Social Profile: 
✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery
… View more
A Ramen-centric Izakaya owned by Chef & Wife in Downtown Minneapolis’ Mill District. We are devoted to the pleasures of Craft Ramen & Japanese comfort food. Zen Box Izakaya is THE place for ‘Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Company’. Established since 2011.
Industrial setup supplying an array of Japanese comfort fare, from ramen to sashimi & stir-fry.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 602 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone: (612) 332-3936
Website: http://www.zen-box.com/
Menu Photos
Related Web Results
Zen Box Closing : r/Minneapolis – Reddit
https://www.startribune.com/zen-box-izakaya-ramen-closing-in-downtown-minneapolis/601512224 … r/Minneapolis – Minnesota is still dealing …
Zen Box Izakaya | Ramen & Japanese Comfort Food in Downtown …
Ramen and Japanese Comfort Food Restaurant in Downtown Minneapolis with Sake, Japanese Beer, and Cocktails. Close to Guthrie Theater and US Bank Stadium.
Zen Box Izakaya Is Closing – Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
Zen Box Izakaya. After 20 years in downtown Minneapolis, John Ng and Lina Goh are closing Zen Box Izakaya. … If you know John and Lina, you know …
Last Updates
Reviews
Amal Osman
The wait was long, but they did the best they can, food was delicious, very good service. Im sad the restaurant will be close soon, whish the owners all the best. I have to come one more time before closing
… moreAkiyo Horiguchi
I was visiting from California and I mostly came here because it’s located close to the Mill City Museum, where I was heading next. The Saturday lunch menu is very limited; they do not have their full normal menu.
I ordered the hiyashi yasai mazemen, which was a seasonal special during my August visit. I don’t demand 100% authenticity from a Japanese restaurant in the U.S.; I get that you cater to local tastes and ingredients. But there was not a single thing that felt Japanese about this dish, and worse, it just didn’t taste good on any level. I understand that I ordered a cold noodle dish, but grilled vegetables being refrigerator-cold did not feel right. The flavor and consistency of the noodles mixed with the sauce was not good either. And it was expensive: I didn’t order drinks or anything else and it was $20 after taxes and before tip, which is what I might expect for decent ramen in California.
I noticed that this dish is not on this month’s (September) Saturday lunch specials menu. Maybe this was an experiment that they were trying in August that did not work out, and I was just unfortunate to order the wrong thing?
… moreI ordered the hiyashi yasai mazemen, which was a seasonal special during my August visit. I don’t demand 100% authenticity from a Japanese restaurant in the U.S.; I get that you cater to local tastes and ingredients. But there was not a single thing that felt Japanese about this dish, and worse, it just didn’t taste good on any level. I understand that I ordered a cold noodle dish, but grilled vegetables being refrigerator-cold did not feel right. The flavor and consistency of the noodles mixed with the sauce was not good either. And it was expensive: I didn’t order drinks or anything else and it was $20 after taxes and before tip, which is what I might expect for decent ramen in California.
I noticed that this dish is not on this month’s (September) Saturday lunch specials menu. Maybe this was an experiment that they were trying in August that did not work out, and I was just unfortunate to order the wrong thing?
0504 Traveller
before going to Minneapolis we had read a lot of positive reviews about this place so decided to check it out. we originally tried to go for lunch on Saturday but they only had a special menu so we ended up going for dinner to try their entire menu. overall good food but horrible service.
we got the brussels sprouts to start and then we got the veggie ramen with tofu and the bento box with beef ribs. the brussels sprouts were good, flavor was more at the bottom but a large portion and decent flavor. the ramen was also a good size portion and also had good flavor but needed to be mixed to have the flavors combine well. the bento box was also good in size and had edamame, salad, rice, as well as the main – the beef ribs were good but we’ve had better elsewhere. we also got a side of kimchi but it was average, also had better elsewhere
overall decent flavored food and good portion size but horrible service
… morewe got the brussels sprouts to start and then we got the veggie ramen with tofu and the bento box with beef ribs. the brussels sprouts were good, flavor was more at the bottom but a large portion and decent flavor. the ramen was also a good size portion and also had good flavor but needed to be mixed to have the flavors combine well. the bento box was also good in size and had edamame, salad, rice, as well as the main – the beef ribs were good but we’ve had better elsewhere. we also got a side of kimchi but it was average, also had better elsewhere
overall decent flavored food and good portion size but horrible service
Christina LeClaire
Solid food and service. We definitely want to go back. We got the house made pickles, chicken gyoza, Brussels sprouts, mapo tofu ramen, pork katsu, and the green tea Tiramisu. All of which were very good. The only critique we had was that the pork katsu could have had more curry sauce. Drinks were good too!! All around, we had a great time at Zen Box.
