Buddakan

Went to Buddakan at Caesar’s after randomly walking around for restaurants around 6:00 on a Saturday night. They accomodated us (a party of 4) even though we did not have reservations. They asked if we would be able to eat in an hour as they had other reservations and we were completely fine with that. We were more worried about whether or not the food would come that fast anyways.
We ordered the Crispy Calamari salad for starters. AMAZING!!! The calamari was crispy and tasty and chopped lettuce was real refreshing and light. We ordered the large portion which was a good amount for 4 people. We also shared the crab fried rice, shrimp pad thai and the black pepper steak as our main course. The crab fried rice was delicious though a bit small for 4 people, great for 2 though. The Pad thai had alot of flavor and the steak was cooked a perfect medium rare!
The 4 dishes ran us a little under $ 100 which we felt was pretty reasonable since we enjoyed everything. Would definitely come back!

I was in Atlantic city during Memorial Day weekend, we made reservations for 10pm arrived 15 minutes early had no problem being seated, good way to start.
Once seated we started with drinks Sake & a Nirvana cocktail, Sake was good the Nirvana cocktail was great nice taste.
Since food is meant to be shared we decide to try a few appetizers to start the Wagyu beef satay & Szechuan pork dumping.
The Wagyu beef came with vegetable tempura it was string beans & sweet potato, Beef was very good nice grill taste, good string beans & sweet potato.
Szechuan pork dumping were great good meat with nice tasting sauce.
Next up the King crab tempura was amazing, great tasting crab & even though it’s fried the tempura it didn’t taste greasy the sauce it had gave it a nice taste with the pepper.
Delicious Veggie fried rice, only thing I didn’t like was the odd cream sauce it came with it had a strong ginger taste.
As for the restaurant itself it’s nice, not too big but with plenty of seating below & above.
Nice simple but cool décor, loved the ceiling, walk way & Buddha statue.
Price wise it’s not too bad depending on what u order but it of course can get pretty pricey.
Service was very good, our waitress was nice & attentive we had a great & enjoyable meal.

Nice restaurant. Chef’s menu is 60 dollars per person. If you don’t want to go with chef’s menu, Lobster fried rice is one of the most popular dishes here and I also think it’s really good. calamari salad and lamb chops are great options too. Enjoy!

Visiting on the Saturday, 28^th of May.
Pros:
Smoky hot receptionists
Nice pen
Nice food
Cons:
A little crampy seats
No Wifi — bleh

Excellent food.
Spotty service.
Szechuan monkfish fried hard but juicy. Spicy with peanuts.
Chicken ginger dumplings — woop — awesome. Tender wrapper. Juicy filling.
Lobster fried rice — tons of lobster and little filler.
Steaks prepared to right temperature.
Good drinks.

The food here all had a great quality taste, however the service made me give this place a lower rating. The spare ribs had such an awesome unique flavor if I had to recommend one item id recommend the ribs. To be honest we waited half an hour for our check, and our waiter did not check on us frequently. We all had empty drinks the entire time unless we asked for refills which we again waited a long time for and this was on a Wednesday night not a weekend when it’s super busy. The food came out at all varied times instead of all at once which when with a big group of friends isn’t exactly common courtesy. The ambience is beautiful and perfect especially before going out with friends or for a romantic date. However do not expect great service. I’d come back for the quality of the food but the service made me question if I would.

Just had a wonderful lunch… great service, atmosphere and food. A must try… edamame ravioli.

First thing you see is the giant Buddha statue in the background. The reception desk was hidden off to the side. The girls behind the desk were fairly nice. The interior felt like I was sitting outside at night having dinner. Our waiter seemed like a young lad. Don’t remember his name or if he introduced himself.
So the dishes. Friends recommended the lobster fried rice so we ordered that as well as the char grilled aged beef. Our waiter told us it was family style and i
Food trickles out as they are cooked. Both our dishes came out at the same time.
The lobster fried rice… was so bland. There is nothing to describe it. I’m just speechless. I don’t really like a lot of salt in my food but I really wanted to ask for salt. That’s all on the fried rice.
The char grilled aged beef was better. It was very pretty. It looked like a mountain landscape. The beef was melt in your mouth. I ordered it medium and it was the perfect texture. The flavor of the beef was delicious. The soy sauce wasn’t drenched on it so it wasn’t overpowering the meat. The mountain of fries was interesting and crunchy. I wish there was more of the spicy mayo on it. Hidden beneath the mountain… I mean fries… Was a bed of watercress. That was good too but there was a lake of soy sauce under it which was tragic. I wish there was more watercress, a little less fries, and less soy sauce pooling on the watercress. Overall the dish was pretty good. Oh man that beef. Salivating just thinking about it.
The beef dish put this review to three stars. Other than that it would have just been two stars.

