Wat Buddhametta

The Wat Buddhametta monthly Thai buffet fundraiser is really the only Thai food I want to eat in Tucson. The community buffet happens the third Saturday of each month from 5−7pm and is a can’t-miss Tucson experience. For $ 10 donation, you get an amazing all-​you-​can-​eat meal in a warm, friendly, and beautiful atmosphere. There is always a huge array of dishes on the buffet, with vegetarian and meat options, plus unique salads and desserts. Thai iced tea or bottled water is available for $ 1 (I believe). I absolutely love to sit in the huge garden outside and enjoy the landscaping, fountain, and sunset in the desert. Seating is family style and the abbot of the Temple comes around to chat with everyone. It’s usually bustling but not so crowded you can’t find a seat.

What a wonderful place! I had to go here for a class I was taking, and I expected to feel really out of my element but on the contrary I felt quite welcome. You go in and take off your shoes and they have a list of rules on the wall so you don’t have to worry about offending them on accident if you just skim through the general rules. The monks were super friendly. I attended a tai chi class which was free and encountered many other non Buddhist people there. If you visit their online site you can see their schedule of events that they hold, chanting, meditating, tai chi, qi gong, etc. This is a place where the monks also live so you can’t just drop by any time. Overall, beautiful hidden place!

The community at Wat Buddhametta is warm and welcoming without being overwhelming. The once a month fund raiser buffet is good and leaves one wishing they had these fund raisers on other days as well. During dinners they celebrate birthdays of those friends and family who want to share their special day, put on Thai dancing sequences, announce upcoming events and more. If you want to see a good example of community, they have set up a great one here. They also provide free guided and silent meditation, yoga, T’ai chi classes and more. You do not need to be Buddhist to attend.

Loved it here! I’ve been eyeing it for a while to attend some of the free meditation programs that I have seen featured on Meetup. I went here with my friend and her two kids for the third Saturday buffet, and it was amazing. Kids under 10 eat free, so we paid $ 20 and had endless amounts of incredible food. The place was very well attended and we sat outside in the garden area. The thai food just kept coming, with delicious desserts, great soups, noodles and rice and curry. So tasty! Everyone there was very friendly and helpful and the environment was kind and warm. I look forward to attending some meditation and possibly yoga one day.
This center runs on donations and generosity so it felt very good to support their efforts.

Can’t say enough good things about Wat Buddhametta. The friendliness of the monks, the wonderful Thai buffets that they offer. It’s all there for you. Everyone is welcome to join in and learn about Buddhism. They are always celebrating some event, such as Buddha’s Birthday, holidays.etc. They also have several classes teaching meditation as well as Yoga classes which are free. It’s a warm and inviting place to be. It’s always your choice to leave some donations, money, paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins. They are self sustaining so every bit can help.