Golden Buddha Restaurant

I had been craving some General Tzo's chicken for a hot minute, and its probably been 20 years since I ate food from here. The flavor of the main fish was everything I had hoped for, I did not particularly care for the fried rice. It seemed just like white rice wirh soy sauce. Was better mixed with the dish. I haven't eaten much Chinese take out in general, and the food sat heavy with me the night I ate it and the next morning.

EDIT: This time I got the Gen Tso's Shrimp + Beef Fried Rice. The Gen Tso's Chicken is excellent, but the Shrimp was disappointing. It was 50% broccoli, and the shrimp were not really Jumbo; they were at least 30-40% breading. Also, the steamed rice tasted a little off. The Beef Fried Rice was excellent as usual (maybe just a tad too salty, but still delicious). ORIGINAL REVIEW: Well, I can't believe it. The other reviews were right. I've driven by this place for 2+ years now and never even considered trying it because of how it looked. And now I'm kicking myself. I still think Sohao is probably the best Chinese food in Gainesville. But the beef fried rice here is better. Just, wow. I don't know how to explain the taste, but chicken/beef fried rice has been my favorite dish since I was a young child, and this has the particular taste that I've only encountered once or twice since I was a kid, and not for a decade or more now. (The fried rice that comes as a side with the entree is nothing special at all--you have to order the entree fried rice to get what I'm talking about.) Easily the best fried rice in Gainesville, maybe Florida. I got the Gen. Tso's lunch special and the beef fried rice, coming to $18.20 (this is March 2025). The Gen. Tso's chicken was very good, maybe even as good as at Sohao. It was spicier than I was expecting (which I very much liked--but fair warning to those who can't handle any spice). I didn't get the soup that's supposed to come with the lunch special, but I don't like and wouldn't eat the soup anyway, so no complaints there (but double-check your order if you want that, I guess). Others have raved about the spring rolls; I thought it was just fine, nothing special, really, except for the size (very large, as you can see from my photo). It was good though--the kind of crispy papery skin I prefer to the thick kind. Similarly for the portion sizes: definitely plenty of food, but comparable to other places like Sohao. But certainly no complaints on how much food I got, especially for the price. I will definitely be back; I really hope they're consistent. Oh, and the lady running it was very nice, and she did indeed bring the food to my car.

First, food taste and freshness is inconsistent my husband and I are here three days in a row and let's just say, it wasn't like the 1st time. Second, like the fact that they deliver. Third, the spring rolls are really good. In conclusion, need to improve on food freshness and consistency. In the photo was day three and the chicken wings weren't fresh at all they tasted like they were cooked the day before then refried they were so hard I didn't even bother eating them all I ate were my 4 spring rolls. Haven't been back since.

I was looking for Chinese food online and I KNEW BY THE WAY THE PLACE LOOKED that the food was gonna be good. This place has been in business since I was a kid. The food was good. The prices are great. Definitely gonna go back.

The price at this place simply cannot be beat. Now, that alone is often a good enough reason to eat somewhere, especially if you're a broke student. But on top of an unbeatable price and an amazing portion size that made me feel like I was back in 2006, the food itself is good. I got General Tso's lunch combo and almost could not believe how much food I got for $8. If you want good, cheap, and plentiful food then you have to eat here.

Second time coming here. My husband and I ordered mooshoo pork, sesame chicken, fried rice and cream cheese wontons. Everything tasted so flavorful. Omy gosh the portion was huge too. I thought the food was really good. We saw them cooking it from the side on a flaming Wok it was kinda cool. The man that took our order and cooked our food was so nice too. I would definitely come back.

This place has great food and great service. The food wasn't too expensive and you get HUGE portions for what you pay. Everything was fresh and delicious from what I ordered and I can confidently say this place is one of my favorite Chinese food joints.

I must have gone on the wrong day. I had been waiting with anticipation to eat food from this place, so high are the ratings. The General Tso's chicken came in one giant clump of fried meat. The chicken was dry and thready. The beef & broccoli sauce was like water. Really disappointed, and I won't be returning.

I eat here atleast once a month, owned by a cute older couple. They grow their own chili's! This is Mandarin Chinese food, so it's spicy!

This is the best Chinese food I have ever had! Just moved here so I am very excited about this place.

