Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    ZEN Noodle Bar

    3.9 (307 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

    Order ZEN Noodle Bar Takeout or Delivery

    ZEN Noodle Bar Photos

    Business Info

    ZEN NOODLE BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    More like ZEN Noodle Bar

    Recommended Reviews - ZEN Noodle Bar

    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

    Menu
    Simone M.

    Stopped by after the Gator basketball game for a some warm comfort food to go. The waiter who helped take our order was very friendly and nice as we asked questions about different menu items. My mom ordered the veggie pho and I ordered the spicy beef noodle soup (Bun Bo Hue) with a side of chili oil. The interior of Zen noodle is small but very aesthetically pleasing. I love the wall with Zen in big letters and how intimate the setting seemed. When we got home, the broth for our pho was still piping hot. For my broth, it consisted of a rich beef broth that had hints of lemongrass. The broth was very flavorful and slightly sweet and citrusy. I did not detect any spicy when tasting the broth as described. I love spicy food and thankfully I had asked for the chili oil to jazz it up. The beef balls and sliced ribeye were so huge and good from soaking up the flavor of the rich broth. The noodles were these thick tapioca noodles that were very chewy and soft in texture. I really liked the Bun Bo Hue soup however I probably wouldn't order it again unless I added chili oil since I was expecting a spicer broth. However, I would like to try some of their pho soups and noodle bowls.

    Korean bulgogi bowl
    Alyana S.

    We had a bad service at Zen noodle bar. It took them a while to greet us and after our server took our order it took them 15 minutes to give us our drinks. Our food thankfully was delicious but after they delivered it the server asked if we needed anything else and I asked for a fork and he still forgot that. It seemed like their staff was prioritizing the online orders over the people in the restaurant as it wasn't busy when we went. The food was good but the service wasn't.

    Pho #3
    Rachel K.

    I come here all the time and I get the #3 Pho. They give great service and portion size. It's very chill in atmosphere and the food is great.

    Nikkie V.

    Our first time in Gainesville we went to a Zen and we'd go back to that one but this one off 34th will be a no return for us. Service wasn't good as the server wasn't welcoming. I'll give it a 2 for cleanliness as the restroom wasn't clean and smelt bad. The food was NOT as good as the other one nor was the portion. Highly disappointed and wasted money

    Bao bun
    Tiffany W.

    This place is mid at best. It wasn't terrible but it def won't be a return spot for me. Service was so slow, bathroom was kind of dirty. The bao wasn't a very good flavor. Wontons over cooked. The spring roll was decent. Dumplings were def frozen and dumped in a fryer. Only thing I really liked was the Thai tea.

    korean stir fry
    Maddy W.

    I've been wanting to try this place for awhile now and finally got around it! I ordered the Bang Bang Bahn Mi, which left me impressed. Full of flavor and packed with protein, it stands out as the best Bahn Mi I've had in Gainesville. I'd reorder this dish and highly recommend it. We also ordered the Spicy Korean Stir Fry and the Wok Noodle Bowl with Lemongrass Chicken, both of which were delightful. However, I might opt for a different protein next time as the Lemongrass Chicken didn't quite hit the mark for me. The staff at here were friendly, and we enjoyed the ambiance of the outside patio. Overall, I'd love to return as a fun quick spot to grab lunch!

    Pho.

    The pho here was amazing! Our server was super nice and we loved being able to sit outside. We will be back!

    Sara T.

    Just tried this place again for the second time and really enjoyed the bulgogi beef bowl.

    Original milk tea

    Very quick and amazing service! My server, Ty, was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the original milk tea and zen ramen with pork belly and would absolutely recommend both. The ramen ingredients had a mild flavor, but the broth was enough to make up for where the toppings may have fell short. The atmosphere is wonderful, and even dining alone I felt very comfortable and welcomed. 11/10 service 9/10 tea 8/10 ramen Definitely will be coming back!

    Cute lil place!
    Alison K.

    This had got to be the cutest little place with the BIGGEST flavor in town! I finally FINALLY got to try a Korean/Vietnamese restaurant out for the first time in my life and I was NOT disappointed. This great little restaurant aims to please every palate. They have Korean dishes, Vietnamese dishes, Japanese flavors and some Thai. I was impressed that they had kimchi fried rice on their menu so I definitely HAD to get some. But then, I was torn because of all the variations of Phō. My husband wanted something simple that wouldn't overwhelm him, so he got the classic combo noodle stir fry. Myself, I ended up trying an appetizer that I'd heard about before that my husband made a bad face and shook his head NO. That's alright....more Takoyaki for me!! I chose Kimchi pork fried rice and a small bowl of Phō and noodles on the side. Wow! Excellent choice on my part. My nose may have been running afterwards, but oh my! The delights that ran across my tongue...onions, spicy cabbage, garlic, ginger, peas and carrots (no egg because I'm allergic)...thinly sliced pork--so tender. I know my husband was like, meh. But he's not an Asian food lover like I am anyways. The possibilities are endless here. They are so nice and so quick with service...everything hot and fresh. If you yelp like I do, it even activates a 10% off coupon when you check in (much to my surprise and delight). So what have you got to lose? If you enjoy Asian cuisine and like a lil spice in the bowl, at least give them a try. I know I'll be back (probably by myself next time lol). While the front of restaurant parking is handicapped only, there's an enormous parking lot just in back of the building, so don't panic if there's nothing open right in front or next door. Just pop inside for a big piping hot bowl of noodle soup...perfect in this weather or really, any kinda weather!