… moreChristin R. Tackett
This was our first trip and it was good. Requested an off the menu cocktail, lychee martini which was delightful. Ramen, while good, lacked umami and spiciness in the broth. Service was excellent, staff was knowledgeable and approachable.
… moreAleksandra Jeffrey
Finally got to try this place.
Went on a Friday afternoon around 530. It was not busy at all when I went but I can see that it would get busy later on.
We tried the TSUKEMONO an assortment of pickled veggies. Pickles, mushrooms and daikon. The pickles were very vinegar forward, but they are pickles. The mushrooms and daikon had the perfect hint of vinegar and sweetness that I loved.
We also tried the Takoyaki, and these were delicious, I wished they had an even number like 6 but it’s an order of 5.
I had the TORI TANTANMEN. I wanted to love this but I only liked it. I thought it had great flavor and I loved that a whole egg was included. This was the best egg I had btw and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The only thing I did not enjoy was that the chicken was very finely ground, not sure if this is how it was supposed to be, but this made the broth too gritty for me. The spice was perfect, I was sweating but I could still taste my food.
We also tried the Pork Katsu, this was average nothing too special. It was good, just wished there was more potato and carrots in the serving we got.
The service was great and I loved the atmosphere. The food was good, I would try some other dishes for sure.
… moreWent on a Friday afternoon around 530. It was not busy at all when I went but I can see that it would get busy later on.
We tried the TSUKEMONO an assortment of pickled veggies. Pickles, mushrooms and daikon. The pickles were very vinegar forward, but they are pickles. The mushrooms and daikon had the perfect hint of vinegar and sweetness that I loved.
We also tried the Takoyaki, and these were delicious, I wished they had an even number like 6 but it’s an order of 5.
I had the TORI TANTANMEN. I wanted to love this but I only liked it. I thought it had great flavor and I loved that a whole egg was included. This was the best egg I had btw and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The only thing I did not enjoy was that the chicken was very finely ground, not sure if this is how it was supposed to be, but this made the broth too gritty for me. The spice was perfect, I was sweating but I could still taste my food.
We also tried the Pork Katsu, this was average nothing too special. It was good, just wished there was more potato and carrots in the serving we got.
The service was great and I loved the atmosphere. The food was good, I would try some other dishes for sure.
Jason C
Food was tasty, ramen on the salty side. Brussel sprouts were my fave. Fries were crispy and a little spicy.
… moreSteve W
This was a delight. The food was well-prepared. The Ramen was very good. The drink menu is a hidden gem.
The gin-based cocktails were exceptional. They also have some unique Japanese Whisky to choose that make a boozy dessert.
It was a great experience. Worth a visit. If I lived in Minneapolis, I would be a regular.
… moreThe gin-based cocktails were exceptional. They also have some unique Japanese Whisky to choose that make a boozy dessert.
It was a great experience. Worth a visit. If I lived in Minneapolis, I would be a regular.
Jay Shen
First, I have to make it clear that if there is a 4.5 then I would have resorted to that. The atmosphere is amazing, like a classic izakaya that finds itself in a good location for people to swing by. There are different bottles of sake and other kinds of alcohol on display, which enhance the vibe. From a service standpoint, I have seen a lot of reviews saying that service is slow, and I can understand why. When my partner and I went, despite a Wednesday when it was not really busy, service was still a tiny bit slow, so I can imagine what it must be like on weekends. Now in terms of food, most of what I had was what I had expected. The takoyaki, aburi salmon, and chicken karaage curry were great in classic manners. The spicy karaage sando had good chicken, but the sauces definitely elevated the flavor. The N.H.K. was an appetizer that I have never had elsewhere, and despite a spice wimp, I managed to eat all of it! The tonkotsu ramen was slightly bland, but definitely not bad. Finally, the green tea tiramisu came in a box, but I have seen a recommendation for this dessert from Star Tribune, and was excited to try it, and enjoyed it! Granted that since mascarpone is the main ingredient in tiramisu, that creating the green tea tiramisu probably is not as difficult as imagined, the idea itself is worth a lot of points already. I would like to try their kimchi ramen and pork katsu curry the next time I visit, but as of now, given the fact that most of what I have had was conventionally good but not spectacular, I will give a 4 (which really mean 4.5), and hoping that what I want to try here next will help with updating the review!
… moreChiao Chiang
update:
Usually I support female for girls power, but obviously this is not the case. I am surprised they managed review and replied so quickly, but none of them stated here is true.
And I will not reply or explain more.
Thanks
———————————————————————
well, if system allows negative reviews, I will.
