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    Zen Ramen & Poke

    4.3 (51 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

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    Black Garlic Ramen
    Jessica F.

    We were at the waterworks to buy my kiddo a pair of shoes and stopped in here on a whim. I wasn't expecting much, as it looks pretty low key from the outside, but I was blown away. Service was very friendly from the moment we walked in the door. The vibe inside is pretty casual, nothing fancy or overly hip like many of the other ramen restaurants in the area. We were seated promptly and given the menus and some water. The menu is divided into several sections. We started with seaweed salad and pork gyoza. The gyoza in particular were so yummy - very crispy and delicious, though I wish there had been more dipping sauce included. My daughter, a dumpling aficionado, said they were her favorite she's had from a restaurant. I ordered the black garlic ramen, my husband ordered the chicken katsu curry ramen, and my daughter ordered the chicken and rice bowl. We all enjoyed our meals and were remarking about how delicious everything was! My ramen in particular was so creamy and flavorful and hit the spot - one of the best bowls of ramen I've had in awhile though I'm always down to keep doing more research. As a bonus, we thought the prices were reasonable, especially in combination with the portion sizes. We all went home with leftovers!

    Futumake (rice seasoning), sesame seeds, and black garlic on the tables. All great.

    I've been to Japan and think the atmosphere is larger but similar to places there. For the US, it is a bit of a fast food type ambience, good if you're not dressed for one of the nicer restaurants in Fox chapel. Service was quick and good, although my poke bowl came first and my vegetable gyoza appetizer came second. I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 on the poke bowl protein being cut so thin compared to poke bowls I have had before, but I've never had a list of about 30 toppings to choose from. If you're hungry for a poke bowl, I don't think another place around here is a better option. The vegetable gyozas were some of the most flavorful I've had and the dumpling sauce is really a delicious one. I might come back for the gyoza alone. I bet the other gyozas are equally delicious with the sauce and filling quality of the vegetable ones.

    Seaweed Salad
    Terry B.

    It's pretty yummy! Hidden in the Waterworks of all places. Service was not particularly attentive; young man playing on his phone half the time. Food was decent albeit a little pricey. I'll say it's a good alternative to the chain restaurants here. I would definitely go back though.

    Karaage Fried Chicken
    Tiffanie T.

    Good: 4/5 glad this place existed when we were crazing Japanese food. If you're in a pinch and are craving poke bowls or ramen this is your place. No frills and lots of options. Not the most memorable but it's as good as it's going to get for Asian food in Pittsburgh Ambiance: it's loud and there's larger tables in the very front and very back. Otherwise it's little booths by the wall. Things echo so don't expect the most privacy here Service: 3.75/5 pretty attentive depending on where you sit. I think it's harder to be noticed consistently if you're sitting in the back. I recommend being prepared and asking for what you need up front so you get it. Else you'll end up walking up front and asking.

    The Salmon made me violently ill.

    This restaurant is horrible. The food made me very sick. I got food poisoning and it cost me a day of work. They need to be shut down. No one should visit this restaurant.

    Chicken Katsu Curry Over Rice
    Jenee S.

    We love that there are finally Japanese restaurants coming around the area. They are one of our favorite kinds of food. We ordered the chicken karrage as an appetizer. It could have been a tad more crispy but there was still plenty of crunch and flavor. The sauce went well with it too. I wasn't a huge fan of my ramen. It wasn't really spicy and the noddles were just off but the rest of the soup came together. The chicken katsu with it was amazing. Extra crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I really liked the curry rice as well. The curry was just right and they used the same chicken. We ended up taking some home and finished the chicken that night. The inside was decorated really cute with the umbrellas on the ceiling and it was extra clean. Friendly and helpful staff. We'll be back for all the chicken!

    Pork Bun(2pcs)
    Menghai T.

