Zen Asian Sushi Bar & Grill

The sushi wasn’t all that. Just didn’t seem as fresh as one would expect here in Denver.
I feel I get fresher sushi in the springs. The sushi pieces seemed sticky. As if the rice wasn’t done or too done. Not sure. And I like miso soup.

Had lunch here for Valentines day. The food was absolutely great. The sushi was fresh and tasted great. I ordered a filet mignon wok stir fry and it was terrific. Our waiter, Michael, was great as well. Great food and atmosphere. I definitely would recommend this.

I was surprised by all the choices. You can order Thai, Chinese and/​or Japanese. The best entrees were the sushi rolls. We ordered the Pink Lady and the Spiderman.
The crab wontons were really tasty. The miso soup was in the warm side but the excellent waitress took that off the bill.
The service is excellent. When I shop around here in the future I would eat here again.

First time eating here — had lunch pad thai was marginal taste more like spaghetti with tomato sauce not much Asian flavor and the peanut curry was too creamy not enough curry taste to it. We also had a spicy yellowtail roll which was ‘ok’. It was a convenient stop on our way home from the airport otherwise I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again.

I’m definitely coming back to this place. The sushi was amazing and the service was great. The happy our menu is very reasonable. I wish I knew the name of the host and the server to show my appreciation. The server was on point on filling our drinks and bringing everything out in a timely manner. The host was engaging and kept us entertained by letting us hit the gong before escorting us to our table. Just found our favorite lunch spot. Thanks Zen!!!

Sad experience for dinner here, my family and I left wishing we had gone anywhere else, way overpriced and not worth it. Started with potstickers, which were weird, greasy and flat like ravioli, hardly any filling, 6 pieces for like 9 bucks. Skip them, seriously. Husband had pad thai which was inedible, noodles, chicken and shrimp drenched in this strange sweet reddish sauce (not good), never had any pad thai like it before, the dish was literally soupy. I had the Thai curry fried rice with chicken, which was ok but very bland, needed spice. Son ordered 3 rolls, tempura shrimp, the Manhattan roll and some crab type roll, the fish was slimy and made him gag, and he LOVES sushi normally. The crab roll was like creamy (fake?) crab salad, and the same stuff was smeared in all 3 rolls, very odd. The worst part was the bill, over 80 bucks was wasted on that meal (no alcohol), we left unsatisfied. Both son and husband suffered stomach issues the next day, I was probably saved because I had no seafood. Waiter was really nice and attentive, but that was about the only positive thing I could say about this place. Find somewhere else.

We’ve been here many times and have yet to be disappointed. The staff is friendly and one of the sushi chefs actually came to our table one night to help us select rolls based on our preferences (I’m pretty picky when it comes to sushi). The food has always been great (including non-​sushi items) and the service is always consistently good.

If you haven’t read the Surly Gourmand, you should. He would have a freaking hay day with this place. Where to start.
Arrive, at the recommendation of a «friend that likes sushi», 2 kids in tow.
Order some kids Bento boxes and a lot of sushi for the adults.
Fifteen minutes later, waitress comes back to say, «this sushi restaurant is out of sushi rice.» OK that’s a first for me. «It will be ready in 45 minutes.» OK well that’s a bummer, but we’ll order a couple of apps to pass the time, because OF COURSE the manager will comp me those. And my kid’s bento boxes are on their way (no rice involved) so my sanity will be intact.
Bento boxes arrive, and a couple of beers. Fine so far.
«Free» apps arrive. Sashimi bowl (7 of 10) and tempura (edible but has noticeable greasy slash chicken flavor, assuming they use the same fryer for my kid’s popcorn chicken).
OK so then the highlight: the nigiri. It was actually pretty good. 8 of 10. Spicy scallops, mackerel, tuna tataki and unagi. Fresh and well prepared.
Then, the rolls arrive. And the rolls are why this place will eventually go the way of their predecessor, Ling and Louie’s. They were gross. Really gross. And as soon as word gets out that your sushi rolls are gross, that’s it. I ordered 3 sushi rolls. It doesn’t even matter what they were. ALL 3 OF THEM were either chock full of or covered with imitation crab. Now, when I decided I wanted to go out for dinner, I don’t remember saying to myself «I am really jonesing for some imitation crab drowning in spicy mayonaise or eel sauce or BOTH». And I surely do not remember scouring the menu thinking «I wonder what they have that is chock full of imitation crab?».
Possibly the most egregious marks were for their caterpillar roll. When I order a freaking caterpillar roll, it better be covered with lucious green avocado — you know, the stuff that makes it look like a «caterpillar». But no, instead I get the «Zen» Caterpillar roll, which is covered with — you guessed it — loads of imitation crab. Wut? When I mention this to the waitress, she’s like «oh yeah I thought that it was weird that they put the avocado in the middle too», with a tinge of vocal fry. She leaves. I check. THERE IS NO AVOCADO. Now, to be fair, I checked the menu, and under «caterpillar roll», there is no avocado. But seriously? This is false advertising. This is either some lame attempt to pinch some pennies and not use avocado, or nobody in the restaurant has ever had a caterpillar roll.
OK the coup de gras: I get the check. Everything we ate, we pay for. No comp from the manager. Despite the fact we were told this «sushi restaurant» was out of sushi rice for 45 minutes, AFTER we ordered sushi.
So here’s my rating, Surly Gourmand style: 3 giant handfuls of imitation crab out of 10. That’s the last time I go to Stapleton for «sushi.».

