Buddha Bar

Pretty on the outside doesn’t fix ugly on the inside. The tastes I had of their sushi and their Sake Sangria yielded average-​at-​best results, and it was the reasonably strong Bubbly Pears that kept us from breaking into a riot. Our server didn’t know what she was doing with the bill or with our service. Normally when you spill on a customer, you make things right. Instead of pausing to right herself, she continued spilling on me in a moderate waterfall for a full five seconds while she set my drink down on the lounge table. And then handed me a wad of napkins and didn’t replace the quarter-​gone drink. Two and a half stars, I’m not exactly sorry to see this place go.

Buddha Bar does not disappoint. My best friend suggested this restaurant after going there with her mother. I didn’t know whether or not I would be a fan (we have different tastes, sometimes), but decided to give it a try when we went out with friends. I was beyond pleased. I started with a souble shrimp roll (yum), then got the manhattan roll and the Buddha Bar roll (double yum). I was almost full and wanted to save room for dessert, so I ended up taking some of the sushi home. I finished up w/​the Crème Brulee trio – divine. Super rich, but delicious!
The 2^nd time I went, I took my other best friend there (for her first time). I had a Bloomspot deal (hey, i’m not rich!) which helped put a dent in the bill. Again, I was pleased. Our waiter was a little weird… he would ask a question and then zip away before we could ask him anything. Bizarre. But he was responsive in general, so it wasn’t a huge deal. We started with the Calamari and the potstickers. OMG. Loved those potstickers, and loved the calamari w/​the jalapenos. We did sushi as an appetizer. Learning from my last experience, I stuck with one large roll instead of two large rolls with leftovers. For dessert we split the Crème Brulee (so nice I tried it twice!) and the molten choc cake. I’m pretty convinced that there is crack in that cake, because I can’t remember the last time I’ve put something that delicious in my mouth at a restaurant. It was warm and melty and rich and soft and felt like eating chocolate clouds from heaven. This is no exaggeration. I am appalled by how disgustingly good that cake was. Writing this review is making me want some right now…
I hope my trainier isn’t reading this.

Ok, so for happy hour there wasn’t much happy about it except for the people I was with. The happy hour choices were at the bare minimum with fried food and sushi being the only options for happy hour. I was surprised that a restaurant with such an extensive menu would fail to have many choices for the happy crew.
It’s location is not much better either as the place is away from the main gallery place strip and is off by itself.
Finally, the server seemed to have difficulty understanding that it would be hard for a group of over 20 people to pay using one bill. We passed it around so many times because three separate tables were there and none of us tracked each others orders. It’s a shame to because some of the other individuals serving the food and not taking orders or checks seemed were very good and personable to boot.
Oh and I mustn’t forget some of our group tried to order at the bar; big mistake. The bartender told them they had to close their tab and use the server if they were with our group.
Thankfully, good company made the experience bearable, but its definitely not going to be my hot stop anytime soon.

I love Buddha bar! I went most recently for drinks but I’ve also gone for dinner.
I actually prefer Buddha bar for dinner (rather than drinks) with the girls. I think since the appearance of the restaurant is so flashy, I expected this place to be all trend and no taste. How wrong I was! I got a steak appetizer, which was delicious. I also got a sushi roll, which I found very good as well. I rarely have sushi in DC, but I wouldn’t be afraid to try some sashimi at Buddha Bar, their ingredients were FRESH. I thought the portion sizes were great bang for your buck. I was full after 1 appetizer and 1.5 sushi rolls.
The drinks could use a bit of improvement here, with dozens of new great cocktail bars in DC there is stiff competition. At my most recent visit to Buddha Bar my friend and I order champagne cocktail with strawberries. While it was good, my friend pointed out it was no different than a cocktail she could throw together in her apartment. Maybe it was just this drink but it didn’t seem like the caliber of the food and atmosphere matched the quality of the libations.
The atmosphere is no doubt the selling point for Buddha Bar. This restaurant is an Asian inspired wonderland complete with a giant gold Buddha. The lounge area has luxurious looking sofas, perfect for a date or get together with the girls. They play eastern inspired lounge/​electronics music, mostly I’d assume from their CD collection.
I love lounge and house music so this is a sure plus for me. They do enforce a dress code– I’ve wanted to stop by at a whim and they sometimes will not let men in without appropriate shoes.

