Buddakan
$$$ • Japanese Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
Safe and delicious!!! I have celiac and I am very sensitive. I am also a vegetarian. I had tofu pad thai and steamed edamame. Service was great and the food was very good and flavorful. The server spoke to the chef to ensure everything was handled properly and safe. They have a gluten free menu and a vegetarian menu.
Gluten free menu, along with a celiac/allergy GF menu. They know their stuff. And the food is absolutely outstanding!
Absolutely excellent. Wonderful service from start to finish, and loved that they have two versions of the gluten free menu depending on sensitivity. I had the sashimi (amazing), lobster fried rice (very good) and for dessert, the crème brûlée along with a yuzu sake. While not on the gluten free menu, they did have 3 GF dessert options. The server Niche (sp?) was very attentive and let the chef and manager know about my celiac disease. The manager came out to check on me, too. I dined alone as I was on a work trip and had a fabulous time. The only downside is that the celiac safe menu is quite limited compared to the regular menu but all the offerings are delicious nonetheless.
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More Reviews
Great service and food! They have a celiac-safe menu with no risk of cross-contamination. Didn’t get sick afterwards.
Celiac safe menu, server was very knowledgeable. Lots I could eat! Asian Caesar Salad was made GF, tasted amazing, still thinking about it. Got the chicken, really enjoyed.
Stephen Starr restaurants are good for celiacs like us, this place was excellent.
They had a separate celiac safe menu and the server assured me that the food on the celiac safe menu has no risk of cross contact with gluten. They take all allergies very seriously and they have separate menu for each allergy. The food was great.
Great meal and super knowledgeable staff! They have 2 gf menus - one celiac friendly and one that doesn’t have gluten containing items. When I asked them about their protocol for celiac they went super in depth about it and made me feel safe! Food was great and didn’t get sick
I can’t say enough! What an amazing meal! 10’s across the board!!!
Bartender made me a tasty mock-tail mojito as well as they have other great options if you don’t want to drink!
For an appetizer- we had the Lobster Fried Rice (shareable; we had 5 people), shashimi - super thin, really flavorful! (Good for 2-3 people to share)
For my entree I did the Wok Cashew Chicken with Currier Cauliflower! Chicken was a massive portion, comes with side of white rice. Cauliflower was a table hit!!! So delicious!
We finished up with espresso’s and the coconut sorbet. Which I highly recommend!
My absolute favorite place to eat in Philly. They have a GF and celiac safe menu, you just have to request it.
They had a GF menu, with offerings in every category, and the wait staff was very knowledgeable. The lobster fried rice and the curried cauliflower were delicious.
Buddakan accommodated my girlfriend well (celiac). This place is safe in my books
Spoke to a manager before going. It’s a Starr restaurant- they’re usually very honest about their cross contamination policies. While it’s a somewhat limited menu that is Celiac safe, the food is phenomenal. Highly recommend the sashimi and lobster fried rice! Knowledgeable server and staff. Feel great 24 hours later.
Out server was incredibly knowledgeable about which items were gluten free or how to make adjustments to make them gluten free. There used to be a gluten free menu pre-pandemic that wasn't available when we dined here. But Shaffer knew enough that I felt confident with my order. Additionally, every time the food arrived the food runner announced that it was gluten free before I could even ask/confirm. I felt more comfortable with dining here safely than any other restaurant so far. Not to mention, it was delicious! We will absolutely return. I ordered the sea bass, lobster fried rice, and the modified creme brulee.
Absolutely AMAZING food! Limited choices as I also have a dairy allergy, but I had the Lobster Fried Rice fir my main and sashimi app, followed up with amazing sorbet (which is rare) for dessert. Super knowledgeable staff, able to fully guide me through the menu and understood allergies very well.
Went there after a long day of sightseeing. We were starving they had a menu that listed all the gluten free foods we got several things everything was delicious they do use gluten free soy sauce in most of the food. It was expensive but my daughter did not get sick. They also easily substituted a meal so my non celiac son would eat it ( they only had shrimp Lo mein on the menu so I asked for it plain they added chicken for him)
Gf lobster rice is amazing. My husband had no reaction here, so we will keep this on our list. Service and atmosphere was top notch as well.
Included in Starr's portfolio are Buddakan (www.buddakan.com) serving up Asian fusion (the wasabi mashed potatoes and lobster fried rice are amazing.
I'm a fan of Buddakan typically but last time I ordered their GF Pad Thai. It was so far from authentic they should have named it something else. The dish was primarily composed of shredded carrots, it was salty instead of sweet and had cilantro in it. Pretty disappointing if you're at all familiar with the original. I've had better experiences with their lunch menu.
Was disappointed with the gf selections, although they had gf tempura (fried with gluten items). The five star reviews had me expecting more. It was very tasty, I took the risk to order the tempura and did not get sick. Good food, service, etc. Just wish the menu was a little more extensive.
This was one of the best meals I've had in awhile! The staff is very knowledgable and made sure my dishes were GF (something I'm normally skeptical of but I never got sick afterwards!) My meal was amazing, and I would highly recommend this place!
Amazing. GF menu and chef will customize sauce for you.
A little pricey, but as with all Steven Starr restaurants, totally worth it. The atmosphere and mood is dark and romantic and the food is unforgettable. They don't have a gluten free menu, but there are a lot of great gluten free options.
