Zengo

Wow this place closed? Only was there once for brunch. Food was pretty good– the bacon fries rice was delicious! The atmosphere was the draw for sure. Endless mimosas and a DJ with a nice patio — curious to see what will replace it!

I came here with my boyfriend for a Saturday brunch. The view was really great and the food and unlimited mimosas were, too. However, I did have two dislikes. Among the other small plates we ordered y boyfriend and I ordered the steak benedict which should come with a poached egg and I presumed a tender slice of steak. Well, we didn’t get that. What we did have was a poached egg that had been sitting out too long which was no longer in the state that it should have been in and an extremely tough piece of steak. The other dislike was a two part deal: The mimosas were more OJ than champagne and we watched as the waiter next to our table made sure he kept refilling his patrons glasses while our waiter slacked. Come to think of it, he was probably half the reason our steak benedict sucked.
Despite my review of that portion of the food, we did enjoy ourselves and would consider returning, and even trying the aforementioned plate again, but I hope the manager reads this review so no other patrons have that concern.

Apparently Customer Service IS DEAD…
My family and I decided to spend our Sunday afternoon at Zenga this past Sunday Jan. 25. We made a reservation for a party of 10 and they put us right inside the door to the restaurant in what looks like an oversized cage. This has to be the worst table in the restaurant. We were farthest away from the action, the outside and the DJ.
The service and the food was alright. The drinks continuously flowed and the waitress was attentive UNTIL… she rang up our check. Our actual bill for what we consumed was close to $ 300. We provided a CC for $ 150 and left the rest in cash. The server took the cash and charged our CC $ 448…WHAT??? WHY??? How does that work??? Not only that, we were not even made aware of the mistake at the restaurant. It was not until later when we checked our bank account. The restaurant server nor the manager at the time said anything. We are all human and mistakes happen but don’t hide your mistake AND DON’T MESS WITH PEOPLES $$$$$$.
When my wife went back to the restaurant the next morning, the manager was very aloof and did not take any ownership of the issue. He gave her the run around and never said, «I apologize and let me fix this». That kind of person should not be a manager. I have been in the hospitality field for 15+ years and you are supposed to do all you can to make your customers happy and for sure, fix problems that are self-​inflicted. My wife had to make a trip to downtown LA to the Wells Fargo corporate office in order for the problem to be resolved…3 DAYS LATER.
In my opinion, Zenga’s management is inept and unable to solve problems. Your customers are everything and you cannot mishandle their payments. If you do, fix it right then and there.
It’s a good thing that this restaurant is changing to a Cheesecake Factory. At least they train their staff on proper customer service…

