Zen Toro Japanese Bistro & Sushi Bar

9/28/2018

Ramen is a 4/5 sushi 5/5. The sushi melts in my mouth!!!! I love the atmosphere. The waitress was very friendly and sweet. I would def recommend this place for the sushi but next time I come back I wanna try their curry.

6/7/2018 Updated review

• 2 check-ins

Restaurants come and go in Davis, but Zen Toro has been here for 10+ years. I guess that's saying something. The menu has a good selection. I like that they have my fave Japanese dish, ten zaru soba.

Recently had lunch here with a friend. Place was kind of empty but it was summer. Service was kind of slow. I think our waitress forgot about us as we were left alone for long periods of time. My food was mediocre and on the lukewarm side. Food quality seems to have gone down.

5/8/2018

I had a mediocre experience at Zen Toro the other day. I always walk by the restaurant on the way to T4, so I decided to give it a try during lunch with some friends. It's a quiet and cozy place with a really clean interior.

I had the lunch size Chirashi Ju (which I presumed to be a small portion of the regular chirashi) and it was quite good. The serving size was really small and came with 4 small slices of fish, 1 ebi, and 2 tamago. The fish portion was lacking and the bowl came with an excessively large portion of sushi rice.

All in all the food was adequate at best for the price point. I would rather get a poke bowl for the same price and get a lot more fish, but that's just me. Not a terrible place to eat, but there are a lot of other great options in downtown that I prefer over Zen Toro.

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  Lunch Menu - Chirashi Ju

  Lunch Menu - Chirashi Ju

3/16/2018

It's a pretty and cozy place tucked inside that plaza that is better known for T4 I think. There was a note that they were understaffed when I went, and I appreciate the honesty but the waitlist grew long pretty fast. But luckily, we got there early enough to have beat that waitlist and only had to wait about 10 minutes, which was enough for us to choose what we wanted to eat!

The food came out pretty fast after we ordered, which is great for a place that even admits they are understaffed! The menu is so extensive which was great, and the fact that they have Japanese hot foods that most Davis sushi places do not have is a major major plus!!

However I still ordered a sushi roll...I shouldn't have because I never got full off of Mikuni's rolls and neither did I off of Zen Toro's haha. I think they were the size of a half-dollar coin, which is really tiny in my opinion (but this goes for Mikuni's too). I got the Citrus Breeze, which was good but it was interesting how there's almost an exact same version of this at Mikuni's too (maybe it's a specialty roll turning into a basic staple in the sushi roll circles like the spider roll...I wouldn't know haha). But instead of crab meat I think many of Zen Toro's rolls use tempura shrimp, which is great for people who hate the mushiness of crab meat. I feel like Mikuni's panko shrimp filling is better because panko is much crispier than tempura.

My friends enjoyed their curry tonkatsu and shrimp tempura udon, so I would definitely come back to try their hot foods sometime!

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  Citrus breeze

  Citrus breeze

10/5/2017

Pros:
-Small intimate settings
-Large food and drink selection

Cons:
-No one took down our names when we arrived. We put our name on a clipboard and stood there for 20 min without anyone checking on us.
-Short staffed, few chefs, new waitresses
-No restrooms here for customers
-Very salty rolls served
-Onions in my veggie tempura even though I specified "no onions".

Will I come back? Maybe. I had a better experience when I came here before, but again I think that has to do with their staffing situation.

8/6/2018

I actually like the traditional Japanese Toro at Zen. It's authentic, with fair price and adequate food. It taste okay for me. Will come again for the fish

9/28/2018

Went there Friday night with a group of 5 people.  Two of us received our dinners and the other 3 were not served until about 15 minutes later.  Our waitress just disappeared .  Finally after asking for help from another waitress the other meals were brought out.  Additionally the food was mediocre at best.

6/13/2017

• 1 check-in

I was looking forward to trying Zen Toro in Davis and I had high expectations because the photos on yelp looked absolutely delicious!!!

We came on a Monday right when it opened so it wasn't busy at all! First thing I noticed was they had NO TV! It was game 5 of the NBA finals and this was the first sushi joint I've been too with NO TV! I was so disappointed  because I feel every sushi restaurant should have a TV!
So I ended up having the game on my iPhone! I asked one of the employees why they didn't have a tv and she kindly told me that the owner and customer enjoyed the family feel dining over the lounge/bar atmosphere. Okay, I can respect that!