I absolutely did not meet any pretentious staff here! From the front desk to our server, everyone was very friendly and down to earth!
The sushi was not very fresh but the singapore noodles and spring rolls were great! The sesame sticks as dessert were a nice closing touch!
Having gotten the food review out of the way, the real reason I came to Buddha-​Bar is because I’m a huge fan of the music and have been to BB in Paris and Praha. The lounge area was spacious with beautiful chandeliers and comfortable seating!

I’ve been to Tao and Buddha Bar in NYC so I already knew what to expect.
They did a pretty good job with the interior, considering its just large empty space made from concrete. I liked that kind of low-​lighting so it was enjoyable for me.
Wow — the hostesses are SOOOOO rude and unwelcoming. The little snot gave us a visual review as if she was Anna Wintour from Vogue. I wanted to say «Sweetie, its Wednesday night, hardly anyone is inside and we are adults dressed for dinner. Lose the «I’m-going-to-run-the-fashion-world-someday» Attitude because its making me yawn.
We went during Restaurant Week, but we didn’t know it until we arrived. We ordered off of the regular menu.
Wrong orders brought to us, but the right order was quickly brought to the table. I was actually surprised at the quality of the food and the portions.
Service sucked. I had to look at a dirty table across from me for more than half of our meal before the busboy cleaned it up. Our server seemed to be like a moth flittering around a flame, because every time he would get just close enough that he may be to hear us if we actually needed something, he quickly flew away.
I was so annoyed just to get more water. Perhaps if they served it in adult sized glasses rather than they serve it in tiny little Dixy cup sized glasses. I wouldn’t have to ask for more. But perhaps if they had servers and/​or busboys who would notice this small detail it wouldn’t be a big deal. (my photo of the tables — look closely: the glass in the front is the water glass, not the candle holder)
After dinner we went to the bar for one more drink. The bartender couldn’t care less because he was busy paying attention to… himself. He was making some specialty drink and seemed like he was modeling the whole production after Tom Cruise in Cocktail which was awkwardly embarrassing.
The bar stools are very weird in regard to size and how they fit into the enormous bar. Design flaw, but these kind of places are not designing the space for people to be comfortable — they design they so they are visually exciting (who cares about the people!)
The crowd: I wish I could offer a description, but it was very mixed: tourists, people trying to get a deal for restaurant week, very loud young drunk girls, older couples, dates, etc. Pretty mixed crowd overall.
I do know that the ladies next to us at the table had some major issues with the bill. Which is fine — that happens. What I DID NOT APPRECIATE is overhearing the serving making snarky remarks about the ladies after they left to the other servers and busboy. Grow up gentleman. People work hard for their money so if they are questioning something on the bill, handle it with class and move on.
It was a one time thing and is pretty much what you get at Tao or Buddha Bar in NYC so none of this stuff was startling, except how much we actually liked the food. LOL
Staff and attitudes: ZERO
Pleasantly surprised by food and portion size: 4 stars
Price: About what I expected for a theme restaurant
Irony: Western Culture using an Eastern, non-​drinking religion as a theme celebrated with alcohol, abrasive behaviour and using a Golden Buddha as decoration.

If you’re willing to spend the money, do it! Good sushi, nice service, wonderful ambience. Pretty good, but moreso cause I was with a great group of friends. It’s rare to find a place ideal for such gatherings, but this was it. We were pretty much the only ones there, but the DJ was awesome. Our waitress was on top of things. Since it was empty, it seemed awkward for us to stay any longer than we’d initially planned which was a bummer.
Everytime I go it’s either completely empty or completely packed with every obnoxious person in the area who like to pretend or show off that they’re ballin.’ I clearly have a love/​hate relationship w/​this place. I don’t get what all the negative reviews about the food are for. Who goes to a place like Buddha Bar for food?!? The food is average, but good for what it is. You go to drink socially! And that is pretty easy to do here.
Pretty cool place and location. But again, for the money, you could probably go elsewhere and have just as great an experience with less holes in your pocket.

