National Vegetarian Buffet 全國健康素食餐飲連鎖

From left to right, top to bottom: yams, cauliflower, vegetarian sushi, tofu and century egg, braised Chinesee greens, carrot cabbage kimchi, bamboo shoots, veggie fish patty and steamed lotus root.

I remember now why I don't eat a "new food" every day now. There is a lot of greasy, deliciousness on the streets of Taipei that I simply can't stomach too often. I took a day off my 2 week-long adventure in testing my stomach's limits and visited an old staple, the National Vegetarian Buffet. It is a large Buddhist vegetarian buffet chain found all around Northern Taiwan. Taiwan Buddhist vegetarian is different from the concept I knew of vegetarianism in America. Buddhist vegetarians do not consume meat, fish, garlic or onions, but do eat eggs and dairy. They also open delicious buffets in every neighborhood which are excellent places to go and enjoy a huge variety foods.

This buffet chain in particular is my favorite. They offer at least 12 individual dishes, several preparations of tofu, eggs, mock-meat, vegetarian sushi and even a couple of desserts. Sometimes they have pizza or cheese coated potatoes. They change a few items daily, and seasonally. Its clean, there is plenty of space to sit even when its busy. There is unlimited rice (white, multi-grain, and congee), soup, and dessert if you eat in for a small extra charge. Price is determined by weight, and I'm not certain what that price is, but for $120 I usually get way too much.  Buffet is the ultimate foreigner friendly way to eat in Taiwan. No menu or conversation necessary.

White rice, mixed grain purple rice, and a chopstick sanitizer machine

The congee area 

Free soup, to the left off camera is some free soupy dessert too

Don't forget to pile on some chili-spiced soy sauce, very important when eating vegetarian food

When you are finished with your meal you can bus your plate, tray, and chopsticks. There is a separate area for each item and food collection for composting. Neat!

National Vegetarian Buffet 全國健康素食餐飲連鎖

Check their FB page for a location in Northern Taiwan