ROLLS ARE MASSIVE!!! If you like eating your sushi in one bite, this is not the place for you. I'd get like half avocado in a single piece. Also a ton of rice in the rolls. The crab cream croquettes tasted like neither crab nor cream. They only allow u to put in ur whole order in all at once, so can't really have an appetizer, our appetizer came out last. Idk, I won't come back, but maybe worth giving a try if you don't get sushi rolls. read more

Super tasty food. Amongst the best and betterest in Cville. Shame the meals are colored by....the Problem: the lamest server, encountered multiple times. Ignores you for a notable and remarkable time. Asked hostess for a server.Food comes out at surprising order-- asked why, then next dishes emerge a moment after asking (have to assume they were waiting in the kitchen). Still waiting for some more water. Refused a larger dish, got our own from lovely hostess. Rushed out. Pleasantest demeanor though. Waitstaff is a tough beat, but it's just way better at lesse and more expensive spots, so come here with full mindfullness mindset, soothing karma and let the water roll over you, else you gonna be p--sed. read more

Now and Zen's service was out of this world. They made me feel welcome, comfortable, and at ease. Could not recommend this place more for the people and food! read more

So I don't have any pictures to show. I got take out and forgot. But I will be back next time and more times after that! This place is amazing!!!! I haven't had this good of sushi in a really long time and the roll Sizes are HUGE!!! I'm so happy I ordered from here! I will be back in person. Thank you Now and Zen! I'm a huge sushi fan and this literally hit my sushi craving on point! 10/10 recommend!!!! read more

Came here with a group of 8 or so people. We all arrived at different times but ordered as we came in. For some reason this night was really busy for them so some of us that ordered at the same time got our food 20 minutes apart. One person ordered a soup that took almost an hour and was finally made "to go" This is a relatively small place and the food is okay. After the ordeal of orders coming out late, burnt food, and okay dishes, we had to go in waves to checkout at the front because they could only handle so many people at a time. There are way too many other restaurants in Charlottesville for me to really consider going back here for a meal again after this poor experience. read more

I really don't understand all the positive reviews for this place. The food was edible. Sushi is bland, way too much rice, unevenly cut such that the rainbow roll completely fell apart. How are you not gonna cut an $18 roll all the way through.. but I digress.. ordered 4 other rolls, all just as underwhelming as the first. 2.5/5 That's just the food. The customer service is another story. Don't try to call and place an order for pickup. You'll be told to go place one online. Ok, no problem. Placed the online order at 6:50 pm and it's gonna be ready at 8:15pm. It's a Saturday evening, they must be busy, also no problem. I never received a confirmation text or email for this order that's gonna be ready in an hour and half so I called them to make sure they got my order and if I should just show up at the estimated time or if they will send a text when the order is ready. I'm told I will get a text. Now we wait patiently for some delicious sushi estimated pick up time comes and goes and not a peep from this place. So I call and I'm told oh! the txt just went out, your order is ready. I get to the restaurant and check again, no texts or emails from them. I tell the gentlemen at the register ( the same person who answered all my calls) this so they can fix their online ordering process and he says, well your order was ready at the estimated time so I don't understand what your issue is... I don't know sir, you tell me. I don't know why I expected you to be kind and understanding. I should have expected abrupt, rude and unhelpful. So if I average the food and the customer service, 1.25/5. read more

Now and Zen is a super cramped sushi/Japanese restaurant downtown. I recommend making a reservation or only coming in groups of two. The only thing I didn't really like is four of us got seated at a table for eight with two couples flanking either side of us. It was kind of tight and awkward but you don't really notice it much since everyone is busy eating their own food and having their own conversations. But it does make it easy to overhear... The menu itself is pretty extensive with options for everyone. They have a variety of sushi and other Japanese foods like yakisoba, gyoza, etc. It's not too pricey for a pay by roll sushi place. I would say the most interesting part about this place is their big rolls section. I didn't order one but I saw them being brought out to other people and each piece is probably 2-3x the size of a normal piece of sushi. I ended up getting three rolls and spicy vegetable dumplings. The dumplings were very flavorful and not overly stuffed with things. I got spicy salmon, yellowtail, and eel and cucumber sushi. The pieces had a lot of rice on them but the ingredients were simple which made it delicious. I highly recommend the spicy salmon! I also got a lychee martini which was really good - it just tasted like straight lychee. Overall a good place to go if you're not going to be super price conscious about your dinner. Between two people, what we ordered was enough to fill us both up for about $30 each (drinks and tips included). read more

