We were sitting at the coffee shop next door to Zen Ramen and Bento in Dahlonega smelling these amazing aromas. We decided to go and try a bowl of Ramen. People, go now and treat yourself to delishness! Abby was our server and even though we were outside, she was very attentive. The chef and owner, Mr. Tom, came out and checked on us twice, who does that? Our food was hot, full of flavor, and there was plenty. Get the combo you will not be sorry with your choice. I got the chicken karage and the beef bulgogi. My friend got the spring rolls and Shoyu butter chicken. Oh my yum!! read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - a person sitting at a table - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

I ordered a Shoyu Tonkotsu Black making it clear I'm a vegetarian. My partner did the same. They brought out a regular Tonkotsu Black with meat in it. That was fine, no big deal. But instead of taking it back and redoing it, the chef clearly just took the meat out and put a piece of tofu in it. They didn't offer to comp the dish or anything. The only response I got was "would you like me to bring the check" by the server. I wasn't being rude about it at all, but she was clearly uncomfortable. If I was vegetarian for religious reasons I would be absolutely livid. Alas, all I can do is write this review. Avoid if vegetarian--chef seems to disagree with the diet choice. read more

Really lovely spot for an affordable dinner located just off the square in downtown Dahlonega! The food came out fast, the staff was friendly, and I loved both the shrimp appetizer and my ramen. Definitely check it out if you're in town. read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - Shrimp - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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Food 1 Service 1 Ambiance 1 My husband and I stopped by Zen Ramen and Bento restaurant as we were finishing up antiquing for the day. My husband and I are both fans of Ramen. I ordered the pork Ramen and my husband ordered the beef for bulgogi Ramen. Unfortunately, both of our dishes were bland. There was very little spice and flavor in the broth, which made the dish not so good! However, the fries pork Gyoza was delicious. The food here isn't horrible. It's just not some of the best that I've ever had. read more

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My husband and I both ordered the spicy tonkotsu and that met our expectations, pretty good! There were lots of choices so we'll have to come back and try other dishes. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Restaurant is small, clean and cozy but uncomfortably loud. read more

We ate here on a Thursday night and had the server's undivided attention. We all really enjoyed our meals. My son got the Chicken Katsu Bento Box and the chicken was amazing. He didn't care for the Corn and Edamame Salad, but my wife and I thought it was delicious. I had the Black Tonkatsu Ramen and the broth was nice and flavorful, and the toppings were all top notch. I also had a side of Kimchi and it was slightly spicy with just the right amount of sour. The best dish any of us ordered was my wife's Butter Shoyu ramen with Beef Bulgogi. The sauce was amazing with a great blend of brown butter and soy sauce. If we ever come back to Dahlonega, I know what I'll order! read more

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Impromptu trip to Dahlonega. Food was amazing. Josh was the best server with tastiest recommendations. We had Atomic Bomb chicken combo with fried gyoza and Black tonkotsu. Love the decor and atmosphere. Definitely will return. read more

Fabulous food and service- great spring rolls, green tea, lavender boba tea, yummy! Ramen with pork was delicious- rich broth and flavorful- ample servings. Had to bring some home. Highly recommended! read more

The food was great. The waitstaff couldn't have been nicer. We sat outside and they were very attentive . Worth a try ! read more

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Good service. I sat at the bar and the bartender was very nice and helpful. The pork tonkatsu ramen was okay. The broth was not too salty or spicy, and the pork was tender, but there wasn't much of it. Noodles were well cooked, but there was only some celery and a cold half hard boiled egg on the top. It was nice, clean, and had good ambiance in the front of the restaurant. A good ramen place for a small town in GA. read more

The Ramen was amazing. Service was super friendly and very informative about the menu. Very calm atmosphere will definitely become a regular. 10/10 read more

Honestly had high hopes to try something new and when I went to this place I loved the decor and it was right near the square. The ramen was just way off. Usually I get ramen closer to Atlanta but this one lacked so much in the broth as well as the noodles didn't taste fresh. They were also cut to big and the meat was "seasoned" however it's just boiled in the same broth it feels like because it was dry and left a horrible taste. The appetizer chicken we got was good but the ramen was extremely poor. The staff was great and nice though. read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - a bowl of ramen and bento - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

First time experience was excellent. Had one of their unique ramen dishes for lunch. Also had a Thai boba tea. Outstanding!! Service was great and the chef/owner was a very pleasant person to meet! I strongly recommend this restaurant!! read more

