Buddakan New York
Tonight me and 4 friends went to Buddakan which is located in the meatpacking district of Manhattan. From the outside, you'd never notice it nor think its Buddakan. Its a very small black building with a tiny sign which reads 'Buddakan' and situated next to a large building (the building number is 202 so if you're going that helps a lot in locating it). Reservations are a must as any walk-ins after 6:30 are most likely going to have a wait time longer than 30 minutes. But trust me 30 minutes in Buddakan are a well spent 30 minutes. Upon arrival the staff greets you at the front desk. You are offered to wait in the lounge/bar area till you are seated. The bar has a different feel than the bar at Tao as its less noisy and has less of a club atmosphere and more of a lounge atmosphere. If you have a little bit of downtime be sure to look at the entire restaurant. There is the main dinning room which consists of immensely high ceilings and extravagant chandeliers, oh and I can't leave out the giant communal table which can seat up to 30 people. But that's not the only dinning room, there are two more. One is more quiet and good for going for a more casual dinner as you do have a bit more privacy than in the main dining room. Then next to it there is the library room which consists of a bar and lounge area and of course tables to eat at. The entire restaurant is gorgeous. My favorite room is the main dinning room and the library but each room has something to bring to this "super restaurant". But not only is the decor incredible, so is the food. Buddakan serves Chinese cuisine. The dishes are served family style (meaning which ever dish is ready first is served and not everything comes out at the same time) and your portions are based on your party size, so this is a perfect place if you're into ordering a mix of everything and sharing it. The food is phenomenal and definitely makes it worth the price, though price wise, its not as expensive as one may think. Its around $45 a person with an appetizer and entree (well that's not including drinks). All and all I'm glad we checked out this superb restaurant and I will definitely be returning in the future!