Now and Zen - Spicy vegetable dumplings - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Everyone here was so sweet and food was okay. Do not order the raw sushi, it was not cold and fresh at all, i honestly got a stomach ache right after eating. The house made dumplings are very good, i would come back but not for sushi. read more

I love this place! Great portion size, delicious food, extensive menu, and reasonable price. Came here with a group of friends and we all loved it. I got the Salmon Aburi and Blue Crab miso soup and enjoyed every single bite! The salmon was amazing and perfectly seasoned. It was surprisingly filling for a "small plate." The Blue Crab miso soup was the best miso soup I have ever had. They put half an entire blue crab, which added so much flavor to the soup. The crab meat and egg were delicious, too! Will definitely be back again to try the chirashi and other entrees. read more

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Food is very good, however the wait times and service are NOT a place I would recommend to others. I waited over 1.5 hrs for my simple takeout order with rude service and very little understanding about how long of a wait I experienced. After standing at the restaurant entrance for over 45 mins, the host did little to acknowledge how long I was waiting or to apologize for the delay. Instead, a server asked me to move away from the table and closer to the back of the restaurant, to make way for other customers and employees. While I was fine with this request, I did not appreciate the rude tone and general unawareness for my situation. Food is good, but not good enough. read more

This is great sushi Fabulous flavors and huge portion Easy to read menu Long wait best to plan ahead ... Limited parking read more

Absolutely bland. Spicy rolls weren't even spicy, and the flavor only came from the wasabi and ginger. Just another fake foodie spot in a fake foodie town. The last 5 sushi spots I ate at were all better, and this place still has the nerve to charge absurd prices. Save yourself the trouble -- drive to your local grocery store, buy any raw fish (heck, buy the frozen fish) and stuff it in your mouth as is. I promise it will have more flavor than this place. This place is appalling. read more

The sushi rolls are very nice presented they are big but they fall apart because they are not rolled tight The taste was good The tuna guacamole salad tasted horrible the dressing was bad and the salad lettuce, kale etc was bitter we did not like at all The menu placed outside has a different price $ ?!? it's higher inside $$!!! The place was busy and they only had 2 waiters so the service was ......... a bit slow read more

I went with a few friends and we ordered a mix of ramen and tonkatsu. Having been to Japan/Korea, this was so inauthentic but I wouldnt really say its fusion either. It just didn't taste very good and everything about it was off. For example the tonkatsu breading was too thick and the sauce wasnt tonkatsu sauce but some weird concoction with sesame seeds. The tonkatsu ramen didn't even have tonkatsu in it and was way too garlic based. Overall pretty disappointing, I can see how someone can be okay with it if they don't know what the authentic versions are but overall the taste was super mediocre and it was too pricy for what it offered. read more

Now and Zen - Tonkatsu - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

You can not go wrong with Now and Zen except ordering too much. I've been 3-4 times now and have over ordered 3 of those. Food is super fresh and super tasty. I love the small venue but can get preTty loud if it's packed. Good drink selection as well. I enjoyed The sashimi and variety of rolls. read more

Light and savory, the fish tasted very rich and fresh. I would say the rolls were worth the price tag. The volcano roll had a generous amount of fish serving on top. And the cut for the rainbow roll was thick. Definitely worth the $. Would go back for a second time to try the udon and other dishes on the menu aside from sushi. read more

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I've been coming to Now & Zen for a couple of years now but haven't been back since they reopened from covid. Was very surprised with the food! Lacked flavor... not your typical Asian food too. Got the "fried rice" and it was very bland. The fried rice wasn't even "fried" it was all mushy rice with peas, and corn... The sushi roll was okay, the rice was very mushy, but seemed like that was the only good thing. Service was good, but don't think I will be back in a while until there's more flavor in the food. read more

seriously the best sushi! the portions are huge and definitely worth the expense. the only con of Now and Zen is, since the restaurant is so small inside, the tables are extremely close together and it can feel cramped. read more

