ZC Hawaiian BBQ Restaurant — Restaurant in Greensboro

Sometimes, being the only game in town is both a blessing and a curse. The lack of competition grants a measure of protection, but the expectations to "get it right" are that much higher. So it goes with ZC, Greenboro's sole Hawaiian eatery. Those who have had Hawaiian elsewhere will likely be underwhelmed, but ZC still serves a need for the area adequately if not impressively.

The Z in ZC stands for owner Benny Zeng, a Chinese restaurant veteran who opened the eatery with his family a few years ago. The staff here are friendly, and though the restaurant is more colorful than most, it still exudes a casual, Chinese takeout vibe.

The menu, on the other hand, goes far beyond typical. Saimin (Hawaiian ramen), musubi (a cooked sushi variant), rice-and-vegetable bowls with various toppings, and combination platters join about two dozen versions of the Hawaiian lunch plate. Sandwiches and sides round out the impressive list of offerings.

For a takeout order, I went with a BBQ Mix (chicken, beef, and short ribs), a Seafood Combo (fried fish, fried shrimp, and chicken katsu), and a few manapua (pork steamed buns). The food was prepared on-time and still warm by the time I made it home. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the meal itself proved to be a decidedly mixed experience. The meats were seasoned well, but they were overcooked. The chicken katsu in particular was quite chewy and dry. There were also very few accompanying vegetables. On the other hand, the sides of macaroni salad were a welcome addition, and the sauces provided complemented the dishes nicely.

While ZC's quality is less-than-stellar, it is a great bargain. Lunch plates can be had for as little as $6, and my combination platters were both under $10 apiece. You get plenty of food for your money, too: the two platters easily yielded four meals.

Though I would be hesitant to repeat my order, given the sheer number of dishes available, I will likely give ZC another try in the future. Despite its flaws, it is cheap, abundant, and far more interesting than the average Asian...

My partner and I were down from Pennsylvania to visit family and we wanted to get some good Hawaiian BBQ that we like to get back in Philly and we came across this place with a semi low rating but the food looked amazing and reviews wasn't bad. We walked into the place and was greeted and sat ourselves. Withing less than five minutes we had meus and order our drinks. The staff was prompt and nice. They had couple of large parties and take out orders. We ordered two apps and two entries. They were out of one thing we really wanted to try but it was understandable was holiday weekend. The apps came out quickly and tasted amazingly. The dumplings was perfectly cooked all around and the spam matusbi was so good great portions of everything. Also loved all sauce choices on the table. My partner got pork and had amazing taste and melted in your mouth with the fried rice. The chicken katsu and there sauce was out this world good. The crunch was great the coating stayed on and sauce took it to the next level with hint of a bite to it. The rice was cooked well and paired nicely with katsu. The green salad that had nice dressing with sweet hint of pineapple in it maybe. Everything was light and enjoyable. The staff really went out there way to make sure every table had a great experience. We left with that good filled feeling and happy we visited. We are 7hrs and 24 minutes away from this place but definitely would visit again. If your in the area and want some bbq Hawaiian style this is place to go. Don't sleep on this place. You be surprise what you may find in your own back yard. Don't just take my word for it check it out yourself. Thanks to all amazing staff at ZC for the wonderful...

The food is good. That’s not my issue with the place. I used to work in downtown Greensboro and would go there weekly. Recently, I decided to call in a pick up order and have my friend go pick it up as he was closer than I was. It was close to half an hour before close, so worst case scenario they told me they weren’t taking orders anymore. But that is not what happened- I called, they took my order and I PAID in advance. Barely 15 minutes later I get a call complaining that they’ve been waiting on me. I only placed the order 15 minutes ago, so unless they were giving me old food, I find that attitude uncalled for. I went out of my way to eat local at a place I enjoyed and got a rude experience in return. If they felt that way, they could have declined my order and saved us both the trouble that evening. I could also see the attitude being warranted had I actually kept them waiting and did not yet pay. But I made sure for them to take my payment on the phone because I wanted to let them know I did not intend on wasting their time and appreciated them taking my order. I won’t be going out of my way for this business anymore. Three stars seems too high for the experience I got- but I did and do enjoy their food. Just not going to support rude treatment...