Budai in Albuquerque - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Amazing food. Quick service and great atmosphere. The iced tea was horrible and old but the food was so amazing I can't even 4 star it for that. Get soda or water.

These guys have the best Chinese style restaurant in New Mexico. Great service, good quality food. Location itself needs some love but that’s forgivable if they keep it clean and orderly.

Delicious food. Polite server. He won't be disappointed.

Not as good as it was. Food was full of cornstarch and only one server no busboy.

The food was awful, overcooked and flavorless like no sauce. The vegetables in the egg roll were not cooked. The vegetables tasted frozen. I think the rice was left over from the day before it was really dry. It has so many good reviews that I wanted to try it, but I would never go back.

Delicious food here. It's hard to go wrong at this restaurant. I had potsticker with the main course of sweet and sour pork. Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavors we're amazing! I can't recommend it highly enough!

Always delicious and a great place if you are gluten free.

Excellent food in a small, intimate setting.

It was very hot inside No AC. the food was not fresh,everything was frozen made. the Shrimp was was not fresh it was smelly and it was very expensive. I really like Panda expess better at least the taste is way better and it's fresher. $80~$90for 2 people. I would not go in again.

I had the Mongolian Beef. The plate came with too much onions and a small portion of beef =( Definitely not worth the price.

Absolutely amazing find. Delicious and fairly priced. They are understaffed so it can take a little bit for everything to come out but they do a great job. 9/10 would recommend

Locally popular Chinese food. We shared wontons, noodles and fried rice.

Some of the best Chinese in ABQ! Be sure to check out the authentic Chinese menu as well as the regular one!

Some of the best Chinese food I've had. Especially the egg rolls and pot stickers

The food is overpriced and does not taste good. I would not recommend it.

Great food but inattentive service with order mixup and overcharged. Our soup did not come and after reminding the server, the owner apologized and noted that we already had finished our meal. Asked her that we really came for the "hot & sour soup" and told her we will take it with us. Came home and see that they gave us "egg drop soup". Not acceptable! Noticed that they still overcharge on tax. Not cool! 😭

I heard so much about it and was a bit disappointed. They were busy when we first got there. We got a table finally but I think they were short staffed or something. Our service wasn't that great. My food was rather bland and lacked flavor (Shrimp and Snowpeas). I was disappointed. I ordered a take out of sweet and sour pork. When we got home, my son ate it but the sauce was that awful canned red stuff and not a true sweet and sour sauce. I hope it was a bad nite and not typical of their food.

This is a very nice family-style place where the food is well-prepared and the staff is friendly. I'd call it a mix of authentic and American Chinese fare, and both kinds are well done. I look forward to exploring more of the menu in the future.

Food was excellent. Very clean place. They are having staff shortages.

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.

The food was delicious. We were a party of 5 and everyone was happy. The teapot was very difficult for someone with arthritis to lift.

Great mom and Pop 10 seat restaurant wonderful food fantastic service

We have enjoyed every visit to Budai, and especially appreciate how they're able to make most entrees gluten free. Their service is always friendly. The black pepper lamb may be perfection!

Gourmet Authentic Delicious I don't know what else to say. This place is just absolutely incredible. Fine-dining at its finest. Budai's Chinese cuisine in Albuquerque New Mexico is better than 99% of Chinese restaurants we've been to in Texas, California, New York and Washington. Outside of China, the only cities where you can find more authentic and tasty Chinese food than Budai is Vancouver Canada, Montreal, Singapore and Mauritius. 12/10 would recommend for first dates, second dates, 30th anniversaries, graduations, Christmas, Lunar New Year, Vesak Day and 4th of July.

This is my go to place for great Chinese tofu dishes. Never disappoints! If you want to try out their food, the lunch menu is fairly priced and delicious. Great place to go with a group, too!

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!

Amazing service - I get treated like family in here. And the food is top notch, so delicious and carefully made.

This little gem serves something very special....soup dumplings. Yes, they are smaller than usual however, the size allows for a full mouth bite size. The sauce is bomb. And they serve in stainless steel which is more sanitary than the bamboo steam things. If you're a new Yorker missing Chinatown, this is your place!

If you’re trying to satisfy a real Asian appetite such as Szechuan or similar and you like certain ingredients not found on the menu just ask the wife “Miss Elsa” and her amazing chef, husband to prepare for you your favorites- there probably going to spank me when they read this but those two owner operators have been preparing for me almost weekly my favorites all in one entree. Unbelievable is all I can say besides tasting delicious. What a great discovery. Check out this tucked away little piece of culinary Heaven you won’t be disappointed. See you next week for my usual! Try Budai “the bomb” Restaurant in the far north center with Sprouts and Petco.

