Zen Japanese Grill & Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Boston

To begin, I would like to point out that there is only one person on the whole floor. This means, this person is the hostess, food runner and server. While the restaurant might be small, this poor worker was running left, right and center. To add on she was a tad passive aggressive but I can’t even blame her cause she was running the whole restaurant by herself.

When I walked in it took forever to get greeted and sat. It took forever for her to take my order and thankfully it didn’t take so long for the food to come out.

On to the food, it was sooooo mid that I think I can classify it as bad. The fish was not fresh, and the soup and salad was not fresh or good either. The gyoza was both undercooked and burnt at the same time, but not in an “Al denté” type of way.

One great thing however is the atmosphere, it’s quiet, well lit and cosy. However one does not go to a restaurant simply to enjoy the atmosphere, the food and service are more crucial.

If the food was as good as the atmosphere, then I would partially recommend this place, however you cannot eat vibes. Please save yourself the trip and the money and do...

Food: I've had a katsu don and the sushi boat. Both dishes were delicious. We noted that the lettuce in the salad was fresh, as were the shiso in the sushi boat, which bodes well for the restaurant's ability to plan ingredients well.

Service: Great service. I've been in during a meal rush and when we were the only diners. Everyone I've dealt with has been prompt, friendly, and attentive.

Atmosphere: The interior has a great vibe. I've been to many restaurants with similar decor, but all of them are either dusty and covered in cobwebs or are too dimly lit for diners to see the dust and cobwebs. I've stared at the fake flowers on the ceiling of the second floor, gazed at the potted decorations along the sill, and looked at the sill itself and it's clear that they take care not only in their food and service, but the space itself. That's a lot of time and attention given to the space itself, and I really appreciate that as a patron.

We'll...

We did take out from Zen as part of our post 4th shenanigan recovery. I tried to be healthy (it’s bikini szn) by going for the STEAMED dumplings, nigiri and edamame , expecting them to be underwhelming, as most healthy orders are. The dumplings were phenomenal—juicy and flavorful with a light sauce that makes your tastebuds twerk. Nigiri (salmon and ikura) was incredibly fresh. Edamame was slightly underwhelming, though I’d consider saying yes to a second date.

My boyfriend got the poke bowl because he too is watching his waistline, which he ate so fast his Apple Watch thought he was on the stairmaster.

To treat ourselves, we ordered a funky roll called “volcano” and let me tell you—that thing is properly named because it truly erupts in your mouth. Would...