Zen Modern Asian Bistro, San Diego CA

My first time at zen and I’m only 8 min from this place, how did I never know, man Jonathan and Alyssa are so friendly and love the service I truly enjoyed, pork potstickers, chicken wings salt and pepper, the Taiwanese beef noodle soup, the half moon sushi, my husband enjoyed the General Tsao man come over here and get your Asian on for fast casual Asian eats so delicious

Unassuming restaurant tucked away in a strip mall. Casual, simple dining area with open kitchen.

Staff are friendly and welcoming. We were impressed with the wide array of options on the menu, especially once we ordered and a diverse group of entrees were quickly delivered to the table.

With a group of four, we started with Asian Riblet and Seaweed salad. The Riblet dish came with five riblets and the seaweed salad was amply portioned.

For entrees, we ordered the Kung Pao chicken, Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, Kimchi Fried Rice, and White Wine Chicken. Every dish was a hit. The large size entrees allowed all of us to fill up over lunch and take half of our dish home for leftovers. Prices are reasonable across the menu and the portion sizes are great.

Would recommend for either takeout or a casual dining experience.

Excellent food and great service. However, the restaurant could have a more inviting eating area.

I think this place should be featured at a bland food festival.

California Roll - It was okay, but it fell apart. …very easily.

Egg Drop Soup - Gross. It was disgusting. It didn’t smell good and it tasted even worse. It was actually sour.

KO Noodles - Sooo bland. Not the traditional noodles were used, it was more like fried ramen noodles.

Kung Pao - It looked like it would be packed of flavor. It smelled like it would taste good. …welcome to flavorless town! I don’t do spicy, but I was waiting for a kick. Not flavor and not even a kick. Oh, chicken was over cooked too.

Wonton Soup - Meh. It was brown too, so I’m not sure what’s up with that. At least the broth was clear.

If you have nothing better to do and money to blow, check this place out. Otherwise I don’t recommend it. Maybe they were just having a bad night. I’m not impressed enough or curious enough to go back.

It may have been my choice of dish, this I am not giving a lower rating. I ordered chicken and broccoli. The chicken was rather bland. The location is small, the wait staff great, the prices a bit high.

I'm a restaurant consultant 45 years experience. With that said, they've actually cut the portions in half over the last 4 years. Prices have doubled on the same items. Lastly, they have the nerve to request a tip while placing my order online. Really! I place the order, I drive there and I'm asked to tip them in advance whether or not the minimal work they do is timely or accurate. I did most of the work, perhaps they should tip me!

Service is friendly and it wasn't crowded. The serving size is a lot larger, but it is considerably much more pricier.
Overall it was a lovely experience

I really enjoy ordering takeout from here, I have never dined in, but food is prepared quickly and exactly how I ordered. The shrimp tempura hand roll and won ton soup are both delicious. I gave four stars due to menu prices, this is not a super affordable restaurant, but nice to get from every once in a while if you're looking to splurge. You should expect to spend upwards of $30 per person for a beverage and an entrée, maybe splitting an appetizer.

Good food! Great service! We ordered a bunch of things and we were all in agreement that the soups were the best particularly the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup and the Udon Noodle Soup. The soups are massive (easily a 2 person portion).

I usually order the Pad Thai which is always delicious but I'm a little under the weather and ordered the Taiwanese Beef Noodle soup to-go and it was just what i needed! The stew and beef tastes like it's been cooking for hours and hours! They even gave me to-go bowl since they knew I'm having lunch in the office! Super friendly and fast service! Everything I've had here is super yummy!

The staff was polite and helpful. The food was tasty, the salt and pepper wings were little overpowering but overall really delicious! The beef noodle soup was just.

I've been going here off and on for years and don't have much to say that "5-stars" doesn't cover. For me, it's the perfect occasional takeout meal.

Over priced with very mediocre quality of service and food. Pricy for what you get.
Interior design and lighting are ugly!

Pork belly quesadilla was great. Sushi rolls were on point and kung pao chicken was perfect. Fast and friendly service. Would recommend.

Great place for Asian fusion. Food quality is excellent. I recommend the Wor Won Ton soup, pot stickers, and Salmon Nigiri. Seating area is small so might not be able to pop in to done but they do take out and its worth it.

Food was good. Enjoyed the sauces on sushi rolls.
Atmosphere was a little lacking. I'll assume COVID has impacted how they store items so it looked a bit disheveled.
There was one guy waiting on tables and assisting to-go orders. Hard working and friendly but spread too thin.like every other place currently. I would go back but likely do a to-go order.

I ordered drunken noodles with shrimp it was sooooo good this place rocks. They work really hard at making you a great meal. I loved it!