Zen Sushi Bistro

It was hard to choose among the endless choices of rolls. They offer so much variety. The rolls we ordered were very good. My son loved the ramen. The service was very friendly.

Enjoyed my «Best of Everything» roll very much! 8 pieces of some good sushi, and not a «sushi guy» which is why I gave 4 not 5 stars… that and the roll wasn’t cut completely thru testing my novice chop stick ability.

I wish I could do a review separately for the food vs the service. The service is amazing. All the staff is super friendly each time I come here — from the hostess to the waiter to the busser. Even when they are very busy, they don’t show how rushed they are and are happy to assist you with a smile. They don’t forget if you asked for something minor like a glass of water, which is something most restaurant waiters always forget about (most annoying thing ever).
Ambiance is great, mood is great. Love the modern vibe.
That being said, the food is pretty mediocre. A bit on the pricy side for what you get, in my opinion. Although they have a lot of unique fusion dishes on the menu, I have yet to try anything that wow-​ed me, which holds me back from bringing my friends back to this place. On paper, they all sound amazing but most of them end up tasting just like any other dish. But I do want to mention that the Pepper Tail is really good, and is one of the dishes worth trying at Zen.
All in all, I do come back to this spot every so often but only because I know the service will be great and I can eat my Pepper Tail that will taste amazing every time.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve come here many times before especially on Thursdays and have loved it, but this time was different. It’s not even very busy, but a waiter took our order of rolls just to start us off and then we ordered more with another waiter. We waited over half an hour and our second order came and after we finished, the first order of rolls still have not arrived. All the tables around us who came after us got their rolls and were just about finished and we still haven’t gotten our rolls. It was ridiculous and when we told our waiter, she acted like it was no big deal or we were overreacting. She checked and said they’re making it and over 15 minutes later, still nothing. Our guess is that it’s probably because the first waiter didn’t put our order in. Worst of all, they didn’t own up to the mistake. Just say sorry that we messed up and the food is coming. Damn.
Update: We asked a woman hostess for the manager and my mom asked if the Asian man in the hat is the manager and she said yes and then the manager sent another younger guy to talk to us. Most ridiculous thing of all, this younger guy pretended to be the manager. We’ve been here many times before and we are not fools. We know he’s not the manager and the other lady just said the one who actually looks like a manager is the manager so don’t play us. We’re definitely never going back again. Unbelievable. Best thing they could do? Next time we go back, ask for the guy’s name and they’ll treat us with the best. You go through so many customers a day, how will you remember us? Nothing, not even a business card or something to solidify it.

Sushi was delicious and very fresh. The grilled Ika was so delicious. I ordered all nigiri and it arrived on a timely matter and the fish was nicely cold and fresh. My girl friend ordered a plate of sashimi and it was so good. The ambience was great. Interior lighting was nice and just right. Will definitely come back and try it again.

This place is mediocre for. I can’t believe that for a three rolls, a couple of miso, and pot stickers, our bill was $ 75. And I wouldn’t have mind paying it at Amami or Kami sushi in SSF. Their quality and cuts are just amazing.
We even went in a Thursday when rolls are $ 8.
I don’t like mayonnaise particularly don’t care for California rolls. One of their specialty rolls came with ca Roll on the inside and so I asked the waiter if we can sub that. I was willing to pay the few dollar markup, and the waiter agreed.
When the bill came, he marked the full price of a rainbow roll ($ 13.99)plus an additional $ 4. So $ 18 dollars for a rainbow roll with spicy tuna. I was floored. When I asked him about this, he said by
Altering the menu he had to charge me full
Price and the mark up. Had he told
Me, I wouldn’t have ordered this mediocre roll. It was. NOT worth it at all. I vowed after spending $ 75+ and the food being such meh, I didn’t want to come back, EVER. Sorry, there’s much better restaurants outside of Millbrae for this price.

I went here about a week ago with my cousin and my sister. I got the Shrimp Tempura Udon because I don’t really like sushi :(, but it was awesome. I wish I liked sushi because the rolls that my cousin and sister got looked so good. Very well put together rolls. Our server was great as well, but unfortunately I can’t remember his name. Overall this is a great sushi restaurant for people who like sushi and for people who are not big fans of sushi.

Was craving sushi, but didn’t want to drive all the way out to my favorite sushi place in SF– Ebisu.
Came here on a Thursday night, and tried their $ 8 rolls menu. All the rolls were kind of the same. It got really repetitive, which made me bored.
This place is OK, definitely had better. Next time will not be lazy and make my way to the city for Ebisu.

