Zzaam! Fresh Korean Grill

This place is a pleasant surprise! The food is SO good! Love the whole concept of being able to build your bowl, the way Chipotle does it, but now for Korean food. Coming from New York, I’m already hoping that they expand to NY area so that I can enjoy such reasonably priced food with much deliciousness!

Healthy nutritious food that is quick to order and process. Guests go through line ordering base of rice, noodles or tacos, then adding a meat or protein, then large choice of toppings, followed by choice of sauce. The staff are fit, healthy, friendly and authentically Korean. This is one of the best Fast Food places in town.

Nice place. Nice people. Clean. Good concept like chipotle and healthy but flavors could be better.

Overall four stars if you consider the balance of quality, price, and quantity, ie you-​get-​what-​you-​pay-​for kind of thing. However, based solely on food, I only give it 3. I was so excited to try this place, and the concept is awesome of course — every ethnic variation of Chipotle is a winner already. The array of Korean side dishes available is also great, and there are a lot of yummy options to choose from. The thing that was lacking was flavor and freshness. It was OK. But somehow it tasted like, well, things that have been left sitting in containers for just a tad too long. I guess it’s kind of inevitable unless you get the fast turnover that an actual Chipotle does. It’s a bit of a weird restaurant setup too — generally needs more light and a facelift.

I wish I could give it a 4.5 since it’s not quite at 5-​stars! For $ 7 I feel that this place cannot be beat. This was my third or fourth time here and the rice bowl will always be the best choice! I got spicy pork and it was good, but not amazing or very authentic. It was also not spicy to me at all and I have a pretty low spice tolerance! I really like how you can choose 5 toppings to go with your meat! Even though it’s not the absolute best Korean food, for being a fast food place it is great. Definitely a great value meal. One thing I would recommend is tasting the sauces before you choose one because I feel those really make or break the entire bowl.

Fresh, lots of selection, fast, inexpensive, and yummy! And no line! Why are so many people at chipotle?

I recommend sticking to the bowls, as the burrito doesn’t allow you to mix the ingredients well, leading to bites of only one ingredient. The bowls are delicious though with great prices, and provide a good amount of food. I’ve only had the chicken and pork belly rice bowls, and both are good. Angry Bull sauce is delicious and spicy teriyaki is good too. Definitely check it out!

I love Zzaam! It is a build-​your-​own style restaurant like Subway or Chipotle where you choose everything you want in your bowl. I always go with a noodle bowl with spicy chicken and Korean taco sauce. A small bowl is only $ 4.90 and I find it quite filling. Great restaurant with friendly staff and amazingly unique flavors.

I have been to this establishment twice now, and there is definitely something that keeps me coming back. Perhaps it is the ability to customize your food so much (the mathematician in me wants to figure out just how many combinations there are to be made here, and then maybe only the vegetarian options). Perhaps it is the fact that they are incredibly vegetarian-​friendly. Perhaps it is the hefty portion that they hand out when you order a bowl, typical of most Asian restaurants. Or perhaps I am determined that I will get something that is not incredibly spicy the next time I go in there.
My girlfriend actually suggested we try this place one time while she was visiting. We had known that my friend had ordered it one night, and although he seemed to get far too much food to eat (he probably got the larger of the two sizes), it seemed like a place worth going to. In glancing over others’ reviews before I wrote mine, I realize that some others think that this place is not really Korean at all. Looking at the ingredients that you have to pick from, even with my limited knowledge of Korean cuisine, I could say the same. Regardless, though, everything looked fresh and delicious from the start!
In some respects, my girlfriend and I’s tastes align pretty well (as we both do not eat meat, so there is less room for deviation), but we also differ on a good amount of things. One such thing is where we fall on the noodle-​rice spectrum; I go with rice while she prefers noodles. From there on out, it seemed really nice that we could get such different orders while still being together in the same place! I seemed to follow her lead on most things after that, feeling out the plethora of ingredients they had to offer, but overall I think it was a success.
The people who prepare the food for you seem to be a little out of it, and I know that this place is no longer brand new, by any means, so I would like to see a little more knowledge about the products, if possible. It would make me feel better when I go in there next time (I said «when» because I will definitely be back) if I knew that the employees could tell me what level of spice some things have, so that I could get to the root of having a spice-​free or low-​spice bowl. The price for the food, including one drink, really did make it seem worth it without even having to eat it (it could have been sub-​par and I would have been satisfied with what I paid).
The location, I think, is pretty great. Right on the side of Emmet Street (Route 29) in an old frozen yogurt place, this place has two stories which make it a little more fun. The upstairs is where my girlfriend and I sat the first time, and I sat there again the last time I went there. There is a bar in the upstairs portion of the restaurant, but I have never seen it manned, and it does not ever look stocked (it is probably good that they do not have an unsupervised full bar right next to a college). The only thing I would say is that the place is exposed to a lot of sun and can get a little stuffy on a warm afternoon. I have not been there enough to determine the optimal time to go, but I would say that going at night would be best.
It is difficult to tell you what exactly we got for our bowls, for the amount of options is so expansive and this was a little bit ago. Unfortunately as well, I did not take a picture of the food to share in the review, but sometimes that is a good thing, as that means it disappeared pretty quickly! The only thing is that I have gotten something spicy in my bowl both times we have been here, and I am trying to avoid it. If you are at all worried about spice, please ask them and they will be happy to help you out.
I have based my review, as I always try to, on the quality and value of the food being ordered, and thus this place gets the highest rating. Being disappointed with a place like this means that you, as a consumer, did not put much thought into your purchase, as it is all based on your choice, and you do not have to order at all if you think you may be disappointed. If this is the type of place that you are in the mood for, then you would be correct in going here. I look for myself and even my out-​of-​state girlfriend to go back whenever we can and feel like going!

