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Lights out, delicious food. This is what I've been missing for years, seeking authenticity and spice that would make a jalapeño blush. From what we were told, this is food coming straight from home recipes. I was not expecting it in downtown Phoenix, but my goodness, what a gem. The locals have my envy.
Really tasty Thai food! We had the Super Summer rolls and the Spicy Eggplant with tofu with medium spice. All was delicious! It's a small space, but it's really cozy inside with a nice atmosphere. We really appreciate the vegan and vegetarian options!
4 stars (really 3+ rounded up). Want to know the real scoop? Read on... **Communication: Wanted to make a reservation, called six times over two days, left voicemails, even texted. No response, ever. We went anyway for a birthday dinner and fortunately found only 2-3 other tables occupied, no reservation needed. Found street parking nearby, but you'll need to feed the meter for a couple hours even on weekends. Score: 2 out of 10 (additional reason for this score in the UPDATE below) **Atmosphere: Comfortable and relaxed inside, a bit dark and cold, some fun and slightly kitschy Thai décor. Booths are cozy, and the couch-style seating looked inviting. Check out my posted photos to get a feel for it. Score: 7 out of 10 **Food & Drinks: We shared three appetizers (Super Summer Rolls, potstickers, and crispy veggie rolls), all fresh, flavorful, and nicely plated. Accompanying sauces were very good. Unfortunately, they were all pricey, approaching the price of entrees. Appetizer Score: 8 out of 10. - Drinks were a letdown. We tried four different drinks from their $10 special list, and none impressed, they weren't good: the Long Island Thai Iced Tea was strong but harsh tasting, no curated flavor; the Thai Tea Espresso Martini was the best of the bunch but still not great, bland; the Lychee and Green Apple martinis were both overly sweet and syrupy. Drink Score: 2 out of 10. - Entrée taste redeemed the night. Red curry with chicken was rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced, a little spicy, yum. Pad Thai was balanced and satisfying with good bouncy, slightly chewy noodles. Pad Se-iew was excellent, smoky, savory, and our favorite dish. None were large portions, they were adequate size. Fortunately we had three appetizers ($35) or the three entrees ($17.50 each) wouldn't have been enough for four people to share. Score: 8 out of 10. **Service: Friendly and attentive. The second gentleman seemed like an owner, knowledgeable and engaged. The host was pleasant but couldn't explain why no one answers the phone for reservations, takeout, general info, nothing. Service Score: 8 out of 10. **Value: $140 before tip that included four not-good drinks, three apps, and three entrées: fair for the food quality and decent service, not for the cocktails and communication. With tip and parking, around $175 - $185 for four people who took no food home and left none on the table. **Overall: - Communication = poor - Atmosphere = pretty good - Drinks = not good - Apps = good - Entrées = very good - Service = very good in restaurant, worse with owner response and sharing their number is listed incorrectly online **Final: 3.25 stars, rounded up to 4 to give the benefit of the doubt. Great entrées, good food choices, friendly service, and okay ambiance, but skip the cocktails and don't bother calling their posted number ahead. Photos posted! ------UPDATE-------- The owner claims she "never received communication from me." My review history speaks for itself, thorough, fair, and honest. I called the search engine listed number (480-420-8424) three times and texted it. After reading her response, I researched further and found the number is incorrect, something the restaurant clearly knows. I even kindly called to advise it is listed incorrectly online, and their reply was, "we only use Google." What? That's not how you thank someone trying to help improve your business and correct your contact information. The wrong number appears multiple times in search listings (see attached photo). Rather than acknowledge or fix it, they deflected. More poor communication from Zen Thai. Should update rating to 3 stars to reflect the true "level of service."
Pad see ew portions were great, and they came out quickly after ordering. The medium spice was a true medium and perfect for me. We were also there during happy hour where they have cocktails for 6.50! I tried the Long Island Thai tea, which as warned was very strong. I should have asked for lighter alcohol and more Thai tea to dilute it. But overall very convenient location to the convention center and arena downtown, and authentic Thai food. We also liked sitting on the couches which were comfortable.
