Budai Gourmet Chinese

this is my new favorite chinese spot. everything was so amazing i don't know where to even begin. the menu is pretty big, which is nice. they have duck on the menu which i don't eat but i know they don't have in a lot of places. i had the hot and sour soup, pork ribs (not the salted ones), onion pancake, eggrolls and crab rangoon. my partner had the pork belly and he was pretty crazy about it. none of it was too greasy and the flavor....how do i even describe it? it was this really nice blend of spices. i can't really put my finger on why it was so delicious but it was. it was kind of an east coast chinese dining experience. and of course the service was impeccable. i'm certainly going to be going back and will be working my way through everything i usually eat on the menu. i also noticed there are many regular customers who seem to have been coming for years. it's the best chinese food i've had in many years and definitely the best i've had in albuquerque.

In summary, it's flavorless, small-portioned, poorly timed, insufficiently packaged and the dining room is too warm. It's pricy for the quality and amount. The kitchen is slow. There is a surcharge for using a credit card. Pass on this place. The famous greeting was absent and they seemed stressed. The Yelp hours were not updated as of 10/2/24, suggested update. They were 15-10 minutes from closing at 3pm and reopen at 5pm. The petite Asian woman up front was adamant that we would have to come back another time. Oh well, we were just going by the Yelp hours. Now this rating is only based on how we were treated at the front desk. Flavorless or weak flavor in the general Tao and garlic sauces and canned sweet and sour sauce. The fried rice had very little carrots, egg, and no peas. But for now, we are going back to a great place up the road where we have always been welcome even near closing time, China Luck.

We celebrated the Lunar New Year at Budhai and enjoyed a few dishes we hadn't tried before. The shrimp dumplings are steamed to perfection. I ordered the chicken lo mien which is highly addictive. And Hubby had the Singapore noodles, which are very thin noodles that have some heat, as well as curry notes. We shared the flowering tea which is delicate in flavor and warms you up on a cold night. The restaurant was busy, but we felt the staff took good care of us.

Since I arrived in Albuquerque in 2009, I've eaten at Budai often and especially on Christmas Day for those of us who don't celebrate. The food had always been good and the service too. However, this past Christmas did not feel the same. We are used to the hour wait, no problem but the staff is down to only two servers who worked their tails off! The wait for the check was too long as the owner was running around hurriedly like that day just too much. Over time, a few table were either removed near the back but there is a family style round table for more than 6 folks. The good thing is that the menu is a set menu for the day. I think it's easier for the cook and staff as well. Bravo! However, this may be our last year there since the food did not meet our usual expectations. Thanks for the memories.

I've finally found my favorite Chinese restaurant! I went with a friend today and ordered the mini shrimp dumplings, ma po tofu (extra spicy), salt and pepper short ribs and beef stew in clay pot. Everything was so good and flavorful! The mini shrimp dumplings were soft, tender and tasty. The ma po tofu had little bits of pork in it and was full of umami flavor and soft tofu. It's the best I've had so far in NM. Salt and pepper short ribs were super tender inside with a light and crispy exterior and perfectly seasoned. There was no prim and proper way to eat them, so we just dug in. The beef stew in clay pot was impressive! It came sizzling to our table and the aroma!!! So flavorful with tender beef, Napa cabbage and clear glass noodles on the bottom. So very good! We had just missed the lunch rush. The service was polite and efficient. Our server seemed to be happy to see us enjoying our food so much. Very nice guy. We were so happy to be seated at a comfortable booth. So many restaurants seem too modern and almost sterile. This place has a warm and comfortable feel. This is a place we'll go out of our way to visit again. I can't wait to take my husband next time!

The service is very fast at this restaurant. I ordered and it came within 5 minutes. The prices are also probably average for places nowadays. I ordered a chicken dish and I found the chicken a little fatty. My friend ordered the same thing and loved hers if I come back I will probably only get vegetarian or tofu as the proteins I consider ordering.

This reviewer is split. I'm not sure if it was an off day for Budai for one member of our dinning experience but....My dinner was fabulous. Highly recommend garlic beef. The flavor was phenomenal. The other dinner ordered the beef stew in clay pot, I tried it-it was flat. Flavor wise. Not a big fan of it. Our table also tried the egg rolls, shrimp dumplings, and the green onion pancake. The shrimp dumpling was authentic and delicious (I felt like I was back in China visiting authentic). The egg rolls and pancake were over fried and oily. Can't help but wonder if there was two cooks or something with how different everything was. I would be willing to return, but my dining partner would not.

Tried the Pork Dumplings this time and they were perfectly cooked. Delicious. Budai Gourmet delivers!

Didn't know what to expect from Taiwanese cuisine in Albuquerque, but this was about it. Ordered ahead of time to-go and the dish was prepared within 15 minutes which was nice.I ordered the Beef Noodle Soup and the soup base itself was pretty good, spicy, and rich with flavor - maybe almost a bit too spicy. The noodles and other bits of the dish were forgettable. I felt like the beef they utilized wasn't quite right as usually in this dish, the beef is in the form of beef chunks not bulgogi-type beef cuts. The weirdest part about this dish was the fact that it was almost $20. Overall, this is what you would expect from Taiwanese cuisine in Albuquerque.

Stopped in to give this place a second try. Regretted it. Over an hour later the inside of my mouth still tastes of salt.Scallion Pancake - 2/5. This came out a bit burnt. We were very hungry, so we ate it anyway, but I wouldn't recommend it. Compares unfavorably to making one from a frozen packet at home.Cashew Chicken - 3/5 Edible, if a bit too salty. Taste was largely as one would expect from standard American Chinese fast food.Three Cup Chicken - 2/5 This recipe is supposed to be equal parts rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and does not call for thickening with starch. In this presentation of Three Cup Chicken, the soy sauce completely dominated the flavor of the other ingredients, and it was served with a thickened slurry of sauce. A very poor presentation of this dish. Rice - 2/5 Cold.At over $30 per person with tax and tip, I'd like to see Budai step up the quality of their offerings substantially before I feel comfortable recommending it.