Buddakan is gorgeous. In the midst of open-​air eateries and sounds of the slot machines in the distance, Buddakan is isolated, enclosed, and different. It is like an escape, an exotic paradise in a land of sameness. We were instantly transported.
The menu was definitely appealing– sexy beverage names and eclectic Asian-​fusion dishes. After studying the menu and tasting a Samurai and an Enlightenment, we landed on the rock shrimp bao and the tempura crab for starters. The little bao were a pillow of sticky sweet bun, studded with gems of saucy shrimp and emerald green jalapeño, and crunchy slaw. The textures were phenomenal, and the bao were a wild adventure of flavors. This started outshone the tempura crab, making the succulent crab meat pale in comparison. Not as good, but definitely still delicious.
For our entrees, we indulged in pepper beef, a duck dish, and a side of garlic Chinese eggplant. After having duck recently, this did not stack up. It lacked the crispy skin that helps to make duck great, but there was a sweet, fluffy corn soufflé that added oomph to the dish. The pepper beef was spicy and tender– too rare for some, perfect for us. The eggplants were sweet and saucy, chewy, and delightful. The perfect side dish.
Dessert fell flat. The bread pudding was no balancing act– it had too much sweet and not enough something else to counter it.
The service was excellent. The restaurant is equipped with knowledgeable staff, and the servers are ready to cater to the clients. Can’t wait to go again!

I really enjoyed this place loved the décor and moody dim lighting sets a nice mood. I went in for $ 5 happy hour for drinks and a snack, drinks where really great and for the dumplings and tuna rolls were fantastic I could imagine how amazing dinner would be here.

My parents and I visited last week for restaurant week, and we loved our meals! The spring rolls were fantastic out of the appetizers. for entrées, we ordered cashew chicken, steak (over perfect Japanese mashed potatoes!), and a seafood dish (I think bass). All 3 were beyond delicious. My favorite was the chicken, but my parents preferred the other two. Regardless, they were great.
For dessert, we had gotten the donuts (mind blowing) and the sampler plate. We wish we had just gotten 3 servings of the donuts! They were so delicious. Another great note were the drinks we had gotten.
Overall, we loved our meal and the atmosphere in the restaurant. Service was great! We will come back, but the price is quite steep when it is not restaurant week. Even with restaurant week the night was about $ 180 including tip for 3, so be aware of this when visiting any other time.

Just went here for restaurant… And I’ve fallen in love. The sea bass was perfection; this coming from someone who does not eat seafood so you know it was good. The wasabi crusted steak was also as delicious as ever. We went all out with the chef’s dinner combo… Worth every penny!

«You don’t need a silver spoon to eat good food” — Orlando Munoz
Buddakan was a fresh experience. Asian cuisine in it’s elegance, so right of the bat THANK YOU RESTAURANT WEEK! First thing me and Kate noticed was that the lights were dimmed for a romantic kind of night. It set a mood and makes it easier to have a personal connection with your food lol The staff were very insightful, the place was clean and the timing for all our plates came at reasonable times. The way restaurant week works was I could pick an app, and Entrée, and desert for $ 33! I had to take the deal. Overall I enjoyed the food but it was more of the experience that made this place unique. 4 Stars Nonetheless.
Appetizer: Cantonese Spring Rolls. These mini egg rolls only came with 2, I wish it came with 5. The presentation is just like a Spring roll but this spring roll had a far richer packing. A good portion of shrimp. And there’s a sauce that comes with it. The sauce is great but def has horseradish. The moment that stuff hits your tongue it’s like osmosis jones is playing tug of war with your nose hair. Still a very good starter.
Entrée: Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon W/​Sweet potato mash. This meal is more of those cherish the few bites that you have. It’s plenty but it will have you wanting more. Well at least for me it did. I got the steak cooked to a medium and it was honestly a great steak. The sauces that are dabbed on to the plate also add to the pallet. One of the first things I noticed was that the menu said sweet potato mash but when my plate came out my plate had white mash. When I began eating it I was thrilled by the hint of sweetness but I was surprised I didn’t have a orange mash on my plate. I asked the waitress about it and she said it’s because the potatoes are Japanese sweet potatoes and there white. She said that the mash is really organic and doesn’t get a lot added to it. Which was great to hear. This dish was satisfying.
Dessert: Zenful Donuts: This desert was my personal Fav for the night. Little sugared puffs with Sweet Cream and 2 dipping sauces. One was Dark Chocolate and the other was a banana purée, kind of reminded me of banana Gerber baby food. I kept to the chocolate and it was the gift that kept giving.

