The Wandering Buddha

The best (and presently only) totally vegan restaurant in New Orleans. I don’t even know where to begin.
I had never had Korean food until I tried their food out, and I was immediately enamored with the insane flavors, colors, textures– everything! I met them through my ex business partner while doing vegan brunches, and when we found out they were doing a vegan restaurant, we immediately set our calendars to their opening date. Before I had a car, I would only be able to go when I could convince who I was with to stop by so we could grab some delicious eats, and when I finally got a car, they had closed.
But! They didn’t give up! They did a month-​long pop up once a week at La Divina, and are now, from what I understand, working Mondays and Tuesdays at Bridge Lounge on Magazine Street. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

This is my favorite restaurant in New Orleans. I am not vegan, but have a dairy allergy so eating out in in New Orleans is usually an adventure in frustration. Many places claim to be sensitive to the needs of people with food allergies, but more than not this is just lip service. Everything the Wandering Buddha makes is their own and truly vegan. The food is fantastic and the staff is superlative. They are moving from the Hi-​Ho lounge to a new location and we eagerly await what comes next for them!

Really, though, it’s vegan AND Korean, two categories that are typically scarce in this city. Despite not being vegan nor having had much Korean in my time, I’d say Wandering Buddah takes the (scallion pan-​) cake!
Choose what you will, but do not miss out on that homemade chai! Hot or cold, this drink is practically dessert!
I’m still reaping the benefits of the amount of food they give– hello, leftovers!- and savoring the once hot glass noodle dish as a cold salad. I’m sad to hear they’re moving from Hi-​Ho Lounge but excited because a new spot in on the horizon! Definitely worth a visit as soon as possible.
Also, I got a high five at the end of the meal. IT DOES NOT GET BETTER THAN THAT.

Wow. Ordered delivery from here the other night and everything I got was outstanding. After eating heavy New Orleans food for a week or two my system was in need of some delicious veggies. And this was definitely the place to get them. I had the stir-​fried rice cake with vegetables and it was the perfect amount of spice and flavor and a great assortment of vegetables.
Though, I did indulge and get the dessert pancake too. It was filled with brown sugar, cinammon, and walnuts. It was sweet, sticky, and oh so satisfying.

Wandering Buddha, I admire you greatly! In a town where you can count the number of Korean restaurants on one hand (that is, not fusion) and where you can count the number of vegan, g/​f restaurants on… one finger (just Wandering Buddha), all I can say is damn, you blow me away.
The food is top fucking notch. I can’t stop thinking about the braised tofu dish that you’ll see as the main biz pic above. In fact, just looking at it is making me damn hungry.
But first, let’s talk chai. The best I’ve ever had and no, it’s not some crap out of a box or bottle. Homemade, baby! Not too sweet, perfectly spicy and it has soy milk. Now please bottle it and sell it, people… (FYI, they do sell their kim chee).
My favorite apps so far: the scallion pancake (I can’t believe it doesn’t contain eggs!) and the veg dumplings, which although deliciously fried, are done so in rice bran oil. They don’t take cheap shortcuts here. You’re getting healthy, divine food.
On to the braised tofu. I love how there are little scoops of veggies gracing the plate alongside the tofu, seemingly dancing a culinary Hava Nagila around a perfect scoop of rice in the middle. A sight to behold, but more importantly, a delight to the taste buds (especially that spinach, which reminds me of a better tasting oshitashi, since there isn’t any fish sauce fowling it up). Can’t. Stop. Thinking. About it. I’ve said that already. That’s OK. It bears repeating.
I just want to note that I’m so damn lucky to have this place walking distance from my house. Plus I just love the Hi-​Ho Lounge atmosphere, so it’s all a win-​win: take out or dine in!

Visiting New Orleans there are few vegetarian friendly restaurants. I was happy to find Wandering Buddha and their many vegan options. In fact everything on the menu is vegan and you still get legit Korean food. The food is reasonably priced and everything is made fresh to order. They also deliver for those coming from out of town. A must see… try their Chai Tea.
The only recommendation I have is expanding and hiring another waiter. When it gets busy the wait can be long though I can’t complain because everything was fresh and really good. It is cash only, no credit card. They do make it clear on website.

Last year, a friend and I gave up eating animal products for Lent. This mostly meant either cooling for myself, or engaging in long drawn out explanations of what could and could not be on my salad when I went to restaurant (And they usually got it wrong).
Wandering Buddha saved us. The food is so good, it made us forget we were fasting! I even took my super carnivore friends here, and they never missed the meat. I now describe myself as a nonpracticing Vegan because I love to eat the food here, and exploring all the vegan delicacies.

