Buda Gourmet

Food (garlice sauce squid) was very tasty. Service was a little lacking but to be fair, they have signs up stating they are short on staff and to please be kind. To explain, I was never offered water or given my check until I went to register. Room temp was uncomfortably warm but that could just have been me. Overall, it was good food and the people were courteous enough.

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!

Came here for lunch. There were signs posted that the restaurant is short-staffed, and requested patience. There was one server for the whole restaurant. We did have to wait about 10 minutes for her to take our order. While waiting, I noticed that the server waited on customers in the order they were seated. Well done! Once we ordered, our food came out quickly and was delicious! It was well worth the brief wait. We will be back.

On Sunday August 6th, 2023, my grandfather and I went to Budai as it was an all time favourite of his. He would reminisce about coming here with all his friends and enjoying a whole fish. However our experience that night wasn’t that pleasant. The food was good, however my grandfather received two stones in his food. The first one he didn’t think much of and ate it thinking it was a peppercorn, however, the second one, he took out of his mouth and realized it was a stone. We called the waiter over who confirmed it was a stone. The waiter then called his manager Elsa over, to see what the next steps would be. The manager said that since all the food was almost finished (2 plates, Curry Chicken and Kung Pao Shrimp), there’s nothing she can do and that it would have to be an insurance claim. Right after, she left and came back with the bill claiming that we would have to pay the full amount since the plates were almost finished. My grandfather stated that we should receive some sort of compensation for their wrongdoing. Elsa said that she won’t do anything because he already ate one stone, and didn’t eat the other one. My grandfather refused to pay the bill as he felt that he shouldn’t have to due to the contaminated food. Elsa then forced us to leave, and stated that she would be suing us.