Zena Sushi — Restaurant in Hurst

I had just finished working a job on May 12th. I was hungry and looking around for some where to eat as I was driving away when I saw an Italian Restaurant that I thought might do the trick. I parked and as I walked towards the restaurant, I suddenly saw the storefront of Zena. I used to eat this cuisine in California often but since moving here to Texas, no so much. I decided to give this place a try and, boy, am I glad I did. First off, I was greeted very nicely by a young man who invited me to sit where ever wished. He brought me a menu and pointed out a few things that were popular with other customers. I ordered the Shrimp Tempura, California Roll and Edamame which is what I always ordered in California. The server suggested I have the California Roll sliced thinly but I didn't take his advice (I wish I had). In just a few minutes, my food arrived and it was delicious. Everything tasted just as I remembered it tasting over 3 years ago. The Shrimp Tempura was crispy but not rubbery. The California Roll was delicious outside of the slices being too big. The Edamame was steamed perfectly, hot and lightly salted. While I was eating the server came back a couple of times to check on me. When I had eaten all that I could there was still approximately half left for me to take home to eat the next day. The server wrapped it all up for me and brought me my check...only $18. Wow. I enjoyed the rest of the food the next day. A 5 Star experience.

Over the next week and a half, I couldn't stop thinking how good my meal from Zena was. Finally I decided to try them again only this time, take it home wiith me. I called in my order and the server on the phone was very friendly and patient as I explained how I wanted everything. When I arrived to the Mall parking lot there was no where close to park even though I drove around several times. I have a back injury and can't walk long distances. I finally called Zena on the phone and asked if they could run it out to my car for me. The young fella on the phone was very nice and said he would be glad to do that. He came out with my food, ran back in the submit my payment and ran back out to return my card to me. I went home to eat my food. Everything was packaged perfectly with my sauces, fresh ginger and wasabi included also. I couldn't have been more pleased. A second 5 Star Experience.

I would highly recommend this place for both the food and the above board service. These folks really want the customer to be happy. The customers that posted negative reviews here should have spoken with the staff and I am confident they would have made it right....or, maybe I am just not the sushi expert like they are and am more easily satisfied. Whatever the reason, rest assured I will certainly be back here...

My experience in one sentence... mediocre food, shady management.

I normally love Zena. It's my first choice whenever I'm in town, and I've enjoyed delicious sushi from there on multiple occasions. That said, I've had several unfortunate run-ins with Zena management recently, all of which have left me feeling unhappy, underserved, and unvalued.

The most notable instance of poor customer service was when I ordered takeout a few weeks ago, and the server rung in the wrong sushi combo. Once I got home and noticed, I immediately called up to the store... only to be told that the chef had left early for the night and that I needed to call back tomorrow. I couldn't even eat what I had received due to an allergy — something I had told the waiter about when ordering. When I came back the next day to have my food remade, the manager informed me that they "would not be doing this in the future." I'm not even sure what she was referring to considering it was their mistake, and it was really jarring to be patronized for something so outside of my control.

Another notable instance was tonight, when I ordered Sushi Combo F — five pieces of salmon sushi, with a salmon avocado roll to boot. On the menu, the salmon avocado roll is the same price as the cream cheese roll, and the only difference between the two is that the cream cheese roll has... well, cream cheese. When I asked if I could substitute one for the other, however, I was met with a very abrupt "no" from the manager in the background. The waiter then informed me that they did not offer substitutions on the sushi combos... though when I asked if I could modify the roll to add cream cheese (effectively making the salmon avocado roll a cream cheese roll) they were happy to do so for a fee. Why charge me more for something you sell at the same price? And, beyond that, why be so rude about it?

Regarding substitutions, I'd like to also note that I've asked about substituting out two pieces of shrimp sushi (included in ALL variety sushi combos) due to a shellfish allergy... and was met with similar resistance.

To top if off, we found TWO pieces of hair in my food tonight, and each of my partner's avocado rolls included several pieces with ZERO avocado. That's like, all the roll is.

Being frank, I'm extraordinarily saddened by the fact that this once-great establishment seems to now disappoint me every time. When you double down on your behavior to the extent that I don't even feel safe or comfortable enough to speak to management — maybe it's time to listen and change.

Good luck! After years of loyalty, I won't...

Having only been into this restaurant once before, I was already skeptical enough upon my second visit, but what I received was rather unexpected. Flash back to my first visit, many moons ago. I had decided to try this restaurant because I loved sushi, but upon trying the courses provided, I found this sushi to be well below par. I sent back the sushi, letting them know that it was upsetting my stomach and told them I did not need a replacement because I didn't think I could eat anymore. That is what I thought to be and what should have been the resolution to the issue. I was wrong. Flash forward to my return visit. I decided to give them a second chance because my wife hadn't had the chance to try them, and we were closer here than to any other sushi restaurant. We walk in, sit down at a table, and begin to order as you would at any other restaurant. Then it happened; the sushi chef came to see us at our table and said to me that he did not wish to prepare anything for me to eat because I had "insulted" him during my last visit. His apparently unblemished record before my visit was more important to him than my business. This is not a restaurant I would visit again...