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  • Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar

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Reserve at Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar

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Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar
Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar

Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Elegant
  • Website: http://www.zentocontemporary.com/2013
  • Phone: (215) 925-9998
  • Hours of Operation: LUNCH

    Monday to Friday: 11:30am - 3:00pm

    Saturday: 11:30am - 5pm (Dinner menu is served)



    DINNER

    Sunday to Thursday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm

    Friday & Saturday: 5:00pm - 12:00am

    Parties Larger than 8, Please Call in to Reserve Your Table
    $45 credit card minimum please
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Japanese, Asian, Sushi
  • Executive Chef: Sam Ho
  • Dress Code: Smart Casual
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Area, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Personal wines welcome, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Private Room, Smoking Area, Takeout, Wine
  • Catering: Years of experience with local establishments and organizations to provide on-site and off-site sushi catering service for special events. Sushi Party trays are also available upon request.
  • Special Events & Promotions: The 2nd floor dining room can occupy 30 - 40 people with a full liquor and premium sake bar, overlooking the dining room on the first floor through the glass windows. This stylish room can be used for large private parties or special events.

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Free Validated Parking Thursday-Saturday 5:00-Close
  • Public Transit: Market-Frankford Line- 2nd Street Station
  • Parking: Street Parking
  • Parking Details: In the event that street parking is not available, Zento Offers FREE Validated (Indoor) parking at Sky Park located at 37 S 2nd St on the North East Corner of 2nd and Chestnut St.
A word from Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar
*Free Validated parking located at Sky Park (Indoor Garage) 37 S 2nd St on the NE corner of 2nd and Chestnut St Thursday-Saturday 5:00-Close

Sexy and trendy two-story spacious establishment with a full liquor and premium sake bar. The main dining room welcomes you with a 10 ft long sushi… bar, attended by our talented and skilled chefs. Then few steps away is the full liquor bar fills with good selections of top shelf liquors and premium sakes for all preferences. The warm table setting welcomes our guests to enjoy a fine meal. The 2nd floor dining room is also occupied by a full liquor and premium sake bar, overlooking the dining room on the first floor. This stylish room can be used for large private parties or special events.



