The Bottom Line
Vegetarian cooking hits a high at Buddha Bodai. There may be a wait, but unless you are scared of trying something new, a sea of non-meat delights awaits you at this Chinese Buddhist restaurant.
Pros
- Strictly vegetarian
- Meat-eaters won’t groan—but smile—at the taste
- Kosher
Cons
- No alcohol
- Crowded on weekend nights
Description
- Address: 42-96 Main Street, Flushing, Queens.
- Phone: (718) 939-1188 and (718) 939-2100.
- Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Lunch special (10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon. to Fri.): Entree with soup for $3.75.
- Parking: There’s a small parking lot in front of the restaurant.
- More Parking: Try the side streets heading downhill toward College Point Boulevard.
- Certified Kosher: An orthodox rabbi monitors the cooking and has certified it as strictly kosher.
- All dishes are 100% vegetarian even if the ingredients list “chicken,” “fish,” or other animal.
- No animal or fish parts are used in the cooking.
- A short walk from the 7 subway station and downtown Flushing.
Guide Review - Buddha Bodai Vegetarian Restaurant
Yes, this vegetarian Chinese restaurant offers beef, pork, salmon, and all manner of walking, swimming, jumping animals. But instead of muscle and fat, tofu and wheat gluten form the limbs and innards of these tasty critters. The dishes are vegetarian cognates of General Tso’s Chicken ($13) or Wonton Soup ($2.50) that may not be identical to the meat versions, but are so full of flavor that they satisfy carnivores. The fish entrees like Bass with Black Bean Sauce ($13) are delicious. My favorites, however, don’t claim to be “meat” or “fish." Portobello Mushroom with Black Pepper Sauce takes the cake with dense, toasted Portobello caps ($11). Service is quick and attentive, though when the dining room is full, you’ll need to be patient.
