Zen Kitchen really feels more like a quirky little pizza shop you might find in a larger city like Austin. The restaurant holds about 50 people, and there are individual chairs, small tables, or community seating for the arrangement that suits your party. The menu is impressive, offering lots of unique ingredients, and the food tastes fresh and delicious. I ordered the Pizza lunch special, with a small personal pizza and a salad. I really appreciated the use of reusable trays and tableware. The staff is very knowledgeable about the food, and refreshingly knowledgeable about dietary restrictions and allergens. I would be happy to eat here again. read more

Zen Kitchen - Pizza lunch special - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

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Yes I posted this review on Google, yes I'm posting it here. I don't care. To preface, I'm out of town for a business trip. Along with this awful economy, per diem reimbursement is pretty important to me and my family. So, the very first thing I told the bartender was "please make sure my alcohol is separate from my food on the receipt." They nod, as if they understood. Ambiance was great. It was giving industrial burger joint vibes, but they had Harry Potter trivia, very family oriented and clean. When they opened my tab, two bartenders were having trouble getting it to tap because the POS system they use is called "Toast" and while it works, it's not consistent. (Source: Used Toast for years in about 4 different restaurants.) The next question I ask, is if the bartender can recommend me anything. I'm assuming this person was new, because they recommended me the house salsa and all the said about it was "good, and it's homemade," like that was supposed to add to it. I said "I'll check it out on the menu, thanks!" because I was really looking forward to trying something new and local. I also asked for drink recommendations, did not get an answer, just "light or stout." (This place has "craft" in the name and additionally has a huge sign that says "craft cocktails," why not upsell me on something unique, not sure.) I ended up ordering a watermelon Mojito, and the Smoked Gouda & Brisket Pizza. The mojito comes out, it's a regular mojito, absolutely 0 watermelon but on par with something from Chilis. All I tasted was sour, and instead of there being simple syrup, they just toss in a bunch of sugar??? Very odd, wasn't dissolved, but the drink was so bad, every grain of sugar was almost like a break from the sour lol. Few minutes later, I hear my name being called to pick up the house salsa?? They ask if I ordered, bartender asks, and I say no, because I really just wanted a recommendation. Salsa would be the last option for me. The owner/manager I'm guessing takes it off, then hands me salsa. Cool, thank you!! The salsa itself, uhm. It was good. Nothing amazing. You can tell they don't like their flavor here because it just tasted like tomato's and salt. The chips are straight store-bought tortilla chips. Either Tostitos, or the Yellow Calidad brand. Either way, the appetizer was definitely not worth the $6-7 they were asking, so thank god it was free. Alright, cool, got my wannabe mojito, got my house made salsa with store bought chips, listening to trivia, I'm vibing. This is actually where I leave my initial review, all positive because you can tell they're still getting the hang of things. Whatever, as long as my alcohol is split off the bill like the bartender promised me. Pizza comes out. This is where I'm like, yeah this place is pretty mid. It's a brisket and Gouda pizza, so I'm expecting grease. But holy moly, it looks like they took maybe half a handful of brisket, then added a scoop of brisket grease on top of the cheese. "Finished with pickled red onions," bro they put a spoonful of these red onions in the smack dab middle of the pizza. So when you grab a slice, unless you traveled through the pool of grease to spread the red onions, the red onions just fall off onto the plate. Flavor was great, but I had to tilt each slice and use the force of gravity to drain majority of the grease off. Crust had 0 flavor, and at one point was so hard/chewy, it felt like I was biting a bike tire. Alright, still enjoying my time. It's mid food, but the vibe is nice and no one has been rude to me. So I go ahead and ask for a box, and to close my tab. I pack my food, tell the bartender to close my tab. Tab gets back, and instead of giving me the option to pay it after I check the receipt, they just charge it. Once it's been charged, you cannot split the tab. (Again, used Toast for quite a long time) Why even acknowledge my request in the beginning if it's going to be ignored? It takes about 2 seconds to split the drinks off onto a different seat/table/section, so why not even ask if you told me yes in the beginning. All in all, very ALRIGHT place. Wouldn't come back. It's very bland and you'll find a good 15 of these types of restaurants in a single square mile of Austin Tx. If the employees can't figure out Toast, then the ordering system needs to be changed to something more rudimentary. There were 2 different misunderstandings, and while I get it's a newer place, it's quite infuriating to not be reimbursed for such a mediocre experience. 3/10 if you travel, you'll come across a million of these, nothing new. Now imagine this pizza with all the red onions just piled in the middle for artistic pizazz. read more

Zen Kitchen - Smoked Gouda & Brisket grease pizza - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Boss Lady and I were in town for work and found this joint on the interwebs. It was Saturday morning and the town was just waking up. Great rustic build in old downtown. We entered and were greeted warmly by the owners. We ordered a ham and a bacon breakfast pizza. Boss Lady said that it's in my wheel house because I do that at home. The pizzas were made fresh when we ordered them. You get your egg made how you want. The coffee was really good too. Next time we're in Kilgore, this is our go-to breakfast joint. read more

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This place is amazing! We were greeted and welcomed warmly. I had food allergies and they were very thorough to ensure my needs were met. I also am gluten intolerant and I tell you it's the best cauliflower crust I have ever had. We will be back over and over again. We got the brisket, potato bbq pizza. I wished I had gotten a better picture for you. But it was delicious! 10/10 read more

