Buddha-Full — Restaurant in North Vancouver

Nutrition-oriented vegan cafe with kind of a hippie vibe. They have a little bit of everything on the menu. To drink: smoothies, coffee/tea and "tonics" (think turmeric, beetroot, mushroom lattes). To eat: wraps and sandwiches, bowls, raw desserts/energy bites, and (baked) cookies. I really enjoyed my food. I got the Tuscan wrap, a caramel raisin bar, and an iced chocolate surrender drink. The Tuscan wrap was really good! Everything on it just went together so well, but this pesto cheese gets a special mention. I'm not much of a pesto person because it usually makes things oily, but the pesto cheese spread in this wrap was not oily at all and was very tasty. I also loved the vinaigrette on the side salad! The wrap was dense and pretty filling. In the raisin bar, the nut butter flavour was very prominent, which I liked but wasn't expecting, otherwise it tasted like butter tart filling. It was different and I was really into it. The bar was like a brick - it was dense, and the slice was so big that I could only finish half in one sitting. The chocolate surrender was very chocolatey but not as sweet like regular hot/iced chocolate drinks, which I really liked, but I think I would have liked it better without the coconut oil added; I was getting a little too much of the scent, and I think the coconut oil may have been responsible for making the drink a little too rich. A while ago, I visited the Northwoods location and tried the caesar Butler chicken wrap and the soul searcher latte, and sampled a few of the raw dessert bars. These were all really good too, there's nothing I tried that I wouldn't recommend. I prefer to eat vegan when given the choice, so I really appreciate all the creative options here. It is kind of expensive, but I find the food here more interesting and satiating than most vegan options at other cafes. I did like the atmosphere here, but it would be nicer (and more environmentally friendly) if they had actual plates/bowls, cutlery, and glasses instead of only disposable takeout containers...

I had a distressing experience at the West 1st location on May 6th around 11 a.m. I was greeted by two staff members who were in the middle of a personal conversation. Even as the woman tried to take my order, the man continued talking to her over her shoulder.

I explained that I have a brain injury and was struggling to remember my order due to their side conversation. Instead of pausing, the man cut me off and said “me too” as if to suggest he also had a concussion. Despite that, he continued trying to tell his story to the woman serving me. I forgot my order twice, apologized, had to step aside to regroup, and finally got it out on the third try.

When I later told him how difficult that was, he dismissed it, quizzed me on my symptoms, said I “look healthy,” and told me to be more optimistic and that I’d get better—even after I explained I’d been declared permanently disabled. I suggested that "healthy" looking people can have invisible disabilities and told him that I am also autistic, another condition that he cannot see because to him I look healthy. His demeanour made it clear he also questioned the validity of my my autism, as well as my brain injury.

I am fortunate enough that outwardly I present as "healthy". Because my limitations and conditions present internally I have mostly been able to live my life without experiencing blatant ableism of this kind. I’ve disclosed my condition many times in retail and food service settings and have always been met with kindness and compassion. Never has anyone shown disbelief, interrogated me, and given unsolicited advice about the state of my condition. I hope you take this seriously and will offer staff training on how to treat customers with...

The service here is so painfully slow and it's a poorly managed restaurant (food delivery at noon with only one way in through a long narrow space? shakes head) BUT, if you're willing to bear with a ten to fifteen minute wait for a smoothie, the Blue Dharma is ABSOLUTELY worth the $10 price tag. Seriously, first time I ordered it I was like: $10 for a SMOOTHIE? But then I tasted it and...wow. Like, seriously, I will never consume another smoothie without comparing it to the gold standard that was this smoothie.

I've never ordered other flavours but I've been with friends and they have and each time: Minds. Blown. Consensus of six other people is this is a smoothie worth a visit to North Van for. Just ignore the spiritual materialism as marketing and remember that the staff probably suffer from mal-nutrition and that's why it takes them so long to do anything.

Also, the GF samosa and accompanying dipping sauce were also superb. But ordering them added another ten minutes to my wait. Be warned, the more you order, the longer you will get to stand there practicing patience. I'm sure it's all part of their clever marketing.

Oh yes, and there was also the time when they were out of ginger, apparently (which is a key ingredient in the Blue Dharma) and I was like: "There's a grocery store right next door. Couldn't you go get some?" but the poor woman couldn't wrap her head around the possibility of taking initiative and going all of fifteen feet to get ginger from the market next door. So if they don't have ginger, don't get the Blue Dharma. It's only about an $8 smoothie without the ginger.

PRO-TIP: Don't go during the lunch rush. The wait goes from 10 - 15 minutes up to 40. Ain't NO ONE...