    Liquid from Bean Sprouts
    Joel G.

    Key note: Service was great, server was kind and absolutely on point. I was excited to try their pho. I'm not surprised, just disappointed per usual by the lack of quality in the food industry. Food safety is not their number one priority. Basil, cilantro, and my god, last but not least, the bean sprouts were beyond past expired. I'm now back home, not even 45 minutes later, sitting on my toilet enjoying a night of a burning asshole. The liquified, raw bean sprouts (bean sprouts alone carry a high risk of susceptibility for: salmonella , listeria and E. coli) were a disappointment. The photos speak for themselves. Edit 1: 3 sessions and 15 minutes in total later and I finally caved and took an Imodium. Edit 2: Woke up this morning still with an upset stomach. Just so fucking sick and tired of issues like this. This is why I don't go out anymore, and eat at home. So tired of this crap happening! Get your shit together! YOU KNOW THIS IS ROTTEN, STOP TRYING TO SLIDE PAST ONE ON YOUR CUSTOMERS. CYCLE YOUR FOOD PROPERLY! YOU CANNOT TELL ME YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ROTTEN OR EXPIRED PRODUCE LOOKS LIKE.

    Zen noodle
    Jason V.

    I looked up this place on yelp when I was in the area it looked like a good place to try so I ended up ordering some of the fried rice I would say it was very good I added yum yum sauce to my fried rice which to me makes any rice better lol but I would definitely recommend this place if your in that area.

    See all

    3 months ago

    I ordered with uber eats and the food carries very well, the bun bo hue tastes really good and is packaged considerately.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J C.
    0
    21
    3

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 1
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    1 year ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Disappointed that they took the pan fried noodles off of the menu. It was my favorite and go to eat.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lynn P.
    265
    315
    2134

    1 year ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Tiffany W.
    88
    71
    168

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Thien D.
    18
    125
    156

    1 year ago

    We wished it was more authentic similar to the one in Tampa. The BBH was merely a fixed up of a mistake order they made for us.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    7 months ago

    Nice vibe and food. Tried both ramen and pho. Parking was easy,not many customers on a Monday evening.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan S.
    0
    16
    0

    1 year ago

    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

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Hung N.

    Hung N.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Outstanding everything, food, service! Matt was awesome! Love this place and will be back!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of R J.
    0
    2
    0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 2

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 8

    ZEN Noodle Bar Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - ZEN Noodle Bar

    You might also consider

    Vietnamese Grille

    Vietnamese Grille

    4.2(163 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $

    I broke my yelp hiatus just to post about this meal. This is the best grilled pork I've ever had,…read moreand as you can tell from the photo, the portion size is WELL worth the $15. Oh my god, I took a single bite and didn't speak to my friend for 15 minutes as I continued munching it down. It was amazing. The vermicelli comes underneath this mound of pork holy grail, and while I'm used to having my vermicelli with these bowls cold and a bit thinner, and there being significantly more noodles than meat ratio, I'm thrilled to say that not this bowl - this bowl was 60% pork, 30% noodle, and 10% veggie. I'm taking every bite with 2-3 pieces of pork. I'm soaking up the juices with the noodles. I'm crunching on a few cucumbers to balance it out. I'm savoring every piece. Absolutely wonderful. I'm so excited to go back and try every one of their dishes. The restaurant itself is small, located inside of a shared mini-food court place with a pasta-to-go restaurant and a boba tea shop, and has a really cute sitting area. There is a nice older lady who works the front/takes orders/delivers the food. Well worth trying to fight to find university parking just to eat here.

    This is a small location in a courtyard in college town, and it was amazing. I had Summer rolls,…read morevermicelli bowl with pork and egg roll. Flavors were perfect and a huge portion for a decent price. Everyone working there was very polite and friendly.

    Photos
    Vietnamese Grille
    Vietnamese Grille
    Vietnamese Grille - Menu

    See all

    Menu

    Pho Hanoi - Baby roach

    Pho Hanoi

    3.1(250 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    I've had pho at other places in Gainesville and this was about the level of Taste in my opinion…read more It feels more like a hole in the wall with minimal decor and just one waiter on a Friday night but the pho was flavorful and the portions were perfect. The toppings were fresh and we really enjoyed our meal here!

