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Quan The Am Temple

4.3 (26 reviews)

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N Q.

This temple may be smaller and is more of a humble setup than some of the more prominent temples in the Bay Area, but it is grand in ways that only a devout Buddhist may recognize. We came here for a Buddhist service for a loved one for the first time. There may be some communication challenges here and there since help at the temple mostly speaks Vietnamese with little English. Some of the monks also do not speak English; however, if you're patient, there is always a translator ready and happy to translate. We had the fortune to have met with the head monk, Thay Giac Minh, on our second visit. We understand that one doesn't see much of his presence outside of when he is leading a Sunday service. His English was good and easy to understand. He was wise, kind, and delighted to help us in planning for our family's ceremonies--no mention of donations or fees throughout the process, which we were pleasantly surprised since it has not been our experience with other local Buddhist temples we encountered. Contributions or gifts are of your own will; we never feel pressure. Recently, we were impressed by a large gathering for Vu Lan and how many people the temple could accommodate outdoors. Bottled waters were passed out for guests during a warm weather day, and storytelling and teaching from the monks, free entertainment, and excellent hot lunches were passed out to all attendees. Even though some of us do not speak Vietnamese, we can feel the humbleness and warm hospitality of the temple's volunteer staff, who worked hard on the day. As for the temple, vegetarian foods offers here, and we enjoyed everything we have here, from the offerings from ceremonies to purchases that one may make at the kitchen deli. There is a sign posted with the kitchen's offerings aside from what is in the deli cases. All purchases are cash-based. It was shared that most of the dishes were prepared by one of the monks, and he is good. It's a drive across town, but when we visit here, we always pick up some vegetarian foods from the kitchen for our dinner. We enjoyed the food, and it's an excellent way to support the temple. Most do not speak English, so bring your Vietnamese friend or practice patience; someone will help you with translation. Tip: Parking here on weekdays is ample but will be challenging on Sundays when services are given. If one does not want to drive around and park across the streets or down further in the neighborhood, park at a neighbor's parking two doors down from the temple, where there are metal fences, and a $5 parking fee will be accepted by its residents.

Mì Tim
Tri L.

Outside of a 5-star restaurant, I have never had such consistently excellent vegetarian food as Quan The Am Temple. The place is a "hole-in-the-wall" with parking worst than Sen Dai Sushi, but the food is worth the other annoyances. The food is regular Vietnamese soup and rice dishes (VEGETARIAN), but damn is it good. My wife and I love sushi, which you can tell by the number of review/updates that I (self-proclaimed lazy-ass) have written about Sen Dai Sushi. But we go this temple more often than to Sen Dai, mainly for the food. (I am not religious). FOOD: 5 stars There are over a dozen dishes to order from. My wife and I got Mi Tiem and Bun Hue, respectively. In the Japanese movie Tampopo, the noodle soup is excellent when the customer drinks all of the broth. Well, I usually drink the broth at this place. Today, I only drank half of my Bun Hue soup, because I had to leave room to finish the remain half of her Mi Tiem. (I swear she has a stomach the size of a new born kitten - waste of a buffet on her.) Then again, I did drink half of her Mi Tiem soup (too full after that, though I wanted to drink it all.) Both broth was just perfectly seasoned, not too salty, spicy, nor bland. Just right for me to drink it all. We often get the a la carte stuff to take home for the rest of the week. The a la carte stuff they serve here is better than Di Lac Cuisine. To be honest, I only had one bad noodle soup out of the more than three dozen times I have been here - it was over four years ago. By bad, I mean I did not drink all the broth and left some of the bleh noodles. It was the type with the fat round white noodle ~2" long. VALUE: 4 stars Our two bowls of noodle soups came to $13, so $6.50 which I think is the price on all the dishes on their main menu. At other restaurants with that good of a noodle bowl, you would pay at least $8-12 (Vung Tau anyone?). Great food at relatively inexpensive prices, nuff said. SERVICE: 3 stars (biasedly gave an extra star due to 60+ grandmothers bringing you food on a tray) Almost all your "servers" are grandmotherly types. These ladies look to be retired/someone's grandmother who are volunteering their time and labor for the temple. They will take your order, give you a number tag, take your money and bring the food to your table. They can be as nice or brusque as grandmothers. If you have questions or need help with anything, then they can be friendly and helpful. Just do not expect them to wait on you like in a restaurant. Everything beyond getting you your food is self-serve. The chopsticks and plastic spoons are in a corner opposite the counter. Once you are done eating, there are tables outside for you to place your empty bowl and trash cans for the leftovers. DECOR / AMBIANCE: 2 stars This place a hole-in-the-wall-in-a-temple. The decor is practical - walls, roof, lighting, tables and chairs for you to sit. You won't find anything fancy. The place is relatively clean. Bathroom is much cleaner than most fancier restaurants. My cleanliness standards leans heavily on how clean the bathroom is. I was actually there when the Health Department came to inspect them. Who knew?! Though looking back, I should not have been surprised since they are a restaurant. The health inspector took quite a while but only had a few quips about the place. Yes, I was a little hesitant on their cleanliness the first time I was there and always uneasy about how clean things are in the kitchen, but after the health inspector came I never had another thought about their kitchen. PARKING: 1 star (there are a few spaces) The parking sucks. You think I hate the crappy parking at Sen Dai Sushi? Try this on: if all the people coming here knows how to park (rifting on Asian driving/parking), then you can squeeze in a dozen cars. If you come after 11:45 am, then pray to the Parking God to see if you are lucky enough to get a spot. Do not even think of coming here to park during any holiday/event. Even though the hours of operations say 9 am to 7 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, I have gone there around 5-6 pm and they have run out of a lot of the dishes, so plan for lunch to get most of your stuff. Also, I have arrived there after 11:45 am and found a parking spot (thank you Parking God), but had to wait 30-60 mins for the food to arrive due to the lunch rush. After 12:45 pm is okay. OVERALL: quite a few annoyances from this place, but if you can get past those, the vegetarian food is worth the trouble.

