Hsi Lai Temple Vegetarian Buffet

Been here several times for lunch and I really enjoy it in it’s simplicity. Healthy, with veggies, tofu, chow mein and salad with fresh fruit. Hot tea is also offered. Inexpensive and simple, and that’s great in my book.

Came here for lunch for my dads birthday.
Hsi Lai Temple Vegetarian Buffet serves delicious chinese vegetarian food. Beats all those AYCE buffets out there. There’s a small fee ($ 7) per person which is pretty reasonable. To-​go is available for $ 2 so grab as much as you can. My favorite is the chow mein and fried yams. A little greasy but thats chinese food for you and its vegetarian so you know its healthy. They also serve soup, water and tea. Best thing about this place. Be sure to grab only what you want to eat and how much you want to eat because they don’t believe in wasting food.
After everybodys done, do yourself a favor and grab some red bean and custard imagawayaki near the entrance. Best consumed hot. Than walk off your meal with a leisurely stroll around the temple and your day is complete.

I believe its $ 7 for the vegetarian food buffet still! Eveytime you come to the temple, you should definitely eat here… it’s for a great cause! It’s very simple and light type of food. Obviously don’t be hoarding plates after plates like it’s the Vegas Buffett or ayce kbbq! And another reminder is DON’T WASTE FOOD! Idk but I see so many Asians here who hoard plates and plates of food… like they get a pile of fruits but it’s for 2 people –_​_​_​-​” please don’t be one of those people!

On those days when I eat way too much junk, I need a day to eat clean. I’ve been wanting to come to this place for a while. I’m glad I did.
Hsi Lai doesn’t do super fancy dishes. It’s pretty basic, not heavily seasoned, but pretty tasty and simple.
The chow mein was delicious. You couldn’t tell their wasn’t any meat in there. The steam veggies were good as well, and the tempura vegetables rivals any Japanese restaurant. Some of the best I’ve ever had. I think they air fry, which is why it’s so light and airy.
There’s no service here. Clean up after yourself and don’t take more than you can eat.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to go to Hsi Lai temple and check out the vegetarian buffet. As almost everyone indicates, it’s super cheap, coming in at about 7 dollars a person. And there’s no tip because it’s all self serve. Of course anything you want to give goes to a good cause, too, because it’s considered a donation to the temple.
My friends and I got here around 1 pm on a Saturday. The parking lot for the temple was hectic and it was as hectic at the buffet as well. When it gets busy a line forms at the buffet table, but it moves pretty fast.
The lineup includes lots of goodies. I think among my favorites were the stir fried vermicelli, the freshly fried tempura veggies, and the stir fried daikon with bean curd. All of these were very fresh and tasted great despite lacking meat. I don’t think they use MSG in their cooking either, so that is another plus.
On the other side, I wasn’t as big of a fan of the curry potatoes. This tasted super watered down, although the potatoes were cooked to an appropriate degree. I also didn’t really enjoy the imitation hot and sour soup. I think as a general rule it’s hard to do good vegetarian soups (not that I’ve personally tried) especially trying to get the same heartiness with meat broths that so many Asian soups require.
There’s also another smaller salad bar with salad items and fruits (apples, oranges, and grapefruit) cut up toward the entrance. Although I didn’t try everything, the apples were pretty sweet!
Service: the lady at the counter taking your money is harmless and everything else is basically help yourself.
Bottom line: this will likely meet your expectations at $ 7 per person! Plus you get to swing by the temple before or after — always a breathtaking site!

Always good to have some veggies !!! Simple Buffett inside the temple. All the veggies that they either grow themselves or the followers grow and donate! Everyone who works there are volunteer! Self service! Food and water! Open style cafeteria sitting. Currently $ 7 each person for lunch. You can have togo bento if the bento boxes are available; that will be $ 5 for each bento box you fill up with veggies/​rice/​noodles

Very healthy! The veggies cannot get any fresher! Most of the time I had no idea what I was eating but tasty!
It would help if they had a little descriptor of the food ! Definitely adventurous!

Pros:
-$ 7 for a vegetarian buffet? Why not?!!
–There’s also people that sell sweets and snacks outside if you want dessert
Cons:
–Can get crowded and parking can get hectic during special holidays
Recommendations:
–TRY EVERYTHING!

Vegetarian buffet for $ 7 why not. In the past food has always been pretty good… for something that’s made by volunteers it’s pretty good. the fried noodles weren’t as good as i’d remembered but then again the last time was probably more than eight years ago. there’s always about four or five different dishes (other than the soup, rice, and fried noodles). there’s a salad bar in the back, fruits as well. don’t recall any dessert. The food quality probably isn’t the highest quality veggies and ect, but it’s pretty much like a donation to the temple if you eat there. It’s filling, tasty, and (choose your own adjective).

Eat with monks! Contemplate what you have done to deserve the food!
Vegetarian Buddhist AYCE buffet. For lunch had 9 hot items + salad bar. Cafeteria style.
Don’t waste food because of all the signs telling you so. Do it because you don’t want to be reincarnated as a cockroach.
It’s okay. I appreciate that the food isn’t salty.

I like this place!
$ 7 dollar for a decent, casual, healthy meal, you just can’t get this anywhere else.
The cafeteria is all the way in the back of the temple. U pay as u walk in, get in the line to fill your plate with simple selections of vegetarian dishes, afterwards find urself a seat in the cafeteria setting hall, clean up after yourself when done, no tips necessary. Simple as that.
On the hot bar there were 5 different dishes, plus white rice and pasta, fried tempura yam and pumpkins, and a soup. All dishes were very tasty with no after taste of MSG.
There is also a cold bar on the other side of the cafeteria hall with simple salad selections and two types of fruits.
Don’t feel intimated, walk in and enjoy a delicious healthy vegetarian meal!