    The restaurant is in a strip mall surrounded by two Indian eateries and an Indian grocery store…read more There is lots of parking. It's a decent size and it was clean and most of its customers on a Sunday at lunchtime were Asian. Our servers were two young men and they were very attentive. We had the Vietnamese crepes (our favorites) that came with two smaller ones (instead of a large). The crepes were a bit thin and skimpy on the shrimp (lots of bean sprouts and maybe one shrimp cut in half in each crepe). My husband had beef pho, wish he said was tasty but lacking a decent amount of beef and tendon. I had the bun cha (rice vermicelli) with pork and fried spring rolls. The rolls were not tasty. And my dish had two small slices of pork and so many noodles I brought home a container of noodles and veggies (after scarfing down my two pieces of meat). Being from South Florida, and having travelled to Vietnam last spring, we have eaten lots of Vietnamese food. While the food was not bad, it could have been better by starting with heartier portions for the price. Lunch for 2 was about $50 including tax and tip. P.S. The fish tank was clean and very engaging!

    Photos
    Pho Hanoi - Outside

    Outside

    Pho Hanoi - Baby roach in my phone

    Baby roach in my phone

    Pho Hanoi - BBQ Pork Bahn Mi

    See all

    BBQ Pork Bahn Mi

    Paris Banh Mi - Gainesville

    Paris Banh Mi - Gainesville

    4.5(46 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $

    My wife and I were in town for a long weekend of Gator sports. As we packed up our things Sunday…read moreearly afternoon we wanted to grab something quick before we headed home. We went to Vietnam a couple years ago and now anytime she has a chance to get Banh Mi she does. We'd been here before but I think they recently added the Korean sticks to the menu. I always get a #1 without cilantro or mayo. They haven't messed it up yet. Pate is not really an American thing but it's a good combination. There's a dark sauce they put on the sandwich too which is really good. There's are freshly sliced jalapeños so take note if you don't like spicy. They are very thinly sliced so it's not overwhelming but there's a little kick. My wife got a sandwich but also tried one of the Korean sticks. She got the stick without a hotdog. It was basically a block of cheese coated in diced potatoes, kind of like frozen breakfast potatoes you can get at the grocery store. They deep fry it so the cheese is completely melted. I think she's glad she tried it, but I don't think she was impressed. We'll just stick to Banh Mi next time.

    Meh, I'm from Orlando and have been to the other PBM. Thinking this may have been the same owners,…read moreI ventured here. It took a while for anyone to greet me to take my order but after I ordered it did come relatively quickly. Not as fast as other banh mi places though. The banh mi itself was probably the worst one I have ever had. The bread tasted refrigerated and was very chewy. It actually took a lot of effort for me to bite and chew it. Definitely not good eats. Ambiance was nice with plenty of seating.

    Photos
    Paris Banh Mi - Gainesville
    Paris Banh Mi - Gainesville
    Paris Banh Mi - Gainesville

