Laughing Buddha welcomes you to their dining room. Explore a menu offering hamburgers, priced at 11$ to 25$ and can get there by car and public transit. They are found in a location characterized with parks and merchants. Payments by MasterCard, Interac and Visa are accepted.
I just dined there last night and have never had a server be so rude or make my dining experience so uncomfortable ever. The food was wonderful but the continual snide remarks and degrading comments made our overall experience awful. In fact it was so bad that we made new friends from several neighboring tables bonding over our shared awful experiences of this waitress! Our group will not be returning to this restaurant, good food is nice but not when your atmosphere is awful.
The wait for service was unbelievable-longest I have ever waited, I would have left but boyfriend was starving and hypoglycemic- and a pain. So we waited- the food was good- the place was claustrophobic- I didn't enjoy the time there and have tried it on a couple more occasions and the service is consistently not good- only saving grace- outstanding patio- just be prepare to wait
There is a good choice of draft and bottled beer from craft breweries, and I always have a Murphys Irish Stout------excellent quality and taste.
I had the Leo Luigi pizza and it was covered in quality ingredients and well covered by several tasty cheeses.
The service was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere is funky, with a good view of the street and the railway yard.
In the warmer weather, they have a great outdoor area between two buildings that was added a few years ago.
Everyone seems to like the atmosphere, but I go to a restaurant for food -- and the food here is bad. The pizza has little flavour; the toppings totally overwhelm the thin, soggy crust. The famous chick pea salad has a gritty texture. They are clever in coming up with new flavour combinations, but many of them just don't work. And the service -- ouch!
We've order lunch to go from here on many different occasions and the food is always great and the service is prompt. The orders have always been ready when I get there to pick them up.
I come to Sudbury once or twice a year (not to mention I was born and mostly raised here) to visit and when I came to the Buddha for the first time I was pretty impressed with what had been done with the place. A nice patio was there, an incredible beer selection and some really tasty menu items (though pretty limited). As time went by each subsequent visit was better and better, with more variety on the menu (when ajoined to Sportsbury's) and great service and then soon an expanded patio and back seating area. There was even some entertainment from time to time. Lately, however, I've returned to Sudbury with hopes of a yet better Buddha experience and was thoroughly disappointed.
I like some of the new beer selections. I'm a little disappointed at the loss of some others but I can deal with it. The service has become quite terrible. I don't mean a little slow, I mean terrible. There are some good days when I don't have to wait 15 minutes for one bottle of beer but others when it's 15 before they even come to the table and then another 10-15 before I get the beer. Very hit and miss and always sloppy.
The food is still very good but it's sad that some of the old fare is gone now that Sportsbury's has closed. Somehow when I'm out drinking beer and chatting up the gang, a ham and apple sandwich with hummus is not what I really crave. Some wings or a basket of fries is good. One could say "well if it's a sports bar you want, go there" but I don't think that's fair. I like the Buddha's menu in general and the food has always been made well. I just think some of the basic drinking food could be there too.
Things to try: the chick pea salad is absolutely amazing, as are a number of the sandwiches. The pizzas are incredible. Just the smell of them makes me crave one immediately. I just don't dig on pizza all the time. The hummus is lovely (I miss the red pepper one). I think in general there could be some re-working of the menu. Maybe instead of 20 pizzas and 20 sandwiches and some other stuff, you could pare down some of it (or have "build your own" options) and add some more interesting things, as well as some old bar staples.
The place is looking good and expanding but the menu and service thus far are not expanding along with it.
I enjoyed our visit to the laughing buddha. We were seated outside, and their outdoor patio looks so cool! We all loved the casual setting, and it was nice because of how intimate the seating is.
The food was very good, lots of garlic though, be warned! ;) It was very tasty, we all had different kinds of pizzas, but I would've loved to have tried some of their appetizers. Hummus looked really good. I'll definitely be going back again.
The waitress recommended a berry smoothie for a drink, so we all tried it and loved it! The waitress was very polite and was around as much as she could be with how busy they were.
I will be returning to the laughing buddha, it's a cool new restaurant and a bit of an unpolished gem in the root of sudbury's downtown area. Loved the experience, can't wait to return!
This place used to be amazing, but quality and service have slipped recently. I usually go in the evening after 9, and it's always packed. The servers are always on the run and it takes a long time to receive food. They seem to be understaffed.
The deep fried pickles are awesome, but other things are hit and miss. The pizza is ok but on my last order the crust was sloppy and I couldn't even take a slice without the toppings falling off. Very disappointing when you're paying around $12 for something that isn't very filling in the first place. I recently ordered nachos, and they came with all the toppings on the side with a giant portion of sour cream in the middle over bare nachos. I don't know who's idea this was, but it's hard to dip toppings. They should just keep putting them all over like they used to. Lastly, I ALWAYS order the nachos with no onions, and they always have them.
I have to also question the cleanliness of the place; the roof was covered in dust last I checked and when I was paying near the front counter, I saw a cockroach there. I try not to think about it when my friends drag me there.
Bottom line, they need more staff and better standards for quality in the kitchen.
What a difference a year makes. I had stopped going to the Buddha because although the food has always been great, the service tended to be slow and I have limited time at lunch. I went back a couple of weeks ago originally for just a couple drinks after work. The place was at capacity and service was defiantly prompt. Some people at our table ordered food as well and to my surprise it came in a more than reasonable 15 min. I have since been back for 2 repeat performances and will be back a lot now that they got the speed issues ironed out.