7 dollars for a delicious healthy vegetarian AYCE buffet! They also have a salad/​fruits bar as well. Usually people go to Hsi Lai Temple to pray or do volunteer, now there’s another reason— veggie buffet!!! We are so used to eating the normal buffet (meats) style, it’s good to eat healthy once in awhile.

It’s okay. For $ 7 and no tax it’s a good bargain for those who are vegetarian. Typical fare includes chow mein, rice, some sort of bean curd/​vegetable, mapo tofu, and fried tempura or eggroll. Their menu varies on what they have. Also has a fruit and salad bar in the back. In a pinch it’s decent food and slightly on the oily side but it does the job and you’re helping the temple.

Great selections of vegetarian food, also seasonal fruits salad, and like their delicious fired noodles.

One thing that this temple got from America style is its buffet, it seem excessively many are buffet or ayce alike in this country. The price is $ 7 total, they said is the price to cover the expense and probably count as donation. Food does not worth $ 7 but if you go there several trip might worth your money. But the real point is to support the temple while can make your tummy full.
The food here not always the same, there are few items I like. Their noodles and tofu related item are the stand out one, surprise their potato actually are good. Their vegetable dish was very plain and overcooked in some case. Most of that worker probably never work in the restaurant and just there for volunteer similar like typical small Church.
Food here is not something I would die to come back just for it, but if you happened to be in the temple or brining a guest and definite worth to check it out.

7 dollars for a vegetarian lunch buffet! It used to be 5 dollars :(lol since it’s a buffet, it definitely fills you up. I can only eat about 2 plates though. I like that the food is relatively healthy and I don’t feel disgusted with myself after I eat here haha.
Since it’s a Buddhist temple, you have to be respectful and not be wasteful. It is frowned upon if you waste food, so make sure you only take what you can eat!

Decent vegetarian food. Filled me up! $ 7 donation recommended.
My favorite was the eggplant. They have bean curd, bok choy, eggplant, chow mein, rice, soup, tempura… and a few other things I forgot. I think it’s the only veggie buffet in the area so I guess it automatically takes the cake for being the «best.»
You eat in the cafeteria and it’s pretty busy! It’s not fancy or anything but the walk to get to the cafeteria is cool because you pass by some interesting sites. After you eat, you can go exploring around the temple grounds– even if you’re not buddhist it’s cool to look at.

If you are coming here with the intention of getting your grub down because of the word «buffet», you are coming here for the wrong reason. It’s not a chance to indulge in countless servings of vegetarian cuisine. Don’t expect a fine dining experience, nor a budget buffet experience.
First off, the eating area is open from 11am-​3pm. $ 7 minimum donation for admission, which covers the cost of operating the cafeteria.
Food changes daily because some of the food is donated. If you haven’t eaten at a temple before, the whole operation of the temple is based upon self-​sustenance. It comes from gardens, locals businesses, and from the goodness of temple volunteers.
On weekends you are served by volunteers as you grab a dish and they spoon servings of veggie dishes onto your plate. PLEASE don’t take more you can eat, and don’t treat this like a Vegas buffet. Take only what fills you and appreciate the time and effort that went into making the food.
I always enjoy the soup they serve here as it’s simple and not salty. The veggie dishes are flavorful — I always appreciate how they have fresh fruits as a dessert, They always seem to have a turnip dish that I love as well.
I enjoy eating in the cafeteria because they have several tenets displayed on the walls. One of which loosely translates to «if the food is lacking flavor, the friendship and hard work of the monks and nuns will add flavor to the food» (sorry, that’s how my father translated it).
All in all — enjoy this experience. Take time afterwards to walk around and enjoy the temple. Also, check out the museum and make a donation because they have some amazing things in there. I’ve been here plenty of times and each time I always learn and see something new.

Came here with my family on a Saturday afternoon for lunch after Ching Ming. We’ve been going to Hsi Lai Temple for years and years now and have always liked their vegetarian buffet. $ 7/​person and food is yummy!
The menu does change throughout the year, but not too much. This time they had: white rice, stir fried vermicelli noodles, curried cauliflower and carrots, steamed green veggies (cai lan), tofu, and fried and battered zucchini/​squash. They also offered a clear soup (wintermelon), hot tea and water. There is also a salad bar and a fruit bar.
The place was pretty crowded! But the lines moved fast. I think they have classes at the temple on Saturdays so there’s an influx of people in the eating room. They had reserved one side of the buffet line for students only, but they opened it up once the line got too long. I was very satisfied with the food, but I love meatless options!

I eat here nearly every Sunday for lunch only because I go to the temple nearly every Sunday.
The food does vary time to time but you can always expect rice, noodles, green veggies, tempura, and soup. The other 2 are a grab bag; sometimes it’s curry or sweet and sour veggie pork. No matter what I always look forward to lunch; maybe it’s because I’m always hungry. There is also a salad bar with less fixings than Souplantation. Adjacent is the fruit area usually with apples, oranges, and whatever fruit is donated to the temple.
It’s a $ 7 donation to eat at the Buffet. Now the temple uses actual dishes and utensils instead of the styrofoam plates and plastic utensils. The high school student volunteers wash the dishes; well actually a machine does but it requires human supervision.
Overall, it’s a great place to eat lunch if you are visiting the magnificent Hsi Lai Temple. Yes it’s vegetarian but the vegetarian here is so good sometimes I consider becoming vegetarian. For $ 7 you get a good bang for your buck and a nutritious meal of carbs, veggies, and fruit.