Zen Zero

Expected better from a four star reviewed restaurant. Pad Thai was a disappointment. Light on sauce and a sticky mess. Bland flavor. Would not recommend.

Pretty good Asian food. Have been there several times. Like their Thai food. Like the fact that they provide different levels of spice.

Great Asian fusion, but at the expense of some of the tastes being bland. Maybe they are catering to the Midwest market? For instance, I prefer the old school, original Tom Yum chicken…

Myself as well as one of my roommates and a mutual friend of ours stopped in on a Thursday evening for dinner. For a weeknight, the place was surprisingly busy. Not too busy, however, as we were seated right away. Walking in, there is a creatively-​built entryway that is made to look like the entrance to a Buddhist temple. It is very welcoming. Our waitress came over immediately with cups of water and a basket of shrimp chips.
They were unbelievably addicting. I wanted to eat one after the other until they were gone. They were made even more mouth-​watering when dipped in a spicy pepper sauce that is on the table next to the soy sauce and salt and pepper. I would honestly go back just to be able to nibble on more of those.
We also decided to order an appetizer called Momos. These are Himalayan dumplings with charred tomato and spicy sesame chutnies, served either steamed or fried. We ordered the fried pork momos ($ 4.59). When they got to the table, they were obviously hot and fresh out of the oil and were fried to perfection.
When our waitress came back to take our order, I asked what she recommended and she said the Pad Thai. I have heard this from numerous sources, so my assumption is that Zen Zero must be known for their Pad Thai. If they’re not, they should be. My roommate ordered the Pad Thai ($ 6.99), our friend ordered the Thai style sweet and sour chicken ($ 6.99+$ 1.75 for the chicken), and I ordered the Thai Glass Noodle Bowl ($ 5.99+$ 1.75 for chicken). I had no idea what to expect when mine came to the table.
The size of my noodle bowl was larger than I had expected and gave me a pleasant surprise into what «glass noodles» are. The cellophane noodles are so clear, they cannot be seen until they are lifted out of the rich, steamy broth they were submerged in. The broth, which was chicken stock seasoned with garlic, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, scallions, and cilantro, was pleasantly warm and provided a sort of comfort that you would want on a cold winter day. I probably wouldn’t order this again, however, as the noodles were so long and so hard to fish out of the broth that by the time you had some on your fork, what you ended up with was a gummy blob of noodles. The dish overall was very good, though.
Because I had heard so much about the Pad Thai and my roommate had ordered it, I decided to give it a try. That one bite of Pad Thai was enough to convince me that Zen Zero was worth coming back to. The classic thai stir-​fried rice noodles were perfect and complimented with eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro, and peanuts. The Thai Style Sweet and Sour Chicken was also delicious with fresh vegetables, juicy pineapple, cucumber, tomato, and soft jasmine rice, and is something I would definitely order on a future visit.
While enjoying the superb, high-​quality food that was served to me, I took a look around the restaurant. There are authentic-​looking Thai statues and paintings on the walls that only add to the experience. If you don’t look out the window to see Mass St., you feel as though you’ve been transported to Thailand itself.
After I made sure to save room for some dessert, I decided to order myself the coconut flan ($ 4.29). This is possibly one of the best desserts I have ever had. The rich, thick, but creamy flan was delectable and was topped with a rich sauce and roasted shredded coconut. If I had to critique anything about it, I would say that it is maybe a little too rich, as I could only eat half of it before I had to give the other half to my friend.
I wanted the full Zen Zero experience for my first time in and that’s exactly what I got. When the check came, I was pleasantly surprised. For the three course meal I had: the momos, the noodle bowl, and the flan, my total was $ 21 plus my hefty tip for excellent service. My roommate paid about $ 13 for her soda and Pad Thai.
Recommendations: Fried Pork Momos, Pad Thai, Coconut Flan, Shrimp Chips

Our waitress was rude and short with us from the very beginning. After our food arrived, I started to think her bad attitude was her way of warning us of the potent food. Unsure how genuine the «chicken» was. Pretty sure she just saw me type his. Send help.