Visited this delicious spot while in town for a conference! The only reason I have 4 and not 5 stars is only related to being a gluten free folk- if you are not gluten free, consider this restaurant 5/5 stars! I thought the ambiance of the place was super cute (even though I took my food to go), I thought the portion size of my curry was great, and it was extremely delicious. Service was also very kind. The only reason I have docked a star is because there was some back and forth about whether my dish was gluten free among the staff, so, I took a risk by eating it (even though they ultimately all agreed it was GF, it made me nervous). I would suggest a simple edit on the menu, because they said a lot of their stuff is naturally GF! It would make it easier for us, and more accessible in general for those with dietary needs :)
Literally best pad kee mao I've ever had in my entire life. I will forever be comparing Thai food to this place! It was small but very comfy and decorated cute. The staff were so great with my allergies and helped me feel safe eating Thai food (which is really very hard with peanut, sesame, and coconut allergies.)
We stayed in a nearby hotel and decided to give this a try. Did not disappoint! Pad Thai has decent portion and great taste. Vegetable delight (stir fried veggies) were also decent with a flavorful soy based sauce, but I wish portions could be bigger.
The tom yum soup is my favorite. Whenever I want something warm and comforting this is my place. It always feels warm and inviting in the restaurant and the servers are all soooo nice. The food has so much flavor and it is super good.
I'm a fan for sure. And a regular! Zen Thai offers delicious Thai cuisine at reasonable prices right on the light rail line. I'm always greeted and seated promptly and the service is very efficient. I love the fried shrimp rolls and today I had a bowl of noodle soup that exceeded my expectations and put many of the local ramen places to shame. I love the decor! Authenticity, great food served fast and hot: downtown delivers again.
Tasty food conveniently located within a few blocks of the convention center. Thats a good combination worth trying.
This placed whipped us up yummy Thai food for dinner. I ate here with my mom and sister after seeing a show nearby. We were quickly greeted, seated, and menus were given to us to look over. We ordered three entrees and one dessert. We ordered: One order of drunken noodles One order of combo fried rice One won ton soup One mango with sticky fried rice The food was all served hot. The drunken noodles were cooked perfectly and had so much flavor, they were our favorite. We also really enjoyed the mango sticky rice, it was sooooooo good. All three servers were friendly and attentive. Will be back!
I was meeting a friend who was visiting from out of town and she was staying downtown. We decided to go for a walk and found the Zen Thai Cafe! It was an early afternoon and there wasn't a crowd there which was good. We ordered Thai coffee to drink and Thai wing apps which were so good and crispy and for our entrees we ordered drunken noodles. We also ordered dessert the Fried Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream and it didn't disappoint it was sooo good. The Zen Thai Cafe was cute and cozy and I will definitely return when I'm in need of my Thai fix!
