One of the best sushi experiences you can have in Melbourne undoubtedly.
From the outset of our meal, we were greeted by staff who were nothing short of friendly and welcoming. Patronage here is at a high standard without compromising the human side of interaction which we really appreciated.
Food, was equally amazing, serving some of the best sushi we have had in Melbourne. We ordered the salmon maki roll, soft shell crab, ocean trout and the Buddha fire. Each dish was carefully crafted with a unique blend of flavours and spice, with high quality sushi to match. Our favourite was the Buddha fire special which tasted gourmet- a perfect blend of sauces and sushi making for a memorable dish.
Really cannot fault Chocolate Buddha for their service, ambience and of course, the exceptional sushi. A must try for all sushi lovers!
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
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Gorgeous open space that easily catered for my table of 6 (with booking).
Ordered:
🍚 Sashimi Don: with fresh salmon sashimi marinated in yuke soy with sliced cucumber, shiso leaf, sesame seeds, alfalfa sprouts & shredded nori - with brown rice & miso soup ($24.00)
🍨 Trio of icecreams: azuki bean, charcoal coconut and green tea ($14.00)
Review:
I was craving something healthy for dinner and Chocolate Buddha delivered. Sashimi was salty enough from the yuke soy that I didn't need soy sauce, and the dollop of wasabi was a dream come true.
Miso soup was easy to drink, and the nori was a perfect flavor topping to the rice. My one gripe would be that the salty yuke marinated the bottom of the rice... making it a very intense experience that needed a lot of water to wash it down.
Open space area with high ceilings and gorgeous decorations. With only a short walk away from flinders st station, it is incredibly accessible. They also have a gluten free menu section on the back - very thoughtful and considerate for our friends with dietary requirements! 🙂
This is a great restaurant at Fed Square. It's beautiful inside and has ample seating, including a sushi train. The service was excellent, the waiters were always available and seemed to go above and beyond with their level of customer service. I had the soft-shell crab roll. It was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. It's up there as one of the best. For $21, I would have liked it to be a larger portion. The serving size was very small, and more of an entree size dish. But, it was exceptional. The chocolate spring rolls are a must try!
It was Diwali celebration at federation square and we wanted to try something different, Japanese food seemed like a good inspiration. We had ordered three dishes, to explore different tastes. We loved the vegetarian sushi in rice paper rolls, it was very tasty and a good alternative since my wife does not like sea weed wrapped sushi’s. The place was very lively and staff was very helpful.
Wonderful service although we did have staff doubling up e.g. 2 waiter brought us water and 2 asked for our orders but they're just extra attentive and even topped up cups with water even though they give you a bottle on the table. The ramen okimiyaki is a must, unique combo and absolutely delicious. The miso cod was perfectly cooked but would have preferred if the miso was used to marinate and baste the cod rather than as a sauce on the side of the dish. Teriyaki chicken was above average but with so many other tempting dishes, maybe skip this. The rice noodles wrapped dumplings were great and again, unique. The black forest tartufo was good. On the pricier side though
What a delightful place to dine in the busiest and one of the prettiest places in Melbourne. Was super busy when we came here for a friend’s birthday, luckily we booked! All the dishes we ordered was amazing, will definitely be back to try the other dishes!
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This evenings pre gig dinner was consumed at Chocolate Buddha, not only does this venue do Japanese well, it caters for my GF, DF & Fructose challenged companion. We have dined here on many occasions and he has never had an adverse side effects from the meal. The thing about Chocolate Buddha is the food arrives when it is ready, so sometimes the entrees arrive after the mains, but as we were busy have a pre-concert catch up it worked well for us.
We started with a nice glass of Riesling and ordered the Edamame, (his first time), these delightful beans arrived warm and salty a really good way to start a meal, we also shared the char grilled eggplant that arrived in a sticky glaze, the eggplant was cooked really well, but I found the glaze too sweet for my taste, but that was just me, as my dining companion thoroughly enjoyed it.
For our mains we both ordered the Sashimi Don, the freshest salmon sashimi arrived in a delightful tangy light dressing that went perfectly with the sticky white rice, ginger and wasabi. It’s a surprisingly filling yet fresh and healthy meal, we were enjoying ourselves so much discussing books, podcasts and recipes and before we knew it we had finished our meal and I had forgotten to take photos.
The sad news was that Chocolate Buddha was closing for renovations on the 24th Feb so it will be the last time we eat here in its current format.