I have been a resident of Gainesville for over twenty years now. I have known about this tiny yellow restaurant on the corner of 16th and 6th for a long time now, and have always thought "I really need to try them sometime!" This has finally come to pass. First off, this is not a dine-in restaurant. Sure, there is a small table at the front where you could eat, but I would say 99% of their business is take-out. The menu may have once been the old standard Chinese restaurant menu that you will find in every strip-mall across the country, but in this case that menu has morphed and changed over the years into the dishes that the owners feel most comfortable making, and making well. There is no overhead menu emblazoned with lights... just a simple paper menu on two sides of an 11x14 sheet of paper with all of their dishes. The owner is quite pleasant, and he let me go through the menu until I had figured out just what it was I wanted. Ordering was simple, no issues. The food? Good lord, you get what you pay for! Be prepared to receive large dishes for your money, because that is what you are going to get. I went with a Singapore noodle dish and it was excellent! I will definitely be heading back there again!

Listen, I've never left a yelp or google review to any restaurant or place of business in general, mostly because I've never felt compelled. Golden Buddha is SO good. The batter on the chicken wings were seasoned well and so crispy, not to mention very juicy meat. The pork fried rice and low mein were so flavorful. The spring rolls were so crispy and delicate but packed a lot of punch with the flavor. Cannot recommend enough!!

Huge portions of good food for the lunch special, easily two meals worth. Staff I believe is a couple on the older side and they are super nice.

Take Out and Limited Delivery Area Only! Wonderful hot, steamy, freshly prepared Chinese Specialties prepared by Sue. Jimmy Delivers. Moderately priced. Large portions. I can get two meals out of one (1) Lunch Special! I pick up an extra Quart of ALWAYS Delicious Hot and Sour Soup for COOLER Days. Owners are Jimmy and Sue. A VERY SATISFIED TEN-YEAR DINER

I drove by Golden Buddha for many years thinking it was closed, but recently learned it is in fact very open so I decided to check it out. When I saw their menu, I couldn't believe the prices: their lunch specials are about $7 and you get a TON of food. Not only that, it's pretty good. The lunch special comes with the entree, fried rice, a soup, and either a spring roll or chicken wings. I got the honey garlic fried chicken and an egg drop soup with my lunch special. Everything was good and I was so full I ended up with leftovers. Just look at the photo for yourself to see the portions. I also got crab rangoons and they were among the best I've ever had, I'd go back just to order those. I believe they're only doing take out for now. There is parking and an entrance in the back, you enter off of 6th, it's a hard to find the entrance. Definitely come support this business, they deserve it.

Golden Buddha is our favorite place in town for Chinese takeout. We always get: orange chicken with fried rice, pan-fried potstickers, and the wontons. The food never disappoints, service is always quick - we can place an order for pick up and it's usually ready in 20 minutes. The "ambiance" inside leaves a little to be desired where you pick up the food. But, we've never eaten inside to see if it's different sitting down. We love Golden Buddha!!!

Golden Buddha is definitely a dive looking place and one from the exterior just looking at it, you would have avoided at all costs. Honestly, the food is not terrible. It is also not by any means above-average. I guess overall, I would give it three stars.

It's been four days since we got takeout, and we're all still reeling from possibly the worst meal we've ever had. It was not just the worst Chinese, but the worst meal of any persuasion. Each dish tasted exactly the same as all the others and yet still somehow tasteless. The orange chicken was nothing but breaded gristle. The shrimp in the three shrimp dishes were all mealy and soft. The egg rolls were greasy and overcooked. All the dishes were drowning in oil. We paid over $100 on dinner for the family and had to throw everything out. I caution you to go someplace else. Even Panda Express would be a better option.

Have stayed near them for 10+ years. The food is delicious and fresh. The portions and amazing and their customer service is astonishing. My favorite is the Honey Garlic Chicken and the Pepper Steak. It's the freshness for me, plus they give you so much food with their Lunch Special as you can see in the picture (meat, rice, soup, and choice of chicken wings or spring roll - the wings are crispy ;-})

This is my go-to place for Chinese takeout. They have all the usuals, and it's all pretty good. It's very affordable with large portions. The restaurant itself is kind of a mess, but I'm only ever ordering for takeout anyway. They always have the food ready on time and are very kind.

Is 4 stars a bit much? Not based on the food. The restaurant looks like it was in the first ninja turtles live action. You know the seedy scary one from the early 90s ish? Look the place looks super sketch but the food is great for what it is. Is it super authentic? I have no clue, never been to China. It is super authentic cheap Chinese. Tastes great, big portions, nice service, and fairly cheap. Bottom line, don't let the outside scare you off!

