Chinese Buddha - Atlanta

Proclaimed one of the best Chinese spots in Atlanta so expectations were high. Unfortunately, I was let down. The customer service was ok but the food was the WORST Chinese food in Atlanta. Things started off on the wrong foot. The water. A simple glass of water tasted like it had been taken from a fish tank somewhere. Yuck. But still I ignored this sign. Not everyone can have filtered water. I get it. Other than being drenched in oil, the spring rolls were the highlight. I usually don't like greasy food. This was not a pleasant experience. The Wong tong soup was bland and uneventful. I don't think I've EVER skipped soup. And finally the entree. I decided to keep it simple. I was a little worried and with good reason. I ordered vegetable rice. They can't possibly mess that up. Wrong again!!! Turns out it was an egg plate with a side of rice half cooked veggies. I ate what I could but ended up wasting the majority of it. I've heard great things about this place which is why I was stunned at my experience. Maybe it was an off day? Maybe not. Either way I'm not interested in returning.

My review shows how good food but poor service and bad policies can ruin a potentially great review. Good news is they are open late. Wife and I worked late and this was the only place around that was open after 11 that we wanted to try. Restaurant is set up in a good location with off street parking (free for 2 hours) so that was good. The exterior is in a large office/apartment building right off 10th street. Inside is very nice, and employees are polite and efficient. The restaurant was mainly empty, but for some strange reason they sat us right next to another guy (half table, long wall seat type seating) and then when more customers came in they crammed them in right next to us, too. My knee was almost rubbing against the guy next to me. He had to stick his ass in my face to sit down. Pay attention to the menu, as my wife ordered the pepper steak and I ordered the mooshu beef. Both tasted great and you get plenty of food, but the dinner meals don 't come with soup or egg rolls, unless you order the combo dinner. Funny thing is we didn 't notice this and the server did not mention it, and even more confusing the same pepper steak dinner combination with soup and egg roll, is even cheaper than the pepper steak by itself. Pepper steak solo was $11.75, and the pepper steak combo is $10.50. Huh?!?! So, we did enjoy the food, prices are reasonable, but then we got the check and they added a 20% service charge to the order!...and apparently expected a tip as well. LOL. Wow. We didn 't tip. Service: 1 star for not advising on menus and cramming us next to other people when place was almost empty. Location: 4 star, parking is off street but cramped. Cleanliness: place was clean and nicely appointed, plenty of seating. Food quality/quantity: food is good, but menu is quirky...pay attention Policies: Plan on being crammed together for no apparent reason, and remember they are going to slap a 20% service charge on you. Total review: 2 stars Even though food was good and they are open very late, I can 't recommend except for maybe takeout, if they don 't charge the extra 20% on takeout orders.

I've just placed an order over the phone.. While confirming my order, I noticed 1 of them was wrong and tried to correct it. The lady immediately yells at me and asked impolitely which one do I want?! This is 1 of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I'm sure there are others. But, there's no need for yelling just to confirm an order placed. Otherwise, the food is decent for a takeout order.

This place is definitely the late night spot- and we went here after a night of drinking. The place was good and we got a ton of food. I am pretty sure if we went during the day we wouldn't even eat here.

Yes, this would appear to be your run of the mill American Chinese place but actually, what sets them far and away from the competition is their Vegetarian and Vegan options. Chinese Buddha actually has an entirely separate menu of all vegetarian/Vegan options. Like almost the same as their normal menu but with appropriate substitutions and a keen awareness of what vegetarians and yes, vegans, don't want in their food. I was so impressed with the staff's knowledge of the menu particularly with regard to vegan options. By the way, I am not vegan and got a meat dish. My vegan colleague got a wonderful plate right down the the soy based artificial shrimp. The environment was nice and clean and the staff were very good. Food quality is in the 3 4 star range, not spectacular but we were really happy with our meal and experience. Recommend!