I am a woman of many hats. Some nights I’m glamorous. Nails done, hair done, in things I’ve paid for full price. Other nights I’m business casual. I’ve had a rough day and need a place to have a drink and unwind after work. But most nights, I’m decent and just need a classy spot to hang out and party.
Buddha Bar never fits. No matter what hat I wear, I always feel out of place. And I’m not the only one. On any night you’ll see post-​work people, ready-​for-​da club people, and random confused/​excited looking tourists. No one seems to know what to make of this place, but everyone just plays along, pretending to have a fabulous time.
I don’t get it. The location makes absolutely no sense. The music is dreadful. You can’t dance/​bounce/​sway. And the bar area takes up ¹⁄₇ of the restaurant but it’s where 90% of patrons congregate. Yes the sushi is amazing and so are their cocktails, blah blah blah. Does any of that matter if everyone in a restaurant/​bar is awkward? When the prices are so high it hurts?
Am I being harsh? Yes, but I have good reason.
Once on a Saturday night, I came here with a handful of people. We used the valet. It was 1am. We asked to be seated. They told us the kitchen was closed. We asked to be seated in the (empty) bar area. Waitress said we have to order a bottle, or have a minimum tab of $$$. Maybe 13 other people were in the restaurant. We told her we were done with the hard-​drinking for the night and wanted a nice place to lounge. 5 minutes later the waitress tells us she’ll do this ‘favor’ for us just this once and let us sit.
Excuse you.
There are dozens of better options in this city for the type of experience Buddha Bar is attempting. Skip this location. You deserve better.

Hit up Buddah Bar DC for a relaxed early Friday night dinner with the boyfriend and really enjoyed myself. The sushi was fresh and delicious (the boyfriend is really picky about his sushi and thought it was on par with Kushi) and so was their Miso Cod.
While the prices are high (as noted in other reviews) the portions are HUGE and service prompt and friendly so all in all still a good value in my opinion. The only thing that took away from our meal was the décor/​atmosphere was was dark, very dark, and cheesy. I can only describe the interior as an over the top «trying too hard to be sexy» mashed up cartoon Asian opium den meets French bordello.

All of the prior adjectives used to describe Buddha-​Bar are correct: sexy, trendy, and posh definitely come to mind when thinking about the ambience and décor of this dimly lit, dark-​walled lounge with a huge gold Buddha in the middle, and a neon-​lit frosted glass DJ booth above the restaurant. Restrooms are dark and modern, but very clean, and with floor-​length stalls. However, a few other words come to mind as well: snobby and pretentious. It is one thing to be high-​end; it is quite another to be downright rude, which most of the staff I have dealt with are. The hostess and doorman are great; the wait staff and management — not so much. I’ve experienced issues with the check, with staff telling me I need to order bottle service at p.m. on a Friday (when I know that table minimums do not start until 9:30 on Friday), and inattentive, haughty service.
Everything was fine the first time — Thursday for happy hour, which is drinks only, but lasts until 8. Service was not so good, but the food and drinks were delicious. The Bubbly Pears are delicious, strong, and go down easy. I loved my Hamachi maki — seaweed had a crispness to it, and the Hamachi melted in my mouth. Overpriced, yes, but this is Buddha-​Bar. Noodles were not bad either, and the chocolate cake was tasty. However, the server charged us for an extra drink on the check, and we finally had to involve the management to get it rectified.
Unfortunately, when I came back on a Friday evening two weeks later, I had the same server. She already put me in a bad mood by telling me I could not sit at the lounge tables, because they were all reserved, even though reservations do not start until 8. The funny thing is, when I left at 9:30, there was barely anyone in the place, let alone the lounge. Again, I had to involve management. Again, service was inattentive and rude. The food was good though — Vietnamese spring rolls were tasty, and the calamari was perfectly fried, and I enjoyed the salad that came with it. I loved my drink — the Red Bubbles, which is some sort of bubbles with a strawberry.
If you take away the bad service, I actually enjoyed my experience here. Delicious food and drink, good music, nice décor, hip crowd — I’ve had good times. But for the price you pay, the service should be beyond reproach.