The food here is so tasty and so unique for New Orleans. I have tried most of the entrees and recommend the rice cake dish the most. On my first visit the server, Christion, described the texture to me starting with «I wouldn’t say it’s disconcerting…» I’d say it’s close to gnocchi or fresh pasta; chewy and almost melty. And the kimchi that comes with all the entrees is absolutely delicious.
Everyone also needs to try the seaweed soup and whatever homemade sorbet they have at the moment. If you feel like ordering a lot, go for the lettuce wraps as well. The flavor is excellent, although it’s kind of a lot of rice.
As others have pointed out, if you dine in you’ll be eating in a bar or in back of a bar, so don’t expect anything fancy. It’s worth it for the food and hospitality though.

The Wandering Buddha is definitely high on my list of places to eat. The food is excellent and they were one of the first restaurants to pioneer the vegan movement in New Orleans. Staff is always friendly and quick to offer suggestions. Prices aren’t dirt cheap but healthy organic and vegan ingredients cost more than inexpensive food filled with preservatives. The highest priced entrée is $ 12. If you’re seeking good grub and that «real Bywater experience» look no further this is it — The Wandering Buddha is tucked away behind the Hi Ho Lounge on historic St. Claude Avenue.
Even if you’re not a vegan or vegetarian I guarantee you’ll love this place. Don’t be fooled by the cliché statement «vegan food is probably bland and tasteless» because it’s not and The Wandering Buddha’s Korean twist is bursting with flavor. Do your body and taste buds a favor, check this place out. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Oh and Feldman A., let me guess — you grew up in Metairie?

The Wandering Buddha has great food for vegans and omnivores. The waiter and co-​founder is very friendly and works hard. For a person with a large sweet tooth, I love the vegan ice creams and chai they make in house! The ginger ice cream is awesome.
This is an great place to support– then hopefully they can move into their own place and keep spreading vegan love with tasty Korean food.

Small menu, well executed. Nice folks who care about what they do. They really do. Food is good and tasty without being overwhelmingly good. No matter; it’s good. The restaurant is in the middle of a slightly scary urban neighborhood. A little scary. The restaurant is itself a little bit deconstructed… entrance of the side street; the kitchen is kind of an afterthought tacked on the back of a bar; the «dining room» is a somewhat covered patio strewn with detritus that looks out on a construction site, complete with porta potty. Various neighborhood toughs and semi-​scary people wander by regular intervals. The Wandering Buddha should most certainly wander to a better location if it has the chance.

It seems as if there has been a sudden growth of vegetarian-​friendly restaurants in New Orleans. For years we used to complain that there were few «healthy» options for dining out. There is no doubt New Orleans has an eclectic dining scene that produces delicious, original, and thoughtful, plates of food. But until recently there did not seem to be much by way of vegetarian options. I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan, but me and my wife both prefer to eat mostly a plant based diet. So now the prospect of veggie dining in New Orleans that isn’t just mushrooms sauteed in butter, or steamed broccoli, or cheese pizza, makes me quite excited.
Last night we had the joyful opportunity to try the Wandering Buddha. It is operating out of the back of the Hi-​Ho Lounge with the efforts of only two people. The menu does not suffer from «too many» options, as so many restaurants are oft to do. The server is one of the geniuses behind this operation (his girlfriend is in the back cooking) and he does an excellent job of explaining the dishes. For appetizers we had seaweed & rice rolls and the scallion pancake. The former was like sushi rolls but without the sushi. The latter was a savory pancake cooked until the onions caramelized and the cake is a golden brown. Both were delicious.
For entrees we had stir fried glass noodles and braised tofu. The stir fried glass noodles was similar in taste to a vegetarian pad thai. The noodles are actually made of sweet potatoes, but you would never know unless told. The braised tofu was prepared more thoughtfully than any tofu I have ever tasted. It was accompanied with seasoned spinach, spicy cucmbers, and kimchi. Overall the food was exceptional. If you’re in to trying different ethnic foods and you enjoy vegetarian this is the place for you.
The real gem about this place is that you are eating vegan and you’re not sacrificing the flavor or satisfaction. This is a place you could bring your parents and they probably wouldn’t realize it was vegan unless you told them. Of course, assuming they enjoy Korean food which is spicy and consists of many pickled dishes. The Wandering Buddha gets a good review because the food was spectacular. The negative to this place is the location, it is in a bar and there was smoking. I imagine that soon this place will outgrow itself and find another location. Finally, they accept cash only, and do not accept the
coupon that everyone has been talking about.
Overall, I give this restaurant 4 stars considering the totality of the circumstances. The food is definitely a 5, but the location drops it down a half star. Definitely recommend to friends and family.