11 months ago
3 years ago
Found this restaurant when staying at the Kimpton Hotel nearby. Had great reviews so we decided to order lunch. Called right at 11 am and we ordered two plates. Went to pick-up 15 minutes later and it was ready to go. The restaurant inside was so cute! Had these great black decorative couches and comfy chairs. There's a cute backdrop for photos (in my pics.). The food was really good. We got the Pad Thai and the Drunken Noodles with Tofu. Asked for Mild Spiciness and it was the perfect amount of heat. The Pad Thai was a really great portion and had the crunchy peanuts and onions on the sides. The Drunken Noodles were mine and I loved all the fresh veggies mixed in. Not very oily, it was the perfect amount of sauce/seasonings. Veggies were still crunchy and the tofu was crispy - yummy!! read more
In terms of downtown options, you can't do better for Thai food. I suggest this as a work lunch place all the time because it's so easy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free people. The lunch special is also a good amount of food for a great price. Their menu is pretty all-encompassing in terms of Thai food classics. I love all their noodle dishes, the sticky rice with mango, and the fresh summer rolls to get my veggies in. I know from experience that if you want them to go spicy for a curry, they'll do it right! When it comes to drinks, you're not limited to the delicious Thai tea. They serve everything from bubble tea (I recommend the jasmine) to cocktails (where I prefer the lychee martini). Whether it's lunch, dinner, or takeout, this is the place to go in the heart of downtown. read more
Probably one of the best places for Thai in Phoenix area! Highly recommend! Lunch special is 10.95 and great portions. The pad se ew and garlic chicken were full of flavor and absolutely delicious! Came with a spring roll for lunch special. Great environment with amazing seats and service was so so. Overall, great location for Thai! read more
Hey Yelpers, Just a few things to note: Ambiance: it's kind of dark in here and the lighting could use some serious work. There are not enough tables to meet all the service needs that people have. It is not crowded but could use some rearranging of the dining area so the wait isn't so long and more people can sit. Service: we waited a while (15-20 mins) before we were seated and I actually had to go to the counter to remind them that we were waiting and a table had already been cleared. The waiter hurriedly answered that he was busy and would get to me soon. It did not take long to get our food and it was quite tasty. The service was delivered with a smile. Food: the food was tasty but one of my dishes was extremely salty so I had to send it back. Once I got the bill I noticed the dish was still on the receipt so I politely asked for it to be removed, which was promptly done. The dessert was to live for but not enough for the price. Pricing: omg Yelpers, the salty dish I ordered came with five wings for about $15!!!! I almost passed out, there was no way I was going to pay that much for five wings when I can get a pack for less than that at a store. Anyway, the food is pretty good minus the salt wings. Try it! read more
1 year ago
We came at lunch time with no reservation and were seated immediately. The service was great and got us everything we needed. I loved my spicy pork ramen, for me the food was delicious and I would come back for it again. The ambiance played well into the theme of Thai food and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmingly busy. The food didn't take long and I'm ver satisfied with my first visit here. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Came here for a quick lunch and was seated immediately. I got the Thai iced coffee and thought it was good, but too sweet for my liking. The lunch deal was convenient and nice because each entree came with a spring roll. I got the pad Thai and thought it was surprisingly flavorful. Personally, I don't like pad thai that is too saucy/ketchupy but this had a good balance. My friend got the Pad See Eaw and had no complaints. read more
Came on a Sunday early evening (5:30p) and the place was 3/4 full. We were seated immediately and orders were taken within 5 minutes. We were headed to a 7:30p concert a block away (the incomparable Danielle Ponder) so ate light, ordering: Sweet potatoes slices with coconut batter ($12.95); Tom Kah soup, small, with chicken ($9.50); and yellow curry with beef ($18.95). All arrived in another 10 minutes. There were about a dozen slices of sweet potato (some white and some orange) and they were batter-dipped and fried, tempura-like, and accompanied by a sweet dip and a peanut sauce dip. All were excellent. The Tom Kah soup was terrific, with a decent amount of chicken and mushrooms and a nice soupy coconut/lemony broth. Finally, the yellow curry was excellent as well - creamy yellow coconut curry with ample beef, carrots and russet potato pieces. A small bowl of jasmine rice came with the curry entree but there is enough sauce in the entree to easily justify an extra side of rice (or take the sauce home to enjoy with your own shredded chicken the next day)! This is how Thai should be! If I had one critique it would only be for (slightly) larger portions for entrees averaging $20 w/ protein). Service was terrific and ambiance is "typical Asian themed" and also not too loud (easy to hear one another conversationally). Bathrooms are gender-specific and clean. We lucked out with street parking but it is sparse. Fortunately, there are several garages within a couple of blocks too. I've posted updated menu pics (with dates) as it seems that the prices have all increased since the majority of menus were posted. read more