    I got the black garlic Ramen, the pork bun appetizer, and a mango Boba. The pork bun appetizer was very good. I liked the spicy house sauce, it complimented the sweetness and saltiness of the pork. The Ramen was good, the pork was very savory, the egg was cooked perfectly. The broth was also very savory however, just a little bit too salty for my personal taste. The black garlic flavor is the little thing that helps elevate the flavor of the dish. Overall a very good Ramen place. I would definitely come back. Ramen was $16, pork bun $8, boba $6. Food: 7.3 Staff/service: 7.0 Overall: 7.2/10

    Outside the restaurant
    Margaret G.

    Immediately this place was a lot of fun to enter into. The automated ramen bowl greeted us in the front, then the girl at the desk. Then the guy at the other front counter. We felt thoroughly welcomed! We loved all the Naruto art in the back room but I would prefer if it was decorated even more! Pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed this place! The mango boba milk tea was perfect and not too sweet. I got the black garlic ramen and asked for it to be medium spicy and it was amazingly tasty! I would totally get it again. We also ordered the pork buns which were fresh and hot the spot. The women's bathroom location in the back was kinda scary.

    Shabu beef ramen
    Michael B.

    This place does a nice job with ramen - flavorful broth, meat is well seasoned, and noodles are cooked just right. The server was very nice, and service was pretty quick too. Only regret is I told them somewhere between medium and spicy for the noodle, and it didn't come out very spicy. But otherwise this llce IA great! Don't forget to do a Boba tea for dessert.

    Build your own Poke bowl: sushi rice, smoked salmon, spicy tuna cilantro, scallion, red onion, jalapenos, spicy mayo, Poke sauce
    Gregory A.

    I was craving some delicious poke and I remember passing this restaurant after working at UPMC St. Margaret's. So this time I decided to stop by for a quick bite and wow, I fell in love with the place! Very nice and clean restaurant and the staff were very friendly, professional, and fast to serve you. When I was seated, within about 2 minutes of me being there the waiter arrived at my table asking for my drink and if I had any questions about the menu. Luckily I've ordered Poke before so I just ordered my water and got right to building my own poke bowl. It only took a few minutes to make the bowl and while I was waiting I noticed that they had blind covers with paintings from Hokusai! One of my absolute favorite pieces by this artist is The Great Wave and I was staring at it right next to me! My bowl arrived quickly and wow did it look amazing! (See the delicious picture) Once I mixed it all together, The flavors from the smoked salmon and spicy tuna mixed with the sauces, veggies, and rice just was absolutely delicious! Payment was a breeze with the handheld that they have - they also use the handheld device to take your order. I cannot wait to go back here to try the rest of the menu!! I'm thinking it might be the ramen that I try next!

    Disgusting chicken

    What to say and where to start. I guess we can start on their ramen, whenever it came out it looked absolutely delectable... I unfortunately cannot say the same for the taste. IT TASTED LIKE BAND-AIDS! I got the boba and I wish I could say it covered up the nauseating taste of band-aid flavored ramen. What was meant to be a nice dinner with the fam turned into an utter disappointment. I'm ashamed I even paid for it, I went home and HURLED. Save yourself.

    Chicken Katsu Curry Over Rice
    Jimmy S.

    Well, it's always tough finding good Japanese food in the Pittsburgh area but we found a gem at the Zen Ramen & Poke! The chicken karaage is very good and I highly recommend it. I first got a taste of chicken karaage when I visited Hawaii in 2022 and this is the first place I found that has it. I've made it before but nothing beats a well cooked restaurant version. The main meal I decided on is the always delicious chicken Katsu curry. They have different spice levels which is nice as some other restaurants in the area don't offer that, it's just regular mild curry. The portion sizes were great, everything was fresh and the price just right! Overall, I highly recommend this place if you're looking for some good Japanese food. The service is great as well.

    Tonkotsu Pork Broth
    Tammy L.