The good news was that a Buddha pop up has opened directly across in Fed square to cater for the customers, so we won’t be denied a great venue whilst the renovation in occurring.
KD
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I struggled to find this restaurant. The gps made me walk past acmi a couple of times and the wall between the gray SBS building and ACMI until I discovered it's in the open air area on the corner up a small set of stairs. So, if you're lost hope these directions help.Â
The placemat is their menu with a lengthy set of options for lunch and dinner. If you want to go straight for the sushi go for it. But I decided to go for the set menu option. I got the bimbimbap for 22 dollars which comes with a side of brown or white rice and some miso soup. You can also add on chicken or salmon for some extra $$$. My friend got the mango tofu salad, the kale beans salad and the agedashi tofu. The waitress will oversell and my friend fell for it. So we ended up with an additional serving of tofu and miso soup.Â
The food arrives quickly. The waitress came to check in on us so many times, it was a bit overwhelming. She was really nice but i didn't like how she wanted to continue to sell us more items.Â
The agedashi tofu was just silken tofu. Delicious. The bimbimbap stole my heart with its delicious spicy sweet sauce, variety of fermented veggies. I couldn't stop eating it. The tofu mango salad was too sweet for me and there were four thin slices of mango with a lot of lettuce which made it look like a massive serving.Â
Food is delicious but around 40 dollars per person for a lunch menu is very pricey.Â
Venue is beautiful. Great for work functions as it's massive.
I have been to chocolate Buddha many times, because I have a friend who needs to eat gluten free and chocolate Buddha has a whole page of gluten free options. I have come here with other friends who do not require gluten free too. We all like the food and ambience here very much. It is always simple, clean, comforting and delicious. It never disappoints. I have never bothered to add my review in chocolate Buddha just because I have been here so many times, for catching up, for celebration or for cheering up. Tonight I bought a friend dinner for celebrating birthday. Chocolate Buddha came up in my friend’s suggestion but because we both had been, I decided to try a new restaurant nearby, which is similar to chocolate Buddha in a terms of high-rating and serving Japanese/Asian fusion food. We were disappointed with food there. This triggers my appreciation for chocolate Buddha, so I decide to come write my review. # Love, Love, Love #
The atmosphere And the food were excellent. I highly recommend it if you love Japanese food. The only downside is there are no waiters taking orders which loses that human contact. Everything is done through the phone, and they bring it out to you, which is ok, but I think human connection is better.
However, the vibe is excellent, and the food was terrific too would be going again 100% and taking everyone with me. Also, the service was on point, quick and easy !!!
Thanks you for the birthday vibe
The service here was friendly. We really enjoyed the entree and sashimi sharing options. The fusion flavours were also great. The ambience and setting is also quite chill and convenient location right next to fed square. Dessert spring rolls were a little confusing though
Chocolate Buddha is a great venue for family with little children. They do amazing children dishes, and delicious Japanese inspired dishes. We had King Fish, Grilled Chicken Don, Chicken Bento, deep fried lotus (chips), and Shake Salmon.
Service was friendly, loves kids and very fast service (if you’re in a hurry). There is also a sushi train if you are after classic sushi dishes.
The environment is tranquil and calm, comfortable sitting and spacious.
Orders are all via apps, easy and no contact.
Mask on indoor, take off when eating.
Overall experience- Excellent
Always one of my favourite places to eat in Melbourne. Great healthy food, great atmosphere, easy to get to and always something happening in Federation Square. We sat outside on a balmy autumn night before heading off to Moulin Rouge which was just around the corner.
Absolutely delish! We were walk ins late on a Saturday and we managed to grab two spots at the bar - the staff were so incredibly lovely. Food was even better - the Wagyu was absolutely delightful. I've been coming here for years and I think it has only gotten better over time. Can't recommend enough for a fantastic Japanese meal.
Great spot! Great service! Extraordinary flavoursome food, which is presented well. All in all a great experience as long as you don't require a seat with a back on it. Highly recommended for the Melbournite and tourist alike!
Alec Latchford (xSmartalec)
+5
Chocolate Buddha continually amazes me. The staff, the food, the location & vibe all nailed.
This will always be my favourite place to go for dinner. Every single item on the menu will blow you away and I assure you the time spent here will be cherished.
You won’t leave here without a full belly either!!
The restaurant is located right at the centre of Federation Square and so easily accessible by public transport
The food was incredible! Most delicious Japanese food and wonderful
Staff. My recommendation would be to book in advance and get a seat inside. Apparently they have a sushi train during the weekends and I just can’t wait to try it!!
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