The name and concept "The Smokin' Buddha" was conceived with friends while sipping sake under a kotatsu (heated coffee table) near Hiroshima, Japan in 1998. hile in Japan, where Kevin took on the role of everything from a mushroom farmer, to a pizza delivery guy, to a blushing groom, he kept a constant eye on his dream of opening up a casual, interactive place where people could get together, share stories of their travels, (or dream up new ones), while enjoying their favourite foods from around the world.more...See more text
I love going to the Smokin' Buddha, and visiting the Smokin' Buddha at the markets. I live in Port, and this place is the best in the city, but it's also my go-to choice for where to eat out in the region. The staff is fun and entertaining, the beer and wine selections are excellent, and the food is always great. The decor is colorful, there's local artists' work on the walls and bicycles hanging from the ceiling. Make sure you don't walk into the lifesize terracotta warriors at the door. Summer nights are packed, bands play on the patio which is second to none, as the ever gregarious owner Kevin makes the rounds and sets smiles laughing. Definitely a great spot to go if you are looking for a relaxing night out to take your time and enjoy the twinkling lights as the sun goes down. Reso's are highly recommended.
Many people told me that The Smokin' Buddha was excellent, so my boyfriend and I drove in from Thorold to eat here. He was excited for "authentic" Mexican enchilladas.
When we arrived the restaurant was empty but there were 10+ staff on duty. A couple staff members outside told us to go inside, so we did. No one offered any direction about seating, so we were unsure what to do and decided to sit down in a booth. We waited 10 minutes without anyone coming to the table while multiple staffers were behind the bar/standing around talking. I thought that maybe we were supposed to order from the counter first, so I got up and went to the cash register. The waitress (?) behind the bar said, "I'm coming," in a snarky voice, as if I offended her by coming up. She explained she was busy "sorting something out". I went back to my seat and we were given menus.
We ordered water and the hummus appetizer, as well as 2 main dishes: peanut chicken and the chicken enchillada with rice. The appetizer came quickly (it was good - the only redeeming factor in our visit), so I thought the poor welcome was a fluke.
What came next was...a lot of waiting. Multiple large parties came in while we waited with our empty app dish and empty water glasses. There were excess waitresses/staff standing around talking. We got bored and played a trivia game on my phone for so long that we were getting repeat questions (haha... :-( ) After about 30-35 minutes our initial waitress came over and explained that our food WOULD be coming soon, but that they just finished a large take-out order and our waitress would be someone new, who was serving the large party next to us. We waited another 10+ minutes for our food, although our new waitress never interacted with us at all and our food was brought out by kitchen staff.
The enchillada was a very dry burrito served with burned cheese on top, badly prepared peppers and no salsa verde (which the menu said came with it). My peanut sauce tasted 100% identical to melted peanut butter with no spice/ingredients added and badly cooked sweet peppers. The sauce was over-the-top rich and I had to run to the bathroom (it was like eating chicken topped with some kind of dessert sauce). I went up to the bar to ask where it was, not wanting to wander into a backroom accidentally... 2 waitresses stood there talking and ignored me for so long that I finally gave up and headed for the nearest hallway - when I was about to enter it the waitress smiled and said, "Yep it's back there"...so, she knew I was standing there, probably knew what I was going to ask, but couldn't bother to stop her conversation to help me out?
We finished eating and sat there for another 25 minutes (still no water and no one checking in) waiting. We were beginning to get very frustrated as we just wanted to pay and leave. So many waitresses and staff members would make eye contact and look away. The new waitress finally stopped by the table to my uneaten plate and asked how the food was. I paused and said, "It was...okay." She didn't seem interested in my response and asked if we'd like to take it home. I had to make another emergency trip to the bathroom. By the time I came out my boyfriend had FINALLY been given the cheque and paid.
I've never been even remotely interested in walking out from a restaurant, but it was like everyone working there had absolutely no interest in us being there and had better things to do.
The food here is great, easy to find something for everyone on the menu. I have tried several things on the menu, some dishes can be spicy so ask ahead if you don't like too much heat. I love the veggie gyozas, they are so yummy.
I like that you can see the kitchen because you know that your food is freshly prepared and that it is clean.
The staff are friendly.
...but compared with many other restaurants that serve Indian food, the food here is not close to authentic. The naan isn't naan -- it's whole-wheat flatbread or something similar. The lentil dish had very little spice and was bland. Maybe some of the other dishes on the menu are better -- and it is a varied menu -- Japanese, Indian, Thai and Mexican. But the place was hopping and so it's obvious that it's popular with the locals.
Tiny dining area with view of the open kitchen. This makes the inside very hot but not too bad when the garage doors are open. The loaded pad thai was very good - nice and spicy and served with a good portion of chicken, shrimp and tofu. Thai chicken salad was a good option for the less adventurous. Basically a chicken salad - a little on the small side, you would need something else for dinner. The chicken curry was very tasty served with rice or "naan" not actual naan but rather pita bread. The only weird item in the curry was a lemon wedge. The chicken samosas were small triangles pieces. Not authentic but good food served here with reasonable prices.
Great little place in Port Colborne. Awesome food, and pretty authentic if you consider how many different cuisines they have! I love the food and the staff are very friendly.