Pros: Lot of variety. Fun atmosphere and the sushi chefs are always fun to watch when sitting at the bar. The ceiling changes color and has a pretty décor to it with leaf cutouts and also has a few pane walls to separate the booths from the tables without having to seat the tables in the middle of the restaurant which irks me when there is no space to walk around (I worked in a restaurant where I had to walk sideways to get around… eek!)
Cons: Would love to see an original item they make exclusively there but then again that’s not really a con. Hence –1 star
It’s been long overdue that I review this place. It has become my replacement from Amami which has terrible service which I explained in a previous review. I have found a place closer to home and is by far my favorite place to eat. This place has awesome specials and a great selection of drinks and wines though I always stick to one type of sake they provide.

I came here on NYE with family and friends because of their Thursday $ 8 roll special. Apparently this has changed over the months. They used to make ALL rolls $ 8 each but now it’s only a limited menu. They also used to include Thursday on their list of happy hour weekdays, but now it’s only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Nevertheless, Thursday is still the best day to come, but make a reservation in advance.
We ordered soooo many rolls, I cannot remember all of them. I really enjoyed the albacore appetizer, as well as the Zig Zag Roll as other reviews mention. After awhile, all the sushi started tasting the same. It’s not the best sushi I’ve had, but they have a wide variety of rolls. The service is also mediocre. We had trouble communicating with our waiter at times, and he would sometimes leave before we had finished talking to him.
All in all… $ 8 sushi rolls on Thursday? I’m still in.

This is a good spot for sushi. Not the best I’ve had but it’ll do, it’ll do.
Service was great. Got seated right away. Server was quick to bring our drinks and food.
Sushi we got was good!

I went here in Monday and ambiance is nice. The place is good for big groups as well. The food was just okay. I’ve tried better sushi elsewhere. I say just go for happy hour! The appetizers are good and the sushi on the happy hour menu… It’s okay but it’s cheap so whatever.
If I was was to come here again I’ll just go during happy hour. I believe on Monday its all day?
The waitress was super nice and patient with us… I forgot her name but kudos to her :)

They have different specials every day including a $ 1 oyster special one day, and $ 7 rolls on another day. Out of all the rolls the Zig Zag roll that everyone mentions seems to be my favorite, though I wish the crab was hot instead of tasting like it was fried an hour earlier.
They used to have a free mochi check-​in, but they got rid of it.
This is a decent place if you want sushi, and want okay service. Sometimes it gets so crowded that you;re seated very close to other people, and the noise level gets to be loud, but if you avoid the main times and weekends, it’s actually pretty quiet.
Their bento boxes are very expensive, about $ 20, so I wouldn’t recommend getting that, or any of their pricey specialty rolls.

Definitely an interesting and creative spot! We came here for a late dinner and ordered off the chalk board specials menu. We were impressed by how fresh everything was: dancing shrimp show followed up a stew preparation, sashimi clam and white fish. We had the cooked portions of our shrimp and clam converted into ramen and udon soups which were fantastic following the sashimi.
We began our meal with the oyster-​quail egg-​sake shot which completely surprised us as this was a full tall shot glass instead of served on a shell. It was definitely interesting, though I’m not sure I would get it again.
Overall, pretty neat selection, worth checking out if you’re a sashimi fan!
Word of warning: We were surprised to find the clam way exceeded our budget with no mention on the specials board– this speaks well to the rare selection available but caution to ask about price if something seems «too unique».

I come here once every few months and they’ve never failed to please.
I usually come in around 130 – 2 and there’s never a wait. I come alone and appreciate the big table they are able to accommodate me with.
I love the cucumbers they automatically give when you sit down, they have some kind of maybe salt and vinegar and are nom!
I always start with miso and hot tea.
Miso is as miso should be.
The tea is excellent and I love that they give you the pot to refill when you’re ready.
Dynamite roll… Spicy tuna with cucumber is fresh with a crunch and just the right amount of spice and flavor!
Spicy crunch roll made my taste buds soar!
Checked in for my free ice cream, Mochi and it was as it should be.
Would recommend and will be back!

The décor of the restaurant is very modern and hip. Plenty of parking around the neighborhood but tend to be filled during dinner time. I had been to this location two times now and the first time I was here, I came during their Thursday $ 7 roll specials (all sushi roll for $ 7) and the service was REALLY slow. Not sure exactly what happened but it took forever to take our order and took forever to get our food. I think we end up waiting 1.5 hours before we got our order in? The staff was apologetic and it seemed like one or two of them were new and possibly still in training.
Food wise, it was decent. Can’t say it was spectacular but I can’t complain if it’s only $ 7. But since it’s around $ 14-​$ 15 per their normal price, it might be slightly high. I did liked their Zig Zag roll, loved the crunchy texture.
Mixed feelings about this place, I’ll come back if I don’t know where to go for dinner.