Now and Zen is cute sushi place tucked away in the heart of Cville. There's plenty of street parking but be prepared to wait if you're heading there on the weekend. The staff is friendly and I really enjoyed the decor and the complimentary wasabi peanuts they served while you waited. However, the food did not live up to the charming establishment. I'm a sushi fanatic and I have to say that these rolls have way too much rice and and too little fish. The specialty rolls are ginormous so beware before you try to eat the piece in one bite. There are creative items on the menu but the amount of rice on each of the rolls was hard to look past. The only reason that I might be back is for the speciality rolls which were extremely good (the rice/fish ratio was in point). I would skip the regular sushi selection and get a specialty roll and some appetizers. Sushi love/sushi king might be a better option for great sushi on a budget because Now and Zen isn't cheap! read more

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Now and Zen is literally always good. The fish is so fresh, vibrant, and flavorful. There is a really sizable portion of fish in each roll. The rice is warm and you can tell it is freshly made. I've never had a roll I didn't enjoy from Now and Zen! I think it's easily the best and most reliable sushi in Charlottesville. read more

They were open late on Christmas Eve and we stop by for the first time the service was wonderful the food was delicious and the size of their sushi rolls are out of this world I will absolutely come back read more

Now and Zen - The food was of incredible quality and more than reasonable in price...check out the size of these rolls - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Wish I'd tried this place when I still lived in the area, but glad I was able to pig out here on a return visit last weekend! The food was great. While not free, the miso soup was well worth the money. It was a large portion of soup both soup and of tofu. It had plenty of miso flavor without being too heavy or too salty. The grilled black cod was cooked perfectly and the added flavor from the grill... *muah* A true steal and something I will order every time I come here from now on. Mackerel nigiri. Nice thick, juicy pieces. One of the best I've had. What more is there to say here... The sushi rolls were indeed gigantic. One roll is truly twice as big as your typical roll anywhere else. While the cheapo in me rejoices, I do wish that these rolls used less rice so I cpuld have more room in my stomach to try more things! I ended up using a chopstick to try to take off some rice from the rolls (which would still be gigantic even with half the rice). Flavor of the eel&mango and shrimp tempura rolls were good overall, but would maybe ask for the eel sauce on the side as it was a little too sweet and there was a little too much of it. Seems to be the theme of this restaurant -- generous in every way: in portion size, flavor and service. A great, casual restaurant to add to my rotation of restaurants when I'm in town! read more

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Restaurant staff asked my group and me to leave the restaurant. "We are busy, and need the table." After ordering full meals (not coffee or snacks), celebrating an important event in my friends' lives, we could not believe that we were being dismissed. I am 65 years old, and this is the first time in my life I have been fired by a waiter. Never! I will do everything I can to ensure Now & Zen is less busy in the future. read more

A waste of money, I ordered 2 salmon roll and 1 shrimp tempura, the salmon was 3/4 rice and 1/4 fish. Small shrimp in lots of rice. I had one bit of the salmon it was chewing could not swallow I left the whole dish untouched the waiter saw I didn't touch my dish and avoid coming to my table, not once did he ask was the food ok or can he get me something else he totally just avoid me. At the end he took my dish said nothing that it was untouched and gave me my bill. Which was expensive for shit food. They don't care about their customers satisfaction or food. read more

Konnichiwa! The best and most authentic Japanese food I've had since I moved back to the states from Japan in 2006. Enough has been said about the sushi rolls. They're amazing, yes we get it :) My favorite dishes are the Inari Rice Balls (warm rice wrapped in a semi-sweet tofu wrapper), Chicken Curry (Katsu-Curry), Peanut Lime Noodles, the elusive and majestic Nabeyaki Udon, Nagasaki Dumplings (vegetable), and the Crunch Roll. The wait for a table can be long on week nights (avoid going from 7 - 8:30p), the food sometimes comes out at unexpected times (I experienced this in Japan as well), and some of the seating is a bit rigid. But.... :) Don't let this deter you from eating here. The food is simply amazing. The sushi rice is warm (as it should be), the fish is fresh, the portions are large(see the pictures), and the presentation is above what is expected from a modestly priced restaurant. I unequivocally recommend this place to friends looking for the best asian food in town. Oh, and don't forget to say hello to Toshi(the chef/owner) when you walk in! Oishii ne! read more