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9 months ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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12 years ago

Helpful 4
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8 years ago

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5 years ago

Hidden Gem. Amazing Vietnamese vegan dishes. One of my favorites is the Com Ca Muoi Xa...but just about everything is great here. Love it!

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6 years ago

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7 years ago

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14 years ago

Helpful 2
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11 years ago

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12 years ago

Helpful 2
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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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8 years ago

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10 years ago

This place is NOT closed!! We just hired a monk for my grandma's funeral service and it's still up and running!!

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9 years ago

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11 years ago

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13 years ago

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14 years ago

This is my favorite Buddhist temple in the Bay Area. I'm usually there on Sunday from 2pm-3pm and the temple is packed!

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

This was our first time here to get the food. We ordered 7 different dishes, and so far so good. Wish they would have dessert (che & xoi)

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13 years ago

Fantastic vegetarian food! Parking can be a problem so avoid coming here during buddhist holidays.

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10 years ago

Closed for long time. The master chef went to india for meditation practice since september. Doesnt know when he will be back.

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12 years ago

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Review Highlights - Quan The Am Temple

Outside of a 5-star restaurant, I have never had such consistently excellent vegetarian food as Quan The Am Temple.

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Duc Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda - Lunar New Year 1/28/25

Duc Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda

4.7(42 reviews)
1.4 miEast San Jose

I've been to Duc Vien Temple multiple times! It's one of the best places to worship Buddha, pray…read moreand meditate. Normally on Sunday at lunch time, there will be a vegan food market where you can buy delicious pre-made vegan food to donate for the temple and nuns. I came here all the time, not just because I wanted to pray but also to savor the best Vietnamese vegan dishes. The food here are just chef's kiss, some of the dishes I suggest you to try are vegan bun Hue, corn sweet dessert, Vietnamese sandwiches (some days they have it), vegan spring rolls. They're all affordable, $15 for noodle dishes, $5 for sweet treats, $7 for spring rolls. Rice dishes are complimentary in Buddha's spirit (but do help temple's works in return for the food). Even though they're cash only, they do accept Zelle as payment. Also, this peaceful place has a very serene garden, beautiful latern decorations. You should visit this place during lunar new year or mid autumn festival because the temple is best decorated during that time. They also host big events for Viet buddhists and you can check schedule on their Facebook page!