Zen Kitchen - Brisket potato bbq pizza with cabbage! Yum! (Usually topped also with cilantro ranch) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

Excellent Service, the entire staff was friendly, food and drinks were Great, relaxing atmosphere, this was our 1st visit so we will definately be back! Great Job read more

My wife has some food sensitivities, and the staff was very helpful when it came to making sure everything my wife ordered was safe for her to eat. There wasn't much of a crowd, but a few tables had folks sitting around talking. There was a decent selection of drinks from sodas to beer to cocktails. My wife opted for a a pizza with chicken and vegan cheese. I ordered the brisket and smoked Gouda from the Seasonal Pizza offering. My only real complaint about the place would be that there wasn't a whole lot of brisket on the pizza. If presented with the opportunity to go back, I would, but I'd probably order a sandwich, or one of the Classic Pizzas. read more

Food was so yummy ! Breakfast always fresh out oven! If you haven't been soon as this weather clears y'all better come on in fresh crack egg breakfast pizza! Top off with muffin and cup coffee. Services always wonderful always greeting with smile to everyone . Hope come see you soon weather clears up. read more

The pizza is absolutely amazing. I've had the pizzas, salads, soups and sandwiches and I have enjoyed everything so far. They also have a full bar with beer, wine and the most amazing cocktails ever, both regular and seasonal. For breakfast, I recommend any of the pastries, especially the chocolate morning bun or Nutella twist, and the lattes are always on point. The service is amazing, the owner is very hands on and if there is any issue they are happy to fix it. Ambiance is great. They have a patio where the kids can play, and it's nice, and relaxing inside the restaurant. Definitely give them a try. read more

Zen Kitchen - Jalapeño margaritas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

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In town for Easter weekend and met one of my childhood best friends for late lunch and a cocktail. This place is a total gem in downtown Kilgore! Super cute decor, great patio out back and the Brisket & Gouda Pizza to so dang good! Can wait to get back to try something else! read more

Love the food, vibe, and drinks. Have been here a few times now. It's fast-casual style with a bar. When there's a Friday rush, expect to wait on mixed drinks at the bar. The pizzas are creative suggestions, but there's always build your own. Pick the Gouda sauce instead of marinara! There are two two-person outside tables and lots of room inside. Parting words: jalapeño bourbon limeade. read more

Zen Kitchen is a wonderful place to eat with unbelievable pizza. Great, food, great atmosphere and amazing people as owners and chefs!

This place is absolutely amazing! The freshest food in Kilgore and the service was top notch! I was in Kilgore for 4 days and stopped in every day and a couple of days twice. My only complaint was the days I was there they closed at 3 and so I had to eat dinner somewhere else...otherwise I would have only eaten at Zen's. They make their own syrups for lattes and cocktails (the lavender was delicious) the breads are all from scratch and everything was delicious. The decor is mid century modern but so cozy. My favorite mural says, "This is the place you want to be." This is definitely the place to be in Kilgore for your morning latte to dinner and cocktails read more

Zen Kitchen - This is the spring jalapeño bourbon limeade - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

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I've been following this place on social media for a while now and finally had the opportunity to try them for the first time! For appetizers, my friend and I each got the house hot wings (the garlic parmesan & the spicy bbq) and they were both very crispy and delicious! As for the pizza- it's absolute perfection! We shared the hot sausage, feta, and honey "spring selection" pizza and it was super tasty! The dough was homemade and the sausage/honey paired perfectly together! If you are looking for something new to try, drop by Zen Kitchen! It is definitely a must try East Texas hidden gem! :) read more

What a great place!!! The food is off the charts!! We just recently moved to the area and Zen Kitchen has become one of our favorites!! They have great pizza, great!! Their drink selection is awesome. Plenty of choices. If you're in Kilgore, you need to try it out! read more

Great customer service. The food was excellent. In and out with time to spare for lunch. Will be returning.

The staff is great! Very attentive and friendly will definitely come back. I hate a place that has good food and rude people serving it but here I found everything I want when looking for a cup of coffee and a muffin. read more

Zen Kitchen - Wonderful place with incredible pastries! I had the Nutella twist and the lemon blueberry scone. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Kilgore, Texas

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Awful place. Walked in and reviewed the menu for 10 minutes. No one spoke to us. Got up to order at bar at 9:02 after being in line and was told "the kitchen closed at 9." Zero attempt to help. Was scouting for a big office party but will never come back. read more

This place is fantastic! Pizza was great and the taste of the mushroom and goat cheese flatbread was superb! Definitely coming back!

Visited from out of town after seeing the restaurant highlighted on local television. Tables and floors had not been cleaned or swept. Pizza was average, 7 out of 10. Ordered BBQ Brisket sandwich - was on focaccia bread with no brisket, only sausage. The combination of BBQ sauce and Italian or Rosemary focaccia did not work. One bite and couldn't eat. Maybe ran out of brisket and bread? Maybe an off day? I don't know.... We left 95% of the food on the table. read more

First time dining in was having a great time until I saw a hair in my plate and then turned to see a girl in the kitchen wearing nothing to cover her hair, read more