Zen Ramen & Poke

Overview:

Zen Ramen & Poke is a Japanese restaurant in the Waterworks Shopping Center, near the Pittsburgh boro of Aspinwall. They offer a streamlined menu featuring Japanese appetizers, ramen, poke bowls, and rice dishes. You can sit down and eat at the restaurant, order online, or get delivery through Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Postmates. Everything is made in the open kitchen right when you walk in. So if you get takeout you can watch the workers complete your order right before you. Below are the hours of operation for Zen. 

Mon - Thu:11AM - 9PM

Fri & Sat:11AM - 9:30PM

Sun:11AM - 9PM

The Food:

Brown Sugar Bubble Tea

The first thing we ordered was the milk teas with bubbles/pearls. I thought the brown sugar bubble tea was good and they gave a lot of bubbles at the bottom. 

Matcha Bubble Tea

I ordered the matcha bubble tea which had a great matcha flavor mixed with milk. These drinks also have ice in them so its good to shake it up before drinking to also mix everything. 

Agedashi Tofu

For our appetizer, we tried the agedashi tofu. It came out screaming hot straight from the fryer which was nice to see they make it fresh. I thought the sweet and sour dipping sauce paired great with the crispy fried tofu. The tofu was crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside. 

Poke Bowl

We both ordered poke bowls and I was impressed with the portion size of the bowls. I was very full after eating my bowl which was loaded with high quality ingredients. On my bowl, I got crab salad, spicy salmon, onions, seaweed salad, and a sweet poke sauce. 

Poke Bowl

Service:

The waiter at Zen Ramen was super friendly. He took our order as soon as we figured out what we wanted. I was impressed with the speed of the food coming out. The poke bowls actually came out first since they only require quick assembly. Soon after our tofu appetizer came out super hot. I also used a coupon when the check came out and he was able to scan and apply the discount. 

Atmosphere:

I thought the atmosphere inside Zen Ramen was great. It was not too big of a space. There is only a pickup counter for takeout and a small dining room with modest decorations. We sat towards the back of the dining room which had small posters up on the wall. I liked how they put different condiments on the tables for you to use on your poke or ramen while eating. They had garlic flakes, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. 

Rating: Excellent |⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐|

Zen Ramen & Poke is a great place to get authentic Japanese food. The best part of my meal was hands down the poke bowl which had tons of fresh ingredients. This place is top-notch because it hits many of the points I look for when reviewing a restaurant. It has good food, service, and atmosphere, but also it has great value. The bubble teas were $5, the tofu was $6 and the poke bowls were $15. I think these prices are better than other similar restaurants which charge more. I did use a coupon from clipp, which sells restaurant coupons. They currently have a deal running where you can get $40 worth of food for $20 at Zen Ramen & Poke. This is great for recurring visits here as you can save a lot of money.