I got to try alot of their dishes and I am amazed by it. You have to try the Sea Bass, Pad Thai, Lobster Fried Rice, Crab Fried Rice, Roast Beef, and the Lamb Chops. Every meat dish only has 6 – 8 oz of meat so each person should get their own entrée. I wouldn’t recommend the chicken dish, it was really dry and bland.
The service was on par with the aesthetics and for the most part, the food quality. Our waitress was super cheerful, friendly, and accommodating.
Since this is a fine dining, not a lot of people were using their phones, except my brother who was playing Clash of Clans and me, who tried to take at least a few shots of some of the dishes.

My experience here for happy hour and dinner on Thursday night was awesome. We started at the bar for happy hour at 5pm. There were various drinks and dim sum for $ 5 each. Between my husband and I we enjoyed 4 drinks, more than usual, but heck that’s what vacation is for! We tried their version of sangria, fortune, serenity, and enlightenment. Each was delicious. I enjoyed serenity the most, as it was served martini style with lychee in the bottom. The bartender was polite and attentive, and the bar had a very relaxed vibe.
After happy hour we were seated for dinner. The restaurant is beautiful. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable, which was helpful in both our food and sake selection.
For dinner we had a bottle of sake, edamame ravioli, cashew and tofu, duck breast, crab fried rice, wasabi mashed potatoes, and sashimi. The best thing we ate were those ravioli! I will be thinking about those for days to come! The duck and potatoes were also out of this world. While the tofu dish had nice flavor in whole, I would have preferred that the tofu be more firm and flavorful.
For dessert we tried a chocolate dessert that came with Vietnamese coffee ice cream, which was reminiscent of lava cake, but better. We also had banana bread pudding with a whiskey ice cream. The chocolate dessert was our favorite. I felt the bread pudding was dryer and less sweet than I would have preferred. I decided that if I returned I would get the ice cream trio, since both ice creams were so good.
The restaurant is pricy, but we also ordered way to much food. We left with a bunch leftover. Happy hour is great way to get a taste without the price tag. We were there in off-​season Thursday night and there was lots of room in the bar. At 5pm we were alone.

I’ve been deliberating since my recent visit on whether this was a 4 or 5 star experience. Two missteps prevent me from awarding 5, but it is certainly close to it.
We had a 7:15 reservation for a Saturday, and knew upon entering that this might be their busiest time. We were told that our table was being cleaned and to please wait in the bar. It was packed and difficult to place an order. After a 20 minute wait I finally did order a cocktail, one sip and we were ushered into the left half of the main dining room. The room was almost empty, 4+ booths, 10 tables and one large party table, and maybe two were seated. This blew our mind, we were not the only diners waiting for a seat, there were easily 10 other groups.
Happily we were awarded a nice booth, and this eased our mood. It is a nice space, and from our vantage point we could see the whole room. Which by the way was filled in by the end of our dinner.
I won’t detail all our choices, but will say apps are great but overpriced. Entrees seemed just slightly elevated, and were of a good enough portion, especially if you order a rice or noodle dish to go with it (as you really should) The second misstep of the meal was my slightly overcooked duck. The thin slices and way too hot serving dish most likely were the culprits. It was still tasty and I would order again but send back if the same happened. Of a lesser concern was the small size of breast (maybe a half?)
Even with these issues we still enjoyed ourselves. Service was very good but possibly too quick. And a comped app or drink might have made up for the wait. We would like to return for lunch or happy hour in the future, but will avoid coming Friday or Saturday night unless the reservation is early or late. 4.5 Buddha belly Unilocal

Hands down. — my best date and dinner experience of the YEAR and perhaps ALL time! I’m not exaggerating!
I felt very spoiled being here!
Prior to going I looked at the website and was impressed and salivating — the pix do not lie!
We were welcomed by the big beautiful Buddha and warm woody environment and trendy but not too crazy music.
Our wait wasn’t too bad but it felt like longer than the 15 minutes bc the bar (where we were told to wait) was overcrowded and we were eager to be seated. Of course we had reservations made for this gem!
My boyfriend enjoyed a cocktail that he liked a lot. Our appetizers were sashimi and king crab tempura. The sashimi I was prepared beautifully and was very tasty.
The crab tempura!?!
O
M
G
soo delicious as was the accompanying lightly sweet sauce served with it.
As far as our meals … my tuna tartare was succulently & perfectly prepared and equally appealing to the eye (see my pix)
Vince’s duck looked beautiful and I actually tasted duck for the first time. It was very very good — so was the spoon pudding that accompanied it!
We shared a side of crab fried rice, of which isn’t the norm, at our local Asian places! It was Devine and I wish I had room for more of it as I’m a rice (and carbs overall) lover!
Dessert sounded interesting and I’m betting all selections are delicious but we sadly were too stuffed to indulge.
We plan on going back for lunch in the future to explore more of the menu and at a lesser $.
If you get the chance — please go!