So happy they will be closed because they are bad.
Overall, my husband and I have been to this restaurant for more than 3 times, and it is not attractive to me at all, we keep coming because my husband likes it.
First time when we dine in, I order some noodles it says has spicy豆瓣酱，after I tried it, OMG, how can they claim they use it? As a Chinese, I definitely know it is not, also not spicy at all.
Second time, I only remember how rude the server was.
Another time my husband tried curry said the curry was good, better than their noodles.
And here is the peak of my mood because of this restaurant. My husband really wanted to go because he saw online it will close soon. So today I urged him to go before 5pm when the restaurant will open. On the traffic light section we can already see there was a long line. We get in and heard the female host say we should wait about one hour or about one hour and half, after she registered my husband name and cell phone number, telling us that we will get notification and would have 10 minutes to come in. My husband is tech savvy and kind of show off saying it only has 10 parties ahead of us as he can monitor from phone. Then I felt cold and wanted to get more cloth and that will still be within one hour, I also did something else at home to fill up the hour, then I felt it is one hour and we need to go, my husband checked to see several parties ahead of us. When we arrived, there is no female host outside so I walked in inside male host, asking if we can dine in because it is already 1.5 hours, while male host check, the female host walked by, saying yeah I remember them, they are on waitlist. BUT, there are still 4 parties ahead of us. My husband and I kept waiting, finally my patience reached limits and my husband was like now it is our time—we waited for 2 hours. We walked to male host and asked to be seated, what is more ridiculous than 2 hour waiting is that he said we are not on list, and asked us to stand by, time pass by, I wonder what is their solution and my husband followed up with the male host, do you know what his answer is? He said because we are not on the list, now we are waiting again!
How funny, I checked in with you before around 1.5 hours, and female host confirmed that, from then we have been waiting in the restaurant, now you wasted us 2 hours and want more?
I tried to reason with him because if there is system issue, you can definitely fix it by seating us and say sorry, while he get me more furious by saying there is no thing he can do. Are you AI? Even AI can recognize me…
Anyway, my husband pulled me away and he wants to wait, I went back home now eating leftover stir-fry lamb, make me feel better.
Well, wish better training on staff if re-open somewhere else, but I am not going to spend money and time on it.
… moreUsually I support female for girls power, but obviously this is not the case. I am surprised they managed review and replied so quickly, but none of them stated here is true.
And I will not reply or explain more.
Thanks
———————————————————————
well, if system allows negative reviews, I will.
So happy they will be closed because they are bad.
Overall, my husband and I have been to this restaurant for more than 3 times, and it is not attractive to me at all, we keep coming because my husband likes it.
First time when we dine in, I order some noodles it says has spicy豆瓣酱，after I tried it, OMG, how can they claim they use it? As a Chinese, I definitely know it is not, also not spicy at all.
Second time, I only remember how rude the server was.
Another time my husband tried curry said the curry was good, better than their noodles.
And here is the peak of my mood because of this restaurant. My husband really wanted to go because he saw online it will close soon. So today I urged him to go before 5pm when the restaurant will open. On the traffic light section we can already see there was a long line. We get in and heard the female host say we should wait about one hour or about one hour and half, after she registered my husband name and cell phone number, telling us that we will get notification and would have 10 minutes to come in. My husband is tech savvy and kind of show off saying it only has 10 parties ahead of us as he can monitor from phone. Then I felt cold and wanted to get more cloth and that will still be within one hour, I also did something else at home to fill up the hour, then I felt it is one hour and we need to go, my husband checked to see several parties ahead of us. When we arrived, there is no female host outside so I walked in inside male host, asking if we can dine in because it is already 1.5 hours, while male host check, the female host walked by, saying yeah I remember them, they are on waitlist. BUT, there are still 4 parties ahead of us. My husband and I kept waiting, finally my patience reached limits and my husband was like now it is our time—we waited for 2 hours. We walked to male host and asked to be seated, what is more ridiculous than 2 hour waiting is that he said we are not on list, and asked us to stand by, time pass by, I wonder what is their solution and my husband followed up with the male host, do you know what his answer is? He said because we are not on the list, now we are waiting again!
How funny, I checked in with you before around 1.5 hours, and female host confirmed that, from then we have been waiting in the restaurant, now you wasted us 2 hours and want more?
I tried to reason with him because if there is system issue, you can definitely fix it by seating us and say sorry, while he get me more furious by saying there is no thing he can do. Are you AI? Even AI can recognize me…
Anyway, my husband pulled me away and he wants to wait, I went back home now eating leftover stir-fry lamb, make me feel better.
Well, wish better training on staff if re-open somewhere else, but I am not going to spend money and time on it.