Weekend Bottomless Brunch (includes Tapas and Brunch Cocktails) — $ 39.99
If you’re looking to eat your heart out and bask in the amount of food that AYCE enables, you’re in the wrong place. As it was our group’s first visit, we wanted to try everything, so we allowed our waiter to decide on our menu for us. He pretty much was going to bring out 90% of the menu in the order he thought was best. Brunch cocktails were also bottomless making the food taste better, and believe me, that was necessary. The best drinks were the Lychee Bellini and the Mango Mimosas. Apparently their Bloody Mary was one of the nastiest other people at the table have had. No bueno.
THE BAD: Everything came in small portions, tapas style. You just have to keep hollering at your waiter to bring more food. Ordering a la carte is probably the worst decision you can make here because portions are so small and each plate is so expensive. Plus, the food just doesn’t taste good if you’re not drinking. First up was the Bacon Fried Rice. This would definitely not have been our first choice since we didn’t want to fill up on rice right off the bat. However, most of us only took one bite and was satisfied not eating any more of it. It was cold and bland. The Breakfast Burrito claims to have chorizo, egg and yukon, but the only thing it had was a whole lotta tortilla rolled up into the shape of a tiny burrito. We cut it in half and only saw a thin layer of overcooked egg yolk among the miles of tortilla. This also came out cold. Then, our waiter brought over a vegetarian sushi roll. Our whole table was appalled and wanted to switch that over to the tuna roll instead. But, the tuna roll came and we saw how tiny the roll was with a rice/​tuna ratio of 80/​20, and we decided that the theme would be: wait until the good stuff comes. Unfortunately, there was very little of that.
THE GOOD: Steak Benedict was the best thing on the menu. I am sure of this because it was the only plate that I actually wanted seconds of when I was sober. They use sweet rolls for the base, and it was probably not in my best interest to eat all of it, but it was good. Salmon was also delicious but a bit dry. I enjoyed the Chinese broccoli and shiitake mushrooms that bedded the salmon. The Crispy Tofu was also cooked perfectly and had a great flavor. The last plate I would recommend out of the ~20 small plates we tried is the Thai Chicken Empanadas. These came out warm and the crust was buttery and flakey. The chile poblano and mango salsa really complemented the Thai flavors well.
Dessert came in the form of Pan Dulce, which is pretty much French Toast, and Chocolate Waffles, which was mostly dry. I found myself inhaling these two items most likely because I was having a case of the drunk munchies. I wasn’t a fan of either one, but I just couldn’t stop eating those damn waffles and toasts. Service was pretty average, but I appreciated that he allowed us to create our own drinks with the different purees and juices they had. I’d say their Mango Lemonade was pretty awesome, too. I would have given this place 3 stars, but I really love the décor and atmosphere of this place. It’s modern yet still inviting. Zengo sits on the rooftop in Santa Monica Place, and one of the corners of the outdoor space overlooks 3^rd Street Promenade. It’s a great place to celebrate a birthday brunch or a girls’ get-​together. There are TVs at the bar area and plenty of seating both inside and out. They even have this contemporary fireplace to keep you cozy at night.
Overall, I enjoyed my visit but would have enjoyed it even more if I knew what food to order. Too bad there may not be a second visit since they’re converting to a Cheesecake Factory in a few months. If you do get the chance to visit, though, put those 4 plates on repeat and keep the mimosas coming.

What a fun fusion joing. I went for the all you can eat with booze gastro special and ordered, almost everything. 90% of it was top notch, the view was great and it made for a really nice evening out. The wait staff was fantastic, the food was great and the all you can drink alcohol did not cinch on the good stuff. Pricey, of course it was, it’s in Santa Monica… but it was also worth it.

Extremely rude staff. We arrived for a birthday brunch and were refused seating next to our party even though multiple tables were available. When we asked to speak with a manager, we spoke with an individual named Steven, who was notably rude and completely unaccommodating. We had to sit outside at a table by ourselves, away from our group.
Such a shame to be met with such bad service after organizing a party of 15+ guests at this restaurant. No matter how many reviews a restaurant has, it’s no excuse to be rude to paying customers. If you plan on having any type of large get together, I would avoid this establishment.

I get the feeling the Zengo doesn’t know what it wants to be. Fusion? Mexican? Chinese? — Tequila, Rum, & Dumplings?
Zengo tries to come off as asian fusion but I feel that it just misses the mark and leaves you confused. The layout and décor is nice, I feel the place would be more packed if it wasn’

Zengo is the SHHHHH*T for their weekend brunch deal and I am deeply saddened that they are closing down by March 2015, along with Sandia. SO GO NOW WHILE IT’S STILL OPEN! haha Zengo is a cute little rooftop restaurant, literally on top of the Nike store at 3^rd Street Promenade. Sure, the price of their brunch has gone up over the years from $ 30 to $ 35 to $ 40 now, but still a great deal nonetheless. Where else can you go for all you can drink AND eat for that price? They usually have a DJ there as well so it’s always a good time here with the right people :)
The 411:
–Make reservations to get seat quickly
–2 hour limit for their ayce & aycd brunch
–Free 90 minute parking at the structures and about $ 1 for every hour after that (amazing). There is a structure right next to Nike and Kitson so the walk is not far at all and then you can just take the elevator next to Nike and it goes straight up to Zengo (amazing again).
–AYCD: does not limit you to just mimosas and bloody marys. There area also sangrias, saketinis, and bellinis! My favorite drink to get here is the Lychee Bellinis. Mimosas are whatever, the Bloody Marys were horrible when I got them, and the Sangrias were sweet and I did not really taste much alcohol in them.
–AYCE: The food here is not amazing, but definitely not bad. It is Latin/​Asian fusion so not your typical brunch foods. I LOVE the Thai empanadas! I also like the crispy tofu and the scallop ceviche. Brussel sprouts, potstickers, Zengo roll, and sliders were okay. Items to pass on: Chicken satay skewers (dry), bacon fried rice (not much bacon), and grilled salmon (dry).
–Don’t expect TOO much and you’ll have a good time haha

