First off, this review is written from a perspective of someone who rarely eats vegan/vegetarian. My wife can't eat dairy so she occasionally wants to go somewhere where most of the menu is not off limits. The woman behind the counter was very friendly taking our order. After that it went downhill. It took a very long time for our food to come out. What did come out came out in pieces so my wife and took turns watching each other eat. The one item I did enjoy very much was the Thai carrot salad. I was hoping it would have a little more spice to it but overall it was flavorful and the peanut dressing was fantastic. This was the highlight of the entire meal. The rest of the items I tried were very, very bland. The sweet potato fries had very little seasoning and leaving the skin on some of them made them chewy. I don't know if they even qualified as fries as the texture was mostly mush with no crisp. The fried plantains had the same issues - no seasoning and mushy. The last item I ordered was the pakoras. Once again bland and batter was not crispy at all. It was saved by some awesome dipping sauce of which there was not enough. I also sampled my wife's veggie burger which again was mushy in texture and lacked seasoning. This place might be ok if they cranked up the heat on the fryer and learned how to season food but I wouldn't recommend it to vegans and non-vegans alike. The peanut dressing and dipping sauce are the only things keeping me from giving it one star. read more

Always in for a treat here. I love the food. I never order from the menu because so far there is always a great selection of very delicious dishes in the buffet. The staff is always friendly and the atmosphere is pleasant. Healthy and Tasty! Great experience for my tastebuds! You get a lot of food so careful when ordering to many items from the buffet. They will split one item into two if you ask. :) read more

Amazing vegetarian food, excellent customer service! Love how well they season their dishes!

Fantastic food! Great service, friendly atmosphere. I love the organic vegetarian and gluten-free options. Seriously delicious. Lots of spice, original dishes, genuine flavors. Lunch-counter style service, cozy living room/dining room seating area. Outdoor sidewalk area is comfy and pet friendly. Prices are reasonable, and portions are plump. Going back again next week :) read more

WAY OVER PRICED. This place use to be real good but has gone way down hill. I just paid $12 for a serving of rice and potatoes that was the size of my palm. I should of paid half of what I paid. The food didn't taste fresh. It was laid out like cafeteria food all day. Super dry. And no good options like when they first started out. It's all just cheap ingredients now. Not coming here anymore. read more

A lovely discovery at the southern end of the downtown part of Ukiah (right on State Street). Excellent food, wonderful drinks and delicious desserts - can't be beat if you're looking for flavorful vegan food. read more

Raw vegan options and everything was delicious. The adult portions are very generous and I love that they have kids combo options. Not to mention the very genuinely nice staff. We brought our new little baby in and they turned the heat up for her...how thoughtful and kind! This is definitely my favorite place to eat out in Ukiah. read more

Excellent service, delicious food and exciting offerings for us vegans. Most of my friends who I go there with are not vegan and they love it too! I appreciate the fried plantains you get with your order, and I loved the cashew cheesecake they make! Way to go Ukiah! read more

I ate at Tastebuds for the first time today. I am new to the whole vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. Doctors orders that I change my eating habits. So I'm going to be honest, I'm terrified of vegan food. I'm super picky and just not used to it yet. Tastebuds has made me a believer. I walked in and had no idea what to order. The waitress, a cute little brown haired girl, was BEYOND helpful! I told her I'd never been in before and she just lit up and gave me a great recommendation: the veggie burger with faux cheese, savory sweet potato fries, and raspberry green tea. Delicious!! I didn't catch her name, but she totally helped me out, made me feel comfortable, and was SUPER friendly! I'll definitely be back again! read more

We've stopped by for lunch twice and just love this little place. We look forward to going back as the seasons change to see if their menu adjusts to what's locally available. I thought the mock shrimp and chicken were really good. Was at first concerned about the portion sizes, but they really pack it into these cool biodegradable containers. We will be back! read more

A little diamond in the rough! This was a wonderful surprise! We, my partner and I, travel to Ukiah a lot for work. Being Vegan and wanting to eat healthy unprocessed foods can be difficult to say the least, if we're not packing our own! We stopped here to eat and were pleasantly surprised to find our kind of food readily available and with such friendly staff! I had the 3 combo plate. Rice with butternut squash, garbanzo beans with curry and kale with garlic! Everything was delicious! Thank you! read more