This was a very strange dining experience. We had a
gift certificate for this place. We couldn’t find it because it is really a kitchen within the hi-​ho lounge. The lounge looked like a strip club, but was a dive bar. Interesting for a vegetarian restaurant?
We found it by calling them and asking where they were.
The waiter took a long time to explain how
was a bad deal for them and they quit taking them. Which translates into I get a bad deal now!
They were holding a crewe meeting in there and we were a part of that. My bench was totally worn out and the springs were shot so I had to sit up on the wood frame in the front.
Nevertheless, the place had great ratings and my wife is a vegetarian and she was looking forward to this place. So we ordered every app, but one which was fried. Then we ordered the marinated tofu entrée. I thought the meal itself would get a full 5 stars and it is the kind of place I would go back to to try the other entrees.
This is what we got — I have pics of it all posted here.
Apps:
— scallion pancakes — I bet they would be good if not burnt and bitter. I give them a 5 out of 10, but would try them again.
— seeweed app — really like vege sushi, but with no wasabi (6 out of 10)
— Lettuce Wrap — it was like rice sushi on a leaf of lettuce (9 out of 10)
— salad — it had ginger dressing and was really good (10 out of 10)
Dinner
— marinated tofu — came with tofu, kim chi, spinach stuff, and spicy cucumbers (9 out of 10)
The place is a tiny ma and pa operation and our waiter and his girlfriend apparantly do all of this, but he was no businessman for sure. I tried to explain to him how he was impossible to find because he is not listed correctly anywhere and how it is not fair to nick me on the gift certificate that I just bought. He replied to me that word of mouth was the way he wanted to market. I said, DUH that is what Unilocal and the other places are, online word of mouth, and you are not listed right.
Bottom line is that the food is great, but since the place is a dive and I got dinged on my gift certificate I just bought that week, I give him only 3 stars. I like dives and the food make the place worth it.
This was a cash only place that is the most like a food truck or street vendor than I have ever eaten at. It is not a bad thing, but just be aware.

It is a little painful for me to give just three stars because our server was so accommodating and wonderful, but overall I wasn’t all that impressed with the food. Maybe because it was different from the Korean food that I know? Could be a regional thing…
Anyway, I was here with a party of five (including myself). We were really excited to try this Korean spot, because NO doesn’t have Korean. We asked for hot tea to keep us warm (we were sitting outside because there was a ticketed event at the Hi-​Ho) and looked through the menu. We got pajeon and dumplings to share. I enjoyed the pajeon but would have liked for them to have been a little thicker. They were good though. I didn’t care too much for the dumplings. I prefer steamed ones. Again this was just another preference thing.
Some people ordered the seaweed soup and the beansprout soup. I was really surprised to try these two, because they were very different from the ones I know. They were thick, and it tasted like they had some soybean paste in them or something. My mother – and most other Korean folks I know – makes the beansprout soup very clear and the seaweed soup with just seaweed, sesame oil, salt, and garlic (and optional beef or clams). I had never seen these two soups done this way but like I said, it could be a regional thing.
Among the five of us, we tried three main dishes: bibimbap, tteokbokki, and dubu jorim. The tofu was done really well. I ordered the tteokbokki because I haven’t had those rice cakes in a minute, but I wished I had gotten the dubu jorim. My main complaint from the main dishes is that everything tasted a little too heavily seasoned. I can’t believe I’ve said this about a number of dishes already on Unilocal because I really do like my sodium a little too much and put soy sauce on everything, but maybe I’ve finally met my partner in crime: New Orleans. I would definitely recommend a side of rice or something if your dish doesn’t already come with rice. I also almost felt like they were more concerned with the presentation of the food than the taste. Just a little bit.
I would like to go back at some point and try the naengmyeon. This is the only thing I don’t know how to make from the entrees portion of the menu and I was tempted to order it, but last night was a little too cold for it (although naengmyeon is traditionally eaten in the winter).
I do recommend trying their tofu, but make sure to eat it with rice!

