Zen Palate

Had quite a delicious meal here tonight-​peanut basil moo-​shu rolls, taro spring rolls, Singapore curried rice noodles and the garden delight-​was more than enough for two! All were very tasty. ‘tho their sauces could be more interesting…
And the food came fairly quickly (perhaps early dinner on a Sunday evening is best).
Used a
coupon which made it truly worthwhile!
Will be back with my vegetarian brother when next he visits NY.

I had dinner at Zen Palate on 10/​21/​2015 with a party of about 15 – 20 people. When the check came, I noticed that I had been overcharged for my food. I brought this to the attention of the waitress, who showed me another menu with more expensive prices than the menu I had been ordering from. She said that the menu I had been ordering from had been requested by someone else at the table «for reference», but that it was not being used at the time. When we ordered, both menus were on the table. I had not even looked at the more expensive menu, and when I ordered I was holding the less expensive menu in my hand, which made it clear to the waitress that I was ordering from that one, not the more expensive one. The item I had ordered was listed on both menus at different prices. I said that she could not charge me the more expensive price, but she refused to do anything about it, and I finally paid, and left, out of frustration. I have never been to Zen Palate before, and I will certainly never be back. They ripped me off!

I believe even a meat eater will love the sesame medallions! They also have many healthy and savory dishes for all. The delivery arrived within half an hour. I will be a weekly customer.

THEY DO NOT HONOR THE Unilocal COUPONS/​OFFERS! We ate here and tried to validate it but they didn’t accept it. I won’t give them a bad rating because of that but they shouldn’t benefit from getting customers in the door with coupons they don’t honor.
With the above part aside, this is a good ⁷⁄₈ out of 10 vegetarian restaurant. The service was a bit slow (it took them 15 minutes to get us a round of drinks (which were delicious-​the ginger martini was phenomenal) when we were one of three tables) but the food is good. We got the wonton soup — decent, good broth. Scallion pancake — same as any scallion pancake. Stir fried rice with soy ham — good. Sesame medallions — decent, nothing notable. Prices — decent.
If you’re a vegan, I would highly recommend. If you’re a meat eater, not so much — it’s not so amazing that you wouldn’t be aware that you were eating wheat gluten and crave a burger.

Such a bad experience, I must warn others:
I came by looking for a healthy lunch. I thought, «hey, vegetarian and vegan option – sweet!» So I ordered a lunch special… and only then noticed the «Grade Pending» sign by the door. I asked to cancel my order and I walked out. The owner freaking chased me down the block and demanded I pay for the food. Like, I’m literally standing in the middle of a busy Manhattan street during lunch hour ARGUING with this guy! I repeatedly told him I didn’t want that food, but he insisted I pay $ 10 for it because «the chef already started cooking.» Then he pretended (?) not to know English when I made my case. So I begrudgingly took the food cuz I only had 30 mins left for lunch. The food was flavorless and greasy. So much for «healthy.»
Never again. I hope that place shuts down.

Sweet and sour sensation and lychee martini… doesn’t get any better than this

Great food, good value and nice service. highly recommend and will keep coming back more often

