Friends review of the "omakase experience":…read more Don't be fooled by the marketing campaign being ramrodded through social media depicting an omakase being served by a professionally trained sushi chef presumably from Japan. Nobody here speaks Japanese. This isn't a review of the typical menu items found at any other restaurant within eye shot of the parking lot. This is about the omakase. My experience started a full week prior to my actual meal when I walked in and mentioned that I wanted to try the omakase. The host, gracious as they were, looked at me like I was ordering from the forbidden menu. Their demeanor changed. With their shoulders now tense and looking around for help, they told me that I needed to let them know at least 48 hours in advance. Why? Looking around I didn't see the famed sushi chef behind the bar so I'd just assumed they had to let him know someone wanted the omakase. Perhaps they wanted more than just one person to justify the cost of bringing him in. I couldn't understand it. An omakase isn't a special type of dinner that can only be done by the most trained of chefs. It's a staple experience that any chef can provide at a moment's notice at any sushi restaurant... any sushi restaurant outside the Rio Grande Valley, that is. If you need 48 hours notice to provide a quality omakase experience then it isn't saying much for your other chefs behind the bar. It's just consists of items already on the menu, but also gives your chefs the freedom to create their own dishes. Experiment a little. In any case, this was the moment where I felt I might be in trouble. It's a week later and I'm walking in to finally get some good sushi. The host asks for my name, says I'm here for the omakase, and immediately takes me to my seat at the bar. I'm the only one here. I only see one chef, and it's not _the guy_. Why did they need 48 hours notice again? The first dish was a delightful poke salad. Well made and well plated. A nice starter. I was cautiously optimistic. The rest of the meal was all nigiri pieces consisting of salmon, yellowtail, scallop, otoro, "wagyu", maguro, and uni. There were others but I stopped taking notes at some point once I realized what this was. Standard Valley sushi. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is what it is. This is what we know and how we do it. But I had to wait for this? Spend at least $100 for this? No. If you're going to put an omakase experience on such a pedestal you need to deliver and you didn't. The entire experience lasted less than an hour so the pace was also an issue. A well paced and well managed tasting course is at least two hours. If you're going to visit this restaurant you're going to have an amazing time ordering standard menu items. They do that very well. Just don't do the omakase.

One word...AMAZING!! Awesome service with the best food we have the hanger steak with the shrimp…read morepasta, and the sides were the sautéed spinach and the Chito pepper mac & cheese. Each bite was a delight!

The food is fantastic especially how they infuse Mexican and Asian flavors. Some of the items on…read morethe menu are a little pricey but not out of the ordinary compared to other places. They do have a combo which includes two takos and a drink. We also ventured out to try other items on the menu. Their soda fountain was different with great unique flavors. The service staff were very nice and helpful especially since it was the first time visiting. Ambiance was simply decorated with different kinds of seating areas.

Hi, I'm the girl your staff accused of stealing today. I had asked for no drink but was still…read morehanded one so I assumed she didn't hear me and I was still charged for it, that was okay with me until our server came to our table with a plastic cup and said something snarky about that being the right cup for me. I was thrown off by that comment and so was my friend so we compared our receipts and noticed she hadn't charged me for my drink I was confused on what to do but I was willing to pay for it if it bothered her that much until I heard her talking in Spanish with her coworker in the bar area saying look over there and pointed me out claiming I stole the cup without her knowing to which her coworker replied that she should say something about it and not let it go. Me and my friend were uncomfortable with everything and quickly lost our appetite. My friend was kind enough to pay for my drink and get our to-go boxes in order for me to avoid the confrontation. other than that, the ingredients were fresh with a good portion size but sadly the staff is horrible.

Got our food within 20 minutes. Place had a lot of take-outs. Very delicious chicken teriyaki, had…read morethe soba noodles, with veggies. It was REALLY good. Will definitely go back and explore more of the menu.

I ordered the food to go but I still got off the car to order. As a wheelchair user it wasn't as…read moreaccessible if I wanted to eat in the restaurant. The tables didn't allow for my powered wheelchair to fit into a standard height table and the bar height table is too high. The food though, I ordered the orange chicken spicy and teriyaki chicken spicy. They were both delicious! I will say that if you're not used to spicy food the "spicy" option might be too spicy, maybe order the sauce on the side so you can add in as much as you'd like. I would definitely be back to order food to go!

We Love Xin Xin in McAllen, Texas. The flavors are great! No other restaurant compares to them!…read moreEven in the big cities!

Wonderful food! Great service! Ambiance is comfortable!…read more My mom, sister & I eat here or get take out.