Excellent holiday vibes every year. Lots of community support and donations for them. This place is…read moretotally worth visiting during Lunar New Year, the busiest time around here filled with vibrant colors and beautiful views. Must give credit to good management and upkeep. Food vendors are great people and customers are pretty dedicated to making good vibes happen. Dining area is always packed on special holidays. It's a true blessing to have this place in the busy neighborhood. Their own parking lots can't fit many cars, so the best option is to find neighborhood street parking or retail parking spaces nearby and just walk over here. Heavy traffic on a rainy new year day is normal. Folks were burning incense/praying for the goodness and all the luck that new year can bring. There's all kinds of Vietnamese holiday foods/beverages/snacks to enjoy. All staffs young and old are hardworking here. Great place to celebrate. Most people come here for beautiful photo shoots since colorful lanterns and fresh flowers are displayed. $2/$3$/$5/$6/$7$10 cash can get you plenty of goodies. I wish the lot was much bigger because they can really accommodate a lot of people inside. It's great to see people enjoying after all these pandemic years. It's definitely a good blessing to walk around on new year of the fire horse year 2026. Strong and exciting place. Worth visiting annually.

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Duc Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda - Buddha's day 6/4/23

Buddha's day 6/4/23

Duc Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda - Gorgeous Settings

Gorgeous Settings

Duc Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda - Corn sweet dessert

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Corn sweet dessert

Buddhanusorn Thai Temple

Buddhanusorn Thai Temple

4.4(203 reviews)
19.1 mi

I love this temple Every time me and my husband went to…read morethis temple always make me feel happy and want to praying. Some temple we attend it make me feel scared and not happy, but this one we always go. I recommends this temple because they are always welcome everyone not like some temple at Stockton and sacramento.

I am so glad that the temple is open post Covid. I needed a place to quiet the mind and practice my…read moremeditation and Wat Buddhanusorn is a perfect place for anyone seeking peace. The temple is open for anyone who wants to practice meditation inside or outside of the temple. There is a nice pathway that circles the temple and not a lot of people come here during the morning or afternoons. It's free and open to the public, social distancing is practiced and everyone wears a mask (even the monks). I have been back to my Tuesday evening meditation group here for almost a yr, thanks to Covid (jk), via Zoom. We still meet through zoom bc it is so easy for anyone who lives far away, or can't make it with the commute. I really enjoy talking to Ajahn Maha Prasert, the Abbott at the temple and he is so kind and easy to talk to. The Abbott really cares about the well being of people and I am so blessed to be a part of this community. I really feel so welcome every time I come here. I'm non-Thai and it doesn't matter because everyone here is so kind and will help you if you are new. It's a really lovely community between the sangha and lay people. I really feel like I'm in Thailand at times, lol! If you're missing Thailand and the beautiful Thai community this is the place to be! I'm so glad it's available to anyone for free.

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Buddhanusorn Thai Temple
Buddhanusorn Thai Temple
Buddhanusorn Thai Temple

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Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat Center - Trail marker

Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat Center

4.6(89 reviews)
22.6 mi

If there were such a thing as a Disneyland for Buddhism in an American setting, the closest thing…read moreto that would probably be the Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB) sanctuary, nestled in the picturesque Santa Cruz Mountains near the quiet town of Soquel. I mean no disrespect by this (the organization calls itself a "Dharma Wonderland"), as the narrative below will make clear. Our visit had a dream-like quality to it. It was a weekday, with no scheduled events. As we wandered about, we encountered few people. The handful we did encounter were all very pleasant, exchanging greetings and information with us, as if we were all kindred spirits. It wasn't clear to us initially where the physical boundaries of LMB were. Just as we thought we had reached the end, we discovered yet another temple or other point of interest ahead. Each temple was different, in terms of style, purpose and size, as well as architecturally. The most impressive for me was the 100,000 Stupa, the Mahabodhi Temple replica, which looked like something out of an Indiana Jones adventure movie. That's the 39-foot-tall replica of the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi Temple in India, where the Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment. But the most profound personal experience for me was provided by the Wish-Fulfilling Temple farther up the road. The gleaming golden Buddha standing off to the side emanated such a special aura of kindness and omniscience that I was inspired on the spot to do something I had never done outdoors before: I prayed. I prayed for several minutes, in fact (though I'm not even Buddhist). Prior to that, at other temple spots, we spun various prayer wheels, large and small. I pushed a large wooden column, suspended like a swing, into a heavy ornate bell several times. It emitted a "bong" that filled the surrounding wooded enclave with its strong yet soothing sound. Across from the bell was a gong, with two different instruments designed for striking it, hanging on either side. One had a solid soft plastic end to it, the other a fuzzy soft material obviously designed to produce a more muffled sound. Placards with background information and instructions for chants were posted in all appropriate places. I especially appreciated the fact that simplified versions of chants were provided, for those of us for whom the full chant phrases were too difficult to remember. Rustic benches made from split logs were available in various spots from which we could admire the views of the forested mountains nearby and in the distance. Most visitors will probably find the trail challenging -- if you hike to all the temples during your visit -- unless you're both young and in top shape. Here are a few other tips: * The road into LMB is one-lane only. If you meet a vehicle coming toward you from the opposite direction, one of you will have to pull off to the side to accommodate the other. This must be done very carefully, as the shoulders -- where they do exist -- are narrow and the drop from the side can be steep. * There is a food "truck" within the compound but it will not necessarily be open (it wasn't when we visited), so either bring your own food or plan to eat before or after you drive in. A vegetarian restaurant called "Pretty Good Advice" (covered in a separate review) is about 2.8 miles away from the entrance to LMB. * Read the information on the LMB website before going, to be able to fully appreciate your visit. We found no maps available at the compound, so I highly recommend that you print one out from the website. * At the very least, check the information on the LMB website before you drive there, to make sure it will be open. If an event is scheduled, keep in mind that parking is limited and make sure you feel up to the challenge. * You may not be approached by anyone to make the suggested $20 per vehicle donation but this can be done at the bookstore/gift shop near the compound's entrance (if you can't afford $20, then offer whatever you can). I have it on good authority that those who do so will be rewarded with good karma!

