Zen Japanese Cuisine

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Hi - My fiance took me to Zen for my birthday - it was the best sushi I ever had - great service also - we both really enjoyed our meal - we are getting a group together to go to Zen next weekend so they can see how great it is!!! Toni & Steve

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User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I had visited Zen several times not long after it opened, then not for several years until this week. I have spent a lot of time in Japan and have eaten at some of the best sushi restaurants there, so I have stopped trying to find good sushi here. I returned to Zen because two friends who had not tried real sushi wanted to give it a try. We three were seated at a table set for two; I finally swiped my own setting from another table, and it took several requests to get a third menu. The waitress was not patient with my friends' very reasonable questions, even though there were few customers. We ordered two big sushi assortments and two shrimp veg tempura as back-up. The food came in a reasonable amount of time. The tempura was crisp and not oily, pretty good and nicely presented. The sushi was both a pleasant surprise and a big disappointment. I was amazed to find that all of the raw fish (about six kinds) was perfectly fresh with none of the revolting smell of decay that is normal for raw fish served in central PA "Japanese" restaurants. Unfortunately, the rice that supported the fish was of poor quality and not properly seasoned. They did not provide the right kind of soy sauce and the "wasabi" paste was really bad. The pieces were well-made and nicely presented and a very good value for the price. The miso soup was so-so. One of our group wanted to know about dessert but we could not persuade the waitress to bring a menu. She recited the desserts a couple of times but we never figured out exactly what was being offered. My friend ordered tempura cheesecake which I thought sounded disgusting but was in fact very good, the tempura coating crisp and not oily. The one dessert order was enough for three or four people, or at least three or four Japanese people. All in all a very mixed experience. Quiet pleasant ambiance. Pleasant but clumsy, sometimes uncooperative service. Wonderful fish let down by substandard rice and condiments. Well-made tempura. Plenty of decent green tea. Overall good value for the money but sadly, with just a little more effort, this could be a good Japanese restaurant.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I love Zen, the owner Yoko and her staff. Yoko loves what she does and it shows. I recommend the miso soup and salad with a peanut dressing to start. We took a couple of friends from D.C. who love sushi and they said it was the best they have ever had!!!

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Be sure to save room for the tempura cheesecake.

My wife and I moved out of state and visit Zen every time we are in the Harrisburg area.

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