My girlfriend and I came here after purchasing an Amazon Local deal a few months back. We decided to just enjoy a few small plates as a snack instead of full meals. Our food was great, but it wasn’t even the food, nor the great service, that caught our eye about this place.
There is a brunch and dinner deal that gives you unlimited food and drinks for $ 60 here. Not bad, right? If the price is per person. But no, that price is PER TABLE! Do you realize how insane that is? It’s awesome. With great food, awesome service, deliciously made drinks, AND this crazy deal… We’ll certainly be back with a few friends. And we’ll be trying absolutely everything on the menu.

I love this place! All you can eat and drink for $ 49.99 for dinner (small plates), or $ 59.99 for large plates. Well worth it, because the food you get are pretty fancy. And best thing is that they’re really good! Their all you can drink menu includes cocktails: Sake Sangria, limonada de fresco, margarita, pacifico & cusquena or house red & white vino.
The great thing about this place is that there is an outdoor area too. It’s on the roof, so you definitely get a nice view. Great place to bring dates. They have some couches outside too, so if you want to just chill there with a drink, that is fine with them as well. It does get packed during dinner time, and a lot of people like to take the outdoor area. I recommend making a reservation.
I will definitely come back here to try out more of their food.

Awesome service. Waitress was very attentive (and attractive too! always a plus). Water was always full.
Food came out promptly.
Would’ve been nice if they cleaned the dishes up a little faster but overall was good. They were busy.
Loved the variety of choices. The food was great. Quantity AND Quality!
They didn’t have a pitcher of sangria :(. Nor the Malbec wine I wanted :/​. And the free mojito didn’t work with DineLA… buttttt that didn’t dampen the experience. Ended up picking a different Malbec (it was cheaper at least!) and it was still good. Finished 80% of the bottle myself cause my friends didn’t really want to drink any wine.
The waitress brought out a nice cocktail surprise for me to make up for the lack of Sangria pitcher and my choice of Malbec.
The variety of dishes will have me coming back. I will do the $ 59 endless food and cocktails next time.
Reservations recommended. They’re very modern and filled with young people. Definitely a great place to go with a group of friends, or even a date.
I would’ve doen 5 stars if they would’ve cleared the dishes faster, had a pitcher of sangria, and my choice of malbec.

dineLA deal: all you can eat tapas with a 2 hour limit for $ 35.
The dineLA menu was pretty extensive. My friend and I wanted to try a bunch of stuff and while I was carefully weighing my options, my friend just told the waitstaff to bring out pretty much everything on the hot foods section! Little did we know that these plates were pretty big although advertised as tapas style!
A lot of food came out and we tapped out even before half the food from that section of the menu came out. And they brought it all at once too! If you have a voracious appetite, it’s well worth it. Nothing really stood out to me though. At least we got to try a variety of cuisines in one sitting. That was fun. After stuffing yourself, you can burn off some calories by window shopping at the Santa Monica Place.

Zengo is located on the top floor of the promenade in Santa Monica. The view is amazing. Sadly, the view was better than the food.
What I Ordered:
* Thai Chicken Empanadas: Flaky & moist. Great curry sauce.
* Fried Calamari Salad: It was ok. The salad was lacking in flavors & the calamari wasn’t cooked to a perfect crisp.
* Duck Fried Rice: Yummy but serving was small.
* Chimichurri Steak Marinated in Calamansi: For medium rare… the meat was tough. I couldn’t taste a trace of Calamansi… sad. Overpriced for the quality. It wasn’t beautifully plated either.
Service could’ve been better. The hostess couldnmt even give us a recommendation on what to eat. She also wasn’t the warmest person.
At least I got a free mojito for checking in on Unilocal.It wasn’t the best mojito might I add.