    First time visiting and we ordered food for take out. I got the tonkotsu ramen pork broth bowl. The pork and marinated soy egg was delicious!! The pork pieces were the perfect amount of fatty. The noodles were standard, and the broth was decent. We also tried the crab rangoons, but sadly they were not that good. it was a bit too sweet and underfried in my opinion. I could see myself ordering ramen here again in the future.

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    1 year ago

    Great food, great service! I will recommend for a Ramen and my wife will recommend any poke ball!

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    We didn't know what to order. We got two different I don't remember but my daughters was better. I want to try again.

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    Eiwa Japanese Ramen & Bar

    Eiwa Japanese Ramen & Bar

    4.3
    (81 reviews)
    7.0 mi

    The food was delicious but they charge $2 extra for ordering chicken in your general Tso chicken…read morewhich was weird. But the drinks were really good. If you go here I like it. And the service was very sweet

    I stopped by here a while ago with my family for dinner. This wasn't my first trip to Eiwa but it…read morewas my twins' first visit. This restaurant is located right on McKnight Road somewhat near the intersection with Siebert. The inside is fairly large with seating in an L-shaped configuration around the kitchen. We were seated near the back on one side where the lighting was styled like lanterns and there was also a fun mural on the wall in an almost manga style. For dinner on this evening I decided to go with the Golden Katsu Curry Ramen while my wife went with the tonkotsu ramen and my kids split a happy cat noodles. My ramen was described as served with house-made curry broth simmered with tender potato and carrot chunks, wavy noodles and topped with a crispy cutlet, half marinated egg, sweet corn and scallions. My wife's was described as pork broth with thin noodles, pork belly chashu, nori, bamboo shoots, fish cake, kikurage mushroom, half marinated egg, sweet corn and scallions. My kids' meal was described as chicken nuggets, soy sauce-based plain noodles, assorted vegetables, half marinated egg and one piece of mochi ice cream. They first brought out the wrong item for my kids but once we mentioned it they quickly corrected it and brought out the right dish. My curry ended up being really good. The chicken cutlet was crispy, the noodles were bouncy and I enjoyed the sweetness from the corn. The star of the show for me though was the Japanese curry which had a rich flavor with warm and inviting spices. My wife loved her ramen as well and we were all impressed with the quality of the kids' meal, especially the chicken and the flavor of the noodles. The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. Everyone in my family enjoyed their food and we appreciated that it felt both fun and family friendly.

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    Eiwa Japanese Ramen & Bar
    Beef Ho Fun
    Beef Ho Fun
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    Pork gyoza
    Umami

    Umami

    4.3
    (507 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    My husband chose this spot for my first dinner after moving here, and... He made the right call :)…read moreDefinitely make a reservation; the place was packed. The seafood is fresh, and the menu features several creative options. We tried a variety of items (Nigiri, Temaki, Takoyaki, and the daily specials) and honestly loved everything! As sushi lovers, we shared several small plates and really appreciated the quality. The fish-to-rice ratio was spot on. I loved the vibe: very hipster, complete with a DJ. Next time, we'd love to sit at the counter facing the kitchen for that authentic Japanese experience. Our server was so sweet and gave us some great recommendations. Even though it was busy, the timing of the courses was perfect. Highly recommend!

    Umami has been a bi weekly rotation in my household! I've brought my family, visiting friends, and…read morecoworkers and all of them have left full and happy excited to return! I highly recommend a reservation as they do not take many walk ins, especially for big parties and definitely take advantage of their happy hour menu (5-6pm). Their HH menu allows you to try some of their most popular bites for a fraction of the cost! Items that we ALWAYS order are the karaage, stir fried udon wit shrimp tempura, at least 3 skewers, the lychee martinis, Takoyaki, and some variation of toro. We try to mix in others every time and have never had a bad bite! Servers are always so kind to us and can't wait until my next visit! Hopefully it's soon!

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    Miso torched salmon nigiri
    Miso torched salmon nigiri
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    Sapporo

    Zen Ramen & Poke - poke - Updated June 2026

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