Go Zen / Shanghai Villa, New York NY

This is the BEST and most underrated food establishment in all of NYC - no exaggeration. I used to live in NYC and go all the time and now every time I visit it is a MUST. One (of many) highlights is the vegan buffalo “wings” which have the most satisfying texture and a sauce that is truly like nothing else I have found (and trust me, I’ve looked) - the atmosphere of the restaurant is top notch, never too crowded, everyone that works there is delightful and I am shocked that more people don’t know about this place. 11/10 every time, cannot recommend Go Zen enough

I love Go Zen! I don’t understand how they aren’t always more packed but it works for me because their service is so quick for both take out and dine in! My favs are their “pick any 3” appetizer sampler and the orange beef dish. Also, they have vegan soup dumplings! Yay!

Since going vegan I have missed going out for asian food as I find it rare to find places that don't use oyster/fish sauces, etc in their vegetable dishes & that there's a lack of vegan labelling on dishes (at least in the UK, where I am visiting from). Go Zen was a welcome change from this! It was a nice experience to have everything on the menu available to us. My mum was especially excited to be able to have a vegan hot & sour soup. Staff were great & the food was good, with huge portion sizes.

Do not miss this place! Incredible food, amazing value (mix and match three dishes for $13) and the friendliest service. The soy wings are to die for!

My family and I dribbled upon this place thanksgiving evening and we had an amazing time and food. The food was delicious and vegan, the staff was so sweet and attentive.

WOW such a delicious meal with friends. Affordable and healthy! The Best Chinese restaurant in New York I have been to. We ordered a classic wonton soup which was Yummy with homemade dumplings, eggplants with greens absolutely amazing, Oyster Mushrooms with broccoli which were a delice. Overall the service was prompt and polite. The atmosphere is quiet and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant. Happy New Year of the Rabbit.

Amazing flavor and great selection of vegan cuisine! Thoroughly enjoyed service as well, definitely recommend to anyone, not just people who prefer vegan cuisine!

We were originally going to go to another restaurant 2 or 3 doors down, but it was busy and we saw this and it was empty, so we went in. The service was immaculate even with large numbers of people coming in (which happened after we sat down) and the food was delicious. For any vegan or vegetarian (or just anyone looking for some excellent chinese food), this is your place. I would recommend getting the Sesame Seitan and the BBQ Seitan with Yakisoba noodles. Almost all non-appetizers are big plates, (even the ones that say small plates) so do keep that in mind when ordering. Overall, great service, great food, great atmosphere.

We came here on new year's day and got not only the loveliest food but also the loveliest service! Every single dish we ordered was so delicious and even better than expected! Highly recommend!

Good place. If not for the loud people talking next to me, it would truly be Zen - the music was very relaxing and the lights were dim.

I had the dumplings and the Shanghai Seitan. Portions were decently sized but I was disappointed to find out that the main dish didn’t come with rice so I had to order that separately. I don’t think I’ve ever been to an Asian restaurant where the dish didn’t come with a side lol.

Just a heads up, if you are a mushroom lover like me, don’t order the Shanghai Seitan, order the Oyster mushrooms with Chinese broccoli down the menu instead - they’re basically the same dish but one has seitan, and I only got two pathetic little pieces of mushrooms buried at the bottom under all the seitan and Chinese broccoli lol. The seitan was way too dry for my taste but it may be because I’m not used to eating fried foods.

I will definitely give this place another shot. Overall I enjoyed it as the food wasn’t overly salty or overly oily. Ginger Root on the Upper East Side is still my favorite spot for pan Asian food, but I think Go Zen will be alright for when I don’t have the time to go all the way up there.

Wow! Came here for Jan 1st lunch and discovered that behind their unassuming storefront is some of the tastiest vegan food in NYC. We ordered the miso eggplant, the mushroom soup, wonton soup, soup dumplings, and tofu veg delight. Every dish was excellent and well-prepared. No overpowering sauces or overcooked vegetables. Just a nice array of fresh, wonderful flavors.

Oh, and the service was extremely friendly and welcoming. We’ll be back!

Delicious food and great service! I loved the sizzling soy cutlet so much that I thought about it for 2 weeks and brought people back with me
I just wish their bubble tea was a little cheaper or they offered it cheaper without bubbles.

Reasonably priced, peaceful vegetarian restaurant a block west from washington square park. The place is neat, tranquil and conducive to wonderful meditations and conversations.

Nice place situated in a bustling area. Service is excellent and so is the food. Vegan vegetarian and the raspberry cheese cake is a must try

We intended to go to a restaurant 2-3 lots down the road but it was packed and we didn't want to wait. So we walked back here and decided to try. We were impressed with the food and the service. Unbelievable that it was not busy. The background music was calm and we could have a conversation. We enjoyed our dinner here so much and would definitely come back again.

Went back the second time and the waiter remembered us right away which is impressive.

Great Asian vegan food with a wide variety of options. I got the eggplant lunch dish which was tasty and affordable.

Very nice little Asian restaurant with vegan food. The food tastes amazing and the portions are big (Not bodybuilder big) and the price is very reasonable and fair. The staff is very nice, courteous and kind. We would love to come again. Highly recommended.