Excellent food made fresh. Ideal for takeout (no dining during Covid still) or delivery.

Old school Gainesville. Look, it's not fancy. It's not going to blow your mind. It's simple, it's cheap, it's effective and it doesn't care. If you're gonna get some quick take out Chinese food, this is the place to do it from.

What can I say... this is my spot. Hood af! Good Af! If you ask for spicy Kung pow.. buckle up, because you're gonna need some ice cream baby. The dumplings are the jam and the hot and sour soup is the best I've had outside NYC.

Actually the best Chinese food I've ever had and the lunch special prices are unbeatable.

When my friend came over told me tales of a far away magical place named Golden Buddha, I wasn't sure if his stories were mere fiction or fact. But then on one Wednesday, when I stumbled into the wonderful world of Golden Buddha... my life changed. As I gave the wonderful man working there my credit card after I ordered the General Tso lunch special and saw the feasts total was only $7... I knew something special was here. When I opened up my food and saw the glorious meal and took my first bite... I was hooked. I reached nirvana. And now I go every Wednesday.

I've been eating here for over two decades; I've seen their kids grow up; this place serves up great Cantonese-style Chinese food that is always delicious. If you are wary of the quality of General Tsou's chicken for take out, fear not, it is perfection.

Absolute favorite Chinese restaurant in town. The portions they give for a competitive price is wonderful and the authentic taste is delicious. Love supporting their business.

In the past, I had overall liked the Golden Buddha, but my friend Beth and I ate here tonight and were very displeased with the experience. We did not expect anything fancy at all, but we did expect it to be decent, fresh, Chinese food. As it was a very cold night, the whole restaurant was chilly (apparently they don't have central heat, or else it doesn't work) and they had only two small space heaters heating the dining area. We ordered Mongolian beef and Szechuan chicken: the beef was fine, but nowhere near the best I've ever had while the chicken was so bad we sent it back. It wasn't spicy, in fact very bland, and the meat had an odd texture (jokes about Chinese restaurants aside, it really seemed more like a poor cut of pork than chicken). The eggrolls and crab ragoons we ordered however were perfectly fine, if not overly impressive. They were doing a brisk business in take-away though, so apparently they have their fans. I won't be back however. Also, I might add, while the owner replaced our awful chicken with another order of Mongolian beef and removed the nearly-untouched, nasty, chicken dish, he also argued with us and made it sound like it was our fault we didn't like it. You don't do that. It is VERY rare for me to send something back to the kitchen and I am normally the sweet customer who will understand if I get a house salad instead of the Greek salad or whatever mix-up happens . . . but if I cannot eat something, it goes back. Beth is a sweetheart too. If a customer is sending a dish back which they've hardly even nibbled on, it's pretty clear they're not cheap, but actually very much disliked that dish.

Golden Buddha?!? More like Golden Butt-ha!? But seriously, this place is terrible, We ordered delivery. It took 45 minutes and the food made me never want Chinese again. Do NOT eat at this place. Go to China star or China king if you want fast chinese. Chop stix if you want good chinese.

I've driven by here for years and finally wandered in today for lunch. My first impression was that the decor was dated and tired, and the dining room would benefit from some heat on this 40 degree morning. It was cold. The menu is what you expect at a Chinese restaurant. I ordered the cashew chicken from the lunch menu for dine in. Golden Buddha includes an incredibly fresh and crispy spring roll, egg drop or hot and sour soup, and fried chips and a sweet dip with their lunch, unlike most others in the area. I also enjoyed my dining room Chinese served on a plate instead of the customary styro tray all the others in town serve lunch on. I have to note the Incredible food and huge portions. It's really good food.

This place is a great little hidden gem of Gainesville. The owners are the ones usually making your order from start to finish, and they're very polite. The prices are insane for the quality and amount of food you get. I spent $30 on take out for my girlfriend and I...three days ago. I'm currently eating the reheated Szechuan Bean Curd and Veggies over white rice for the second time and will probably have it for lunch tomorrow too. The atmosphere for dining in is very welcoming and unique. Small table set up for 2-4 people for a closer setting. Dine in or dine out; you can't lose here. I believe the night do delivery as well, but I'm not 100% on that. Please check this place out - you won't regret it!