I had never in my life attempted to send a plate of food back to the kitchen – until I set foot in Zen Palate.
Aside from some unsettling choices in décor (painted dog portraits made to look as though their faces were melting), the first thing that truly struck me as odd at Zen Palate were the names of dishes. «Tapestry Embrace?» «Rose Petals?» Really? Okay. There was also a lot of soy ham on the menu, for reasons unknown.
But these peculiarities pale in comparison to the restaurant’s real problems: disgusting food and terrible customer service. When I received my dish (Tong Mein Noodle Soup), I was disappointed for several reasons. For starters, there were barely any noodles in the bowl as had been promised to me by the menu. I was dining with two friends and our server had to help me find the noodles in my soup, but there were still hardly any to be seen or eaten. Almost more importantly, the dish tasted awful. Like metal.
Still, I tried to eat my meal and even asked for a fork after my dining companions did. However, my friends noticed that I was barely making a dent in my dinner and encouraged me to swap it out for something else as this is common practice in the restaurant industry and they were regulars at Zen Palate. Our server said doing so would be no problem.
Several moments later, a man with a partially shaved head and a small ponytail approached our table. He asked me what was wrong and told me that the dish was just as it should be. He asked me what I had expected when I ordered the dish. He told me that it was supposed to be bland (I had never said it was bland). He proceeded to grill me and defend the Tong Mein Noodle Soup. Anytime one of my friends attempted to interject on my behalf, this man (who may be a manager or owner, yet clearly hates every second of his job and is also terrible at it) would very condescendingly bark, «I am talking to her – not to you!» Needless to say, he refused to swap out my barely edible dish. I would also like to point out that I never received my fork.
By then, we wanted to leave immediately since we were furious, but we still had to pay (for everything, yes, including my barely eaten meal that we had argued over). The rude man, again – probably the manager, accused one of my friends of signing for a card that was not hers when he realized he would not receive a bountiful tip. Indeed it was her card, but out of desperation he tried twice to give it to her husband to sign. By that point, we were in a blind rage.
I sincerely hope that this man reconsiders his career choice since he is obviously miserable, does not possess any customer service skills, is devoid of charisma, and is intent on taking everyone down with him. I also hope in the future that Zen Palate more accurately describes its food and improves its quality. And maybe it should change its name. Would not recommend. Never returning.

This place has an asshole who is the manager. I have never argued with any person who worked at a restaurant before. I am sympathetic to working with the public since I waited tables for 2 years and usually am super-​cool and tip more than 20%.
But this guy truly doesn’t get how not to be an asshole.
He has a douchy haircut where most of his hair is shaved except for one schmucky part that looks like a raccoon died. And that hair symbolizes his personality as an arrogant jerk.
I used to eat here twice a week. Never again.
He interrogated my friend after she said her food tasted weird. I angrily asked for check. He gave the card back to husband (knowing he’d tip okay b/​c I was the angry one) even though the card was in my name. And as I was signing it, he came over to tell me I couldn’t unless it was indeed my card. What a jerk.
Never eat here unless you like supporting massive jerks.

I used to be a fan, came here all the time because the place is usually peaceful, and we are just one block away, we enjoyed everytime, till last night.
I took a friend who is visiting. Apparently the waitress is new. So we waited for 15 min and I had to walk up to her so that we could order. After another 30 min, I had to walk up to her again because we didn’t even have water. I said «shall we leave???» — not even in an upset way. The manager, who I used to like and thought he is a nice guy. Responded: «you can go now» I was completely shocked. But I saw the food was coming and my friend was starving, so I didn’t say anything and sat down. During the whole meal I was still deeply shocked, sad, and to be honest, feeling humiliated.
Not to mention later on he poured a sizzling plate of food right next to her, which was our third dish.
Anyway, I had to convince myself that he was just having a bad day.
Had to leave the message here with the hope that the team would see it and think of improving. I still hope Zen could do good.

My experience at Zen palate was extremely unpleasant. The food was strictly okay but the service was really disappointing.
I purchased a deal for $ 20 where you can order stuff worth $ 40.
My waitress informed me that my bill was close to $ 34 and I cannot use the deal unless it hits $ 40. There is no condition on the deal which mentions this.
So we decided to order deserts and found out they don’t have any deserts. We decided to order a margarita and were informed that is also not avAilable .
So we ended up ordering a soda and juice to make sure our bill was $ 40.
Then when we called for our cheque it had an 18% gratuity included which made the total come out to an additional $ 13.
The deal did not mention the gratuity was mandatory nor did the menu nor did our server. She redeemed the voucher and demanded we pay $ 45 which was the total if we don’t want to pay $ 13.
The manager was extremely rude and arrogant and held my friends cell phone as hostage.
I would not recommend this place to anyone given the poor customer service and lack of professional behavior by the staff and the management at this restaurant.

