Zhà Pan Asian

When I tell you I waited monthssss for the best Korean Fried Chicken everrr!!! Ughh their food is good. My fav is the chicken and waffles. I saw them at Broadway Bites near 34^th street Herald Square. Definetly a must taste!

Tried this place out in Broadway Bites! It was delicious ! The fried chicken & Waffles «amazing». Lots of delicious flavoring! Must taste!

Visited these guys at Broadway Bites a few times to try the delicious Asiancini (get the charsiu, if they have it, great flavor on the pork) and the Korean Chicken&Waffles. I’m completely addicted to the latter, which is some of the best Korean chicken you can find in NYC. The soy-​garlic sauce has just enough kick, and the breading is perfectly crispy without being hard or burnt. The waffles are a play on Korean pajeon (seafood pancakes), and they’re light and delicious, with a yummy spicy sauce on top. In addition, their service is top-​notch, always friendly and helpful with questions and requests (extra daikon please). I never want them to leave Herald Square!

Found this at Broadway Bites and I am glad my curiosity got the best of me to try. I ordered a mix of charsiu, Thai curry and kimchi. The rice balls are so well made and so good! I want to come back to try the chicken waffles next time.

I found this gem at Broadway Bites. Some of the best fried chicken I have had in the city. It’s crunchy and then the meat in so tender. The flavor party is never ending. It is tossed in a light soy garlic sauce. To some, it might be a little salty. So finger licking good!

I had the opportunity to try Zha Pan Asian at Broadway Bites and was pleasantly surprised. I went for the «Signature Asiancini» and got a mix of the «K-​Poppers» and Chinese BBQ Pork. Both were excellent, particularly the «K-​Popper» with sriracha aoli, which is filled with kimchi-​fried rice and other delicious ingredients. The rice balls were crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and even though the balls were moist enough that they didn’t require sauce, the accompanying aolis were a really great addition. Finally, the slaw on which the balls sat was also really tasty. It was light and flavorful and I could have eaten an entire bowl. The total came to $ 7 for four large balls and the slaw, and I plan to go back and try a few of their other combinations.

**The review is based on a large catering order from Unilocal’s Holiday Hangover cruise, so it may not reflect the true quality of the food from the restaurant**
Zha Pan Asian is a true innovator in Asian + Italian fusion street food. Not only have they won the 2014 «Best of Market» Vendy Award, but also created AsianCini (Asian fried rice balls), a play on Italian arancini that combines the Lo Mai Gai ((sticky rice stuffed w/​chicken) with the Arancini (Italian risotto ball).
I tried the Thai Green Curry Chicken, which is made with slow-​simmered chicken tenderloin, Thai Green Curry, bamboo shoots, green peas, and Thai basil. It was served with Asian slaw made with red cabbage and carrots in miso ginger vinaigrette.
Because these balls have been fried earlier for the event, the outer shell of Thai sticky rice unfortunately wasn’t very crispy. The balls were stuffed with Thai Green Curry Chicken, which tasted a tad bland for my liking. I would love to try the fresh AsianCini balls some day though — I am sure it will be much tastier!
I am giving this place four stars for its creative menus. They also serve Korean Chicken and Waffles with an Asian flair. Instead of waffles, they use Korean scallion pancakes and apair with soy garlic double fried chicken. The AsianCini has many other flavors like Chinese Banquet Shrimp, Char-​Siu, or Bulgogi.

Zhà pan is exactly what street food should be; easy to eat, not messy and tasteful.
I ordered the rice ball sampler. Each ball was crunchy on the outside soft and gooey on the inside with distinct flavors from roast pork, Korean BBQ to Thai curry. For something deep fried it’s not greasy at all. The rice absorbs and holds the sauce very well and each bite is like a flavor bomb.
Would love to try the fried chicken next time.

A little different with alot of flavors and all of them very, very tasty. I wish these guys would set up shop in my backyard.

Sadly, when we arrived, they were fresh out of fried pudding which I’ve been told is one of the greatest things ever concocted so my review will have to be updated. That said, the Korean Chicken & Waffles alone make this place worthy of multiple visits. It was spectacular. I literally had to stop and make sure it was really just chicken because what they did was take something that I thought I knew and make it incredible, exotic and make me wish I had more. In fact, as I write this, I almost want to take away a star simply because I can’t have the Korean Chicken with Waffles right now.

Just saw these guys at Astoria food and flea. Owner was super nice and very professional. The chicken and waffles were surprisingly good. The best Asian style wings I’ve ever had and the scallion style waffle worked real well.