Fourth visit, great Chinese food every time. Best ever. Whole family agrees.

I'm literally hooked on a dish they prepare especially for me. That's correct - they may not like this too much, but the owners will prepare something for you if they have the ingredients to do so. I'm stuck on the eggplant, chicken (no Broccoli) add a few bean sprouts and not too spicey! The absolute bomb dish! These owners will do everything to make you what you want. And the quality is amazing. If you want the very best in Asian food, look no farther than Budai. Open their front door with a hard pull and come taste the best in Albuquerque.

Okay, one of our appetizers was overcooked, but I'm still giving a full five stars because everything else about the meal was A++!. Like so many restaurants in this post-covid era, Budai had a posting on the wall apologizing for being shortstaffed and asking for patience with the working staff. Well, the place was packed (understandably so as we would soon find out), and yet we still immediately received an enthusiastic welcome and seating. Our waiter was hustling, but was still friendly, helpful, and efficient. Our other appetizer was stellar. Both my wife and I ordered not-the-usual Chinese menu items and they were both off the hook special. Between the delightful treatment and the stellar food, we both left with big smiles on our faces. Worth every penny and then some.

the food was great, the service good, but it is pricey for chineese. They do a lot of broccoli, which is fine by me. We had the garlic eggplant and two others. All was good

After our disappointing attempt to get service at Tula's kitchen here in Albuquerque, we came to our favorite backup! Best Chinese food in town! Immediate service, they acknowledge your presence, And we got our food in less than 10 minutes!

Utterly sensational!! A delightful taste !

Service was excellent, food is delicious 😋

The staff is always so pleasant and the food is great! You must try the vegetable fried rice 💜

Judging this by the way it looks haven't tried

Great food ... but rarely go. If they ever start taking takeout orders online, I'll be going much more often.

Great food, great service. They always take care of you with a smile on their face

The food was good. Excellent fried rice. The servers were attentive. Price is ok. I didn't like to be charged for the fried rice because I didn't want the white rice. They should give you options. But, all around good place. I'll go back.

Best east Asian in albuqierque!!!!

Definitely not the typical Albuquerque Chinese cuisine. Definitely a cut above. Absolutely my favorite Chinese restaurant! I highly recommend! 👍

They are so kind and the food filled a hole I had in my soul.

I ordered the bu bu platter appetizer which was great. Had Mongolian Duck for my entree. It was great with the right amount of chile spice. A very good meal and service. Went with three guests and the all loved what they ordered. I will definitely come back.

When I arrived, the place was packed. While I waited, I got to look at themenu and order "to give the kitchen a head start", while they were readying a table. The food arrived post haste, and it was phenomenal. The sauces were so rich and delicious and the portions were quite generous. Would recommend 9/10.

The only Chinese food Spot I'd recommend in ABQ.. This is coming from a TrU Bay Area Native. San Francisco BnR..

Incredible flavor. Each dish is prepared with care. This place is much better than any other Chinese restaurant in Albuquerque. Try the mini soup dumplings and tea-leaf smoked chicken or duck... your mouth will thank you.

Always love going here. The Mini Pork buns are fantastic and get them every time I go. After living in DC for a few years, we moved back and I dragged my husband to Budai. As always, the food and service did not disappoint. The mini steamed soup buns still amazing. The special was Tea Leaf Smoked Chicken. It was cooked impeccably and was just so tender and delicious I wish I loved closer so we could order from here more regularly.

Great food and great service. I was a little disappointed in how the menu is set up. That everything is el-acart, not even rice is included with the entree. I wanted the Kung Pao Chicken, but the veggies were too basic. The sweet and sour chicken was all breading. Also my entrees were much smaller than others served, because I was one person? Yet I paid the same as everyone else. $52 was pricey for the quality and quantity of the food. I had better food, that included the rice and soup elsewhere. Just a heads up Google fans.

Great staff with really wonderful gluten free options!

If you are looking for good Asian food try a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant which are, on average, much better than the Chinese food places in town. Budai isn't bad, as such, its actually OK. A little bit better than Chopstix. It's just that unless your must have Chinese food American style there are much better Asian restaurants in town to target your taste buds and lighten your wallet. Go to Coda Bakery, Thai Vegan, or some other place. You'll be happier.

Great food and excellent prices. Very small space so be prepared to wait for a table if it's busy! They are currently very short staffed but even then we didn't wait too long for our appetizers or meals. Recommended!