Three and a half stars for a server who seemed hell-​bent on getting us boozed-​up. I would have round up to four stars if the entrees weren’t so disappointing. Let’s begin. You get two hours to drink and eat all you want. Selection is quite wide for both. You get bottomless cocktails that include oj/​mango mimosas, sake sangria, bloody mary’s, or lychee bellinis. The drinks are pretty watered down, but keep in mind, Sunday Funday is all about quantity over quality. THIS APPLIES TO COCKTAILS ONLY. The sake sangria was good, but not strong by any means.
Our server offered to take over the food selections and to pace out the food to be sent to our table. We’re big eaters, so essentially we ate everything on the menu. Among the small plates that we liked: ceviche (both selections), potstickers, and empanadas; the sushi rolls were small and unimpressive. As far as entrees go, all of them were pretty gross except for the sliders. The jamon omelet and steak benedict were incredibly disappointing. Both were bland and cold. The steak was tough and there was no hollandaise to be found. Our salmon came with both regular and Chinese broccoli, and both were overcooked to the point where they were brown. I was drunk enough to accept a dare from my friend that required me to eat the broccoli sans teeth– WHICH SHOULD NEVER BE POSSIBLE, but it was.
As for returning, I am on the fence. For the stellar service provided by our server, we got incredibly rude bus boys/​food runners, the ambiance may be worth the hell that is the 3^rd St Promenade (don’t be cheap – Über it), weak drinks were compensated for by the sheer quantity, and kick-​ass small plates were much better than the entrees. Price-​wise, it’s comparable to most other places in LA but their food leaves something to be desired.

Probably my favorite bottomless brunch. $ 39 for ayce and aycd on weekends. There is a 2 hr limit. However the food does come out fairly fast, even with big groups. Always made reservations– no wait.
FOOD
For the ayce deal, it’s all the small plates. Honestly it’s all good. And trust me, I’ve ordered the whole menu. Some dishes better than others of course (all depending on preference). Here are a few of my favorites:
— Steak Benedict
— Bacon Fried Rice
— Shrimp Ceviche
— Chicken Empanadas
DRINKS
I’m a big fan of aycd. but not a huge fan of mimosas. Unfortunately many bottomless brunches only include mimosas. The thing I love most about Zengo is that they offer a variety of drinks for their bottomless brunch. My favorites are the Bloody Mary and Sake Sangria. They also let you order more than one drink at once. DOUBLE FISTING FTW!
Service is as good as it’s food. Always friendly and fun!

«Zengooooooo!»
After spending an unhealthy amount of time perusing (perusing means examining thoroughly btws, NOT just a casual skim) all the dineLA menus, Zengo was one of my top choices. Is it the AYCE menu that caught my eye? The Latin-​Azn fuzion? Or the option of tapas, which means the opportunity to try a variety of flavors and foods? Eh, actually I think I’ve had my eye on this place since I saw they had a AYCE brunch option. Unilocal check-​in also gets you a mojito! Tasted like… a normal mojito.
The tapa dishes were a lot bigger than I expected, which made me fear that I wouldn’t be able to taste as many dishes as I wanted to. The brussels sprouts was a large serving. The only other stand-​out dishes were the empanadas and the cheezy bread that had a sweet hoisen style crust. Other than that though, the food wasn’t toooo great.
Overall though, I think it was a great deal, and I would be happy to come here again.

$ 39 All you can eat and drink?! I don’t think it gets better than that. Make a reservation! It’ll make your life a lot easier, especially if you’re in a big group. Ask to sit on the patio! The restaurant overlooks the 3^rd Street Promenade and it’s gorgeous on a sunny day.
The price you pay includes UNLIMITED mango mimosas, bloody marys, regular mimosas, lychee bellinis and an extensive menu of small plates! Our party of 8 was seated immediately and we started with mango mimosas. Our waiter was nice and said he wouldn’t start our 2 hour limit until we actually put in our first order of food. They have various fusion Asian and Latin dishes, as well as the usual brunch items! I really liked their meatballs, the salmon, and the jamon omelet! There are over 20 items to choose from and you can literally order as many dishes until you literally can not.
The waiter tried his best to keep our glasses filled but sometimes it would just not be quick enough. He said he wasn’t allowed to leave the pitcher on the table, which kind of sucks. We finished our meal with 30 minutes to spare and we were all sufficiently trashed. They have a DJ spinning tunes and the restaurant has a nice overall vibe.
I will definitely come back!