Unfortunately, Zen Zero is owned by the same group that poorly manages Genovese (and La Parilla), a very sad excuse for an Italian restaurant a couple blocks down the street on Massachusetts. I hesitate to spend our money at Zen Zero only because of the unpleasant experiences we have had at Genovese, but there are not many options when it comes to decent, reasonably priced restaurants in Lawrence, so we bit my tongues and returned after a long layoff.
Our server arrived with a customary basket of Asian rice chips, light and crunchy, which are tasty but an accompanying sauce to dip in would have been nice, but seemed as though she did not seem overly eager to be there or serve us.
Sunday night used to be Zen Zero night in our house where draught beer is on special for $ 3.00 per (American) pint. They do not have a huge selection of drafts, a pale ale, a wheat, and a seasonal (e.g. Oktoberfest, Irish Red). I ordered the Irish Red (normally $ 4.50), two total over the entire meal. My wife had water.
The Fried Pork Momos (now $ 4.99) come with four dumplings and two sauces, a mildly spicy red tomato chutney and an almost white sauce that reminded me of very well-​blended hummus. The Fried Chicken Spring Rolls (now $ 4.29) come with a sweet and spicy sauce infused with chili peppers. They were savory and crunchy, containing ground, seasoned chicken and, beside the small portion, they were also good. But having lived in McLeod Ganj, India for two months last year, a Tibetan colony and home of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama, I ate Tibetan food three times a day, every day. An order of momos there consists of eight, double the number at Zen Zero, they are much better, and only cost $ 2.50, one-​quarter the price at Zen Zero.
My wife ordered a vegetarian dish, Phad Phak Ruam Mitr ($ 7.99), a mixed vegetable stir-​fry with broccoli, onions, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, snow peas, Napa cabbage, scallions, baby corn and tofu and served with Jasmine rice. It was light and not too spicy and the vegetables fresh and crisp, the sauce light yet complex, but leaving a strange aftertaste unlike when we have had it in the past. She barely made a dent in it and the server did not bother asking how our meal was or if there was a problem with the dish, bringing a to-​go container and making us box it up ourselves.
I love curry and Zen Zero’s Massaman curry (now $ 8.29, $ 10.28 with beef), a coconut curry from Southern Thailand with potatoes peanuts (no pork option), was as good as I remember. Having ordered my curry with the customary beef (an extra $ 2.99), the curry was rich and well seasoned. A thick red curry, Massaman comes with tofu or meat (other than pork — $ 1.99 to $ 3.99 extra charge for meat or seafood) with potatoes and peanuts in a huge bowl served with Jasmine rice. Not overly abundant in the beef department, I was not too disappointed because the thick curry sauce was nearly as good as the best I have ever eaten (the best was a similar curry at a small Vietnamese restaurant in Palos Verdes, California back in the late 1970s).
Our appetizers took quite a while to arrive and our entrees took even longer. I watched my wife’s Phad Phak Ruam Mitr sit on the counter for at least ten minutes until my curry was finally ready, all the while our server was too busy talking on her cell phone to bring us our food and we had to wait even longer after my curry was finally ready.
When we had finished, I gave our server a coupon we had received (2^nd dinner half-​off with purchase of an entrée and two drinks), she told me she did not think we could use it. I asked, «Why?», and she told me «You have to order two drinks to get the deal». To which I replied, «We did, I had two beers» (and a couple appetizers to boot) to which she responded, «I’ll have to check with my manager to see if it’s OK». Really? I should not have been surprised because Zen Zero is owned by the same group that owns Genovese where we had a similar incident a while back (they also refused to honor a coupon). I find myself wondering why the owners bother printing coupons if they are just going to have their servers hassle customers who try to use them.
Zen Zero had become a staple in our house and we may likely be returning in the future even though they have raised their prices rather significantly in the past year and the service was not nearly as good as it used to be. Good restaurants are not abundant in Lawrence, particularly downtown, but Zen Zero is a welcome option, albeit a bit pricier than in the past.
I gave Zen Zero 9 Bombs Out Of 10 in a past review, but with deductions for their price increases, the delays in receiving our appetizers and entrees, the weird aftertaste in the Phad Phak Ruam Mitr, and being hassled by the server for using a coupon …
CombatCritic Now Gives Zen Zero 6 Bombs Out Of 10 … Bombs Are Good!