I've been here a few times, first when it opened and today. The food is pretty good. The real issue in the beginning was the price. With tip, it was at least $40-$50 for two people. The portions were large, but that's still too much for a tiny ramen place in Dahlonega. It's tourist prices, but on the high end of tourist prices on the square. Today's visit was different. They now have a reasonably priced lunch menu. Basically it's a large bowl of ramen, no sauce with meat, vegetables, a sliced of fried spam (which was delicious) and a drink for $9.99. Lunch was very good and the price was better. For two people with a tip, it was $25. read more

My friend and i sat outside for our lunch at noon. Even though you are roadside, the noise is non-existent. The server was attentive and prompt with our order and extra requests. The food was tasty and came out hot. We shared an order of spring rolls. I had Chicken ramen and a bento box for my friend. Be prepared to take some home. The serving sizes were very large. ( the chicken in the ramen dish was very crispy and remained crispy when i reheated it at home for dinner a few hours later). The restaurant was clean, all empty tables had been wiped down and ready for seating. We were checked on, i assume, by the owner making sure we were settled, happy and had no issues. I will return. The meatless dishes looked good and I am happy to see those options available. read more

The food was good. I got the bulgolgi beef ramen. It wasn't the best ramen I've experienced, but it was decent. The beef was not as tender/didn't have that bulgolgi flavor I was looking for but the broth was yummy. The fried potstickers and egg rolls were really great. I did try my friend's bento box with the shrimp and it was fantastic! Would probably get that next time. Service was fast and the place itself was cozy and inviting! read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - Fried Pork Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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One of the few places in town square that was open for dinner. It was an easy walk from our hotel and my party was one of the few to be there at around 5-6pm. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our waiter was courteous and helpful with recommendations. We ordered our food, and it turned out delicious. The ramen was comforting and it was a good note to end the day with. Try it out for yourselves! read more

Great food and Staff! They were very short staff (only two servers for the whole restaurant and it was busy) but they didn't rush us, were very kind and gave us recommendations. We ordered the Chicken Cheese Katie Ramen bowl combo and it was delicious. read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - Shout Shoyu Chicken Cheese Katsu Ramen Combo - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

I am literally mad that I have lived in Dahlonega for a few months, and didn't know about this place. My husband and I came for dinner close to closing time- and neither the food or the service from Eunice disappointed. Korean, Japanese, and Asian fusion is my absolute favorite- and this restaurant offered the best of all the above. We had: kimchi, pickled radish, a chicken appetizer, a ramen bowl, a bulgogi shiba dog... and after stealing some sips from his ramen bowl, another! ramen bowl. I have sampled a lot of this cuisine in my life; even having worked at a Korean fusion place, and this is truly some of the most delicious. The kimchi had great texture and flavor but not overly spicy, the pickled radish was crunchy and rice wine vinegar sweet. The broth was savory AND rich. The shiba dog was crispy and delicious. I absolutely will be coming back regularly. If not just for the food, the service as well! Our waitress, Eunice, was wonderful!!! My husband and I don't regularly agree on "favorite" places, but this was an unanimous decision of local favorite. read more

Delicious- everything was hot and fresh!! The chef came to check-in and see how our meal was. Cool place. I'll be back!

After striking out on four other restaurants due to long waits that would've made us late to our show, we settled on this restaurant. Perhaps when every other restaurant in town had a wait in excess of one to two hours and this place could seat us immediately, we should've paid attention to that red flag. Nevertheless, we were hungry and we only had an hour and a half to spare. We watched two other tables that came in after us and ordered after us get their appetizers and entrees while we waited on our apps. When we had our first entree delivered and we inquired on our apps, we were told that our appetizers were accidentally given to another table. We tried to just cancel the apps at that point, as we thought our entrees were all being delivered, but the server insisted that our "appetizers are being plated now." Who knew "now" really meant we'd see them in 10 minutes. Starving, we were grateful for those two apps as the other two entrees that we expected were on the way since the first entree was on the table didn't appear for an additional 15 minutes after the appetizers. The food wasn't the quality you'd expect for the price you pay nor was it even close to what you'd get at a ramen bar closer to Atlanta. But the mediocre food would have been overlooked tonight had the service been adequate. read more

At the recommendation of my daughter, we choose this lovely, amazing and colossal place. The cuisine is unique, delicious and amazing, with a nice selection of meats, vegetables, and of course, Ramen. Upon not being able to decide which entrée to have, I ordered two entrées. (Nice leftovers for later.) I had the beef box and shoyu bulgolgi. The flavors were glorious, meandering back and forth between the beef box and shoyu bulgolgi, yum yum yum! You will not be disappointed with this cool, Neato place! Check it out, for something completely different, and yummy! read more