The environment was fancy and modern in the restaurant. The look can be deceiving from the outside of the building. It was a good thing that I found parking next to the restaurant as well.
The hostess was quick with my check-​in through
besides calling in ahead of time. I informed her that I wanted to be seated in Kristi’s area. She was very kind to move the reserved seating to her area without any problems.
Kristi was a wonderful waitress. She was very professional and attentive with the orders. Kristi would bend down close to you and make sure that the orders were correct as well. It was fabulous that Kristi was able to get the Punk Rock roll for me when it was no longer on the the menu anymore. The roll was still displayed on the Unilocal’s menu. She was polite and answered, «Of course!» if I needed refill with my drink and asked for more spicy mayo sauce as well.
There were free cucumbers for us to munch on. I went there with my best friend. I ordered the gyoza from the happy hour menu for $ 4. It was a very good deal with six pieces on the long platter. In addition, it was awesome to have all special rolls for only $ 7 on Thursday nights. I ordered the lobster roll. It was delicious. The desserts were delightful since the red bean mochi, chocolate ice cream, and peach sherbet cooled me off on a hot day.
Anyhow, I could not used my Unilocal discount since Thursday was focusing on discounted special rolls. I would need to come back another time to use my Unilocal offer. It is not a problem since I will come back here in the future.

The sushi rolls here are great! I came with a group of 4 others, and my friend used a groupon that was expiring soon.
We ordered oysters and drinks for happy hour, and ordered tons of sushi rolls for dinner. Since I was super hungry and just dug in, I didn’t memorize the rolls by name. Forgive me. Just know that, I recommend everything I tried!
The ambiance is warm and cozy. Seems like a good date night place. Overall, I would recommend coming here.

Accomadating, open, chic & cool, I will have to come back everything I tried was better the decent. Let me break down what we sampled and how it faired.
Edamame — standard lightly salted not stale
Sliced cucumber in light vinegary sauce– refreshing is the description I have for this appitizer, the vinegary sauce was light and semi sweet which paired perfect with the diced cucumbers
Tempura prawns — 3 pieces super crispy, tender prawn, with standard tempura dipping sauce my son liked it so much we ordered 2 orders for him
Tempura scallops — first time i seen this on a menu so why not try it, crispy outside layer, fluffy not squishy inside flavored to my liking dip in tempura prawn sauce or eat as is, pipping hot on every bite, I think 6 comes per order
Grilled bbq pork — reddish in color, semisweet standard made, tender fall off the bone meat, since I can have this almost at any family party I would pass on this item but the wife liked it allot
The Spicy Q — it is spicy, prawn tempura, unagi, avacado and several other items added to this roll the sauce made it spicy! On both end you see the tempura tails hanging out, I would order this again
The bento box with grilled salmon and california rolls with miso soup, grilled salmon was good no fishy taste, light not super seasoned, just enough to make it taste good, california rolls were standard no frills
The donburi unagi bowl — presentation of the bowl was ideal, the unagi was more meat then fat which is always a plus in my book, the sauce was savory sweet and plenty of it in the bowl, pickled ginger, diced green onions, thin sliced seaweed all lined to bowl, flavor wise for me was excellent, had the right amount of eel, sauce, ginger, onions and seaweed. I will be back for this dish
Food **** everything I tried will make me come back
Price $$$
Service *** you will kinda need to have your hand up several time to flag the staff down for refills of water or napkins, they are very patient, and helpful if you have kids
Ambiance**** fancy nightclub look and feel, literally looks like a club when walking in haha, very clean, sectioned out appropriately, large bar area, presentation of tanks and sushi managed well

Zen Bistro is the place we decided upon for dinner last Sunday night after browsing thru all the options on Unilocal.We were feeling Japanese. Haha
Arriving there about 5pm, there were a few tables there so we immediately were seated right away. It’s a pretty small restaurant with tables & a bar counter area. Definitely felt swanky & modern because of the décor & layout of the place. They had like a divider from the main room & the sidetables. It’s cool bc it gave it a bit more privacy.
We ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen, Firecracker Roll, Seared Yaki Roll, Spicy Snow Roll, and Spicy Crunchy Roll. All were pretty delish, but we may have ordered too much for two people so we ended up with lots of leftovers which is cool. Boyfriend has food later when he gets hungry. Lol our fave would have to be the Seared Yaki Roll & Spicy Crunchy Roll. Boyfriend just had to picky that one since the place for is the name of that roll. Haha.
Later on, the business became packed with customers & they were def understaffed. Food & service was a bit slower but it’s wasn’t too bad.
Would I come back? You betcha. I’d be interested in coming back to try their happy hour. :)