2 years ago
Really neat restaurant! It did take a bit to get seated, but service was very fast after that. The Broccoli Delight dish was very flavorful and meat was well cooked. read more
2 years ago
Came to this place while visiting Phoenix, and I enjoyed the food! The interior is nicely decorated and has comfy chairs and couches you can sit on. I ordered the Khao Soi and Pad Thai. I've definitely had better Pad Thai, but the Khao Soi was amazing! It had so much flavor, big fan of it!! And the service was amazing and they were very attentive to us. Great place! read more
2 years ago
My friend and I came here for dinner after work. She kept telling me how great this place was. So initially , I wanted to try it... We waited about 10 min to be sat. I notice that there were a lot of empty tables that said "reserved" and no one was actually there. As we sat, The guy immediately tries to ask us if we knew what we wanted and I said "no, please give us a couple minutes" and he walks away in a "irritated manner". The ambiance was very cute and intimate. We both noticed it was clean and we ordered a couple appetizers to start which was great! It was Crab dumpling and summer rolls ! They were excellent ! 10/10! Then for dinner we had both ordered pad Thai with shrimp... the presentation could have been better. It looked like it was just plopped on the plate... I took the first bite and was immediately disgusted because it didn't taste like the tamarind sauce that pad Thai usually comes with. It tasted like pure honey.. it really left a bad taste in my mouth and we were very disappointed cuz we were hungry. We flagged another waitress down and told her discreetly how bad it tasted & she did her best to be very apologetic and kind. She took off our pad Thai and left. Very dissatisfied and hoping to re-try this place again ... read more
The most bland and unappetizing boat noodle soup I've ever had. A chicken top ramen cup of noodles would've tasted better. The soup was not flavorful at all and the rice noodle to soup ratio was way off. It was practically a mound of overcooked noodles. The restaurant was practically empty but the first server who took my order was unfriendly and never asked me if I'd like a beverage or anything else. He took my order which came out wrong and just grabbed the menu in a hurry. I had to flag him down to ask for a Thai tea(which was overly sweet) and to look at the menu again. He never checked on me and whether or not things were to my liking. Unless I'm in a bind for an idiot-proof Thai dish like pad thai or something, I will likely never return. I'm giving them 2 stars because maybe their other dishes which I haven't tried are better and because the waitress who ended up helping me (who was a different person from my first server) was much more pleasant and attentive than the guy in the Aloha shirt. read more
4 years ago
We stayed in Phoenix after visit Grand Canyon, and both of us want some asian fusion food so we decide to try this Thai restaurant next to our hotel. Overall I think the food is good: Drunken Noodle: we really loves it! Yummy and tasty, just how I imagined. Very nice! Hawaiian Fried Rice: Overall it's good. Not how I imagined since it's has raisin inside, a little "interesting" but overall it taste delicious. Papaya salad: The food taste good but portion is not good. The box is small and half of it are filled with cabbage. So we only had a little papaya salad. I don't know if dine-in will be different or not. Tom yum soup (with Shrimp): The soup taste ok, portion is small. The soup is not sour at all which is kind of disappointed. So overall I rate it 4 star. It's good if you ordered it right. read more
2 years ago
I've dined here twice now and I'm so glad I found a delicious Thai spot now that I've moved downtown. First time I came in, I had the Spicy Basil dish for lunch, and I came back with my sister. She's never had Thai food and was reluctant to try, so I had her try the Spicy Basil. She added an egg and pork and she loved it! I got the Red Curry with chicken, it was yummy! We also split the cream cheese ragoons for happy hour. I forget our server's name but he was a young guy and was super accommodating to us, he even sent us home with huge to-go cups for our iced tea & soda! Can't wait to go back and try something different! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
Absolutely loved it. Food was delicious, service was great, atmosphere was nice. Highly recommend!!!! read more