They were low on staff so service was slightly slow. Nothing to make me not want to eat there. Good food. Great ramen. Fun, darker ambiance inside. Outside seating. read more

They never acknowledged the people who were waiting in line to come into their restaurant. It was 30 degrees outside and one of the employees yelled at us and others and told us to wait outside. Very unprofessional. That was our clue to leave. read more

This place has wonderful food. We have had it in house and to go over the course of 6 months now. The ramen is delicious. The food is well priced. The breaded chicken in the soup and the pickled eggs in there are favorites. Plus affordable edamame. Staff is kind, even if there can be a slightly long wait at times. But the view out the window and being close to town are great! read more

The Tonkotsu Black Ramen was truly amazing, really unique flavor and perfectly cooked chicken pieces inside. My wife ordered the Vegetarian Ramen and it had so much flavor, which is hard to find in a non-pork broth base. We also had the spring rolls which were classic and tasty. The sake selection was really impressive as well. This is a GEM. read more

Zen Ramen and Bento - Tonkotsu Black Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

good bento box and ramen place. very good service. located off the dahlonega square. i have returned here a few times during my hikes.

Really enjoy this addition to Dahlonega. Great cuisine, prices are right and the flavor is fantastic. Service is friendly and the ambiance is cool and well lit. read more

So good!!!! I love the ramen with mushrooms and tofu and the rice with vampire sauce!!!! Don't forget the hot sake! read more

Awesome. We lived in Los Angeles for many years so we were skeptical about a Ramen place in a small Georgia town but it was delicious. We'll be back for sure. Food and service was excellent. read more

The food was fucking amazing, and the service from both the waiter and cook was fantastic!

The service was impeccable. The waitress was so helpful with making a recommendation. We had the miso and soy based ramen which were both delicious. The spring rolls were fried, but good. That may be your presence. It had the cutest aesthetic and we can't wait to go back the next time we're in town. read more

They need one of these in every town across America! Everything here is awesome. We've had almost everything on the menu and it was all amazing. read more

Food was very good. Short staffed, but the waitress was very attentive. Recommend the steak bento box.

This is my favorite place around the Dahlonega area to get asian cuisine. I confused with all the negative reviews like?? I've tried worst in this surrounding area. Also, regarding "authentic" or not it's still good, nobody should get upset about that fact, go to Atlanta if your that upset lol. (Coming from an asian person). Anyways I am obsessed with the chicken katsu bento box. I come here very often with my family. The staff are very friendly. It is a bit of a small restaurant but usually we don't have a problem at all with wait times. They usually only have one server at times, so yes wait times are expected. But I enjoy coming here all the time!! read more

Zen Ramen Bar is a slightly above average ramen establishment that adds a bit of spice to the surrounding, historic square of Dahlonega. My wife and I came around lunchtime on a Sunday and it was pretty vacant. The decor is very fun, colorful, and cultural! The menus are also extremely appealing and easy to read. We ordered the gyoza as an appetizer and I ordered the Tonkatsu chicken ramen as an entree. The appetizer was delicious and the ramen was honestly perfect. If you want a solid, modern ramen spot in North Georgia instead of driving somewhere like Alpharetta come here! read more

We had the Tonkatsu Chicken, Shoyu chicken ramen and popcorn shrimp for lunch and all were excellent. We eat ramen all the time in Los Angeles and this was one of the best we've had. Our waitress was very nice and provided great service. The owner was there, he was very pleasant and came to check on us during our meal. My sister has a garlic allergy and this is the only restaurant that didn't have garlic in every dish! She was very happy!! Highly recommend read more

Gyoza and Chicken Kasu Bento were amazing and the service was great. We had a great experience and would come back again. 100% recommended and and t's a rare find in Dahlonega! read more

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Live in Dahlonega so thought I'd try it out. Spring rolls were undercooked and kind of mushy. Got the vampire chicken. I like spicy but this was ridiculously hot. Noodles were not fresh and dried up. On top was breaded piece of chicken / probably the frozen kind not fresh. Very disappointed. read more

This place is a winner! The dumplings are 5 stars and more. I go here for the dumplings and whatever else I get to go with it has always been good. The service is friendly and a swift as they can be with a small staff. You have to look for the location the first time, it's off the square. Try it and I think you will enjoy it! read more