It’s definitely an interesting concept and now with their lower prices it’s a must –try. However for me, I can only eat this every once in a while, while I can eat chipotle or Mezeh twice a week. The kimchee has odd cabbage cuts (like the stem which is way too darn crunchy); and at the bottom of my bowl had SO MUCH oil it was disgusting. Their meats are good but kind of watery and saucy. Whatever you do with the toppings, don’t get cheese. It doesn’t go with anything they serve… But it’s fast, cheap, and decent when you need some Korean fix.

This is a great place to be introduced to Korean food as well as a place to get your fix if you’re from NOVA where there are abundant Korean restaurants.
As some other reviews have said, this place doesn’t claim to be authentic Korean food, but it comes relatively close considering the area that it’s located in. Bottom line: food tastes good (especially the meat!!! try the spicy pork!!), they give you large portions, and it’s quick without being grossly unhealthy like Burger King or other fast food places.
My main gripe about this place is that they don’t have spinach as a topping for either the rice bowl or the japchae which is a pretty main ingredient in both dishes.
Oh, one other thing is the parking issue. There is a lot of seating at this restaurant (there’s an upstairs) but there’s only enough parking for like 6 cars.

Been here twice now. The idea behind this place is neat– it’s a Korean Chipotle, basically.
The space itself is nice enough. It’s clean and open, again, reminiscent of a Chipotle. However, where this place really falls flat is on consistency and training its staff.
First time I came here, the dish I ordered had very light sauce and the fried egg was hard as a rock. Second time, the dish was drowning in sauce and the egg was severely undercooked. Furthermore, after ordering egg rolls and waiting twenty minutes, I never received my order. I spoke to the young man behind the counter (who was clearly new– he couldn’t find a fork without someone from the back coming to help him) and he shrugged me off. There went four dollars for nothing.
If you feel like gambling, come here. But if you want decent, consistent Korean food served by a knowledgable staff, look somewhere else.

Someone explained Zzaam to me as a Korean Chipoltle or Subway… basically you pick your starch, meet, toppings, and sauce and Zzaam you have a fresh Korean bi bim bop-​ish bowl. No, its not your Korean grandmother’s homemade cooking or your favorite Korean BBQ restaurant you went to in Seoul, but its a fun and tasty place for Charlottesville.

Chipotle must be doing something right if people are describing «fast casual» or «assembly line» food places as «Chipotle style». Zzaam is no different. The easiest way to explain to people about Zzaam is that it is the «Korean Chipotle». You pick your «Zzaam», protein, and 5 veggies with the option of getting a fried egg and also sauces. I’ve been coming here for a while now and I usually get a rice bowl, spicy pork or pork belly, fried egg, and veggies are always different depending on my mood. A bit pricey compared to Chipotle so expect to pay around $ 10. Nonetheless, it’s a good alternative if I want a quick meal and don’t want Chipotle. Customer service is nice and the place is neat with 2 floors and outside seating areas. Indulge in some appetizers and beer to fully maximize your experience!

A solid spot that’s great for groups since you can customize your bowl! Much like Chipotle you choose your base, meat and up to five toppings and sauces. Not all the toppings are authenticly Korean (like kale) but love how many options they have! A little more pricey than Chipotle (rice bowls are about $ 10), but definitely something you don’t see a lot of in Charlottesville.