Service: 5 stars
Food: 4 stars
–Loves: Edamame truffle ravioli, scallops, king crab tempura
–Eh: Rock shrimp buns, wagyu beef
–The drinks were excellent, esp the Nirvana specialty cocktail
Overall tasty and delish with unique offerings but not as good as Buddakan in NYC!

Style over substance would be the operative (and most apt) maxim I can use to describe this joint. During a weekend in AC with a collection of my best buddies (bros, brajs, dudes, «Bro Montanas»…), this particular writer was selected as the designated restaurant selector during our tenure at New Jersey’s best effort/​attempt to replicate the (allegedly) superior Sin City a.k.a. Las Vegas.
As one might be able to imagine, attempting to obtain accommodations on a Saturday night at this joint for eight man-​children for the dinner rush proved to be a fool’s errand (especially considering that we were in AC for the Unilocal Winter Break, as well as it being restaurant week… though the latter fact was not in effect the Saturday I attended this joint). In the end I ended up dining here with one of my friends for a late lunch while the other six napped the previous night’s drinks and exploits off in order to make themselves whole again for their potential adventures that impending evening.
Located on the Pier Shoppes at Caesar’s Palace, this place certainly sports a sleek and sexy interior. In this regard, the place does the namesake justice (as it belongs to a proud line of Buddakkans under the Starr Restaurant group). Dim lighting, splashes of red and gold, the big Buddha… there’s no denying that the visual spectacle does make for a terrific feast for the eyes.
Ultimately, in the end, I don’t eat with my eyes… and a big Styrofoam (maybe) gold-​colored Buddha doesn’t qualify as food in my book. And that’s just too damn bad when talking about this place, as the offerings provided at this here failed to live up to the pretty little package that they’ve been wrapped up in.
To start, we ordered the chicken and mushroom spring rolls. Sounds like a pretty simple thing to not eff up… mushrooms = good… chicken = great… put them in a spring roll and it should be pretty tasty right? Well, this dish just so happened to be the perfect instance of subtraction by addition. What does this writer mean by saying this? Well, aside from the morsels of chicken and shrooms within the spring roll wrapper, the recipe apparently also included either water chestnuts or a tasteless radish of some kind. While not foul tasting, this added ingredient, ironically, added nothing to the complexity of the dish. It added no taste, and all it did was take up space and undermined the textural feeling that super crisp spring roll wrappers are designed to give off. Definitely a head scratcher.
Unfortunately the respective main courses for myself and my friend weren’t that much better. I opted for the lobster fried rice while bro-​seph got himself the Pad Thai. To be fair, lobster fried rice passed, purely on the strength of the lobster… rather, it tasted like rice with tasty lobster in it; kinda hard to mess up there. But the Pad Thai was a wreck. Whether it was just bad food chemistry or just bad food… the dish did nothing to stave off the potency of the fish sauce that was added to it (and fish sauce, if not handled correctly, tastes like death). What’s worse is that the sweetness (that was added to supposedly counter the fish sauce) was isolated to one side of the dish… just bad bites both ways, too sweet one side… and too salty on the other.
En sum, if you wanna impress some broad who may not have a very picky palate, then this could be a viable place for you to lay down some ground work. Atmospheric lighting and pretty sights may be enough to stave attention away from the spotty food options available here.

My companions & I were all set not to like Buddakan too much because of a mix-​up on their part about the AC restaurant week menu. And frankly, the hostess we spoke to when we arrived did not help matters any. They really should have comped us a drink, given the misunderstanding was clearly theirs. But I digress…
Having said that, the food, service, atmosphere, etc were all so superior here, that it was a five star experience for sure, as soon as we were seated and met our server.
My starter salad had unique flavors that were perfectly melded into a combination that defied the standard definition of «salad». It was delicious and I finished every bite.
The ginger shrimp were simply outstanding. Probably the best shrimp dish I have ever had. Period. Intense flavors that permeated the (jumbo) shrimp, not just coated them. And each one was cooked to perfection. The cocktails & wines were also exceptional.
This is a dark, cozy, very hip restaurant with a background soundtrack that was perfect. Look up and you see «stars». Nope, it’s not the cocktail you just had, or the AC night sky, but a very nicely done star-​lit «sky» created by the designer. Nice. If you can’t seduce a dinner date here, give it up pal.
Buddakan is pricey to be sure, so you expect great food. But I’d call this truly outstanding in every regard (minus the snippy hostess and less-​than-​helpful manager). But hey, nothing’s perfect — not even Buddakan. In AC though, this place is about as perfect as perfect gets. Ranks right up there with my other favorites (The Old Homestead & Bobby Flays at Borgata).