This really is a hidden gem. Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat had much more to explore and…read moreexperience than I expected. The hiking path was so beautiful, as I thought, but it also had things to see and read... and usually a place to sit while you ponder the Buddhist quote about life's philosophy. You pass not only tall Redwoods, but also a koi pond and tucked away buddhas from different Asian countries -- China, Tibet, India. There are also other areas to explore on the property, such as a meditation area, store and cafe, prayer area, drums and chimes, statues, and waterfall. There were also docents here and there whom you could talk to. (Note that the meditation area where the waterfall and statutes are located are fenced in and are only open at certain times.) There is a $20 entrance fee per car, but I think it is worth it for the upkeep of the property.

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Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat Center - 2.5 mile loop

2.5 mile loop

Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat Center
Land of Medicine Buddha Retreat Center - Donation money 11/26/22

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Donation money 11/26/22

Chung Tai Zen Center - Grand Master was in the house

Chung Tai Zen Center

4.9(29 reviews)
9.5 mi

I love this Zen center, everyone here are nice and friendly. It's peaceful environment which…read morehelpful for meditation. I do appreciate the best Dharma lectures giving by Shifu Jian Hu, helping me to understand more about Buddhism. They also provide outstanding Zen meals. Top all of that, I am learning how to see things as they are, gaining awareness, and mindfulness. Amituofo

I've always been curious about meditation and decided to give this place a try based on other Yelp…read morereviews. My husband and I enrolled in the Level 1 Meditation class, which is free, and lasts for 12 weeks. It definitely is a commitment, but we attended all but one class (due to Thanksgiving break) and really found it so enjoyable and fulfilling. To note, this is Zen Buddhism that they are teaching, so if you are particular about that, it's something to consider. The Shifu who runs the class is really insightful and funny. (I think he's absolutely endearing!!) He made the classes fly by. The way they go is that the first half of class is dedicated to teaching you the basics of Zen meditation (chanting, sitting, walking). The second half is lecture in the dining hall, otherwise known as Dharma talks, which teach you a lot of the practical and traditional aspects of Zen Buddhism and meditation. Overall, going here has helped my hubby and I connect a lot better and learn how to handle stress in a more calm way. We definitely would have joined the level 2 class if we hadn't moved up north. I try to visit and meditate here whenever I am in the South Bay :)

Photos
Chung Tai Zen Center - Grand Master

Grand Master

Chung Tai Zen Center - We volunteered to help move all the new furniture a into the new Zen Center today!

We volunteered to help move all the new furniture a into the new Zen Center today!

Chung Tai Zen Center - Another year spent at Chung Tai for their annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. Always love coming here!

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Another year spent at Chung Tai for their annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. Always love coming here!

Quan The Am Temple - buddhist_temples - Updated June 2026

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