Found these guys at the Hester Street Fair today. It was my first time ever having Asian fried rice balls, and I must say I’m a fan! I got the k-​poppers, which came with a spicy mayo sauce. They were really good! Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I got 3 balls for $ 5 which is a good price considering how filling they were. Because I’d never had fried rice balls before I don’t have anything to compare these too, but I’d definitely eat these again and also try some new flavors. In addition to the k-​poppers they also have Dim-​Sum, Green Curry (which sounds really good) and a sweet coconut rice pudding one (which apparently was featured on NBC) .
My boyfriend has the Korean Chicken and Waffles, which he really enjoyed. He said the chicken and the slaw that comes with it were especially good. The waffle was different – in addition to having scallion and pepper in it, it was light and airy — not heavy and dense like other «chicken and waffle» waffles.
While I can’t say that I would travel all the way downtown to Hester St. just for rice balls (I’m more of a burgers and ice cream kind of gal), I would definitely stop by again if I’m in the area.

I had the beef rice ball, it was okay. Fair portions for what you pay for. I wish the rice was crunchier but the rice was soft though.

Zhà-​Mi or Asian fried rice balls is the Asian interpretation to what gastro-​fiends like most of us know as the (Italian) arancini. Zhà Pan Asian has come up with a winning formula to bridge two worlds of flavor. I tried their fare at (pardon the pun) Hester Street Fair while coming here on the second week of the Fair’s opening. Their staff is friendly and on-​point with suggesting choices that work with my palate. Coincidentally, one of the owners (Steve) who worked the event that day touched on how they came upon this idea.
The rice balls we ordered were fried to perfection. Crispy on the outside, flavorful and moist on the inside without leaving a greasy taste that normally would accompany fried foods. I have one word: YUM. Embedded in each were Thai Chicken Curry, Chinese BBQ Pork, Korean BBQ Beef and Tofu with curry sauce. Yes, practically bought several of each. My favorite had to have been KBBQ Beef (Bulgogi) not b/​c of my affinity for Korean BBQ but that of how the meats were marinated.
The open air venue makes for a very low pressure purchase. Nibble or nom, the choice is yours… but I’m also been made aware that they operate within another storefront during other seasons in the EV (East Village). If you don’t find your way to the Fair in time, look them up. You’ll probably find them established in another store or pop-​up since people have taken notice. It’s been cited by NBC, Village Voice, Twitter (I won’t mention celebrity names).
My only regret was having missed their Korean Fried Chicken & Waffles, which sold out earlier that day… (Ugh, talk about heartbreak!) Hopefully I’ll be able to revisit for that next time.

Two words: Brilliant and Innovative!
Zha has taken asian food to the next level of deliciousness. A friend mentioned these «Asian Fried Riceballs» to me and I knew I had to get my hands on them. As any true foodie would have done, I told Zha that I wanted to try one of everything… YES, I said EVERYTHING! My motto has always been, «Why try one when you can have them all?» Don’t know which ball is which? No worries, Zha stamped a «T» (Tofu), «C» (Chicken), «B» (Beef), and «P» (Pork) on the individual bags for your convenience. Oh, and remember to share with friends because these were surprisingly very filing! Each ball was about a fist size.
Here’s what we thought–
1) Coconut Rice Pudding Balls: I have a tendency to start with dessert first. These were probably one of my favorites. It was a great mix of sweet and creamy. I believe NBC came by that morning and did a feature on these.
2) Beef Bulgogi Balls: These had chunks of beef and carrots strips inside and were probably my favorite savory option.
3) Kim-​Pop Balls: If you like Kimchi Fried Rice, wait until you try these!
4) Curry Chicken Balls: Not too spicy and full of curry flavor.
5) Tofu Balls: Marinated with a little bit of curry sauce and a very healthy alternative.
6) Char-​Siu (Roast Pork) Balls: Sweet… as Char Siu should be!
The owner was great to chat with too. As we were finishing up, he came over to our table to get our take on his food. Conclusion: I loved everything! Unfortunately, I was not able to try their chicken wings because they were sold out within a few short hours at the fair. But, I will be back to try more stuff on their menu!
FYI: They used to be located at a bakery in the East Village, however, they will be located at the Hester Street Fair from now until October on Saturdays from 11am to 6pm (I think). The owner also mentioned that they might possibly open on Sundays too. All is TBA.

Very creative and delicious food! the chicken and waffles and the beef bulgogi ball were my favorites but everything was really great. Make sure to try the coconut balls for dessert… can’t go wrong with fried rice pudding!

I love these balls! Lol
Deep fried rice balls filled with flavorful meats. Yummy, yummy. Crunchy on the outside, yet mouth-​watering on the inside. Each of the balls has it’s own distinct flavor. I had the bulgogi (Korean bbq beef), Thai curry chicken, and char-​siu (roast prok).
Go get some balls!