I always order golden Buddha with my girlfriend. We both love it. We always order the same thing, two spring rolls, and a order of teriyaki chicken. The spring rolls: are fresh and crispy. Never disappointed. Dankalicious The teriyaki chicken: generous portions, lots of meat and broccoli. Also comes with mushrooms which my girl friend hates, but I love them. The delivery is free over 10 dollars, and fairly quick, no more than 25 to 35 minutes depending on how busy they are. Also it was very sweet when the owners tiny little daughter helped drop off the food with him. Overal our go to place for Chinese take out. Haters gonna hate.

I've been getting food from Golden Buddha for a long time. I think of it as my local neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Although the building is rather old-looking and unpretentious, the food is very good to excellent, the prices are low to moderate, the portions large, and you will be treated like a real person by Jimmy and his wife. Some of my favorites are the Hot and Sour Soup, Crab Rangoon, Chicken Wings, Spring Rolls, Kung Pao Chicken, and Scallops with Chinese Vegetables. Where else can you get a complete lunch with your entrée, fried rice, soup, and a spring roll (or 2 wings) for $5.15 + tax? I'd recommend take out unless you want to experience the retro Chinese restaurant motif. What sets this restaurant apart from most others are the hand-made Spring Rolls (with shrimp) and other appetizers.

I visited Golden Buddha for the first time last evening. The outside of the small restaurant does not look very impressive and you have to park in the back, which was a little hard to find. I ordered the Hot & Sour Soup, Two Spring rolls and the Teriyaki Beef. The soup was a wonderful start. I ordered the two spring rolls, one for dinner and one for leftovers the next day. The spring roll was so fresh, warm and crispy. I ended up eating them both! I took the Teriyaki Beef to go and ate less than 1/2 of it when I got home. It was delicious. The beef and vegetables (broc, carrots, mushrooms) was all fresh and tender. I will be making this one of my new local Chinese favorites.

UNCLEAN, found hair in my rice TWICE. Don't get me wrong, they are nice people but the place is unsanitary, I'd strongly recommend eating elsewhere.

I love this place! The food is delicious, my favorite is the crispy tofu family style dish. They serve the best spring rolls I've ever had, and the owners are so nice. I love the vegetable soup, and if you add bean curd it becomes a meal. Golden Buddha is my Go-To Chinese restaurant.

I think this place gets a raw deal by looking at the other reviews. Someone complained about 45 minute delivery. You poor soul. Ever ordered through Gatorfood? You'd PRAY for a 45 minute delivery. Budha is a tiny little place with people who barely speak English and probably don't know their way around Gainesville. You really expect instant delivery when they have like 3 employees? Also, you're stupid if you actually go there to eat after seeing the joint. It's best serving you as a to-go only place and don't walk into a hole in the wall and expect a 5 star downtown experience. That said, I've eaten here on occasion for 10 years due to it's proximity to my office. The lunch specials are very reasonable at around $6 for a plate full of food and one of the best spring rolls in town. The lunch menu has a number of choices and no one I work with has ever had a complaint about the quality or quantity of food. Never a wrong order. The beef or chicken szechuan is good, well cooked veggies. I ditch the rice and they'll double the beef/veggies. The food is definitely better than any "Obligatory right beside Publix chinese place with no real name other than a 'Chinese' on the outside wall establishment" If you want super fancy food, go somewhere that wouldn't fit inside my living room.

"Eek! Methinks not" perfectly sums up every aspect of my experience at this restaurant. Eek! It was freezing - and I was sitting practically on top of one of the two space heaters in the restaurant. Eek! The Szechuan chicken my friend Mike and I ordered had a weird texture to the meat and had an almost propane-like taste to it. Eek! When we complained about the dish, the gentleman working up front first chastised us for ordering a spicy item when we couldn't handle it (the dish was not remotely spicy) and then tried to argue that the flavor was not off (something about ordering without cornstarch next time?). It was only when I stated that the texture was strange that he took the plate away and agreed to bring out a replacement (more of the Mongolian beef that we had also ordered). Mike and I both felt terrible about turning the dish back, but it was completely inedible. I have eaten some good and a lot of mediocre Szechuan dishes in my life, but this was awful. The Mongolian beef was fine - nothing special, but tasted ok - as were the appetizers we ordered. I had been craving an eggroll and I got my eggroll, but that was about as far as it went quality-wise. The crab rangoon was similarly sufficient. If these had been all we ordered, I would have given the restaurant 2 stars. But the experience with the Szechuan chicken was so bad that I would never consider going there again - and would actively discourage others from doing so.