Coming from LA I’m used to eating delicious vegan food in any neighborhood. However on my recent to New Orleans the vegan gods were not a gracious as they usually are. I spent the majority of the weekend trying crappy portabella sandwiches and mediocre rice and bean dishes.
I’m happy to report that wandering buddha does not disappoint. I had the bbq tofu dish and ate every last piece of food on my plate. not only was my meal delicious but even the plating was spectacular, with gorgeous piles of veggies, kimchi, and other korean goodness set in an arrangement that would put most 5 star restaurants to shame. Simply put the wandering buddha is an oasis of delicious vegan food caught in the abyss of shitty deep fried crap. Go there now and thank me later.
ps. the seaweed soup was amazing as well!

I was going to dinner with a vegetarian friend and stumbled upon this place while looking on the internet for veggie friendly places. Was a little surprised about the location but at the end of the day, the food was great! We ordered the veggie mandu to start and naengmyeon and japchae for entrees. The mandu were cripsy and delicious with an amazing dipping sauce. The entrees were both fabulous with good flavor and spice… our plates were clean at the end of the meal.
Would gladly eat here anytime!

I am a happy customer! The Wandering Buddha delivers on the goods.
Great, authentic Korean food, but vegan. Everything came looking just as pretty as on their website with tastes to match.
This is a great new asset to downtown nola.

Vegan Heaven does exist, and it’s behind the Hi Ho Lounge on St. Claude Ave in New Orleans.
Every dish on the Wandering Buddha’s menu looks amazing and while we couldn’t try them all, our party of three loved everything we ordered — from the just-​made ginger-​lemon tea, lettuce wraps and dumplings we started with to each of our entrees — nothing disappointed. Our friend who spent a year in Seoul eating Kim Chee daily, raved about the version served up here.
Authentic, fresh, delicious and jam-​packed with flavor — this place is the real deal. Oh, and everything on the menu is vegan. Score!

Dear Wandering Buddah,
I am so proud to have you in our hood. I have been stalking you every week, eating whatever delicious goods you shoved out. Now, you have a menu. I am happy.
Last night, I had the tofu stuffed lettuce wraps and the dumplings. I killed the dumplings. They were perfectly fried, and the dipping sauce was neither too spicy or too mild. It tasted like the healthiest fried item I have ever eaten (one of the owners explained that this is because they fry them in rice bean oil, which is much healthier!). The lettuce wraps were a perfect harmony between fresh and spicy. The sauce was amazing.
One of the owners uses her family recipes to carefully craft each item by hand. This is not some crap thrown into the fryer from a box.
There’s even courtyard dining, if you enter from the side!

nice NICE change of pace in the bywater neighborhood. after being bombarded with PHO, which isn’t as traditional as the «phở foodies» would like to think, the wandering buddha settles into the hi ho lounge. and its traditional korean fare. the menu is simple, they cook up a killer meal, and you enjoy! no menu choices, because you don’t need any… you just need to sit down and enjoy. This ones chef’s choice. it doesn’t get any better than this.
half the items I’ve had so far? I can’t pronounce, but I can devour the tasty goodness, of a meal, that many might not want to try, because of their meaty roots, but this vegan, gluten free korean food? Is the bomb.
if your familiar with kim chee, then you know you can practically judge a korean place by their kim chee… and the fare here? tells you all you need to know. a nice heat, but not overwhelming, (although I can eat really really hot food, so maybe what I say isn’t overwhelming, could be to the average eater…)
the glass noodle dish was a very meaty meal. Those skeptics who didn’t think you could get full? (because there’s no meat) walked away filled to the brim. The «roll ups» /​«cabbage rolls», was a beautiful thing… the rice and creamy vegetables, with shoyu style dipping sauce, complimented the seaweed /​sushi rolls… perfection. the soup? another nice addition.
each night, a different meal, a different choice, and the chef? has this one together. So much so, that when you get your choice of chopstix, or fork? those chopstix aren’t cheap wooden ones, but real chopstix! Now you know that the love is there. when you finish the meal, you turn your stix back in, and contemplate what your going to eat the next day, at this gem of a restaurant.
I can’t wait for delivery… thats gonna be nice for me, since I just live blocks away, and half the restaurants in this town won’t cross st claude. this one? is on that side. Plus, with the hi ho lounge as the main business this business is in? those late night shows, now have some killer food, to compliment the killer shows.
gone is the wandering eye, trying to figure from a multitude of choices. Here’s to the arrival the wandering buddha.