Now onto the food! First off, the menu is pretty good because it lists what's on the inside, outside, if it's deep fried, and the sauces they use!

The first roll to come out was my surf and turf roll! It consists of shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, rare steak, tempura crunch flakes! It was pretty good but the Sauce was a little sweet and the tempura shrimp was small and thin! But the rare steak was good on top!

My next roll was the lobster roll! This roll was huge! This roll consists of lobster meat, spicy crab meat, asparagus, cucumber, mushrooms, and a mushroom garlic butter sauce! This roll was very tasty but the rolls were too big for one bite......

We also ordered the butterfish which came with cold noodles on the side and a salad! The butterfish was slightly on the salty side and the portion of the butterfish was small!

Overall, it was pretty good but wasn't spectacular! I would return and give it another try!

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  Butterfish

  Butterfish
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  The big lobster roll

  The big lobster roll
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  Lobster roll

  Lobster roll
• See all photos from Yao C. for Zen Toro Japanese Bistro & Sushi Bar

1/21/2018

Another amazing meal at Zen Toro.

Scott brings a classic approach to Japanese together with artful precision, refined simplicity where appropriate and his own unique twist to sauces and combinations that will leave your taste buds waiting for more. I usually leave the choices up to Scott's knowing skill and have never been disappointed in anything he's put before me - combine that with Amy's sake recommendations or Saporro/Kirin on tap - and every meal is as memorable as it is exquisite.

Sashimi is fresh from around the world and you can taste it. The spicy tuna was done two ways - one slightly sweeter and one with a little more bite - you can taste the rich sesame oil complimenting the spice. The tako was buttery and rich, steamed perfectly over Scott's twist on sweet miss sauce. The Shigoku oysters were plump and topped with a wonderful mix of micro greens, lemon, and eggs. The albacore sliders were lightly battered and fried just right. The chirashi selection was a mouth-watering selection of O-toro and Hamachi toro along with a dizzying assortment of uni, mackerel, albacore, squid, salmon, toro, unagi, and so much more.

'Til next time Zen Toro!

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  Bread pudding with green tea

  Bread pudding with green tea
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  Uni was fresh and not too sweet

  Uni was fresh and not too sweet
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  Chirashi heaven with all types of toro

  Chirashi heaven with all types of toro
• See all photos from Kyle C. for Zen Toro Japanese Bistro & Sushi Bar

7/19/2018

• 1 check-in

Freshest fish, beautiful innovative and festive plates  and amazing service. They are one of the few restaurants that don't treat old farts like me as if I was soiling their ambiance. I hope they open a full cocktail bar-judging by the quality of sauces, combos, and flavors, unique Sake cocktails aren't far behind! It's a great place to get high quality sushi, rolls, and sashimi-and the first vegetable tempura that includes tofu,making it a complete meal.

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• See all photos from Sangye H. for Zen Toro Japanese Bistro & Sushi Bar

1/20/2018

I've been here a couple times and never really felt impressed nor disappointed. It's okay Japanese food for Davis standards. It's located in the small plaza area down the steps and off to the right.

I would get the ramen and bento boxes here. Prices are typical for what Japanese restaurants charge. For ramen, Extra noodles are always worth it though!

3/12/2018

I've came here for many occasions with my neighbors. This place has never failed to meet my expectations. If anyone is looking for that authentic japanese restaurant, this is definitely the place.

Sushi Chief Scott is on point all the time feel free to ask for his recommendations! I've gotten a surprise each time when visiting. The food is always fresh and never to disappoint .

Because of the location of this place you should make a reservation. You'll be battling with the rest of the UC Davis crowd.

8/22/2018

When you taste good quality fish there is no going back. This place has elevated my standards in sushi and has exposed me to a good thing or two of Hawaiian-Japanese fusion cuisine. This place has a cozy environment and very accommodating servers. And their sake selection is one of the best I've seen! The cooked food from the kitchen is also very wholesome. I would recommend any variation of the ramen here, the poke, and being open to trying any of the seasonal sushi specials. If you are into sake or ever wished to become more familiar with it, they offer samples for just about most their drinks and I would recommend their sake sampler flight- really worth your dollar.

