Zen Box Izakaya Info
Amenities
Service options
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Outdoor seating
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No-contact delivery
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Delivery
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Takeout
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Dine-in
Highlights
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Fast service
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Great tea selection
Popular for
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Dinner
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Solo dining
Accessibility
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Wheelchair accessible entrance
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Wheelchair accessible restroom
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Wheelchair accessible seating
Offerings
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Alcohol
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Beer
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Cocktails
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Comfort food
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Happy hour drinks
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Happy hour food
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Hard liquor
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Healthy options
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Late-night food
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Private dining room
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Quick bite
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Small plates
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Vegan options
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Vegetarian options
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Wine
Dining options
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Dinner
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Catering
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Dessert
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Seating
Amenities
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Bar onsite
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Restroom
Atmosphere
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Casual
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Cozy
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Trendy
Crowd
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College students
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Groups
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Tourists
Planning
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Dinner reservations recommended
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Accepts reservations
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Usually a wait
Payments
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Credit cards
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Debit cards
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NFC mobile payments
Children
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High chairs
Parking
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Paid parking garage
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Paid street parking
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Parking
Best WLM Reviews
Solid food and service. We definitely want to go back. We got the house made pickles, chicken gyoza, Brussels sprouts, mapo tofu ramen, pork katsu, and the green tea Tiramisu. All of which were very good. The only critique we had was that the pork katsu could have had more curry sauce. Drinks were good too!! All around, we had a great time at Zen Box.
before going to Minneapolis we had read a lot of positive reviews about this place so decided to check it out. we originally tried to go for lunch on Saturday but they only had a special menu so we ended up going for dinner to try their entire menu. overall good food but horrible service.
we got the brussels sprouts to start and then we got the veggie ramen with tofu and the bento box with beef ribs. the brussels sprouts were good, flavor was more at the bottom but a large portion and decent flavor. the ramen was also a good size portion and also had good flavor but needed to be mixed to have the flavors combine well. the bento box was also good in size and had edamame, salad, rice, as well as the main - the beef ribs were good but we’ve had better elsewhere. we also got a side of kimchi but it was average, also had better elsewhere
overall decent flavored food and good portion size but horrible service
Finally got to try this place.
Went on a Friday afternoon around 530. It was not busy at all when I went but I can see that it would get busy later on.
We tried the TSUKEMONO an assortment of pickled veggies. Pickles, mushrooms and daikon. The pickles were very vinegar forward, but they are pickles. The mushrooms and daikon had the perfect hint of vinegar and sweetness that I loved.
We also tried the Takoyaki, and these were delicious, I wished they had an even number like 6 but it's an order of 5.
I had the TORI TANTANMEN. I wanted to love this but I only liked it. I thought it had great flavor and I loved that a whole egg was included. This was the best egg I had btw and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The only thing I did not enjoy was that the chicken was very finely ground, not sure if this is how it was supposed to be, but this made the broth too gritty for me. The spice was perfect, I was sweating but I could still taste my food.
We also tried the Pork Katsu, this was average nothing too special. It was good, just wished there was more potato and carrots in the serving we got.
The service was great and I loved the atmosphere. The food was good, I would try some other dishes for sure.
I’ve been searching for the best veggie ramen in MN, and I’ve found it. I love coming here! Everything is always so delicious and the staff is so friendly.
I am so glad I found this place via Google Search for "Izakaya"! This being our fiest visit to MSP (Minnesota in general), this place made the trip worth it by itself! The friendly staff, the amazing food, the good drinks, the great atmosphere made the a 10 out of 10 spot!
My wife and I started out our food adventure with the Age Gyoza and Takoyaki (minus bonito). The gyoza was amazingly crispy on the outside and warm/hot on the inside and served with an amazing sauce that hit the pallete with such a great flavor. The takoyaki (minus bonito, per request) was to die for! I am not a seafood lover, but every Japanese Style eatery that offers it, I try it. This was definitely in my top 3. The warmth, the dicing on the octopus, the fact that they were cooked all the way through and didn't have a "watery" type texture in the middle, was a treat for the taste buds.
We then moved on to our main courses, which I had the Spicy Karaage Sando and my wife the Japanese Karaage Curry. We paired them with a Calpico Chu-Mai (me) and a Koibito (wife). The Sando was AMAZING! I am not much for cabbage and pickled anything, but this sandwich had the right flavor to satisfy my picky eater pallette. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese Karaage Curry. We being heat fiends found it to not be spicy enough for us, but understand why it was mild. The flavors are different from Indian style curry, where this one had a certain balance to it since it wasn't being driven by masala, clove and other spices. It was fantastic and the karaage was so well cooked! Beware of the Calpico Chu-Mai. You can barely even taste the alcohol and it is soooooo good! The Koibito was a very refreshing drink. My wife says if you like Cosmos, you will like this. It's not dry, not overly sweet, just very refreshing, almost bright and citrusy, because of the yuzu, but no so much that you would compare it to say a lemonade.
Lastly, we topped off with MOCHI! We had a piece of the Black Sesame and Strawberry mochis. I was thoroughly surprised by the black sesame mochi flavor. It was almost like a vanilla bean with toasted nut flavor. It was sooo good! The softness you get from mochi with the stiff you get from something akin to ice cream straight from the freezer. Amazing. The strawberry flavored one had a bit of a strawberries and cream type flavor, so don't expect to have the flavor of a fresh ripe strawberry.
Overall, this place made our trip worth the 9 hour drive all by itself! I will definitely be coming back to MSP for Zen Box! Thank you Zen Box for the amazing food adventure!
Went right before close for the happy hour and had a great experience. Sat at the bar, got the spicy karaage, edamame and the mapo tofu ramen (which was brothless) as well as black seasame and green tea mochi ice cream. Everything was great and reasonably priced!
Zenbox is the place to go to for great ramen and Japanese comfort food. Everything shines here, from the interior decoration, service and menu! Our family love to come here to dine and there are so many favorites, their ramen in particular is outstanding. The broth is cooked for a long time so that the flavors are fully extracted, giving it a rich and deep flavor.
First, I have to make it clear that if there is a 4.5 then I would have resorted to that. The atmosphere is amazing, like a classic izakaya that finds itself in a good location for people to swing by. There are different bottles of sake and other kinds of alcohol on display, which enhance the vibe. From a service standpoint, I have seen a lot of reviews saying that service is slow, and I can understand why. When my partner and I went, despite a Wednesday when it was not really busy, service was still a tiny bit slow, so I can imagine what it must be like on weekends. Now in terms of food, most of what I had was what I had expected. The takoyaki, aburi salmon, and chicken karaage curry were great in classic manners. The spicy karaage sando had good chicken, but the sauces definitely elevated the flavor. The N.H.K. was an appetizer that I have never had elsewhere, and despite a spice wimp, I managed to eat all of it! The tonkotsu ramen was slightly bland, but definitely not bad. Finally, the green tea tiramisu came in a box, but I have seen a recommendation for this dessert from Star Tribune, and was excited to try it, and enjoyed it! Granted that since mascarpone is the main ingredient in tiramisu, that creating the green tea tiramisu probably is not as difficult as imagined, the idea itself is worth a lot of points already. I would like to try their kimchi ramen and pork katsu curry the next time I visit, but as of now, given the fact that most of what I have had was conventionally good but not spectacular, I will give a 4 (which really mean 4.5), and hoping that what I want to try here next will help with updating the review!
Quick Facts About Zen Box Izakaya
Today
Opening Hours
| Monday | Closed |
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| Tuesday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Thursday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
| Friday | 02:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Saturday | 02:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
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