Just had my first experience here! I have to say the cabbage salad is FANTASTIC! Spicy but amazing! The pasta salad had great flavor too, and I had the pumpkin salad recommended by the girl behind the counter. Very interesting. Everything had great flavors and I can't wait to go back to try more! Oh and the rose lemonade soda was really good too! read more

I thought I should try this place since I have stopped dairy consumption. It is so scary trying new places especially when you can only eat "real" food. I am so delighted to have this establishment in the area. Those Nuggets & mashed potatoes were so flippin' good!!! I daydream about them read more

I was passing through on the way back from a camping trip and the colorful sign drew me in. What a find! Mouthwateringly good, chill music, pleasant ambience. Leaving a review so I can remember this place next time I'm in the area. read more

I'll keep this short and sweet: Tasteless, bland, dull. Sometimes I think hippies don't understand that vegetarian food can have salt. Like they're being truer to the Mother Earth Gaia All-Thing Creator by making food comparable to jarred baby food. Five stars if you have no... tastebuds. read more

So in love with this place, I cannot get enough. Having recently gone vegetarian I was in heaven to find that this place makes it really easy to dine out and feel great. Really fun, exotic flavors, nice earthy decor, and very helpful informed staff about such matters as gluten free foods. My only complaint is that I over eat, I cannot stop when I should because it is far too yummy. highly recommend! read more

Amazing organic and vegan food. It is a bit pricey but is a nice treat if you have the money.

Food: Good selection; good portions. I agree with one reviewer that some of the dishes could have more salt (or seasoning). Overall, though, it's pretty good. Service: The first time I visited, the young woman serving did indeed act as if the customers were a burden (this was true for every customer when I was there). SHE'S BEEN FIRED. There is now a lovely (inside and out), friendly server. ***** The owner is also very friendly and very interested in making customers happy. Leave a suggestion in the suggestion box and if you don't like something or want to see something different, talk to him directly instead of whining on this forum. read more

Huge fan of their grilled cheese sandwiches and salads. Super good! Their hot foods are just okay though read more

The food here is really great, and thats coming from someone who is basically the polar opposite of a vegetarian. It's a bit pricey, but I'll certainly be back. read more

Jaimacan style food hot and ready for you to take out no dine in. Order off menu also, if your a fan of carribean food hit this place up cheap and flavorfull. read more

wonderful! we have been waiting for this kind of restaurant in Ukiah for years. Finally some one created this beautiful restaurant with its good variety of food. I hope to enjoy this place for years to come. Good job! read more

Tastebuds was once one of my favorite go to places but sadly tonight was the last time I will eat at this restaurant. I understand that it is now under new management, all of the regular employees were gone. Portion size is considerably less, server could not remember what we had ordered even though there were only a few customers at the time. The most disturbing thing was the overwhelming smell of incense burning, I had to wait outside for my food as the smell was so strong. WHY would you cover up the smell of good food in a restaurant with nasty incense? Kind of made me wonder if they were trying to cover up something that went bad...If you have allergy's, asthma or any breathing/lung issues you will need to avoid this place. read more

ALWAYS fresh, well-prepared tasty vegetarian fare, each dish spiced differently from its neighbor, with a great assortment of options to build your own custom plate. This nurse won't eat at those cheap buffets because meat or dairy fats go rancid or toxic if not kept at the right temperature, but I feel very safe with the fresh, vegan food presented at Tastebuds. Prices and service excellent and extended hours allow for lunch or dinner or spur of the moment. read more

Tastebuds is the perfect place to get your Vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free groove on. With a fantastic selection of hot bar items, raw wraps, desserts, delicious drinks, and reggae music pumping, this is clean food bliss. The vegan banana milkshake is off the hook...even for this devout non-vegan. Love this place... And the piece de resistance...its super clean...including the bathroom! read more

Great vegetarian restaurant. Food is a little bit salty and oily than i would like but i can't complaint in ukiah. Good mix of fusion food. Some Chinese some Indian and some i cannot distinguish. My real complaint is that the seats are uncomfortable. I don't feel like i enjoy myself especially at this price level. But overall quite worthy. Something we have been missing in Mendocino for a long time. read more