Nice Asian fusion place. The cuisine feels very Thai though when you have the food it’s a clear departure while harboring great inspiration from Thai food. Atmosphere was bustling on a Saturday night and we were definitely seated right before the rush, thankfully. However, service was a tad slow from all other accounts I had heard from the past.
As for the food: I’m GF, so one of the marks of a good place is a solid knowledge about GF food and a helpful attitude when I bring it up. This locale had both. Our server even left her little check booklet which had all the GF options written down in it so I could peruse the menu at my leisure and check to see if what I wanted was safe for me. Actually had a wide variety to choose from including a few apps, lots of curries, and a few rice and noodle dishes. Ended up going with pad thai, an easy and frequent winner in my book. This take on the dish was much sweeter than I was accustomed to and had a thinner rice noodle than I normally see. Still, it was delicious and I struggled to finish it all. In fact I didn’t, my date helped me out after devouring his masaman curry and soup, both of which he raved about.
Also, for the record, $ 5.50 well martinis deserve a star all their own. That’s like a happy hour price, all the time. The lychee was divine.

I used to frequent this place quite often in my collegiate years and always left feeling not completely full – and not in the literal sense either.
Service was lacking, and so was the food. I now know why I felt off every time I ate here. We had asked that our check be brought to our table asap immediately after ordering – we had to ask our waiter on three separate occasions before he brought us the bill. We were given waters timely, and even gave my friends child a little to go cup of water, but failed to give her or any of us straws. We waited for a bit of time and couldn’t find wait staff that was approachable or even available, so we ended up getting the straws on our own. Food came out at a decent time, but I was not impressed with the pad see ew that I had ordered. The noodles were cooked well and the spice level was just perfect, but the seasonings that they had used were bland and did not taste authentically Thai. I did ask for chicken as well, but the chicken tastes very low grade and almost grainy. I think we’ll stick to something else the next time we drive back to Lawrence.

I’ve eaten at Zen Zero a couple of times. The atmosphere is ok, and they have a large selection on their menu. The wait staff has always been attentive and helpful. The food usually rates as just «ok» for me, but decent enough that if someone suggested this place for dinner I would still go back again. I prefer Tup Tim Thai in Topeka for Thai food, but this is a nice little stop in Lawrence.

Great service and food. I was surprised that we weren’t asked about the heat level that we wanted our dishes prepared. The Pad Thai was a little on the sweet side for me, but there was a container of garlic chili paste already on the table to spice the dish myself. My boyfriend loved the green curry noodles. The sauce was fresh and crisp in flavor. An appetizer, a beer, a drink, and 2 entrees ran us less than $ 35. Definitely worth the drive. This wasn’t my first time and won’t be the last!

I love this place they have grate bubble tea. and there Curry is grate be careful tho it can get spicy. I’ve had a number of there dish’ i recommend the Udon and there red coconut curry.

I give this place 4 stars because I feel like it could be a really awesome place to eat.
I ordered the veggie momos and fried tofu as an appetizer and they were very good. The momos had a kind of curry flavor which I liked.
For an entrée I ordered the #25 Thai curry noodles. The flavor was yummy at first. After a while the little garnish on top blends in and it’s just kind of a mushy mess. I just think it was missing some crunch of vegetable or something, but I’m no culinary genius.
My boyfriend ordered the #21 soba noodle stir fry. He really enjoyed the flavor of his dish, his only complaint was his noodles were overcooked.
I was feeling adventurous and ordered the Thai basil cocktail and it had egg looking seeds in it which were a little off putting because I wasn’t expecting them. The drink was meh. I just didn’t like the flavor but that’s my fault for choosing something outside my box.
Our service was amazing and fast and we will definitely go back and try some different things.

I am going to start out by saying I have been to ZZ many, many times since they opened over six years ago. I have enjoyed their food and service. There have been dishes that were too spicy for me that ZZ was more than happy to redo for me. At any other time, I would give ZZ all 5 stars.
The last time I was there, a few days ago., ZZ was not up to their usual. I took a friend who had never been there before. I had raved to her about all things ZZ. We both left disappointed. My friend gave me a look as if to say, «I don’t see what the big deal is about this place.» I tripped over myself apologizing for the mishaps.
The shrimp chips were stale. I had to point out to our server that we needed fresh chips. The ceiling was leaking and my friend kept getting dripped on. We moved tables to a table that had uneven legs. I put some napkins under the errant leg so we would not be wobbly.
I ordered the Spring Roll Salad. It looked interesting and I love Vietnamese spring rolls. The server raved about this choice. The expectation was high but the reality totally different. Vietnamese spring rolls are built primarily from rice noodles and almost always have a hint of mint. There were very few rice noodles and they looked nothing like a true VSR. Sorely disappointed in this selection. This dish did not match up what the menu described. The flavor was nothing like Vietnamese Spring Rolls, either. won’t order it again.
Everything else was good. We had no other problems but the chips, the drips, my meal choice and the table. It just didn’t seem up to standards for ZZ. Perhaps I am being picky but someone had to know these problems existed before we noticed them.
I’ll go back and I might update my review. The food is good and the servers are always nice. You will always take food home if you go there. I am confident the bugs will be worked out next time.

