's reviews and opinions, but I dont understand how he got this one so wrong. I made the mistake of bringing clients here too. I had a reservation and still was made to wait 1.5hrs in a crowded and extremely loud and dark bar area, when we were finally ushered to our table, we were seated dowstairs and on the side in a boringly-decorated and forgotten about section of the restaurant. Basically there is one main beautiful room of this restaurant that you see in photos but the accoustics are so bad there that you wouldnt want to be stuck next to the drunken tourists eating there anyway. The food was mediocre and I was embarassed about the whole experience to have taken people that I work with there. I will NEVER return. I hope other people will read this and avoid the place too. It was loud, obnoxious, and over priced.
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More than the Hype
martin_chamois from West 50's | Posted on 3/21/07
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Buddakan has turned into a far more satisfying restaurant than the initial hype that brought the bridge and tunnel, and tourist crowd to primarily the bar of this multi-story pan-Asian meatpacking mega-establishment. The menu, the food, the service and the décor add to an enjoyable dinning experience. Downside is there are many dark and weird dinning areas that may be great for a rendezvous but are not suitable for a festive evening out on the town.
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Beautiful Decor, Forget The Food
Enricolon from 11222 | Posted on 3/13/07
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The Decor was magnificent, but they have better food at my local takeout restaurant, the portions were small but they were priced okay for the portion size. I ordered the Szechuan Aged NY Strip, the steak was very dry and lacked flavor. The General Tso's Dumpling were just ok, I have had better Dumplings elsewhere. I had a better time and experience at the Spice Market right up the street and their food was more exciting and flavorful.
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