4/10/2018

• ROTD 6/7/2018

Why has it taken so long for me to review this gem? Between my parents, my family and coworkers we visit this restaurant about once a week. It's family owned and loved. I have never been disappointed in the quality, taste and presentation of the food. The ZT crunch roll is a fave. My son can't be without the Tan Tan Men ramen. The lemon pepper albacore is delicious (appetizer). Their lunch specials can't be beat. We LOVE the lunch soup that comes with lunch (not miso soup but some awesome alternative) - wish they served it at dinner too! Their tempura is never oily. The fish is fresh. What else could you ask for?

8/11/2018

• 1 check-in

This is absolutely my favorite Japanese restaurant in Davis.  The serving staff is knowledgeable and always has great suggestions when I'm in the mood to try something new!  Scott makes amazing rolls and I'm never disappointed when my family and I come in.  There can be a wait time, especially on weekends, but it's never too long and always well worth it!

5/22/2018

Disclaimer, I have come to become a regular to this place so there's a bit of bias, but then again, no, because it's my honest opinion that I became a regular here. Don't let the 3.5 star fool you, this place has good food all the time, and the service is nice, but comments about disorganized service does rain true time to time, feel like they're moving too hectically often (when I feel like they don't have to, I work is service), but they are nice and they do try.
It is a pricey place, plus Davis is a college town with a lot of cheap food options, so a bit unfair to compare to two categories, if you don't want pricey food, many other choices, Open Rice or any of the all you can eat sushi.

2/24/2017

• 1 check-in

Zen Toro is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Davis - thank God for this gem.

While their sushi is amazing, their udon is what gets me. I've ordered their Nabeyaki Udon multiple times... it starts with the broth. Amazing dashi broth with immense flavor - then come all the components that make this the most delicious udon on the menu - thick udon, tender chicken, soft boiled egg, succulent mushrooms, crispy tempura, and more....

Come here on your birthday and you may get a surprise treat!

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  Wasn't expecting such an amazing bowl of teriyaki chicken!

  Wasn't expecting such an amazing bowl of teriyaki chicken!
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  Nabeyaki Udon

  Nabeyaki Udon

6/18/2017

• 3 check-ins

I've been here two other times but this is my first time reviewing Zen Toro.
My most recent experience was the best. The server was really great! He was helpful and checked in with us often. We started with the new age hamachi carpaccio and it was amazing, I highly recommend it! I also got the nabeyaki udon and it was pretty good. I thought the dashi broth was okay, and the egg was perfectly cooked! I'll be back to try the tonkostu ramen, since my friend really enjoyed it. I've also tried the chicken katsu curry, but it might've been a special because I couldn't find it on the menu again. I would highly recommend it if they're offering it again. The Japanese curry was delicious and I want to try the curry udon sometime too!
I was really disappointed my first time here because the service was horrible. We were seated in the back area and it was impossible to signal for a waiter. Even when the waiters came to the back, I would call/signal for them but they walked away so quickly and didn't look around at all. It took forever to order, get our check, etc.
Parking is hard as expected because it's downtown. It's pretty close to the parking structure by the theater so maybe you can try your luck there.
I recommend coming here for good Japanese food, but the service may be a toss up especially if the restaurant is busy.

11/20/2016

• 1 check-in

Let's face it - this place could be so much better if they had quicker service. But I still give it 3 1/2 stars for the following reasons:

1. They take reservations. We sailed in on a Saturday night at 6 p.m. after calling in a reservation earlier that day. It's very VIP.
2. They have a very broad menu - probably the best in Davis. You can really get a range of stuff here from sushi to Japanese curry to ramen and udon to donburi bowls. I love their menu and could eat here happily never ordering the same thing for a month.
3. Their ramen bowl was serious value for money. We ordered the shoyu ramen and the noodles were plentiful. Way more than what you get from Mikuni or Shoki in Sacramento.
4. Their raw fish was fresh and good.

It's a little hard to find, but worth looking for (particularly on a less busy day than a Saturday night.)

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  Chirashi

  Chirashi

2/1/2018 Updated review

Amazing place and their food is as good as it gets when compared to the authentic Japanese dining experience. I'd definitely recommend Zen Toro: to people who'd want to remember what eating in Japan feels like, to students that miss the taste back home, or to anyone who wants to satisfy their craving for japanese food!

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  Fresh oysters

  Fresh oysters
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  This is shokado box. I felt like I was in Nara, Japan.

  This is shokado box. I felt like I was in Nara, Japan.
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