This place is exceptional, from the food to the service & decor. Thailand is called the land of smiles for reason~ you will leave with one on I ordered the Khao soi which is a curry, noodle soup dish of sorts. The Khao soi was large but had a light feel to it & it was fantastic. My girlfriend ordered the yellow curry which she felt exemplary. Possibly the best thing was the coconut boba drink, it's amazing if you like the flavor of coconut it's a must order. The place has two huge golden statues & nice decor, it's been decorated nicely. It's a perfect spot for a date or special night & kids are also able to come. The service was great, all smiles & gratitude This is truly a Zen cafe & a wonderful addition to downtown Phoenix! Absolutely recommended & we'll absolutely be back!! Happy eating read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
Zen was just what I needed before heading out of town. I had the chicken pad Thai with their signature sauce and thin noodles. The lunch portion was a little more than I expected or needed. However, it was hot, fresh and had a wonderful Thai sweetness to it. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
A popular place downtown because it's tasty and quite the "central" location! The servers are always nice and make sure you have everything you need while there. I was in desperate need for something warm and comforting so I ordered the wonton soup, there's chicken or pork and I chose the pork. Very flavorful and nice for this semi chilly autumn weather. Just a *little bit* on the saltier side but I still enjoyed it. I also ordered a Vietnamese iced coffee; I would've liked it with just a tad less sweetness but it was okay. They have a large menu and lunch specials from Monday-Friday. read more
4 years ago
This place is really great! It's in downtown so parking is naturally tough, but it's totally worth the park and walk or circling around to look for parking around it multiple times. Food was out pretty quick, yet fresh and very tasty. The panang curry with fish was great, smooth almost velvety curry with great flavor and spice. The teriyaki chicken, orange chicken, and eggplant with chicken entre also got two thumbs up! Service was great, multiple check ins after food was brought out and they were helpful in meal selection. The restaurant itself is pretty clean and has some more modern yet classy music playing for a nice vibe during your meal! read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
This place is definitely an experience. "It's a vibe" Food was delicious. Portions are large enough to share if you're ordering singular items. I ordered the Pad See Ew and chow mein, both with veggies instead of a protein and a side of white rice. I don't think i've ever had either with bell peppers before but it was definitely delicious! Our host was a older gentleman, he was very polite and made my daughter and I feel comfortable while dinning in. read more
Yum! Curry is one of my very favorite foods and I hadn't had it in a while so I was so glad to have it from here today! I ordered the Penang curry with tofu and a side of steamed veggies. My meal was ready quick. Curry is perfectly creamy and packed with tofu! I got mild but could've handled medium. The veggies were really yummy too I mixed some in with my curry. The meal was a tad expensive but worth it! I would stop in again for a dine in meal! Cute place. read more
4 years ago
Extremely tasty Thai food, with vegan-friendly options. We ordered take-out from them over the phone and the food was ready when we requested. I requested everything to be vegan over the phone, and then repeated this request for every dish we ordered. Unfortunately, they still put egg in our pad see ew -- not cool. C'mon guys; I couldn't have been clearer. Other than that bad mishap, we ordered their red curry (Thai spicy), broccoli delight with vegan chicken (spicy), and the pad see ew (Thai spicy). The two Thai spicy dishes were not all that spicy, but still packed some good heat. The curry was rich and savoury, but not the most complex Thai curry we've had. The noodle and veggie dishes were tasty well. All in all, another delicious Thai place with vegan options in Phoenix. Annoying that they messed up the one dish. read more
This restaurant was recommended by the front desk staff at the Hyatt Regency and they did not disappoint. The pad Thai was delicious, I got it medium spicy and it was pretty hot. The ambience here is so cool, perfect for its name! Service was great, my water cup was never even close to empty! I love the Zen grass wall and the layout! I will likely be back during my stay here. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
Restaurant located in downtown Phoenix service was so friendly and inviting upon walking in. Food was delicious. We ordered tamarind tempura shrimp and the meal was so good. read more
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Ask the Community - Zen Thai
Are there gluten-free options other than curry?
Yes I've had pad Thai and pad see iew here before both gluten free. I just specify when I order.
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