Zen Asia

Zen Asia was recommended to me by a co-​worker who raves about the meat Spring Rolls!
Attentive and pleasant staff, nice atmosphere.
I know nothing about Asian food and the server was very helpful to explain the different dishes. I had the chicken big bowl soup with rice noodles and tons of sides to put in it. Loved it (it’s the one dish I always try at any Asian restaurant) and I will be going back for that for sure!
I didn’t understand the Chinese Chicken Chow Mein… the sauce/​gravy was so thick and took over the taste of the whole dish yet it really didn’t have any flavor. I saw so many more entrée’s I want to try, but it’s the chicken big bowl soup that will be bringing me back many, many times in the future!
Can’t wait to check out the patio this summer!!!
NOTE: you can pick and choose ingredients that you may dislike which will make my future visits even better, because I’m one of those who picks out things I don’t like and I feel bad having wasted them so ask them what is all in the dish if your picky like me.

Ate here yesterday. Service: awesome. Attitude: awesome. Food: very good, crab Rangoon would be stellar if the fill amount was a bit larger.

First off the owner, is delightful. Great service, very friendly and great conversation.
The menu has a wide variety of Asian food, Chinese & Vietnamese, and all three of our meals were excellent. A far cry from those cheap Asian take out restaurants. Prices are also very reasonable.
I would definitely go back.

I have only had the beef Phở but keeps me coming back for more! The fixings are so fresh!

I joined some girlfriends for dinner here, and quickly understood why there were only a few of us in the entire restaurant during peak dinner hours. The prices on the menu had clearly been raised recently. This was apparent since the previously printed prices had been crossed out with pen & then hand written in $ 1-​$ 2 more than the original prices. I paid just shy of $ 11 for a plate of beef lo-​mein. At this price, I would’ve imagined that some sort of side would come with it, but it did not. The portions were average sized. The lo-​mein was mediocre with very stringy chewy slices of beef, and the cream cheese puffs we ordered were standard. These cost $ 5 and were the typical cream cheese puff, nothing special. The soda options were limited. Do not expect the normal fizzy fountain drink, they simply pour a can of pop into a cup, fill it with ice, then charge you a couple bucks for the can. My girlfriends were all less than impressed with the food they received for what they paid. The chicken used in their entrees is less than adequate with an odd texture. Zen Asia is clearly fooling themselves to think that their prices justify the food they serve. However, the servers are very pleasant.

Good service, nice interior but food was just pretty good. I had a Thai appetizer and then Singapore noodles and think I should have gone with Phở. Took a long time to get my check. Something I ate also caused some gastrointestinal distress…

I was tired and just wanted to collapse at home after a long day, but my husband dragged me in here.
I was a little suspicious of the menu – it’s all over the map, literally, featuring food from Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and China – and I’m leery of restaurants that try to be all things to all people. We were most interested in Vietnamese food, so we stuck to two standards: Beef salad noodles and Com Doc Biet (rice plate.)
After we placed our orders with a young waiter, the owner came by and greeted us with enthusiasm. What a happy surprise! It was Nancy – we used to be regulars at her two previous restaurants, Sapphire Dragon in Maplewood and the Vietnam Restaurant in Woodbury, but we lost track of her when moved out of the area for awhile.
The food was delicious, what we’ve grown to expect in her restaurants: lively seasonings and super-​fresh ingredients. Nancy suggested that we try her special spring rolls, and now I’m a fan. These are several steps above standard spring rolls, packed with a variety of meats, noodles, herbs, and delicious crunchy stuff. Dunked in one of two sauces offered – one light, based on fish sauce with red pepper flakes and the other a sweet, thick peanut sauce – this appetizer is a party in your mouth.
The salad noodles were full of fresh greens and herbs, and my com doc biet – a scoop of rice with grilled meat, fresh veggies, and a fried egg omelet – was just superb. I look forward to trying some of the other Asian specialties on future trips: crispy calamari, tom yum soup, and pad thai, but will likely steer clear of Americanized Chinese offerings like General Tso’s chicken.
Zen Asia has a little nicer décor and atmosphere than many other Vietnamese restaurants in town, and the prices are a little higher, but I’d still consider them reasonable.