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I've been here a number of times and, although it's often very busy and you really shouldn't go at peak times expecting a fast meal, the food quality is always superb and the wait staff is always very attentive. You can see some of my pictures of the food here... it's awesome! Everything is super fresh and tasty. If you don't believe in waiting for a good (great) thing then come here for lunch. It's much faster. I think my favourite thing is the Aburi salmon which is partially cooked. I adore raw fish but this semi cooked thing is really a treat of a dish. I tend to get the Chirashi when I come here and it's nice that it's always different, I presume based on the available ingredients because it's also always really fresh and yummy. Check this place out. It's a good bet. read more

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I've eaten in house before and enjoyed myself, so I was going to order takeout to take home for dinner. Had my order all added in and ready to checkout until I realized the mandatory 20% 'tip', even on takeout orders. I'm sorry but no. I'm not paying a 20% service charge for takeout. Put me off eating here al all anymore, and I regularly tip more than 20% having been a server myself for many years. read more

Great food, service and location. Only open for dinner, this japanese restaurant is one of my favorite spot for ramen in town. There are many other delicious dish they have that i have had. My recommendation would be sashimi salad, age dashi tofu(the BEST), uni sushi, and ramen!!!! read more

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The best sushi for the best price. Amazing. Coming every time I am in the area. So many vegetarian and vegan options. Came here once a few months ago and it was fabulous. Next time I was in town I for a second time and since the have spent the whole night with food poisoning. I didn't even have any raw fish. Not worth the risk of getting so sick. read more

We had a delightful dinner here recently. We ordered sushi, ramen, and a beef bowl, and the portions were super generous, and the food was very flavorful. read more

Now and Zen - Ramen, beef bowl, volcano roll - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Look how beautiful Yoshi has made every single dishes.. i really enjoy eveythg here. The food's amazing read more

Now and Zen - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This is the first review I've ever felt so strongly compelled to write, because I feel the need to bring attention to the horrendous treatment from the staff at this restaurant. I am truly speechless over how rude our waiter and front of house was, that I can't even put it into words. My friend was on the phone with her mother when the waiter approached her to take her order. So, she told her mother to wait a few seconds, held the phone away from her ear in order to ask him some questions about the menu. First of all, he could care less to answer her questions, and merely gave her a somewhat of a "whatever" kind of response. Then, he followed with lecturing her about how rude it was to be on the phone, and that she was bring disrespectful. Keep in mind that she had her phone away from her ear for the sole purpose of giving the waiter her attention when ordering. Secondly, the manner in which he spoke to her was tremendously condescending, humiliating, and absolutely degrading. She then told the waiter that she was sorry, and that her mother was actually on the phone due to a physical accident. He told her, "Well your mom can wait a few minutes can't she? You don't need to be talking to her now. You can call her back later can't you." Again, in truly the most horrendously rude tone I've ever heard from a waiter. We were all completely shocked over this unusual interaction between a waiter and a customer. Then, as all of us received our food around the same time, it took about 30 minutes for the waiter to bring my friend's food (the one involved in the interaction with him). We planned to let the front of house know as we were paying that the waiter was extremely rude. He then told my friend, "well obviously you were being disrespectful to him if he said that to you." My friend tried to explain everything that happened, including the absolutely rude manner in which the waiter spoke to her. The front of house then said, "Well you should've told him that it was an emergency." She proceeded by asking him if it was really necessary to tell him personal details when she wasn't even talking on the phone in the first place. The front of house began speaking to her in an extremely condescending way, telling her that it was all her fault to begin with. She then asked if she could take her tip off due to their rude behavior, to which he denied. He claimed that she was not right to to take her tip off since she was "disrespectful." Hence, her inability to retract her tip was "punishment." I would like to reiterate that she was not actively speaking on the phone as they had claimed. She had intentionally pulled the phone away from her in order to be attentive towards the waiter. EVEN if she was in fact actively speaking on the phone, or even slightly rude/dismissive, the waiter had absolutely NO place to speak to her in the outmost condescending manner he did. Me, along with many of the other girls I was with, have all had experience in service industries for a decent amount of time. This interaction should have NEVER taken place, and I am 100% certain that I would've been immediately fired if I ever spoke to a customer that way. I am profoundly surprised that this restaurant is still in business, and it seems like this was not the first rude encounter here according to many of the reviews. My friend was incredibly humiliated and downhearted for the remainder of the night due to the extremity of the rudeness she encountered. Given both the waiter's and front of house's shockingly appalling interpersonal skills, they have no place at a service industry, or any profession that involves interaction with others. This review cannot even capture the outright rudeness that occurred, so I warn anyone who comes across this to avoid Now and Zen at all costs. They do not deserve business given the dreadful treatment from staff, and I would absolutely hate for anyone to endure what my friend did at this pitiful place. Not to mention, their food was mediocre at best and another one of my friends had warned me that his sushi was served with a bug in it the one time he went. If you want to be treated like a decent human being and want fairly mediocre sushi, DO NOT COME TO NOW AND ZEN. You WILL feel belittled and humiliated by the end of your dining experience. read more