Was pleasantly surprised by this place. Almost impossible to find chinese food that's not greasy, oily, fried and just bad in Gville. This one was pretty good the one time I went. Except they claimed to deliver to me and then on the phone said they do not. Not very good communication skills.

Golden Buddha is a real let down. The food is greasy and tastes like something you'd expect from a dive Chinese buffet. Don't take out. Don't eat in. Don't eat at the Golden Buddha.

This is my first review. I signed up for Yelp mainly so I could rate Golden Buddha's General Tso's Tofu - it's the best I've ever tasted. I can't speak to the quality of their other dishes (judging by the poor reviews, I suspect at least a few are quite bad), but my boyfriend and I are in complete agreement about where to go when we're craving General Tso's Tofu - also called General Tso's Bean Curd. Having sampled this dish in at least 15 different restaurants in several different states, we've come to develop strong opinions about it. Here's why Golden Buddha's version is so great: 1.) The tofu pieces have been thoroughly cooked so they're crispy on the outside and the sauce is allowed to permeate all the way to the middle 2.) The viscous sauce is a perfect balance of spicy and sweet 3.) The broccoli is cooked just right - not overly firm or falling apart 4.) It's not greasy. I really want to praise Golden Buddha for not undercooking the tofu, which is a common problem at other Chinese restaurants: When tofu isn't cooked long enough, it's soggy and gross! If you're a vegetarian, I highly recommend you give this dish a shot. I don't know if the General Tso's Chicken is on par with the Tofu, but meat-eaters could test it out and report back. Oh, and in case you're in the mood for it on a Sunday (when Golden Buddha is not open), I'll add that New Wok has the second-best General Tso's Tofu in Gainesville. They're located on 13th street. If Golden Buddha is a "ten," I might give New Wok an "eight."

First time - pic included. I was impressed with the food and prices. Take out was easy and plenty of parking. Free delivery if over 10

I don't know what the other reviews are complaining about. The food was good for Chinese take out. I think the others were expecting too much. If you make a fair comparison food is much better than the others. The "walnut shrimp" person, I've had it served just as you described at another chinese take out in Orlando and in NewYork. Why can't people just accept that it is their (the restaurant) take on a dish. "Charcoal taste" or maybe the taste of a well seasoned wok. Also to the two that complained and got "yelled" at, good for you. I hate how people use the corporate mentality "the customer is always right" some times you are. I'm glad he had the balls to tell you, What is up! Instead of cowering and bending over backwards for you. Overall I had a good experience and I will be going back again.

Place looks like a dump, service is bad, but the food is excellent. Lunch delivery is where it's at - two meals for under $6.

Ordered Golden Buddha last night. Never had a problem in the past. My fiance had a different meal than me and the girls. We had the sweet and sour chicken and all got sick. Defintely food poisoning sick. I called earlier just to let them know and the lady was nice. However, when the manager called me back he said no one else complained and yadda yadda. I told him sir I'm just letting you know in case. Maybe change the grease or something Idk but we are very sick from eating it. He said well if you give me the food back I'll throw it in the trash and refund your money. I explained that we got sick almost immediately after eating it and there is nothing to bring back. He said well I don't know what you want. I can refund your money if you bring the food back. I never asked for the money back but I was giving them tools to be more careful. Should've known there'd be denial and nothing would come of it. I mean, I threw up everything I ate. It's now in the sewer system. Whatevs. Just be careful if you order from there. Not sure the reasoning but we got VERY SICK from it.

I ordered takeout, talked to a very sweet and friendly man and my food was ready within 15 minutes. I only spent $10 and have at least 2 days worth of food. I thought the food was very good for its price. My new favorite Chinese restaurant without doubt!

WORST CHINESE TAKE OUT EVER!!!! The food is ok at best and the service sucks! Delivery takes 45 minutes and then the order was wrong!!! Owner cannot help you because he does not know a bit of English! I DO NOT reccommend this place! Stay away!

This place is amazing! I have eaten here alot, and there food is amazing! They have delivery, pickup! Wow! This place is just amazing! To all the people who don't like this place, just do not have the same connection like I do. This place is small, but great food! I hope you can go and try like I did. I love this!

I've been eating here for over 24 years. It's been around that long because it is decent food with huge portions. Good comfort food for take out. Restaurant hasn't changed much over the past two decades, but who cares? Food is good, cheap and will last a few days in the fridge. The owner is a nice guy and it's local.