Popped in today for lunch. Waitress was super bubbly and fantastic. Banzi roll is delicious!!!

My gripe about this place wasn’t because it was hotter inside than it was out because their air conditioning unit was apparently broken, or the oscillating fans blowing warm air, but the fact that they deemed it necessary to ruin my sashimi platter with sesame seeds. Not only that but we ordered some chicken and rice platter and it too was overly saturated with sesame seeds as if the lid had popped off because it wasn’t tightened properly or maybe the chef who prepared our meals just really like sesame seeds. The food here was average at best, such a shame because of how nice Northfield is.

Arriving at the restaurant at exactly 9:45 and finding they closed 15 minutes early! Worst thing you can do. Very unprofessional

I absolutely love this place! We have been coming here once, sometimes twice a week since we have been in town. The staff for us has always been friendly. We have always gotten seated promptly. The food is always wonderful, the nigiri is so fresh and tender the yellowtail is amazing. My favorite roll is the caterpillar.

Looks nice but I have never had WORSE sushi. And I’ve eaten sushi from a grocery store. The rolls looked «off» when they were first delivered because they were glossy and slimy looking. I don’t know what they did to the rice, maybe it was just terribly overcooked but the rice the sushi was rolled in was slimy and gooey. The server didn’t even ask why I choked down two rolls and then pushed my plate away. I can’t speak for the other food here but please don’t waste your money on the sushi.

If you’ve eaten good sushi, you won’t find it at Zen. The quality of their fish is OK at best. Their sushi rice is plain and ordinary. The tempura dishes seem to use bread crumbs, not tempura batter, and the batter overwhelms the vegetables and meat/​fish. We will not eat here again.

Our group dined late night Saturday without a reservation and were promptly seated. We tried a wide variety of sushi and the sesame chicken. The sesame chicken was very tasty and we all tried some. We also had some tempura and that was pretty average.
The sushi was outstanding. There was a special appetizer with tuna, mango, goat cheese and some other flavors and it was exceptional. There was also another appetizer with salmon and caviar and it was very good but our server was correct in her review that the salmon was so good that the caviar was overkill.
The lobster tempura roll (minus cucumber) was a favorite as you could actually taste and see the lobster. The spiderman roll was very good but a little too much crunch. It made the roll too dry. Less crunch and it would have been terrific. We also tried the rainbow roll, sweetheart roll and other sushi. Everything was fresh and well prepared.
We also tried the Fiorbidden Dragon drink which is an experience. The main drink is pineapple rum, mint, lime and pineapple juice. It is served with a sidecar of Pernod Absinthe. You are supposed to mix them but they are much better separate. The main drink alone is very refreshing.
Parking in this area is very tight so it may take you a while to find a spot. But the food is worth it. Service was great too!

The first clue to this place was the fact there was only one other diner when we walked in. We took the fact that it was 3 in the afternoon as a factor for the emptiness… nope. The sushi was gross. I honestly can’t think of a better adjective to describe it. Disgusting? Revolting? Yuck?
Tasted almost frozen at times.
We will NOT be returning.
About an hour later – my stomach is NOT happy with me… I’m so upset we even walked in the establishment.