Stopped in for mid week lunch. It was pretty slow there were only a couple of other tables with people. I had a lunch combo of the curry chicken. It was nice to have a curry that was not just the same yellow curry powder so many places use. The curry had some coconut milk in it and was a little on the sweet side for my personal taste but still quite good. Service was friendly but not very attentive which seems to be the norm in many asian restaurants. The décor is nice and better than most asian restaurants found in strip malls.

I dragged my wife here hoping that she would change her mind miraculously about Asian food in general.
We started with the spring rolls. Good but the meat inside was a bit suspicious. (Because I was unclear and coined as a racist by the owner from his comment to my review, by suspicious I was not questioning the type of meat. My comments were directed to the rubbery nature of the chicken.)
I had the Phở Dac Biet,(big bowl of noodles, broth, various meat with a side of fresh vegetables) and it was very good, but I am one who appreciates dished with a little bit of everything.
My wife had the Egg Fu Young and she muscled through it. I thought it was very good. Light and fluffy and very lightly fried on the outside.
Prices did seem a bit high, although you will more than likely leave with lunch for tomorrow.
Needless to say, my wife did not change her mind about Asian food.

Funny. a fellow reviewer didn’t like the bun salad and I’ve had it everytime I go there. A bit on the pricey side but nice for a change. I like the place.

This restaurant looks to have taken over a former restaurant and acquired most of the trappings. Their outdoor seating area is nice to have a dinner on a summer day. As far as food, their Vietnamese food is okay, not great and they sure charge a premium for their dishes compared to other Vietnamese restaurants a couple of miles away. Bun (noodle) salad was insipid and lacked the complex flavorings that I’m used to but what really topped it off is when it was served the the chopsticks sticking straight out of the bowl — perhaps an artistic statement but in Asia, having chopsticks standing up in a bowl is considered a sign of disrepsect and symbolizes death. I’ve had better elsewhere but in a pinch, I might consider going back … but then again, maybe Vietnam Restaurant, which I believe is owned by the sister of this restaurant, is worth the drive and food.

This place is the full package: Terrific food, beautiful décor, a convenient location and friendly staff. I fly in from LA about 3 – 4 times a year to visit my family and usually we have to drive all the way to Minneapolis to get decent Vietnamese food. Well not anymore, this place is better than a lot of what you get downtown AND the parking is easy.
I had the mock duck Bun salad and it was great (I love mock duck and they definitely had the seasoning dead on). My friend had the rice place which she loved, I think I’ll have to try that next. The food was really really fresh which is great when it’s sooo cold outside. Plus, they gave me soo much food I’ll probably be eating and enjoying it for the next two days

Zen Asia is the hidden jewel of the North (of St. Paul that is). The Phở is the best around the burbs and I think is better than Phở 79. I go for the Phở Ga (Vietnamese Chicken soup) and the pork egg roles, both are outstanding. This is our favorite local eatery and it’s a family owned and run establishment. They serve Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai food. The menu is big, the choices are plenty and they have American choices for the kids as well. The prices are reasonable and comparable to other similar restaurants of this type, but the ambiance and family friendly atmosphere add to its elegance unlike the Phở 79’s our there.
It is tucked just North of Valvoline and Applebees off of Hwy 96 and West of Centerville Road. Best way to get there is turn into Cub Foods from Centerville and then proceed West on Meadowlands Dr. You will soon be a return customer!

New restaurant – mediocre at most. Ordered spring rolls and phở and have to say I’ve had better. Excellent service however – was greeted in my native tongue, how she knew my ethnicity is beyond me, but a nice touch. Décor could be tacky but it’s so wowing and overwhelming that it’s not.