I was totally appalled! I have been eating at Zen Palate… for YEARS. When it was on Union Square, I ate there weekly. When it was on 18^th Street, I ordered out from them at least a couple of times a month. When that address closed, I have been ordering from the 3^rd Avenue restaurant. Today I ordered (which is what I always order), a Zen Burger, and Curry Noodle soup with rice noodles which I was planning to eat for lunch tomorrow. I was so disgusted…
In the past, the Zen Burger came in a round black plastic container with a clear plastic lid. In the past, the burger was cooked just right, not dripping in oil. Have you ever had a veggie burger that was overcooked and dripping in oil? Awful! Today’s sweet potato fries which are usually crisp and fresh and come in a little brown paper bag, were shoved into a white paper container (like for Chinese take out) so they all stuck together when I went to get them out. They, too, were greasy and oh so soggy! The bun used to be crisp and dry with a little spread of humus on one side. This time it was soggy, wet, and again the whole bun and burger were wrapped and shoved into another white paper container (which was too small)/
I took a couple of bites, and threw my whole Zen Burger dinner in the trash.
Finally I thought, well, I could eat some soup. No harm in that…
The soup always comes with the noodles in a separate container. They are white, pure white… But when I opened the container, there were a couple of dark spots in and about the lid and on top of the noodles. About the size of mouse feces…
Now, to be perfectly honest, I do not know if they were feces for sure, but having lived in New York for 25 years in various apartments and jobs… I’ve seen enough of mouse dodo to realize that the reality existed. Again, noodles in the trash.
I am SOOOOOOO disappointed. I used to LOVE Zen Palate. it was my favorite lunch and take out place for YEARS… (their hot and sour soup were the best ever). now I have lost my appetite for ordering from them ever again!
What happened??? Why did they go so downhill?

Passed by while doing errands in my lunch hour so I decided to try it for lunch since they have take out. As I entered I was greeted by a friendly face and the atmosphere relaxing. Décor and music soothing. I asked the server to recommend a lunch special and he choose the zen burger w/​yam fries. Wow service quick can’t wait to get back to work and try the food …
…disappointed my zen burger is nothing more than a regular veggi burger with a thick slice of un ripe tomatoes and a pinch of alfalfa sports. The yam fries were just that; fried cut up sweet potato.
Maybe the other choices would have yielded a better experience.

Not Zen-​like at all. Sat down around 1 pm and it was dead. I checked-​in on Unilocal and redeemed the 15% and they had to think about honoring for a second. The ambiance is decent. The tables are fairly small with a good amount of room between each table so you won’t hit the person behind you. I ordered the Zen burger which was pretty good for a veggie burger and the yam fries were very good. For $ 9 — lunch special — it’s a good value.
Service however was horrendous. Like I said, it was dead. I asked for chopsticks and the server forgot. I went and asked again and two minutes they were produced. We removed our own menus as she didn’t get them. We order burgers and the tofu delight and the tofu delight was served 10 minutes before the burgers. We waited 20 minutes and people that just sat down got their burgers with ours. I dont even kniw what to say. We were done and wrapping up. She asked if we wanted more hot water when I asked for the check. We said no and she proceeded to pour anyways and our tea bags were out of the cup. Okay, I get it, your staff is incompetent.
I paid and the bill came out to 24.00 after the 15% was removed. I left $ 3 and change tip since service sucked but it was still like 12 — 15%. I hate feeling forced to pay a tip for bad service. As I left, the guy behind the bar walked after me and said what was a matter. I started to tell him about the service and he interrupted me and said he did me a favor for accepting the 15% and that I needed to leave more. Really? Dear sweet mother of wtf!!! Could any place be more tacky. He then walked away as I was speaking saying he wasting his time. I paid more parking to eat there.
15% is ny base tip. If you can get from point A to point B without me having to do your job then that’s the minimum. Don’t even need tell me about the food or talk really.
So sad. Food was a good value.
Left upset, Zen Palate serves everything wit a very bad after taste.
Like the holocaust — Never again!

