Shamballa Vegetarian Bistro - Hoi An — Restaurant in Hội An

It would be out of integrity for me to support this entity.

Decent quality, horrible value.

The space is quite nice, but the quality of food seems to be very poor.

The staff was fine, but I am sensitive to white sugar and msg, and I was shocked when the waitress told us that all the food options had msg (hạt nêm) in it.

They also declined my request to modify the dishes.

We got drinks and then left.

They charge 15% on all dishes, very uncommon in Hoi An.

They're prices are similar to a 5-star hotel in the city center of Ha Noi or Saigon.

But the most frustrating thing is that they are building a business that appears to be very profit driven and not focused on the true values that the word "Shamballa" embodies.

There are deep and pure teachings around this word and to see it used as a branding technique for the sake of monetary gain is highly disappointing.

I’m all for spreading ancient wisdom, but it bothers me when it’s used for capitalistic purposes.

I get especially frustrated when the product and service fails to align with the true meaning of the brand name.

I do hope that the owners can find a way to run this business more from the heart, as I’m sure it would be more likely to bring them into Shamballa.

I feel compassion for those customers who will walk away disappointed, and thus the word Shamballa will remind them of having a bad taste in their...

Don't fall for the trap. Avoid at all costs. Restaurant is run by thugs and is significantly overpriced (green curry is approx 400k+ once you add on all their service charges).

We saw a sample menu outside and went in, but once seated realized it was a different offering shown inside. The outside menu was for "luring in" the "inside menu" was what you could actually order. I'm sure the food must be good, but it's not an ideal experience to start with.

Based on feedback from others in restaurant, we decided to change environment and head somewhere else.

However because one of us washed hands in the restroom (in preparation to eat) , the restaurant staff turned into "thugs" stopped our family from leaving. They had some washroom policy that I offered to pay, and i even offered to cover additional out of courtesy in cash. They forced us to purchase something WITH additional forced tips.

The tone and method of which the staffs used were extreme and not reflective of the Buddhist culture that they preach.

Much better offerings nearby , with better service and culture.

Edit: owner has contacted, with an unfriendly tone as well. Not with a tone for discussion, more of just dismissal of the experience and that it's ok for someone to...

I am no vegetarian but the food served at this place makes me want to become one. After a short argument with my vegetarian girlfriend about where to eat for our anniversary dinner, we decided to go to the first restaurant we come across in town and this was it. OMG! The food here is amazing! And that’s coming from a carnivore. We had the northern set and the Shamballa set and I could’ve eaten 2 rounds of entree of each. The northern set comes with Water Fern cakes as entree and Cao Lau for main. The Shamballa set comes with 2 types of spring rolls and deep fried mushroom, and a taro curry for main. Every dish was finger lickin good. Highly recommended for vegetarian and non vegetarian if you like good food, good service and a nice atmosphere to have dinner....