Cancel

Open app

Search

Zen Asia

4.4 (131 reviews)
ModerateVietnamese

Zen Asia Photos

ZEN ASIA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Zen Asia

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio
Teresa L.

Zen Asia is a family-owned restaurant. They used to own Vietnam Star (Maplewood) and Vietnam Restaurant (Woodbury) so I have tried most of the food their food. The food is made fresh to order and always flavorful. At Zen Asia, it appears the owner, Nancy waits the dining area alone when I have visited a few times post-COVID era. She builds rapport with every customers that comes through. It feels very welcoming and like visiting an old friend. The ambiance is casual. Nancy will give you enough time to see the menu, will check on you frequently, and if you'd like and based on the busy level, she might chat with you. I recommend the Vietnamese spring rolls are my all-time favorite, egg rolls, and cream cheese wontons. For entrees, Hot & spicy chicken is all-time customer's favorite; as a person who doesn't like spicy food, it is actually flavorful and can be done without the spiciness. Pho, Mongolian beef, com dac biet (combination rice platter), bun bowls (rice stick noodle salad bowl), chicken pad Thai, and various stir-fry are great.

Dave G.

The Hot and spicy chicken is SO good that it's hard for me to order anything else. I wish this place was closer but I make sure to stop on whenever I'm even somewhat close. Other highlights include the pho and the cream cheese wontons. The Thai Iced Tea is also incredibly refreshing on a hot day! The food is awesome and Nancy is the greatest!

​Bun Bo Hue
Danette B.

​Staff was very friendly and food came out quickly. I got the Bun Bo Hue noodle soup, which was perfect for a chilly winter day. My husband got the Kung Pao chicken. Generous portions and food was very yummy.

Fresh spring rolls
Marc E.

We stopped by today for lunch. Ive never been here before so we thought we would try it out. The owner/server was very friendly and made us feel right at home. We ordered the fresh spring rolls, which are made to order. We also split an order of Vietnamese pad thai it was very good. We will be back again soon. They offer a lunch special during the week so we would like to give that a try.

Vietnamese Pad Thai
Nancy E.

I hadn't been to this restaurant for a very long time. We were in the area and decided to stop for lunch. Very nice owner. She made us feel very welcome. We had their spring rolls, mad fresh to order, and split theVietnamese pad Thai. Everything was very good. I'm sure we'll be back. We'd like to try their weekly lunch specials.

Yummy Tom Yum
Angelina S.

Amazing, delicious, authentic Vietnamese food! YES! We had a great time enjoying the most delicious Pho soup ever + Tom Yum and Spring rolls. Every single dish was super delicious, fresh and made with love. Our first time visiting this place, Nancy was super nice, heartwarming and very friendly and attentive. My husband and I had a great conversation with her and at the end of it I wanted to hug Nancy, that's how nice and caring she was. Highly recommend this place, wish the owners lots of customers and success in business! P.S. love the fortune cookies ;)

See all

Photo of JR R.
0
12
2

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Amy R.
342
1525
1391

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Kim B.
61
12
1

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Service is great .very personable.friendly family orientated.quiet lots of seating.best food ever

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Stacy J.
296
5
25

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Fabulous food! Everything I've ordered has been great I just wish they were open on Sunday's

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Dan L.
164
11
28

6 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of L. W.
0
13
0

3 years ago

This restaurant has been here for many years but we recently discovered it. Great Pho. Fast and friendly service. Now we are regulars there.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Food quality is poor!!! And guest service is horrible will never go there again and the place looks run down very dirty.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Molly M.
174
1850
16145

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Homestyle feeling. Good food and felt right at home in the atmosphere. Good aroma and speedy delivery.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 4

Ask the Community - Zen Asia

You might also consider

Vietnam Star Restaurant - Pho

Vietnam Star Restaurant

3.6(126 reviews)
3.9 mi
•$

I've been going Vietnam Star Restaurant for over 10 years. Love to support local business but I…read morefeel the quality of the foods isn't the same. Maybe different chefs? The last few times I ordered the eggrolls it was soggy and had a bitter taste. It also had an overdue smell. We couldn't eat it so just had to just toss it.

It's was nice to come back after many years, and see that they are still here in the same spot…read more I spoke to the owner, and they have been in this same spot for 23 yrs! I ordered the pho, which was simply beef and meatballs. The broth was homemade, basically the same as what a Vietnamese friend made when they had our family over. Yes, you have to adjust the broth, if you're into pho. And yes, you have to ask for the fish sauce, and the sugar is in packets. The service is impeccable. The dining room is in order, without stacks of boxes in the hallway, and clean. There's plenty of parking. The bathrooms are clean. The owners treat you with kindness, a smile, and gratitude for your business. All these things count a lot nowadays. By the way, their homemade Tiramisu is out of sight! Warning - rant and support for local business: I was sad to read all the 1 star reviews. Most of it was for the blandness of the broth, and comparisons of this place to authentic spots in Frogtown, St. Paul. A little bit of history: they were here long before Maplewood Mall food court is now filled with Asian fare; even before Pho King showed up in the food court for those who remember. Back then, Vietnam Star was the only viable Asian option in these parts. By these parts I mean around Maplewood Mall and Costco. Here's the thing, the primary clientele here are Anglos, not Asians. In fact, today for lunch I was only 1 of 2 Asians in the dining room. So my expectations are adjusted accordingly. It is not in Frogtown, even though that's technically not that far away. But when you're shopping in Maplewood, Frogtown might as well be in Wayzata. So when I'm around here, I know the food in the mall maybe more to my taste. However, sometimes I don't want to sit in a big mall full of people, watching my back, pay a lot of money for small portions, and be treated like crap on top of it. Sometimes, I just want to go to a nice place, be treated like a human being, and sit down in a booth to have a big bowl of pho. So what if I have to adjust the broth? I'm in Maplewood for crying out loud. Let's all be fair and support local businesses that are trying to make it work.

Photos
Vietnam Star Restaurant - Menu

Menu

Vietnam Star Restaurant - LC4. Sesame Chicken Lunch, fried rice and wonton. Worst lunch ever. Rubber rice and bread.

LC4. Sesame Chicken Lunch, fried rice and wonton. Worst lunch ever. Rubber rice and bread.

Vietnam Star Restaurant

See all

Zen Asia - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...