Chi Lin Vegetarian — Restaurant in Kowloon

As practicing Buddhists, we observe a tradition of chanting and practicing ten vegetarian days each month according to the Chinese Lunar calendar. On one of these special days, we decided to visit the beautiful Chi Lin Nunnery and enjoy a meal at the Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant, conveniently located in the park across from the temple. We made a reservation in advance, as our previous visit taught us that the restaurant can fill up quickly without one.

With high expectations for our dining experience, we were seated on the second floor and ordered several of our favorite dishes. Unfortunately, the food did not meet our expectations. While the tofu skin wraps were delightful and the standout dish of our meal, the rest of the selections fell short. The fried noodles were bland and lacked the depth of flavor we anticipated, and the carrot cakes were disappointingly dry and unappetizing.

It genuinely surprised us that a restaurant in Hong Kong—known for its vibrant culinary scene—could not deliver on these standard dishes. It’s disheartening to see such potential go unfulfilled, especially when we had such high hopes based on our previous experiences.

While we will certainly return to the temple for special occasions, we won’t be revisiting Chi Lin Vegetarian for a meal. We hope that perhaps with time, the restaurant will improve its offerings, but for now, we will seek other vegetarian options that better cater...

Spent a total of 600 HKD for two people for some very very average dishes that I could have made at home for a fraction of the cost. The staff were okay, for the price I would've expected better customer service. To be honest, they all looked pretty miserable which could be due to awful management. The atmosphere was okay. The interior was nice and calming. They had large glass windows that opened up into the garden but they all were covered by curtains and blinds. We asked if we could open one to look into the garden while eating but was not allowed. What's the point of the location of the restaurant if the management/staff don't even take advantage of it and let customers enjoy the view. At the end my party got asked to leave cause the staff needed to seat other customers. Taking into account the experience and the price, the whole situation was pretty shocking. I'm a tourist from a country that struggles with expensive food prices but this really is unbelievable. Definitely would not recommend. Just chill in the garden...

A pleasant vegan lunch next to Waterfall

The restaurant is not inside the monastery but in the monastery garden close by (across the street if you come from MTR) or over the bridge if you come from the monastery.

It is almost impossible to get a table if you don't reserve. Unless you come for second session at 1.30pm. Dinner might be busy so booking is advised.

There are some walk in tables but this would be 1-4 people max I believe. 1-2 people most likely get a table but more you might wait for a long time. Unless you don'tind coming later to eat.

Lunch set is a valuable way to eat. Appetizers, soup, rice, two side dishes plus a fruit plate.

We also ordered the Ginger Fungus peanut vinegar dish, as well as taro lions mane stew. Both are great. Services can be slow if you reorder add dishes a bit later, as it takes a while for them to queue and get that out to you.

We sat next to the waterfall (artificial) outside of the window, pretty nice. Very comfortable and will be coming...