When someone told me it was basically a Korean chipotle, I thought they were joking. Thankfully it was not a joke, because I love the Chipotle «assembly line» form of ordering so I was hooked!
Serves the very needed niche of Korean food in Charlottesville with a fast and customizable meal. Your choice of meal type (rice bowl, noodle bowl, etc), meat, choice of fried egg, and up to five included added toppings (additional toppings cost extra). There is also a variety of sauces to choose from though I can’t tell with certainty what each one is due to ambiguous names. The rice bowl in its totality, for the record, is a LOT of food so getting one is bound to fill you up.
By the way, some of the staff sometimes don’t speak English very well so you might run into that intermittently if you eat here. As an added bonus, they appear to be added in and testing out new ingredients fairly regularly and hold regular contests which give away free meals in exchange for sharing their photos for publicity. It appears to be a solid system because I’ve shared them every time!
Note: Parking lot is almost non-​existent so parking in a nearby lot is always a possibility.
All in all, I don’t frequent Korean restaurants enough to say that this is the best Korean food around, but it fulfills my craving for Korean food when I have it and it’s a solid addition to Cville’s variety of places to eat!

I remember when I first heard that a Korean restaurant was developing on 29 and was really, really, excited. Being a native from the DMV area I have been very involved in an ongoing relationship with a variety of Korean restaurants. That being said, if you find that you’re open to trying a loose rendition of bulgolgi, pork belly, etc. try this place.
Kazaam does a decent job of bringing my favorite dishes to life in Cville. Why decent? Well they offer a DIY version of classic Korean dishes, which allow you to select your protein, carb, sides, and sauces. Cool in theory, but I wish there was a bit more care taken with the protein. I ordered the bulgolgi and my boyfriend tried the pork belly. Both were tasty enough but were missing the tenderness and marinated flavor that is often accompanied with the spice and grill of a well-​versed Kbbq. Despite that, we enjoyed our server’s sauce and side recommendations for our meat choices. The kimchi was good enough but lacked the usual distinct sour spicy notes.
The service was friendly, efficient, and they knew what they were doing. The interior is a cool two-​leveled building with a cute outdoor patio on the second floor that overlooks the not-​so-​glorious construction on 29. However, it’s a great place to sit outside and eat on a summer night when you’re on a budget!

I eat a lot of Korean. Like a lot.
This place is legit. It’s like a Korean Chipotle with lots of options and generous portions. I don’t think it’s Americanized Korean, it’s more of a fast food style Korean. The kimchi was flavorful, as well as the radish. The pork and pork belly were well seasoned and grilled properly. No complaints at all.
I will definitely return next time I visit the area.

We stopped by Zzaam! for a quick bite for lunch on a recent visit to Charlottesville. I love the concept of a Korean Chipotle! I would definitely recommend this place for a quick, delicious, and affordable meal.
I had the rice bowl with beef and a variety of different toppings plus sauce. They have a variety of veggie options for toppings and I especially love the fried egg. Since it was my first time dining at Zzaam!, I was not familiar with the sauces but was kindly given samples of whatever I wanted to try. My favorite was the Angry Bull Sauce, which had a nice kick to it.
Please consider opening a Zzaam! in DC (perhaps in the Foggy Bottom area) — I’m sure it would do very well with the lunch crowd and with GW students!

Delicious food that is a step-​up from other fast food and offers a unique and tasty selection of options.
I always hate comparing these type of places to Chipotle because I’m sure they weren’t the first to come up with the system used here at Zzaam. But, for lack of a better example, we’ll all have to suffer. Like Chipotle, Zzaam allows you to pick a base (rice, salad, etc.), a meat, five vegetables, and a sauce. You have a wide array of veggies, much more than I’ve seen at similar restaurants, and they are served fresh and in generous quantities (including an entire egg sunny side up). This location has two levels — the bottom floor is where you get your food, and the upstairs looks like it’s a fully operational bar with a balcony.
The final product was very tasty and unique from other fast food in the area. Lots of fresh vegetables and the meat didn’t taste as salty as Chipotle. I really have no complaints about the food and various tangy/​sweet/​spicy sauces — it was really delicious and reasonably priced (two bowls with meat and two drinks came to a little over $ 20). My only complaint was with the sweet teas offered — way too sweet. I recommend mixing the unsweetened with the sweet unless you enjoy tea that tastes like liquefied rock candy (especially the green tea… ugh my poor teeth).
Overall, I’m really happy this place is in Charlottesville because the type, variety, and quality of food is excellent and much needed along this part of Route 29. I’d recommend this place to anyone willing try something new.