I have been here twice:
once when it just opened and we went late night for the bar; not a great experience.
once last week to get sushi outside; food was not good. We got 6 different sushi rolls and not a single one was impressive, and they are NOT cheap!
I did enjoy my cocktail and the calamari app as well as dining outside. I will prob be back for a drink for HH if there is an available table, but ONLY then!

Their dark interior décor was a refreshing change of weekend scenery for me. Modern edge vibe but not too over the top. I loved their lounge area with the low tables and cushioned plush seats. I wanted to go to the lounge since the bar was packed but it was RSVP that night (normally its first come first serve) and we found seats at the bar about a minute later.
Their calamari and sauce was delicious. It came with jalapenos which kinda threw me off but it was interesting. Their drinks were awesome as well, I completely forgot the name what we ordered (!!!) but it was from the Long Drink list. He had no problem substituting cinnamon out of my drink with something else.
We must have been the youngest ones there. The crowd was a good mixture of people just enjoying themselves. No creepers, no hooligans.
Excellent bartenders there btw. :)

Aside from the décor and ambiance, I really wonder what this place could actually offer. The food is a little bit too pricey, the drinks are too expensive, and the food is nothing extraordinary.
Good food, not great or anything to crave or coming back for. Didn’t order any drinks since we thought it was really overpriced. Nice décor with great ambiance. Maybe it was a great place to socialize by ordering one drink or one dessert and make a conversation. One of the places that give you an excuse to dress well or something? Doesn’t apply to me since I dress well everyday anyway.

I’ll give this place a 3.5.
FIVE STARS for the bartender that served us and two stars for the lazy hostess.
Hostess (2 stars, but really should be 0 stars) — I walked in and asked for a table. The hostess told me that I could just sit at the bar. I requested a table, and I got the sense that she was too lazy to show me to a table. I also asked her a question, and she said that she didn’t know the answer. Fair enough. But I assumed that she would ask a co-​worker. Instead, she told me that I can ask someone else. So I said, «Ok, I thought you’d check for me, but I guess I’ll have to do it myself.» If management from Buddah Bar is reading this… she’s Asian with long hair. She was the hostess on the evening of ³⁄₂₄. I would fire her, but you can write her up to be nice. I understand about the rough economy and all.
On to the 5 star bartender!
So I didn’t catch her name, but she was also working on 3/​24, Asian and had her hair in a ponytail. She was sooo nice, very truthful and on point about the menu. She gave us great recommendations that we definitely took! Buddah Bar can seem like a pretentious place, but she made me feel like I was in a neighborhood bar. If I lived closer to Buddah Bar, I would be a regular… skip the lame hostess, and go straight to the bar!
Btw…great spider roll!!! I LOVE soft shell crab!!!
I also had the Buddah Roll… if you pick the rice off sushi, then this is the roll for you. It doesn’t have rice!!! It’s wrapped in a cucumber.
My only other suggestion aside from firing the hostess without the mostess, is that I wish the menu provided descriptions of some of the sushi rolls that aren’t so common. However, if the wait staff doesn’t mind describing all of them, then that works for me!!!

Pretty environment, pretty «meh» food.
This is a very striking bar. You have a «whoah» moment as you come in the entrance and realize how big the place is. and dark… The place is very attractive and, since this was Valentine’s Day dinner, just the right mood. And their drink selection was pretty good and tasty (I only had a sip of my GF’s cocktail (must resist a «that’s what she said»))
But…
For the price of the entrée’s, I was not impressed. Not really bad but also not really notable except for the calamari (with the yummy dipping sauce). Our main courses were solid and mildly seasoned (at almost 30 an item I would like more than that) and we had a side of Buddha Noodles (vegetarian lo mien). We didn’t try dessert as we had a yummy little cake that we had picked up the day before that was calling us.