Zen Asian Bistro has all you can eat sushi for lunch and dinner for a great price and they have a…read moreregular order menu too. We love to go get the all you can eat!! You can eat anything on the menu and they make it fresh to order. You can even sit up near the chef's and watch if you want too. My kids love to go an sit and watch them make our food. And they are teenagers so they can REALLY eat. Yes, its all you can eat and they really put this to the test. lol Last time I went, my son got the all you can eat lunch, it was $15. He ordered 4 orders of crab puffs, an order of general chows chicken, 2 orders of shrimp noodles, and about 7 full sushi rolls.... he ate it all. So crazy I know. But yeah.... And the food is really good!!! https://www.facebook.com/myzenasianbistro

I tried this place on Sunday for dinner and was pleasantly surprised! I was tired after a long day…read moreof traveling and this place just happened to be the first place I found with sushi, so I figured I'd give it a try! I was greeted and immediately sat at the bar, and then was greeted by the server and told about the all you can eat menu. I didn't know about this before hand so I thought it was nice of the server to tell me about it. I tried it out and everything I had was great! I ordered a crab roll and the mt. Fiji roll, an egg roll, and a spicy Kani salad. Everything came out quickly and tasted great! The all you can eat is definitively a great way to try some new things, or to get if you're just really hungry. It's $23, which for sushi and appetizers is great!

Asian market with good prices and wide selection. Honestly, I thought this was a store with…read morevegetarian food but I was pleasantly surprised. Very kind and friendly staff. Meat, fish, seafood, etc. Will be coming back soon!

Living in the Rio Grande Valley has few options for vegetarian/vegans. Even though Vegemarket has…read moreplenty of meat products they also offer an array of frozen veggie meats, hot prepared vegan cuisine, fresh juices and smoothies. I encourage vegans to check it out. I really don't think you will be disappointed.

Ordered the orange chicken, must have been old food cuz it was super hard and the sauce was already…read moreall crusty. Customer service ain't so great either. I will not be having lunch here again.

Ordered sesame beef, I was unable to eat it, the meat was so tough I could not eat it. I called…read morelins express, and also went in person to return the food and get refund. I spoke with owner Michele she said I have to get refund from door dash. So I call door dash they said they can refund $5. Michele the owner is serving garbage. And doesn't care about food quality, and lacks customer service skills.

We were shopping in the area and decided to Yelp something nearby. So glad we stopped in here! The…read morefood was freaking delicious and full of flavor! Not to mention the staff is so friendly! The lemongrass shrimp was so tasty! Everything we ordered was so good that it's going to be difficult to decide what to get next time.

It was our first time visit me and my girl we came all the way from SA decided to stop by and give…read moreit a try since we see all the good review but the server was unprofessional we both got soup and gave us only one plate of veggie the basil barely have any leaf on there and it look old also there was only one lemon and for more there was a up charge like are we supposed to share one lemon . Everything on menu look so good and delicious but cmon I got 2 thin slices of meat like I rather people charge a little more expensive than give less food also there was nothing on the table . Everything was unorganized ,dirty food and was mid nothing impressive I don't just go on here and trynna ruin someone business but speak from a person who have experience work at places like this I give this place 2/10 never come back here

The restaurant was beautiful. Table service was good, although the sushi took a little long to…read moreprepare and there were only 5 tables or so seated. The 'maki' rolls were not prepared with seaweed on the outside, like maki is prepared traditionally. Hot stone wagyu was 10/10 and the seafood 8/10. The sauces provided were good but I prefer normal soy sauce and soy sauce ramekins.

I see other reviews mentioning the price, but what you're paying for is the QUALITY of food/drinks,…read moreplus a unique experience. Also, these amazing employees are there to make sure you get the best experience possible! I've been here a few times and LOVE IT!!

My first impression of Ronin Ramen was that it was asian inspired restaurant. When I first walked…read morein, there were anime posters and asian inspired decor. When I was seated, it suddenly turned into a sports bar with a small touch of asian inspired decor. I asked for a cup of water, but found out they only serve bottled water at $3. I ordered, not expecting much as the restaurant and service were both average. I did not expect it, but, wow, the food was delicious! The plates were very very well served. The ramen could have used more protein, but for the price was okay. As most ramens, it didn't have much flavor but the hot chili oil they provided added the perfect touch to the meal. The orange chicken with stir fry - not on the menu, I had to ask for substitutions - was absolutely delicious!! The noodles were great, but did need the chili oil to add that extra touch of flavor. I would definitely go back! Not for aesthetics, not for the service, but for the food. It truly made coming to Ronin's worth it.

I just came here, it's now located inside the MERCADO DISTRICT. Anyways, great ramen! Super…read moreflavorful and nice staff. Definitely my go to ramen place here.