    See all

    Liquid Ginger - Crispy Tofu with Red Curry Sauce

    Liquid Ginger

    3.5(314 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    Came downtown this past Friday for a girls night and didn't realize it was a parent's weekend. With…read morethat being said, most places required a reservation or you had an 1.5h wait ahead of you. After a little wandering around we found liquid ginger. The line wasn't too long inside, so we decided we would try it. They were swamped and very busy still, but the staff was doing their best to accommodate everyone. We waited in a short line for maybe 15min before reaching the hostesses table. We were lucky to get seats at the sushi bar! The interior is very nice and has a nice vibe. This place is really great for nice dinners, nights out, or a good dinner. Service was definitely off that night. Our water specifically seemed to forget about the group of us since we were seated at the sushi bar. It took her 15 to get us waters and our other drinks didn't even come out until after we got out food (a considerable time later). Like I said it was busy, the sushi bar was swamped with orders, but they were working diligently to keep up with the influx of orders. Most of us ordered sushi, so we ended up waiting a considerable amount of time for our meals. My one friend ordered an entree from the kitchen and it came out within 10 minutes of her ordering it. Our sushi was served about 20-30 minutes after her dish. This is frustrating and slightly awkward as my friend felt bad eating while the rest of us didn't have any food yet. Again, this is no fault to the sushi chefs. They were working extremely hard to produce quality sushi for all the guests. My problem came with our server, Emma. She didn't check in on us at all, didn't even serve our dishes to us, and like I said, forgot to get us drinks, etc. While this was frustrating, I do not think this is a reflection of the restaurant overall. It appeared the other serves were fine keeping up with their tables. For the food, we started with the crab rangoons and steamed pork potstickers. These came out within 10 minutes of ordering and were great starters! They each included 6 pieces per order. The crab rangoons were stuffed with ample amounts of cream cheese and crab meat. They were perfectly crispy and I thought these were some of the better Rangoons I've had. The potstickers hit the spot, but weren't anything too special, pretty standard. For my sushi, I ordered the Golden Apple Roll (per our servers recommendation) and a daily special roll called the bonzai Roll. The golden apple roll included spicy crunchy salmon, Fuji apples, mango, and mango sauce. This was decent and something different but not my favorite. 5)3 flavors were super unique but there wasn't a sweetness at all oddly like I was expecting. Instead it had a distinct tart flavor to it. Different, but not my vibe. Now the bonzai roll was a hit! This roll included tuna, salmon, kani, and avocado inside, topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and mayo, then flamed & torched, and finished with eel sauce, caviar, and scallions. There was certainly a lot going on in this one, but I could really taste all the different elements. The fish was extremely fresh and just divine. I also tried some of my friend's sashimi and was blown away with the quality of the fish--just amazing. Overall, we all loved the food here and would 100% return. The quality is quite good and the fish is melt in your mouth. You can tell they take a lot of pride in their sushi and it is evident in the taste and presentation alone. Now the service was certainly more desirable. I understand it was a very busy night, but our server just appeared to forget about us. Very disappointing as it slightly spoiled our experience and was not a good first impression. Again, we all agreed that we thought it wasn't a fair assessment of the restaurants service overall. I'm hoping next time the service is better and our server can do a better job serving us and checking in on us. I'm also surprised that she never offered to compensate anything in our bill, like our drinks that took 30+ minutes to come out and were served well after we had received our food. But it's not the end of the world. I would still recommend coming here, I actually think their sushi is better than Dragon Flys, better priced, and dare I say higher quality!

    The pad Thai was super saucy and yummy! It was very flavorful and the portion size was good- me and…read moremy friend split it and we both were full afterward. We went last minute for a joint birthday dinner because the original place we wanted to go to was busy. it was a large party, but the service staff was very accommodating and set the table up after I had called them 10 minutes prior. The checks were also split up in an orderly manner.

    Photos
    Liquid Ginger - Stir-fried Udon Noodles with Vegetables.  Delicious!

    Stir-fried Udon Noodles with Vegetables. Delicious!

    Liquid Ginger - Jasmine Green Tea

    Jasmine Green Tea

    Liquid Ginger - Spinach and tofu & Miso

    See all

    Spinach and tofu & Miso

    Bagels & Noodles - part of the menu

    Bagels & Noodles

    3.6(238 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    The food was not very good. We got breakfast and it felt greasy and was unappetizing. Neither of us…read morecould finish our food. I don't know what niche this restaurant is trying to occupy. I hope they can find a way to fix their menu and appeal to a wider audience. The service was very kind and friendly. If you are looking for a cozy and ambient place to go, this place is. it it. very ugly interior unfortunately. I hope this business the best of luck going forward!

    I came here with one of my friends on a Friday evening and we really enjoyed it! This is a really…read moregood asian spot located in midtown. There is plenty of seating and the staff is very friendly. Since it is located in Midtown, parking could be tricky. It wasn't super busy when we arrived, but it seems to be a popular spot amongst college students. The menu offers a nice variety of asian dishes and they also serve breakfast/brunch on the daily. The interior appeared sort of "run down", but in the best way possible. It was still inviting and provided for a nice, laid back sort of meal. The food doesn't take too long to come out either and it is made fresh to order. We ended up ordering the steamed dumplings as an appetizer. I also ordered a cup of miso soup. The dish comes with 5 decent size dumplings. They are handmade and packed with filling. I appreciated the flavorful pork and the amount of it in them. My miso soup was pretty standard, nothing too special. But is hit the spot on a chilly evening. For our entrees, my friend ordered the beef udon, while I ordered the Lemongrass chicken. The portions are pretty large and we found it to be quite filling. My friend said this was some of the best udon she'd had. The broth was very flavorful, the beef was tender, and the noodles were cooked to perfection. The only thing she didn't like as much was the fried egg, opposed to the more traditional hard boiled egg. My lemongrass chicken was satisfying as well. It came with a copious amount of chicken, with a really tangy sauce over it. The rice was overcooked, which was disappointing. Overall, Bagels and Noodles is a wonderful asian eatery located in Midtown. Its location is prime for college students and I can see why it is so popular. The service is very good and personable. The "hole in the wall" feel of the restaurant makes the atmosphere! The food is made with lots of love and it was served fresh and hot. The dumplings are amazing and I would recommend. My friend is already dying to come back and explore more of their noodle dishes. I will definitely be returning and look forward to trying more things!

    Photos
    Bagels & Noodles
    Bagels & Noodles
    Bagels & Noodles

    See all

    ZEN Noodle Bar - vietnamese - Updated June 2026

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