Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

10/27/10

BEST sushi in the city!!!

by Simply Inviting at Citysearch

We didn't have a reservation and they squeezed us in even though the place was packed. Sushi was the best I have ever eaten in the city. Everything was super quick and fresh! Service was excellent!!

11/24/09

best sushi in town

by fontina at Citysearch

This restaurant is BYO and while the atmosphere isn't exactly anything to write home about, the sushi is great and so is the service. It isn't cheap, but it is worth it!

• Pros: the sushi is great!
• Cons: atmosphere isn't the best

11/10/09

The best sushi around

by j04 at Citysearch

The sushi is delicious and fresh and creative. The service is warm. And they deliver! The only drawback is the atmosphere, but it doesn't even matter.

01/19/09

The sushi of my dreams

by FoodandBeerSnob at Citysearch

If you like sushi, you will enjoy eating at this great BYOB. I have been seven times and I have never had a bad meal. I dream about their tuna pizza, and the sushi rolls are also tasty, with high-quality fish. After reading some of the bad reviews, I think you have to ask yourself if you go out to eat for the food or the ambiance. For me it?s a clear choice; I would pick the food over ambiance every time. Although it?s a tiny restaurant, it?s cozy, and the wait staff is helpful. If you go on the weekend, go by 5:30 or make a reservation. During the week you can probably walk in and get a table.

• Pros: delicious sushi, byob
• Cons: small, gets crowded early on weekends

08/20/08

Best Sushi in Olde City and top 5 in Philadelphia

by slknik10 at Citysearch

Listen I too signed up on this site to defend this place from the exaggerated bad reviews below. A little history about myself: I've tried the following sushi places at least two or more times since Ive lived here for 4 years now: Raw, Morimoto, Fuji Mountain, Haru, Mizu, Aja, Genji, and Shiroi, as well as others around the area. I want to tell all of you readers of my review and the ones below, that if someone considers even eating "Super fresh" (which is anything but fresh) sushi and then rates it higher than Zento, they absolutely have no clue about good sushi, so please do not listen to their recommendations for sushi. THEY BRING SHAME to the great places like this one. Also for the record, I have plenty of Japanese friends, no not American, Japanese, and they can all vouch for this place, since they recommended it to me.

Zento is a small, casual, inexpensive, sushi place right across the street from Cebu in olde city. The service is not meant to be anything like morimoto and Haru; you can not compare the two, that?s completely unfair to Zento. There is only one person watering every time I've gone there, but the wait wasn't long at all considering how little staff they have. Honestly, I don?t know about you guys but when I go out looking for good sushi that?s all that matters to me. Regardless of how the place looks and how many waiters are throwing themselves at me, in the end all that matters is how good the sushi is. So people, stop bashing this sushi place and giving such a poor review just because they dont have valet parking, gold painted walls, and reservations you need a month in advance. THE SUSHI AT ZENTO IS AMAZING! Go for the sushi not the restaurant itself. If you really want to dine in complete opulence then yeah head over to Morimoto or something, but if you want just some top-5, inexpensive sushi, with some friends or maybe for lunch, definitely stop by Zento and try it out, you wont be sorry. Top 5 for me! Def try the VOLCANO ROLL, perfect!

• Pros: Great Fresh Sushi, Their "Volcano Roll", Original, Friendly and Fast Service, Moderately Priced for Expensive Quality
• Cons: Small, Little Staffed