Finally tried out their endless mimosas and tapas brunch for $ 35. We weren’t able to secure a reservation earlier than 2:30 because it’s so popular. There is a 2 hour limit for tables, so be aware that your party cannot stay for longer than that.
When we arrived at 2:30pm, the patio area was extremely loud because there was a DJ and a lot of young intoxicated people. We were seated on the inside patio area away from all the craziness. If you want to be able to hear the person next to you, then you should sit away from the outdoor patio.
Since we arrived late and the kitchen closes at 3:30pm, our waitress, Yvonne, made sure we got out money’s worth by keeping the food and alcohol coming. We love Yvonne! She’s the best.
The bottomless cocktails consist of sake sangria, mango mimosa, mimosa, and lychee bellini. I got to try all of them, and I liked the lychee bellini and the sake sangria the most. Though, all of the cocktails were pretty weak probably because the restaurant is trying to be economical and also doesn’t want too many drunk people. Drunk, belligerent people are bad for business.
Here is what I would order again:
— Bay scallop ceviche
— chicken empanadas
— french toast
— chocolate waffles
— egg rolls
— sliders
However, a lot of our plates came out lukewarm and quickly became cold. I would come back for the chicken empanadas, but I probably won’t do the bottomless brunch again. Personally, I think it’s a bit overrated, but I can see why people love it. It’s one of the few places in Los Angeles that do bottomless drinks and foods next to the beach.

There are few things in this world that I enjoy more than bottomless mimosa brunches. Zengo takes bottomless to a new level. Why did I not discover their all you can eat and drink brunch earlier in my life? All those wasted Sundays at other restaurants, waiting to eat mediocre food and endure humdrum ambiance for the chance to partake in endless champagne festivities. Sigh.
The all you can eat and drink brunch is weekends from 11:30−3pm. It is fabulous. It costs $ 35 and it is worth every penny. The drinks alone would be worth it. They offer Bloody Marys, traditional mimosas, mango mimosas, lychee bellinis and sake sangria. All the drinks are great and you can mix and match. I’ve tried them all, and the lychee bellini is my fave. It is light and refreshing, not too cloying but still sweet enough to complement the savory brunch morsels. The mango mimosa is also delish and made with mango purée. The Bloody Mary is one of the better that I’ve had. My least favorite is the sake sangria, it is borderline cloying, but a good choice for those with a very sweet tooth. The drinks are refilled often and generously and no judgement is passed for the two intoxicating hours you’re there. Our table was already buzzing twenty minutes into our meal.
The food is delicious. I can say that with utter confidence because it tastes fantastic before inebriation and even better after. The AYCE is for small plates, which is perfect. You get to try a little bit of everything. It is best to come in a moderate size group, at least 6, so you get to try most of the menu. Some of the stand out dishes include:
–Thai chicken empanadas: This is fusion done right! The crust is perfectly crisp and golden, the filling delicate and aromatic with Thai spices.
–Bay scallop ceviche: Light and refreshing, but bursting with flavor.
–Housemade meatballs: Hearty and savory, though perhaps a bit heavy on the ginger.
–Brussel sprouts: Seared and seasoned to perfection.
–BACON fried rice: Need I say more?
–Pan Dulce: Essentially french toast. Absolute decadence!
–Edamame: Some of the best I’ve ever had. Nice and salty with a slight char, giving them wonderfully smokey flavor.
Zengo is located on the top floor of the Santa Monica mall. On a nice day relaxing on the outside patio, mimosa in hand, is sheer bliss. I can see how some might find the DJ loud and distracting, but I personally liked it. It definitely sets the jubilant ambiance. I have no complaints about the service. Our drinks were refilled promptly, our food was brought out quickly and dishes were cleared efficiently. Daniel, our server at our last visit, was great! We had a large party, which always poses a challenge, but he handled it like a champ.
I am already planning my next trip back to Zengo once my liver recovers.