Always outstanding service, great selection and outstanding food!

The _ung pao duck and the pork belly are delicious!

In my opinion, this is the best Chinese restaurant in Albuquerque.

Very disappointing, and we will not return. So sorry to have wasted our money, where they would not even stand by their inferior delivery of food. Not even an attempt to satisfy their paying customer. At this time it pains me to give a bad review, but it also pains me to spend money when it is not worthy. I understand that restaurants are struggling, and I do hope that with a review to suggest improving in certain areas, it might be beneficial to the enterprise. Thank you.

Got take-out for the first time last week and it was very good. Lots of fresh veggies (not over cooked, either), standard portion size for a Chinese restaurant. The price seemed kind of high ($55 for shrimp fried rice, sweet sour chicken, cashew chicken, 2 small egg rolls) but at least it was good!

I've been to Budai twice already. Their food is really good. I will keep going back. The only complaint I have is that my last visit. It was hot in there.

First time ordering and I must say it was very delicious! Huge portion of food ! Just the right amount of flavor will be returning !

Some of the best Chinese food in Albuquerque!

Exceptional Chinese cuisine. Period.

I really liked it here. The service was fast and friendly, and the food was incredible. A lot of vegetarian options too. Just top-notch all around.

The best Chinese cuisine in abq. We have loved everything we have ordered but have a particular fondness for the sesame chicken and the fried rice. We have never been disappointed and the people working there are all lovely. Definitely check this place out!

Amazing food and great service! Able to make almost anything on their menu can be made gluten free.

Delicious food and friendly service. Very accommodating for gluten free- my fiance got the general tso's chicken gluten free and he said it was some of the best general tso's he's ever had.

Love this place. The food tastes so fresh and is delicious. Service was really good, too. Our go-to place fir Chinese cuisine.

Nice place I had egg drop soup, chicken with cashews, rice, and egg roll. Good and tasty with decent service. Great experience will be back again.

The best Chinese restaurant in New Mexico!! The staff here are kind, courteous and knowledgeable regarding food allergies. The restaurant is kept clean and in good working order. The decor is attractive and interesting. The food is absolutely delicious. There are so many options that either are gluten free or can be made that way. One only needs to ask. This place is always my go to. My personal favorites are te Singapore Noodles and garlic wings.

The food is delicious and authentic. We shared several dishes family style. Service was also great! I'll definitely be back.

Best Chinese in ABQ!!! Been here several times and have always enjoyed the food. Good veggie options too. Staff is very friendly, great casual dinner spot.

Wow, fantastic authentic Chinese food. The Mongolian chicken isn't sweet and sticky like the junk you find elsewhere. The Taiwanese fried chicken is authentic, delicious, and perfect. Not oily at all, crunchy and perfectly seasoned. So excited to go back.

Tasty food, made fresh, and the owner is very friendly and treats you like family. Great place to eat, best Chinese in Abq, hands-down.

I always have great experiences at this place. The food is tasty and the service is always lovely. Highly recommend!

Great place for authentic Chinese. Waitress was super nice!

So amazing! The Taiwanese dishes are amazing, make me want to visit the country. The owners are amazing people who have worked so hard for so many years and don't seem to plan to quit very soon.

Best Chinese food in town but they are idiots, they close at 800 on Satuedays. Take your date somewhere else

This restaurant is tremendous! The food is always prepared fresh and not microwaved. The twice cooked pork is spectacular. My favorite Chinese restaurant.

I've tasted duck for the first time this year. I was hooked. I was so happy to find that Budai has a couple duck dishes. I always order their Sa Cha Duck, it is soooo good. I didn't try the other duck dish because it's is spicy and I don't do spicy. I highly recommend the Sa Cha Duck..

Fresh ingredients and cooked to order. Delicious. I'd go back for the mini pork buns alone!

Outstanding unique dishes! Our dinner started with the Five-Spiced Honeyed Ribs as our appetizer. 4 delicious, juicy, meaty ribs. I have never had anything like them, and I have eaten more than my share of Chinese food. We had 3 entrées which I will list in ascending excellence. The Sweet & Sour Pork was fresh, crisp, plentiful and tasty with loads of vegetables. (The also have Sweet & Sour Chicken). We tried the Spinach Beef, in part because I never heard of the dish. It consisted of thin rectangles of stir fried beef on a bed of sautéed spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Fantastic! The best dish was the Orange Peel Shrimp, which again was nee to me. The were plenty of fat delectable shrimp mixed in with vegetables that soaked in the sauce! Especially the broccoli! (They also have Orange Peel Chicken). This will be my Chinese restaurant of choice in Albuquerque.