Ordered dinner tonight through seamless. I got there early and the lady was concerned my food wasn’t ready, but I told her I was just early. and so she gave me seat and glass of water. When the food was prepared, someone walked it up front and hand delivered it to me. Super polite and considerate staff.
Got Temple of Zen. Side of steamed brown and red rice (which the meal came with. so I ended up with 2). And side of Taro Spring Rolls.
The Temple of Zen — had mixed veggies. Still crunchy. Side of kale. Two pieces of tofu, grilled. And some sort of crumble topping. Not sure what the topping was, but I liked it. Veggies were in some sort of sauce. Not sure what it was. Inbetween a clear and brown sauce. Slightly sweet. I liked how thin the sauce was. a little too sweet for me. But good.
Rice was a good texture. Not at all dry.
Spring rolls were just so so. I didn’t taste any taro. They were really greasy Tasted like your generic fast food spring roll.
Meal itself was pretty pricey. But service was excellent and food was good.

I’m not usually a vegan or vegetarian eater, but I visited Zen Palate with family who sometimes go through vegetarian phases and who have wanted to try this place for years. Zen Palate has many just veggie options as well as dishes with the protein made from either tofu or wheat gluten. I can’t eat tofu (bad for kidney stones), so I ordered a wheat gluten dish. It’s basically an Asian style orange peel dish with the ‘chicken’ made from wheat gluten. This dish comes on a sizzling hot plate — fajitas style. It was awesome!

We were making our first trip into NYC on our trip and my vegan daughter found this place from restaurant. Com. My husband complained the whole time from the car to the restaurant on how many great places we were walking past and how he can’t believe his first meal in NYC will be vegan. Well who do you think stuffed his face and tasted everyone’s meal? We had a variety of things to eat… fresh spring rolls, edemame, sweet potato fries, a steamed veggie dumpling… I ate the lunch special of noodles. I’m late in writing this review so I can’t remember the details! The service was very good as well. Everything was fresh and flavorful.

Generally speaking, I’m a big fan of Zen Palate. I highly recommend that people in the area check it out.
The food isn’t exactly healthy, but it’s vegetarian and vegan, and there are a few lighter options. I highly recommend the shredded melody, mango halo, and rose petals.
I have to say that the Unilocal deal was a big pain — we were below the $ 40 mark, and they insisted we order something else. We did, and then they insisted that we couldn’t take it to go. They also insisted that the manager enter the transaction, even though the manager was busy, so leaving took 10 minutes. They also charged us the wrong amount and wouldn’t fix it. This was definitely frustrating, especially given that I’m a regular here and I frequently visit Zen Palate. That said, the food is good and it’s one of the better asian restaurants in the area.

We came upon Zen Palate in our haste and frustration of wanting to find a place that was healthy and quick (we had only half an hour before having to head for the airport) and open on Sunday.
The décor is tranquil and clean, and we were seated in a semi-​outdoor area. Very relaxing. The service was fantastic. Our waitress assured us that she could get us out of there within the half hour, and we had time to spare. The food was OK. I got what I wanted in that it was definitely on the healthy side. The red and brown rice had that clean taste and had a lovely presentation; unfortunately, that made for a somewhat bland dish of faux duck (I think?). It should be noted that I am someone who regularly eats vegan food, and even I think it could have used a little more flavor.
I would definitely go back if I were in the mood for a healthy, vegan, clean meal in a lovely calm setting. However, if you’re looking for a lot of flavor, I’d pass and hit the pizza.

Very satisfying lunch special. I had the sweet and sour sumtin which came with a drink, spring rolls and brown rice, all for under $ 10. The host was very kind, brought my food out to me because I had to sit in my car to avoid getting a ticket. The food tasted good and was very filling.