Zen Ramen & Sushi Burrito — Restaurant in Lacey

Went to check this place out as a possible option to take my nephew to, who is into video games and Pokémon and such.

Employees were very friendly, helpful, and lovely, so I didn’t have the heart to tell them how disappointed I was in the food. Decor was cute and more Jpop and KPop culture with some fake plants there and there to emulate the nature common in sushi restaurants. KPop bands on the tv. All of that was cute, if kind of the opposite of being “zen” and instead “kind of loud, but charming.”

When the employee came around to ask how I was after getting my order, I just sorta said I was fine and started mentally going over the ingredients I had from Hong Phat, picking at it, and making my plan to try to fix it at home so the 30+ bucks I spent wouldn’t go to waste. Not about to ruin that nice dude’s day by making him and the cook have a bad shift.

Hard yikes on that ramen. I get that this isn’t supposed to be authentic Japanese food, but…maybe ramen shouldn’t be a part of their menu or business plan if it tastes that bland, to be frank. No condiments on the tables, and your only options to fix it were sriracha packets and soy sauce which….yeah, I gotta go home and fix it there.

I’ve never had a worse tonkotsu ramen in my life. Flavorless, barely-there meat, tragically pale, overcooked and under-marinated (also pale) ramen egg, almost no toppings. I’m just thankful I ordered some rice and pickles so I had something to enjoy with my jasmine tea. I’m not the type to send food back or whine to a server—particularly because many restaurants will inexplicably take it out on them or their checks, and friends of mine are servers—or waste food, even if it’s bad, but if nothing else, I no longer have to wonder if it’s good or not.

For some reason, Olympia can’t keep a decent ramen shop 90% of the time (except for Cube), but I was sure that nobody could disappoint quite so bad as Kizuki’s noodles that looked like they came out of the plastic bag 2 minutes before you were served, but… bummer.

Such a waste that Osaka—the actually delicious Japanese restaurant that was there—was replaced by this chain. Don’t waste your...

Terribly disappointing from start to finish. I was on about reconnaissance mission, scouting for a local spot, for at least “decent” ramen to entertain a special friend/friends. From the moment we walked in, I knew we were in for a disastrous experience. No one here knows anything about the food service business, and even less about ramen. The server, obviously never worked in a restaurant, was arguing with the manager/owner, and both kept telling us “just a minute”, with a diminutive tone. “Order at the counter” one barked, and pay first. We ordered one bowl of ramen to share, figuring we’d play it safe. Asked if they could split it for us, the manager barked again, “no, I’ll bring a bowl for you” The service brought an enormous bowl ramen to the table . The bowl was cold (major no no ) the tonkotsu soup was watery and it was obvious that it was made from concentrate. Several ingredients were missing from what was listed on the menu. I asked the server if they had white pepper available, (to season the bland soup), and again the barking.. no. So I opted for something that every Japanese restaurant has on hand, miso. She replied, we don’t have miso. Now I’m getting irritated, and said, go ask the some one in the kitchen. Five minutes later, she arrives back at the table with the miso paste. I had read the numerous 5 star reviews, and now I know… people in this area are probably accustom to 15 cent packaged ramen. This place...

Maybe we went on the wrong day but service sucked. First we ended up standing in the front for over 5 minutes as workers looked at us and said nothing. No, they were not busy. They eventually helped people who came in AFTER us. Finally we ordered and sat down. Food came quick but was not very good. The scallops were so rubbery and chewy I had to spit it out. Worse than gum almost like chewing on an eraser. We were never checked on, never asked if we needed anything or if everything was ok. The server avoided eye contact or looking in the direction of people and only came out to deliver food. It took a while to get someone to get to-go containers. Honestly probably shouldn't have taken it to go but I am hopeful my kid will eat it since the 3 of us dining barely touched our food. When we arrived there was 1 table. When we left there were maybe 3. I understand short staffed and things I worked in a restaurant but I find it rude to not acknowledge people when they enter. Even if it is a hey I will be right with you or a head nod so you know they saw you. And even if busy always check on customers at least once. We almost left because it was awkward standing there. The Katsu was instantly soggy and all 3 bowls lacked flavor. I had high hopes due to the reviews. Maybe I am too critical because I have had authentic ramen and this was far from it. I maybe can excuse the food but not the...