Outstanding unique dishes! Our dinner started with the Five-Spiced Honeyed Ribs as our appetizer. 4 delicious, juicy, meaty ribs. I have never had anything like them, and I have eaten more than my share of Chinese food. We had 3 entrées which I will list in ascending excellence. The Sweet & Sour Pork was fresh, crisp, plentiful and tasty with loads of vegetables. (The also have Sweet & Sour Chicken). We tried the Spinach Beef, in part because I never heard of the dish. It consisted of thin rectangles of stir fried beef on a bed of sautéed spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Fantastic! The best dish was the Orange Peel Shrimp, which again was nee to me. The were plenty of fat delectable shrimp mixed in with vegetables that soaked in the sauce! Especially the broccoli! (They also have Orange Peel Chicken). This will be my Chinese restaurant of choice in Albuquerque. Great food!

Was nice to dine in. The staff is so friendly and helpful. Good food and enough for leftovers.

Just recently moved to NEW MEXICO and. After trying at least 5 different Chinese restaurants in Albuquerque, This is by far the best. I should have done more research in the beginning before spending my $ elsewhere.

Fresh and tasty! 10/10 service, very genuine and kind! kind of pricy but very large portions!

I had the chicken and pineapples and it was different. AbsolutelyDelicious🤤 I love the spin they put on the meal by putting the chicken and sauce inside a half of a pineapple🍍Great dining experience😋

Excellent food. Excellent Service.

Best family style Chinese food in town!!!!! My favorite is the pineapple chicken

The lady (Elsa) here always puts a smile on my face! She is so nice and takes her time to get the order right. Place is always clean and food is delicious. I don’t really care for Chinese food but this place has great food and service!

Wonderful food and good service 😊

Based on past experiences we all ordered the flounder dishes - two steamed and two crispy. They were quite good. Very fresh, tender and light. The accompanying vegetables snd sauces were very tasty.

Excellent food and great service.

This is incredible. I've unfortunately been gluten free for about 15 years now and have never had a gluten free Chinese meal that was impressive. I got the gluten free General Tao chicken and not only was it the best gluten free Chinese dish I've ever had, it was the best Chinese dish I've ever had, period. Can't recommend this enough, so damn good.

I used to come to this place back when I was in college and recently moved back. I was glad to see it was still open. Food was great but would be better eaten at restaurant vs takeout

We had lunch here today. My husband had the Mongolian Beef and thought it was some of the best he's had. We shared a green onion pancake, the one item that was ok rather than great. It was a little doughy inside but still tasty. I had black bean sauce squid and loved it. The sauce was very flavorful and everything was cooked well. Vegetables were not overcooked and added to the flavors. I also had the pork soup dumplings and really enjoyed them (had to take some home; I got rather full.) The only reason for 4 rather than 5 stars was the pancake. Our actual rating is 4 and a half.

My husband traveled to Taiwan and returned raving about delicious dumplings called Xio Long Bao (soup filled). We both traveled to Seattle and dined at Din Tai Fong (based out of Taiwan) that also serves delicious Xio Long Bao. Today, we tried Budai and we are speechless!! They have DELICIOUS soup filled pork buns(dumplings). We can't wait to return!

I love this place. The owner is nice, the food taste good and is an authentic Chinese restaurant near my house.

I'm Chinese American and I lived in Houston and the California Bay Area. So... my standards for Chinese food are really high. Budai actually serves authentic Chinese and Taiwanese food!!!! They have the standard Chinese American fare that you find in regular Chinese restaurants (sweet and sour chicken, etc). But they ALSO serve dishes that people like my mom would want to eat - things that are similar to what she would order if she was in a restaurant in Taiwan. I had given up on finding authentic Chinese food in Albuquerque, so this was a pleasant surprise! If you want to expand your palate, ask them for suggestions, I'm sure they can help you find dishes that aren't too challenging but are a bit different than normal fare!

Owner takes orders and HEARS you...makes your meal to order most deliciously and leans more to traditional Chinese cooking IF you request...especially off menu items they provide xiolongbao dumplings for example...magnificent!

This is without a doubt the best Chinese restaurant in Albuquerque. The owner is friendly and the food is authentic and delicious. Ask for the hidden Taiwanese menu if you are feeling more adventurous. Check this place out. You will not be disappointed. Budai offers Chinese food of a quality found only in larger cities.