History repeated itself on my second trip to Binondo. One moment the weather was sunny, with nary a cloud in the sky; the next it was pouring, drenching the busy streets and sending people indoors to look for shelter. We had just finished buying goodies from Eng Bee Tin, so we thought of killing some time upstairs at The Great Buddha Cafe.

The Great Buddha Cafe serves primarily Cantonese cuisine. Stepping into its cosy confines, diners are welcomed by traditional interiors, with large glass-top tables and sturdy wooden stools. The space is illuminated by warm yellow lights in the shape of geometric flowers. Greeting visitors in one corner is a life-sized Budai (Matreiya Buddha), which the cafe is named after, flanked by a pair of exquisitely carved wooden chairs.

You’ll also find a small souvenir shop selling all sorts of … intriguing paraphernalia. There were carvings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus sitting right next to rotund laughing Buddhas and traditional Chinese charms, and even some wooden dick ashtrays (not pictured so as to keep this website PG-13 friendly) next to colourful cocks (the animal, not the body part lol).

Since we just had lunch earlier at Sincerity, this pitstop was really more about snacking while waiting for the rain to subside, so we got some light bites of dimsum and drinks. If you’re craving heartier mains, The Great Buddha Cafe does have a menu of rice, noodles, and stir-fried dishes, such as beef in black pepper sauce, pork ribs glazed with honey garlic sauce, HK style crispy noodle, and more.

First to the table was har gaw, still piping hot from the steamer. The dumplings were sizeable and the shrimp was fresh. Overall it was decent, but I think the skin wrapper could do with some improvement.

Next up were shrimp and pork shomai. Again, quite sizeable and I think this fared better than the har gaw, as it was seasoned well and had a nice ratio of lean to fat.

The lava buchi is a popular item at EBT and is served just outside the deli at their Binondo Bites kiosk, but you’ll find them at The Great Buddha Cafe as well. These are excellent, with a crispy, slightly chewy exterior shell of baked sesame and glutinous rice flour encasing gooey, creamy custard within.

To wash everything down, Cream Cheese Nai Cha (milk tea). Would have preferred it slightly sweeter, and the cream cheese layer on top was barely there, but still good.

Overall, we enjoyed our snacks at The Great Buddha Cafe, the friendly service and homely ambience. It’s a nice place to kick back and relax after a day shopping or exploring Chinatown.

THE GREAT BUDDHA CAFE

2F UBE Tower, 628 Ongpin St, Binondo, Manila, 1006 Metro Manila, Philippines

Opening hours: 9AM – 10PM (daily)

PS: If you enjoyed reading this, please consider supporting my website via Patreon. This will go towards hosting fees and ensuring that I can continue to deliver authentic content for your reading pleasure. Or buy me a cup of coffee at paypal.com @erisgoesto. Thanks for stopping by!

PS2:  All food reviews are at own expense unless otherwise stated. Views here are my own and are based on my personal experience. They are not meant to endorse or disparage businesses in any way.