I have been avoiding this place since they opened, because it has that nightclub sound to its name. However, after finally breaking down, I’m glad I did. The place is a cavern, but the soft furniture, lush curtains, and low mood lighting (without being dark) was very welcoming. They have broken up the space into different seating/​sitting areas to give it more warmth. Very relaxing yet energetic, like a really cool lounge.
But the truth is in the service and the food. Both lived up. Since there is a mix of small plates, sushi, and full entrees, I wasn’t sure which direction to go. Our waiter was very friendly and patient and made some great recommendations without being condescending. We ordered an awesome drink — all I can remember is it had Knob Creek bourbon and crème de coco… and some other stuff! Lemme tell you — whoever told you chocolate and bourbon do not make a great drink, is dead wrong. Wait — who would ever say that???
I started with the Crunchy Rice sushi at the recommendation of our waiter — it was very fun… the spicy tuna was actually a mince and spread on top of a crunchy, fried white rice cube… an explosion of taste and texture!
For my entrée, it was Soy Braised Red Snapper «Nabemono». A wicker basket of delicately poached snapper… a bit less exciting than I was expecting, but fresh and tasty. I’m not a bok choy fan, and there was a bit too much of it on the side of my fish.
My partner got the oney Soy Roasted Peking Duck which was excellent — yes, I «tasted» about half of it! Crunchy, tender, well cooked… mmmM!
The bar scene was chill yet attractive. I’d go back for either or both!

Food: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Cleanliness: ⁵⁄₅
Décor & Style: ⁵⁄₅
This place is actually one of the best in DC IF you’re a working adult with $$$ =)
This is actually the newest restaurant of its chain and the only one in America! The other’s are in Paris, London, Cairo, Dubai, and other cosmopolitan cities of the world.
The way they make their food is like no other. I’m no connoisseur, but order something off the entrée menu and there is something to the taste I can’t describe. I’ve been here twice but have not tried the sushi yet.
Typical fancy place with high prices and small portions. Awesome décor.

Melts in your mouth… the sushi that is!
I love a place that sets the mood for my meal! The ambiance is great, service was quick and our server was very attentive! We even had nick names for each other. I was his «lady» and he was my «man» I love having a great time with the servers — makes the experience better!
The Buddha Roll was my favorite — any roll wrapped in cucumber — I’M A FAN! My sushi melted in my mouth — it was divine!
Next trip: Happy Hour!

I went here for NYE and they had a 3 course meal for $ 100.
To sit down in a restaurant and pay $ 100 I don’t expect the champagne to be served in a plastic glass!
I ordered the vegetarian menu very excited that they had one. However it was a very small serving, the restaurant needs to realize that with no protein (tofu) in a dish, the serving size should be a normal portion, not tapas size. I got vegetables in curry however half the vegetables were cocktail onions. It just wasn’t a substantial meal at all! Very disappointed.
A couple friends of mine wanted to meet us for dinner so they called the restaurant asking if they could join our reseravation and the restaurant told her «they couldn’t guarantee seating». Yet when we arrived for dinner the restaurant was empty.

Ever walk into a place and get the feeling that you just –belong– there? That’s how Buddha Bar made me feel. Maybe it was because I was dressed to the nines, my hair was looking great (!), and my heels were high! I was one of the beautiful people for the evening. I belonged at Buddha Bar. Mmmm hmmm.
After a Lillet blonde w/​proseco, other friends and family arrived. We all looked around (some in awe) at the surroundings: the red orange shades on the chandelier w/​coordinating tassels dangling below, the overstuffed armchairs, banquettes, and ottomans in coordinating jacquard, the velvet ottomans, the low lighting, and most of all, the giant Buddha overseeing the whole place.
Surprise! The Guest of Honor arrived! Yay! All of the «hellos» and «how-do-you-do’s». All of the air-​kisses and cheek-​presses. All of the «you-look-great’s» and «haven’t-seen-you-in-forever’s»…
…whew! With that out of the way, the smartly dressed staff started bringing out the appetizers: Beef Satay with Thai Basil Cream (yum!),
Spicy Tiger Shrimp with Basil Sauce (double yum!), Salt & Pepper Calamari, Vietnamese «Vegetarian» Spring Rolls, and Edamame.
Add in some mood-​music and a few more Lillet blondes w/​proseco, and a fabulous time was had by all. I really enjoyed Angie Clay Thomas’ birthday party. And I’m a fan of Buddha Bar!