I had Zen Zero bookmarked, and we were walking around Massachusetts when Eric R. declared he was hungry and asked if I would go there — well of course I would! The atmosphere inside is very nice so don’t be fooled by the exterior. Our server Ben was very cool and patient with us as we thought every single item on the menu as well as the specials sounded appealing!
Every table gets free shrimp chips! I started with a Thai iced tea. We went back and forth on what to get, and I finally decided to order Eric R.‘s favorites: singapore noodles (with chicken) and panang curry (with beef). Eric R. felt guilty that I ordered his favorites so he asked Ben if we could get a side of eggplant since I love it. I tried to quash the request but to no avail.
The food came out hot and fast. The portions are enormous! I think we could have split just one dish. However, we cleaned up the panang plate, which was served with a big portion of rice in the middle, beef, bell pepper, and basil. The singapore noodles were also piping hot with egg, chicken, and a lot of veggies. The «side of eggplant» was stir-​fried to perfection, and it was all gone.
The prices were very reasonable and if we were not heading onward to KC away from home, we would have probably taken leftovers rather than stuffing ourselves. This was a really fun place and I definitely could come back and try everything else on the menu!

You have to walk in knowing that this is NOT a Thai food restaurant. Its more Asian fusion.
With that said…
I feel that a papaya salad from a Thai place defines their authenticity so we started with papaya salad. It was VERY sweet and used very little fish sauce and almost no Thai chili peppers. Papaya salad is supposed to be spicy! A bit disappointed. We asked for Thai chili peppers in fish sauce and they gave us fish sauce with red chili flakes… I don’t think they have fresh Thai chili peppers…
For entrees I ordered Green Curry Noodle Soup. This had a bit of a kick and the creamy broth was pretty yummy. The noodles they use is the thin rice noodles that was a little too soft for my taste.
My husband ordered a Pad See Ew. Again, it was very sweet but at least they used Chinese broccoli.
I miss the Thai food from LA…

I always make a special trip to ZZ when I’m back in Lawrence! The shrimp crisps are light and flavorful, and I always order the Gai Pad King. The coconut soup and Mai Tais are amazing too! In addition, I’m always seated right away and given great service.

We love going here, although we find it hard to venture out on the menu because our stand by meals are so delicious that it’s hard to not order them every time. For awhile I’d get the Pad Thai, no egg with Tofu. Lately I’ve moved on to the Massaman Curry with Tofu. My husband loves their yellow curry and we both love the spring roll salad.
Even the chicken nuggets here are good, and I know this because for a year my son would only eat chicken nuggets. Sometimes I hope that he can’t finish them all so I can have one with that awesome dipping sauce they come with.
The food has almost always been super fast and only once have we gotten service that I wouldn’t consider tops. That was more an issue with the kitchen and their understanding of the specials that day. I also like Zen Zero because it can get loud, and so can my kids, so no one seems to notice our noise too much.
This is one of our most frequented restaurants in town and we always bring our out of town visitors here.

I’ve been a Zen Zero fan since the place first opened. They have really amazing curries and a nice variety of them, too. I really like that their base price for the curries is for the vegetarian ones and the price goes up from there. I find that most restaurants typically charge pretty much the same price for vegetarian and meat dishes which seems a bit unfair since those of us who often choose veggie dishes are choosing the cheaper ingredients. So this is something I love about Zen Zero.
The seating is pretty intimate with a long shared seat on one side of the restaurant with closely spaced tables in front of seating. This is absolutely fine as long as you’re not seated next to screaming children.
On my latest visit, I ordered a strawberry bubble tea. I had never ordered a bubble tea at Zen Zero and I likely never will again. It was very watery and lacked flavor plus it had far too many tapioca pearls.
I have never had slow or unfriendly service at Zen Zero. It’s a great go-​to place in Downtown Lawrence.