I have never had worse service in my entire life than I experienced at Zen last night.
First, there were multiple tables open for our party of 7 throughout the restaurant and no one in line and it took them 15 minutes to prepare a table. OK, that’s fine. Once we sat down, the waitress did not introduce herself, did not explain the menu, or bring us water. We were basically ignored for 10 minutes in an empty section for a 7-​top.
During this time of 10 minutes of ignoring by the waitstaff, we had to swat 4 – 5 bugs swarming one of the tables. That should have been the straw which broke the camel’s back, but we decided to give Zen the benefit of the doubt.
However we were completely disappointed. After finally getting drink orders and putting in appetizers, 3 of our 6 needed refills within 10 minutes. Again, ignored.
After getting new drink orders refilled and getting entrée orders in, we were then ignored for yet another 10 minutes with one of our members of the group at one point standing up with his beer glass holding it in the air for 2 – 4 minutes, completely ignored.
I remind you, this was an empty section.
At that point, the waitress finally got the hint and brought out entrees for half the table. She smelled like she went out back and smoked a half a carton of cigarettes. Explains the absence.
So while half the table had their food, sitting there, getting cold, while the other half of us were begging them to eat, our entrees came out 15 minutes later when our group was done. Pathetic.
I do give the waitress credit, she sure was on point to bring us our tabs and try to grab them from us when we were done.
FOOD: Food was very meh, some rolls were inventive and tasty others were bland and fish didn’t seem the most fresh. My fiancée and others had the stirfry and described it as «icky».
DRINKS: Had like 6 beers on tap and SURPRISE SURPRISE they were out of 3 of them. No IPA option on draft. We’re in micro-​craft brew capital of the world. That is an embarrassment.
TL;DR — Don’t give them your money. We should’ve waited the 45 minutes for La Sandia.

I have come here multiple times before deciding to write a review. Without a doubt, Zen is the go-​to place for quality sashimi and rolls in the Stapleton, Northfield areas. Aside from the nice presentation which is icing on the cake, the fish here always tastes fresh, and the rolls are uniquely created with interesting ingredients and combinations.
Some of my favorite items on their menu are: crab wontons, I.L.U. 0321, salmon toro sashimi and baked salmon.
Currently, they are having summer cocktails with very interesting Asian-​oriented flavors. I tried the Ginger Blossom and loved it: fruity and tangy flavors with sufficient EtOH to put me in a zen-​like state.
The restaurant has ample space for large parties, as well as for individuals who prefer to sit at a bar. The staff are consistently wonderful every time I come. Overall, I highly recommend this place.

Came here for lunch with my family (my son & boyfriend). They have a decent lunch special. 2 rolls for 9.95 or 3 rolls for 12.95. This place is much better now that it’s under new management and not part of the Ling and Lou’s franchise.
We order the Asian nachos for an appetizer, and it came it surprisingly fast. It looked delicious but as soon as we took the first bite, we knew it was all looks. It was very cold and the chips had a stale taste to it. The waitress took it off our bill and returned it to the kitchen. I wouldn’t recommend it.
We also ordered the 3 rolls for 12.95. I had the California, shrimp tempura and a crunch crab roll. They were very tasty however very small in size so I was still hungry after eating the 3 rolls.
Overall this is a decent place to get some type of Asian flavor in north field, I would recommend the sushi and possibly dishes from the menu, but stay away from the Asian nachos!

