Zen Noodle Bar

A fairly affordable, filling place to scratch your Asian noodle itch (with extra dim sum options on top!) The beef noodle soup special and pork buns are very filling and done well. While it may not be the most authentic, this place hits the spot for coziness, decent service, and prices around $10-14. Warning: the parking lot is tight, and it may be easier to park on the street during peak hours.

I was craving black bean noodles and decided to stop by this local shop while I was in the area. You seat yourself and use a dry erase marker to mark the menu. + Shanghai Style Ja Jang Noodle: DO NOT expect a lot of sauce... This is a pretty dry noodle dish. It honestly didn't taste like black bean sauce at all. It tasted more like a simple spicy minced meat sauce. I wish there was a lot more sauce. This dish wasn't for me honestly. + Shenjian Bao: I was in awe of how large these were! The biggest pan fried soup dumplings I have ever seen in my life. They looked like cha siu bao!!!! I enjoyed the flavor of the broth, but the quality of the meat was mediocre. The dumpling wrapper was also way too thick and doughy. Not very enjoyable. + Braised Beef Noodle Soup: Was not a fan. The broth just tasted like tangy five spice powder. The noodles also stuck together and not very enjoyable. Weird enough, they put a hard boiled egg in there? The best part was the braised beef. Very flavorful and tender!

Nothing fancy but their dishes always remind me the taste of home. The food portion is pretty big. Great for sharing! Bald pan fried buns is a must! (It’s more like a upgrade version of original buns) I also love other steamed buns. They have frozen buns/dumplings and wontons too. With clear instructions they can be prepared easily. Service was good, but definitely hope they could have more staffs during busy hours. I have known this restaurant for about 4 years. It’s always going to be my favorite buns restaurant.

If I could give them zero star, I would. My wife ordered stir fry beans and it was tasty until she found one strand of steel scrub and hold behold then another! Ever since these restaurants have become mostly take outs, such happenings have become more common. If we were not traveling out of town, I would have filed a complaint with the city. This is ridiculous!