Zen Zero is a pan-​Asian restaurant in Lawrence that serves tasty food at affordable prices.
Zen Zero (which is a clever play on words — zenzero is the word for ‘ginger’ in Italian, and Zen Zero owners also own Genovese) serves a selection of Asian and Asian-​inspired dishes. The main sections of the menu, outside of appetizers, drinks, and desserts, are ‘Noodles from the wok”, «Noodles in broth», «Curries», along with a house specialties section and a vegetarian section (which I have always regarded as a little odd, since nearly every menu item has the option of protein, and tofu is a default option for all). I typically go to Zen Zero once every couple of months — it can be very busy in the evening with a full student population in town, and I’m rarely around for lunch.
When you first sit down and are greeted by a waitron at Zen Zero, you will get a basket of fried shrimp chips. If you have never had these before, they’re a little fun. Before they are fried, they are a solid disc about the size of a quarter, but once they’re put in hot oil they puff up into a 3 – 4 inch disc of crunchy, puffy, foam-​chip. The name «shrimp chip» is a bit of a misnomer, as they’re not shrimpy-​flavored, but instead they’re more of a pleasing textural crunch, with a little bit of that fry oil to flavor. If you so choose, the tables also have a small pot of chili sauce that you can put on the chips for a little spicy, vinegary zing.
I tend to stick to two dishes on the Zen Zero menu, but that’s because I’m just set in my ways. My typical first choice is the Khao Soi (Thai Curry Noodles) which is a fantastic combination of flavors. The base of the dish is pad thai (i.e. medium-​width) noodles in a rich coconut milk curry broth, then topped with pickled cabbage, red onions, and fried chow mein noodles. The coconut curry broth is fantastic — it’s a saffron yellow and it packs a lot of flavor in every taste — so much so that I’m ruined for some other coconut curries as I will think about eating this when eating one that has less coconut and curry flavor. I always order this with tofu, first because it’s not an upcharge for a different protein, but second because the blocks of tofu soak up that broth essence and are awesome. Over time, I think this dish has evolved to have a few more noodles in it, as I first remember it being more like a soup or a phở with some noodles and a lot of spoonable broth, so I think it might be worth asking for a half-​portion of noodles so you get to enjoy more of that soupy goodness, else the noodles will end up soaking up some of the broth to turn it into something like a heavily-​sauced noodle dish halfway through eating.
My second dish of preference at Zen Zero is Phad Thai. While Phad Thai may be common to every Thai or pseudo-​Thai restaurant, I think the Phad Thai at Zen Zero is good, and it is big. A hefty serving of rice noodles stir fried with sauces, eggs, and scallions, and topped with cilantro and peanuts, and I also get tofu on this one. I usually can only eat half of i, and if I try to power down the whole thing, I have to do the full-​belly waddle as I work my way through the loginess of overeating. I also order this as «hot», which add a pleasant but not overwhelming level of spice.
Mrs. R typically orders the Phad Kee Mao or «Drunken Noodles» which features wide, flat noodles cooked with some sauces and stir-​fried bell peppers, tomatoes, and scallions. I’ve had it a couple of times, and while I think it is rather good, I tend to stick to the above two dishes.

I’ve been on Unilocal a couple of years and sadly, I believe last night was my first return trip to Zen Zero in that time, but I’ve dined here dozens of times over the years. For some reason it’s just not on my family’s list of usual places we dine of late. Stranger yet, Genovese, operated by the same group of owners is our typical date night out stop and gets much of our business. Go figure.
Last night I was reminded what a great place this is and how interesting the food choices are. Chicken Laab… find that in Kansas City. I don’t know, maybe you can but I haven’t seen it and last night’s salad was moist, tender, flavorful and upon request they packed in some extra heat in some peppers which made me smile. The peeled cucumbers and cabbage leaves provided some relief from the burn.
Things I like from memory:
Love their starter (chips) with chili paste and soy
Red curry dishes with shrimp or chicken and lots of heat added by request
Great appetizers, especially the momos
Salmon special
Pear saki!
A few tips: although I strayed last night one of my favorite guilty pleasures is to come here for a very simple meal that consists of two appetizers: the pork ribs and veggie momos. Those two joined by a pear saki or a beer, that’s a damn fine meal. Not overfilling and just the right amount of food without going home overstuffed.
Another tip: get a seat where you can watch the kitchen. It’s highly entertaining, take my word for it.
Service here has almost always met my expectations but I think that might be due to the owners and I find the service equally good at Genovese.
This is a great place to take an out-​of-​town guest. The food here is an interesting blend that runs from Thai to Chinese to Vietnamese and more. If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, you can definitely find it here.