The weather outside is COLD. We don’t want to drive across town to have Dinner, hence we «settled» to have our Dinner here. This recent visit was on Tuesday December 30^th 2014. Time was about 19:30hrs ish. When we enter this establishment we are ushered to one of the Booth Seats available.
There are several patrons dining in, but with this much space of Retail, the establishment seems so DEAD EMPTY. Perhaps for one, we came on a Weekday Night, and outside is somewhat bitterly cold etc.
We have been to this establishment when it was named something else many moons ago. Some of the booth seating have seen their better days aka some it worn-​off or «torn»…
From the Menu, they offer SUSHI and «Americanized-​Asian-​Fusion» Cuisine.
I opt to have the following items :
* Yakika ($ 10.00)
* Crab Caviar ($ 7.00)
* Tabiko Wasabi ($ 4.95)
* Amaebi ($ 6.00)
* Kaibashira ($ 5.50)
* Aburi Hotate ($ 6.50)
* Fried Oyster ($ 6.95)
* Tamago ($ 4.00)
While Hubs opt to have Crispy Duck ($ 16.95) for his Main Entrée Dinner and Coffee as part of his beverages.
The service was OK and the food came out on a timely manner.
I wanted to order UNI, but they do not offer it that evening. *BIG BUMMER & SAD FACE*
Hubs like his order of Crispy Duck. But to my understanding from their Menu, this dish should be with some kind of Peanut Sauce, but when we received it, it was cooked with some kind of «Soy Sauce»… Hmm… Well its kind of «misleading» but since Hubs is happy with his Dinner and like it, I am OK.
After we had our Dinner, if I am NOT mistaken, one of the staffs, I think he is the Manager of this establishment, took his time to talk to us. If I am NOT mistaken his name is Richard Morse. From the conversations we shared, he said, if the UNI is NOT to the standards of the Sushi Chef, the Sushi Chef wont order it. If I am NOT mistaken, the Co Owner and the Master Chef for Zen his name is Chef Aaron Deng.
Hmm… Now I know… The Manager added, that the Sushi Chef specifically will make sure all the SUSHI/​NIGIRI or Frozen Items are of GOOD QUALITY.
Then he pointed out in the future, they WILL NO LONGER offer the Crispy Duck in their Menu. *ANOTHER BIG BUMMER* Coz from the Restaurant point of view, if they is NO DEMAND, Its NOT FEASIBLE to provide those items in their Menu.
They are in the midst of preparing a NEW MENU and this establishment SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED to another Sushi Restaurant which has the same or similar name up in Westminster, or something.
From the conversations, we had with the Manager, I also said, that they OVER-​FRIED the SHRIMP HEADS, in which NOT to my liking, aka OVER-​BATTERED and it was slightly salty.
From my order of Sushi/​Nigiri or Sushi Menu, the HIGHLIGHT dishes were :
* Yakika
* Fried Oyster
* Aburi Hotate, aka Seared Scallops
Take note, the Yakika, is WHOLE GRILLED SQUID. I did not expect this dish to comes with SALAD on its side, in which it can be filling to some. The Whole Grilled Squid is grilled to perfection, done right and good to eat! I so wish, those Salad on its side, comes with other Greens which appear to be just GREENS… Err where is the «creativity» or «uniqueness» in which I hope Zen Asian Sushi Bar & Grill can excel in the future.
Above anything else, they have room for improvement in my books. I don’t mind returning when needed in the future and perhaps see how my review will differ. Overall its more like 3.5 stars in our books. We wish them well in their business undertakings and hope they can remain competitive in the SUSHI and Asian establishment in this part of Neighborhood.
Left this establishment about 21:00hrs ish.
They are open DAILY with the following hours :
* Monday — Saturday: 11 am to 10 pm
* Sunday: 11 am to 9pm
ZEN ASIAN SUSHI BAR & GRILL,
8354 NORTHFIELD BLVD, #1710,
Denver, CO 80 238
Tel: (303)-371−4644
@20/2015

Can’t beat delicious sushi within walking distance! Can’t go wrong with any of their speciality rolls, especially the Hot Lover’s Roll, though the price adds up quick!

Hubby had the Buddas Feast with filet mignon. Daughter had the chicken phad thai. I enjoyed the ahi salad
Everything was fantastic. I will be back for sure

With unused gift cards from my birthday and desperately needing to catch up with Chelsey M, we decided to chat and nosh over our favorite… sushi!
Now this place was previously Ling & Louies, a favorite of mine. The food was cheap, the drinks were good and the staff was so nice. Since the establishment has changed, ALOT has changed.
1. The food was great! We ordered the happy hour [buy two rolls, get one free] and the sampler which consisted of a vareity of things, perfect for the two of us to split. Fried oysters, wontons, and more filled the plate and our bellies! MMMM! The rolls themselves were delish, filling and hit the spot!
HOWEVER…
That was the extent of the positives. The negatives include…
The service was painstakingly slow. We came in around 3pm and took advantage of the happy hour deals. there were 2 people working the bar, and the place was far from crowded. It took about 10 minutes for the bartender/​server to even greet us. By the time she got to us we had figured out what we wanted to drink and eat and ordered right away. Chels ordered a tequila sunrise while i opted for an alcohol free drink, as i refuse to drink and drive, again. She took ANOTHER 15 minutes to get our drinks to us, didn’t deliver our food, and took a good 15 minutes to get us our check. Our trip reflected her lack of service and i’m determined to not go back due to the service, plain and simple. I’ve been a waitress time and time again and understand the usual rush and how busy you can instantly become… but she had 3 people she was helping. not okay.
Prices were okay, but not awesome during happy hour. $ 4 for a bud light is just stupid.
The atmosphere is interesting… very similar to L&L but with their own added palm trees and flair. Kind of a random mix of things!
After dining here, i’m not sure i’ll return.
#sorrynotsorry