ZAI Private Event Space Las Vegas — Local services in Las Vegas

Do not let their availability fool you, the restaurant is just new, and they are very good!!! We came here because of the awesome reviews but also my poor planning and waiting until the last minute to make reservations somewhere. I’m so glad we did 😆 We were ushered in by the hostess, and were greeted with lovely decor, a cozy seating area, and our friendly server, Andrea. She gave us the low-down how the dishes are intended to be shared, although that was optional. She also recommended the corn ribs! We ordered drinks, and I loved mine! It was beautiful, refreshing, not overly sweet, and tasted like fresh ingredients! Easily the best cocktail I had in Vegas! My bf ordered a riff on an Old Fashioned. Our meal started out with the amuse bouche, which was an octopus ceviche. The texture of the pita chip, along with the salty-sour ceviche and tender chewiness of the octopus was a vivid wake up to the taste buds. It’s also a nice touch to be brought amuse bouche at a restaurant. We continued on to the much raved over corn ribs, and boy were we not disappointed! The way you eat them, the flavors, and the sensory experience from the pop rocks was so whimsical! You must get these!!! We then received our curry mussels and fries, and the duck dish arrived at the same time. The mussels were tender, and the curry sauce was very savory and delicious. I loved dipping the fries in! My bf is a huge fan of duck, and I kind of usually am grossed out by the flavor and texture, however I had an open mind and gave it a taste. This preparation made me a believer! It was tender, juicy, the sauces and mashed vegetables that came with it balanced it all out. Very delicious! The dish I was most excited to try was the Octopus!!! It came out beautifully and the portion was generous! There’s a black sauce on the plate that I soon learned was a spicy indulgence, be cautioned!!! The tomatoes were juicy and a nice balance. The potato slices under it, however, I’m not sure if it was intended, but let’s just say they were “medium rare” 😆 a bit undercooked for my liking. Not terrible, and since we ordered so much food, it was easy to overlook. The Tuna tataki is fresh, tasty, and very satisfying! Can’t go wrong with a seared rare tuna, it’s one of our favorite things to eat. Our last stop was the Bahn Mi Bao. Very fun presentation, and a rich decadent dish. Glad we had it! Our server offered us dessert and just when I thought I had no room left, she suggested checking into Yelp for a free Chocorol! I figured it was worth it, and I’m glad we did! Ohhh it was chocolatey, refreshing from the ice cream, and all in all a great way to end the meal. We stopped by the chef to thank him for his food, and he was gracious and approachable. It’s cool to see him putting the finishing touches on things and overseeing the dishes coming out of the kitchen! I really liked that, it felt like a personal touch. We also had a celebrity sighting!!! My bf was absolutely geeking out!!!! We didn’t bother him since he was enjoying dinner with his family. The portions of every dish was generous, the flavors are creative and delicious, and the presentation is beautiful and impressive. I really want this restaurant to flourish and be prosperous, so I’d like to offer some feedback as well- Someone who wasn’t our server came by our table and took our remaining corn rib away. It was on a clean plate by itself and we put it aside to make room for the other entrees. He didn’t ask if we were done with it, and I would’ve really liked to have it boxed and brought home! Not a huge deal, but disappointing and could have been avoided with simple communication. If something is going to be spicy on the plate, please indicate it on the menu, or have the server indicate it upon delivery. The black sauce on the octopus took me by surprise, and I was looking for something on the plate to put out the heat but at that point I didn’t know what was what. I enjoyed the dish and think would order it again and avoid...

I’ll start by saying that my wife and I are huge foodies. We eat out A LOT!! Zai has quickly become one of our favorite go to places for a Friday or Saturday night date. It’s a place we’ve taken several of our friends and family to. In fact, we celebrated one of my college-aged daughter’s birthday there in June with 20 of her closest friends😂😂.

First of all, the location is amazing. It’s in the downtown area off Fremont Street, so you get the advantage of amazing global cuisine without having to go to the Strip. The first you notice when you enter is the bar area. The bartenders were kind, knowledgeable, and very skilled at making great cocktails. After a few drinks, we headed to our table. Our waitress was friendly and eager. When we started taking a look at the menu, I was quite shocked to see the complexity of the dishes in this downtown establishment. Honestly, the most shocking thing to me was the pricing. I couldn’t believe that such complex dishes came with such modest pricing! It was very refreshing. And I’ll tell you that after actually tasting the food, I was even more astounded by the prices. Again, my wife and I dine out A LOT! If I had to name, off the top of my head, five restaurants that I’d go to on any weekend for fun, amazing food and drinks, awesome vibe, a visually appealing establishment, and consistency, Zai would always make that list. As I sit here writing this review, I’m making plans to take a group of ten visiting friends/family there this Friday night. It’s just THAT GOOD! We’ve tried at least 80% of the menu items, and I’ve not once been disappointed. Some of my absolute favorites would be the octopus, tiradito, corn ribs, BOTH SUSHI ROLLS (insanely tasty), tataki, fries, and the hangar steak, to name a few😂😂. As far as dessert goes, if there are at least four people in my group, we just order all of them, because trying to decide which is best is impossible. And for those interested in a little fun after dinner, the rooftop lounge and hookah bar offer a great way to end the night. Live DJ’s and hookah that doesn’t lose its smoke and flavor in twenty minutes is my idea of Heaven on Earth, and that’s exactly what you get at Zai. I’m sure I’ll be diminish into some of you soon, because we will be back time...

First of all, the positives:

The location and decor - 10/10 immaculate

Plating 10/10

Service 10/10

Flavour - here’s where I am going to be finicky -

The corn ribs were 12/10 and I’m desperate to have these again. We shared them between two of us, and I could have easily eaten just this for supper. Such a creative dish, and so ridiculously good. I’m obsessed.

The pork belly sliders were just ok. I thought the presentation was beautiful, but the squid ink buns were too soft and there was too much sauce, making the whole thing a bit gooey. If the buns were crisped up or maybe topped with some crunchy sesame seeds, perhaps that would have offset the texture issue. It also needed some heat or acid to cut the richness of the pork belly and squid ink. 6/10

The chicken sliders were really tasty, but only a 7/10 for me. The pickles were too mild, making this dish uninteresting to me. It was tasty for sure, but they could do more here to elevate the dish.

Prices are reasonable. Take note as well the portions are very large - we were told most people share 3-4 plates and we barely...