My husband and I have traveled all over and we are very picky about our food! We eat all vegan, organic and gluten free. We make elaborate meals at home daily. All this said, Taste Buds is our favorite place to eat! The staff is always friendly! It's clean. Indoor and outdoor seating. Try the BBQ drumsticks and you'll be addicted. We ordered some recently in Orange, CA at the Loving Hut and the were awful. Nothing compares to Taste Buds! The buffet options change, so eat there often to try all sorts of yummy dishes! We've tried it all and you can't go wrong! We are so lucky to have them! I hope we always will! read more

I always eat here when I am in town. Love all that I have tasted, so far. Only downside here is that they are pricey and volume is not generous. This 2-item combo was $8.50 (before tax). This is not a lot. It tasted good though! read more

Taste Buds - Small portions in a small burger-size box. Anyway, it tasted good. So, I am still happy. - Vegan Near Me - Willits, California

Legitimately my favorite restaurant I've even been too. We seek out vegan spots in every city and taste buds tops the list. Great vibe, friendly staff, clean atmosphere with nice art, and most importantly amazing organic vegan food served quickly from a constantly rotating menu. There not a single thing we have tried that wasn't delicious. Plenty of stuff meat eating friends will enjoy. A diamond of NorCal and gem of anywhere. Drive out of your way for this place, its worth it. Ital is vital. read more

Let me start by saying I am not vegan, I'm not even vegetarian! This place serves food that can satisfy meat eaters and non meat eaters equally though! I got the five item combo plate from their hot food case and every thing I had was super tasty. The only thing I will say is that the sweet potato "peanut" stew lacked the strong peanut flavor I was hoping for and the price was a little steep. Not enough to keep me from coming back though. read more

Love it The food has sooooo much flavor. My 8 year old loves going here. It's such a different taste and it's a good thing.

I was really happy to find this place during a recent trip. A variety of meal options and buffet style hot foods. I had a hard time deciding but ultimately ordered the Garlic Kale, Sweet and Sour "Chicken" and Forbidden Rice, which all very well prepared and very tasty! read more

Only go here if you want fantastic tasting food with impeccable ingredients! This is the best food in inland Mendocino county.... My standards are high & my kids' are higher. We love it! Thanks Robin. read more

If you're looking for quick, good vegan/vegatarian fare in Ukiah, this is it!! The jerk tofu was YUMMY, the red beans and rice was totally tasty, the Kale salad was off the hook, & the Curied Chickpeas were delicious too! Vegan fare in this neck of the woods is relatively hard to find, and TasteBuds was excellent! The wife and I are looking forward to going back soon! read more

This is definitely the place to go to if you want to have the vegan/vegetarian experience. I had a wonderful vegetarian Reuben sandwich and hamburger. It is not cheap.I did have a sort of wrap wherein you chose your ingredients. This was left wanting. Definitely worth a try. read more

The best vegan food and milkshake. Kids love the cheese sandwich with fries. Great peanut sauce chicken and mashed potato with mushroom gravy. read more

I often wish this were an option for me, but I just can't wrap my tastebuds around their bland offerings. I find them lacking in pizazz in terms of flavor. Their prices are a little hefty, though I understand you have to pay real prices for real food. Also, be ready to wait. read more

Interesting, flavorful, healthy food. We stopped in for a quick lunch and enjoyed everything we tasted! A little pricey and could use more seating, but I'll be back! read more

We ordered the rainbow grain bowl and a grilled cheese with a side of the soup of the day. Food was really filling although my wild rice was a bit over cooked by the heat lamps on the hot bar. Really bright, young energy staffing the joint. Definitely 420 friendly environment...not a bad thing just very obvious. Gotta say, service was slow and very inconsistent. Will return, but mostly because it's the only place in the area with a decent selection of fast-ish veg friendly food. Overall a 2 1/2 star experience. read more

Definitely delicious! Went two days ago while exploring wine country. A non-vegan friend was pleasantly surprised and encouraged us to mention that in this review. They loved the cookies. For me, the curry dishes were spectacular, and I absolutely loved the cauliflower and lentils. Service was outstanding, and the food was amazing. Went again today, and we had all different food. Very tasty. read more