The limited space in the Laughing Buddha was awkward at first but began to grow on me after a little while. It is perfect for small crowds and comfortable. When I first started going it was a nice place where the artists of Sudbury could gather and have a few drinks and chat all night. However the publicity has brought in various new crowds which is good for the business but not so good for those who liked a nice quiet place to escape to. These days it takes a little too long to get our drinks and food. We had to stop our waitress in her tracks to ask her if we could order after we had been there for over an hour. then it took another hour to get it. I can understand this with it being a popular place now but it's just not the same as it used to be. I don't feel as comfortable there as i did before. It is however still one of my favorite places to go.
The comments below are true in that each and every time I go to the Laughing Buddha the service is very slow. While I don't doubt they are doing their best, two things need to be addressed: the number of staff waiting on people and the kitchen staff/kitchen itself. It shouldn't take 1.5 hours to make a sandwich, even if it is busy.
The food is amazing.. I'm impatient though, so if I'm hungry I'll go elsewhere..
Dear Staff,
You're expanding operations, and building credibility in Sudbury. You're not a little cafe anymore. Now that you're reaching out to new crowds beyond your original gang, people are gonna be a little more judgmental.
I'm not going to describe the lackluster service I've sometimes received from the junior staff. I'm sure management knows what sometimes goes on. What I would suggest, in turn, is stricter quality controls on servers to ensure that in this time of critical expansion, potential new-regulars won't be turned off and turned around.
Keep up the good work.
Fantastic food if you manage to get a waitress and get your food by the end of the day!
We went for lunch and it was busy as usual. We ordered our drinks and then when the waitress came back to take our food order, she informed us that if we wanted to order a sandwich (which we did want) that it would take at least an hour and a half to get it!! A sandwich! When we asked why, the waitress said because it is so busy. So we decided to order a salad because she said that would be faster. Well we still waited approximately an hour and a half for our salads.
While we were waiting, i ordered another drink but had to go inside to get it myself because the waitress forgot about it.
When my friend received her salad, there was no balsamic vinagrette dressing on it and the waitress just put it down in front of her and walked away. Didn't explain anything. So when she asked the waitress why there was no dressing on the salad, she said, "Oh we ran out". My friend had to ask if she could have another type of dressing then.
This was my 3rd time there and the service was slow every time but this was horrible service! I may go back again and give them a chance since the food is great. But they really need to make some sort of changes in the kitchen. They know they are often very busy and should have extra kitchen staff and wait staff.
I've been a fan on the Laughing Buddha since it was still an unknown hole in the wall that nobody really knew about. Each and every time I have gone, I have had excellent service, and the food is always great. During busier times of the day, it can be a bit of a wait, but that's to be expected at any hot spot during peak hours. The atmosphere both inside the restaurant and outside on the patio is so relaxed and friendly, and there is such a wide range of personalities that you will encounter.
The Laughing Buddha will definitely be my first stop when I am back in Sudbury again.
I go to the laughing buddha on a regular basis and I'm never disappointed. They have incredible pizza followed by a cheerful, one of a kind staff.
The food here is very different which is exactly what I look for when I go out for a meal. I ordered a HOLY COW pizza on my most recent visit, and I was more than impressed. It was a stoned baked, thin crust pizza with loads of pepperoni and a blend of cheese (i think there's asiago on it). This is by far the BEST pizza I have ever had. The only problem I found was my appetite. I was still hungry and I wanted more.
This is a must for restaurant connoisseurs. If you're looking for an upbeat staff, great food, and a suttle atmosphere, this is a must try.
I wanted to note the completely positive experience I had at the Laughing Buddha. First of all, it was a gorgeous day so we opted to sit on the patio. With various types of people sitting around it made for a personally comfortable and enjoyable experience which is exactly what the restaraunt exudes-relaxation.
My intentions were to have a nice lunch outside of the ordinary in a relaxing environment. Personally, I like to wait a few minutes before being harassed by a server which is exactly what I got. The presentation was simple and appealing to the eye and sandwich was delicious. It contained Brie, alf alpha sprouts, cucomber and tomatoe with a chic pea salad on the side.
I'd have to say that if you're up for a relaxing time the doesn't involve rediculously unhealthy food with good service while appreciating an interesting atmosphere filled with a natural though 'downtown' ambience go to the Laughing Buddha.
It's a personal favorite and to be honest the comments about wasting time, and not being able to identify servers and rain on the patio only made me love it that much more since conforming is not something that makes things right however, I enjoy life and all that is has to hold regarless of the fact that it may 'waste' an hour of my life. It was worth my hour as I spent it enjoying the sun and talking to a good friend.
I know some of the staff and they're all a huge...
I know some of the staff and they're all a huge family of sorts. I see a few reviews about poor service, and I'll both agree and disagree as I've sometimes received subtle negative gestures or comments from eccentric servers when ordering dishes with meat in them. I've had to wait a little too long sometimes as well. In their defence, a lot of the serve staff are beginner or novice at best. I know that this doesn't excuse everything, but I guess it's what I've come to expect so it doesn't bother me.
Other than that I'm pretty loyal to the place. On the other side of the coin I've received some of the most personalized and friendly service ever. I would say it's forte lies in it's extensive collection of liquor, wine and spirits that stretch from anywhere to the ubiquitous to the downright strange.
With the expansion of the patio and extra backroom I foresee great potential for the place. The only thing about the patio is the amount of smokers who dominate the are. I hope with the expansion it will dissipate easier, or maybe form a smoking section..? The patio's fantastic in the summer with the trees and morning glory vines against a century-old brick wall. Truly a unique atmosphere where you'd least expect it.
Ordering at this place is impossible unless you...
Ordering at this place is impossible unless you go to the bar. Wait staff is unprofessional forgetful an unapolagetic.
Music is all over the map. Sound system outside sucks. Too much tobacco outside. Menu limited and boring.
Waiter said they pool their tips. Maybe this is why the staff is unprofessional and slow. No incentive for performance.
Get your stuff together buddha.