I used to think that this is the go-to place every time I am starving for Japanese cuisine. But now I don't want to come back again ever. The steamed pork dumplings were like the quick-frozen dumplings that you buy from an Asian supermarket and the boiled veggies had black spots. The sesame sauce and bean sauce on top made the dish the same as something I made myself at home to fight hunger with minimum efforts. Not only that, the Raman is black like something over burned and carbonized. Tasted also salty and charred. The raw beef was the only one that tasted good while the meat was poorly cut into ugly shapes. Look terrible and taste the same. I was just so disappointed and even doubted that they got new chefs. read more

Now and Zen - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The tuna carpaccio was incredible! So refreshing and definitely a dish I am going to continue circling back to. Fresh greens and light wasabi sauce and they did not hold back on the tuna and avocado. read more

Great prices for great rolls. I had the shrimp tempura, california roll, and the tarantula roll. The tarantula roll was humungous (probably won't need to order much else) and also delicious although hard to eat because of its size. The only complaint was that we waited about 50 minutes for our food to come out from the time we were seated. They only have 1 sushi master which probably explains that. They should hire someone else or maybe consider a more efficient method of getting rolls prepared. read more

Now that I've been back, I can honestly say there are some tricks to eating here. The appetizers always come out at least 5x faster than entrees, so order a few appetizers if you're super hungry. Furthermore, their chirashi is really excellent and a good deal for the huge serving of fish and rice. Everything I've eaten there since my first review had been really excellent and authentic. The limiting factor is the speed of service, which is why this is a 4 star instead of 5 star review. read more

IMPORTANT: rolls were way too ricey. The portions of sides were very large and honestly just was not great. The dumplings were not good even though dumplings are very easy to make well. Not great. read more

Hands down worst customer service I have ever experienced. The sushi was also below average at best. Save your money and your psyche by eating somewhere else. read more

When someone mentioned Now and Zen had bad reviews on Yelp I had to jump on to give my 2 cents. As a C'villian I have come to enjoy the high quality food around town, MAS being my favorite and Now and Zen running a close second overall, most certainly top for Sushi. I don't know if Now and Zen has come under new management but there is one server I seem to always get and he is awesome. Not only does he never fail to give me great wine and food recommendations (last night he mentioned the smoked squid and again, his suggestion was spot on). Water refilled quickly, food rolls out as it's made and dishes cleared when need be. The table next to us did have a bit of a mix up with their order and he quickly brought an awesome looking dessert as a comp to apologize for the extra wait for their food. I myself have been 3x in the last 6 mo and never feel the wait is excessive. Something I get every time and love is the small plate of tuna, avocado carpaccio. Big chunks of tuna and lots of avocado, I highly recommend it! I will admit I don't ever get the basic rolls. Many sushi places do put a lot of rice with those and I don't risk it anywhere anymore. But I've been impressed with rainbow roll and the massive tarantula roll. The place is small, we often get put at a 2 top and it is a little cramped. BUT the food is not over priced, the dishes are creative and exactly what I want out of sushi and the atmosphere is enjoyable. Now and Zen is only a block off the mall and shouldn't be missed! read more

Now and Zen - Aburi salmon small plate and the infamous Tuna Avocado Carpaccio. - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

My favorite place to grab sushi in Charlottesville. The atmosphere is cute, the food is priced well, and the service is usually fast. It gets very packed during dinner time so make sure you try to come earlier. I always order the Crunch Roll, it's ginormous. I also get the salmon appetizer - I forgot the name but it's really good as well. I am usually so full after sharing just those two items so just keep that in mind while you order. read more

Now and Zen - Japanese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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