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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerMost Booked 1000-Point Tables
Diner Reviews
  • "Service and food were wonderful. It was a great experience for a business lunch."
    Dined on 7/3/2014
  • "Great food, quick service, quite restaurant. Everything was great"
    Dined on 6/28/2014
  • "Consistently great food and good service. Not to mention very reasonably priced. We will continue to come back!"
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "Arrived at 12:15 for my 12:15 lunch reservation. No one in sight. Waited. Another customer was there to pick up an order and finally called down the steps to the kitchen. Finally I was seated. The nice waiter agreed to make iced tea -- which took a long time, but was nicely brewed. The tuna tartare with potato sticks was wonderful. Had a bowl of ramen with pork and greens. Very nice. Just seemed awkward as I was the ONLY diner in the place the entire time I was there."
    Dined on 6/18/2014
  • "excellent Japanese food but curiously, it is SO EXPENSIVE. Sushi fish portions were very small atop the rice."
    Dined on 6/17/2014
  • "This is a wonderful sushi restaurant where there is no corkage fee during the week, but it also has a full bar and wonderful saki selection if you like saki. The food is delicious and the staff is wonderful! We found it last minute and LOVED it the first time when we just sat at the bar so we brought a whole group back recently who also enjoyed it as much! Since we were a group of 6 they gace us the upstairs which is a private little area and so great!"
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "Top notch sushi and not overly expensive. Excellent variety and all is excellent."
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "Had a great time! They service was personable, friendly and warm. They created an atmosphere where my friends and I could laugh, eat and have a good time. The food was good and fresh too! Amazing experience! Thanks Zento..."
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "The server did not greet us upon sitting. He was sheepish in asking for our order. Never asked for our drink order. Didn't offer specials or advice. Was awkward."
    Dined on 6/13/2014
  • "Too many restaurants have amazing appetizers and somewhat disappointing entrees. We ordered a dozen items, and not a single one was anything less than adventurous, perfectly-prepared, fascinating, and delicious. They actually have a "notable sake list", more than a "notable wine list", but trust me, it IS notable."
    Dined on 6/11/2014
  • "The best thing about Zento was the ambiance. A very cute and cozy restaurant with very comfortable atmosphere. Otherwise, the food and service was mostly average to decent at best. We were warmly greeted and immediately seated. Our server was cordial with a good personality, but was slow and inattentive. Water glasses were not kept filled; we were never checked on to see if everything was okay or if we needed anything. I have had much better sushi in other locations in the area and the sushi here is decent, but not a good value. The chicken teriyaki was a rather poorly prepared version of this common Japanese restaurant entree. If the food and service matched the ambiance then Zento would be a 4 star location."
    Dined on 6/10/2014
  • "Service is a bit slow and portions are pretty small for the price. I got the Giesha Girl (great drink) but it was so tiny and the pan fried dumplings (5 tiny ones, very good btw). I will probably never order a drink again only food. Love the chargebox in the basement and the food still!"
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "Hot Food came out either cold or lukewarm, order was mixed up and was charged for food we didn't order. Food and service use to be much better."
    Dined on 6/5/2014
  • "There is a sushi joint on every corner nowadays, so it is hard to stand out. Zento is a little gem of a place, with maybe a dozen tables and a high ceiling that keeps the noise low. The service is attentive and the food marvelous. We had four rolls and two appetizers. The four rolls were fresh, nicely textured, and seasoned perfectly. The tuna was of highest quality, the shrimp was not overcooked, and the ingredients all harmonized. For appetizers, try the dumplings - melt in your mouth delicious. The only off note in the meal was the crab cake app, which lacked the seasoning and creaminess one expects; indeed, it tasted like cafeteria fish sticks. All in all, 5 out 6 dishes were not just hits, but home runs. I'll come back."
    Dined on 5/28/2014
  • "We went to Zento for a bachelorette party dinner. It was our first stop of the night and definately was the right choice. Our waiter was superb! He made the bride to be and our whole party feel very special. The food was also amazing. The dinner was topped off with ice cream on the house for the bride to be. It was the perfect first stop to an excellent bachelorette night. Thank you Zento!"
    Dined on 5/24/2014
  • "We would probably never have found this place if it weren't for Restaurant.com. We were going to a show at the Prince Theater and decided to give it a try. We checked and found it had wonderful reviews online. The menu was not extensive, but what they did have was excellently prepared. Our server was attentive. The place was a BYOB, which made it extremely affordable. We would definitely go back again."
    Dined on 5/22/2014
  • "everything was wonderful, fresh, and the drinks were delish"
    Dined on 5/18/2014
  • "3 friends and I enjoyed the intimate setting of this place as we wined and dined on some delicious food. The drinks are a little pricey, so we brought our own wine. The uncorking fee was only $5 a bottle and our server only charged us to uncork the first bottle. It is a small place, so I would definitely recommend making reservations in advance as it fills up quickly!"
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "Zento is by far one of the best japanese restaurants in Philadelphia. The sushi is always fresh, the service terrific and overall a great dining experience. I go to Zento quite often, and I have never been disappointed."
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "A super solid pick for a great night out. Everything is right with Zento."
    Dined on 5/17/2014
  • "This is my favorite sushi place in Old City - maybe in Philadelphia all together! The people are super nice and hospitable, the sushi is great, the beer selection is good, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is nice. It's not huge, but it doesn't feel cramped, and you can tell someone put a lot of thought into the decorating. "
    Dined on 5/14/2014
  • "The food is really good - although they haven't changed up the menu in quite a while for some of the more unusual pairings. Sushi and Sashimi need to be fresh, not just inventive, and Zento DOES do fresh well. The wait staff is not as organized and should pay more attention to the diners. Still, a neighbor gem."
    Dined on 5/11/2014
  • "If you are philly local or out of town, Zento is one of the best sushi restaurants on the East coast. Quality and Taste are excellent. Service is always five star."
    Dined on 5/12/2014
  • "Fantastic sushi and sake options. If you enjoy Japanese cuisine, this is a place you need to try "
    Dined on 5/6/2014
  • "Zento never fails with delivering impeccable, mouth watering dishes. The fish is always fresh and the specialty rolls are generous in quantity. The crab cake appetizer was just the perfect serving and although fried, not over-fried or dripping with oil. Love this place over and over, just wish I could afford quality sushi every day!"
    Dined on 5/5/2014
  • "Overall great restaurant. BYO with tasty sushi list, small but cool decor."
    Dined on 4/26/2014
  • "Went friday for lunch with my wife and it was great, the sushi was very fresh, the beef bento box was awesome the ginger dressing on the salad was light and refreshing. the waiter Ken was one of the best waiters i have been served by he was fast and polite. will do lunch here again when I am in the sushi mood."
    Dined on 4/25/2014
  • "Zento is a great sushi place. Wonderful food, friendly staff and great ambiance! "
    Dined on 4/18/2014
  • "We went to Zento's to celebrate my friend's birthday on a Thursday afternoon. The service was good and the sushi was very fresh. We ordered an assortment of rolls to share, and all were delicious. The tofu cheesecake (Lychee flavor with sake-poached peach) was quite interesting, and perhaps a more acquired taste. The price is a bit steep for sushi (4 people, $120 including tax+18%tips). It's worth mentioning that they offer free parking with validation in the SKYPARK garage Thur-Sat after 5pm, so that saved us $16 in parking. Overall, it was a good experience and I would recommend Zento's to my friends."
    Dined on 4/10/2014
  • "I have been to Zento a few times and am still impressed. The food is very good and may very well be the best Japanese restaurant that I have had in the city. I definitely recommend it!"
    Dined on 4/1/2014
  • "The sushi tasted authentic and it was absolutely delicious. The service wasn't the best but wasn't the worse either. Some of the rolls were very pricey but overall I plan on going back and I definitely would recommend it to friends and family."
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "Nice variety, good quality and fresh product. Would have liked to see more exotic and rare options available, and the wagyu entree was sold out. :( But overall an enjoyable experience!"
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "This was my second time at Zento and I will be back. There was a liitle glitch with seating on the first visit but this time around everything was great. The shrimp dumplings are authentic and the rolls and sushi are perfect. My friend raved about the mussels. I would give it five stars if it weren't for the uncomfortably close tables and a higher noise level than I prefer."
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "The best sushi I've had in a long time! The food made up for the fair service."
    Dined on 3/22/2014
  • "I don't think that I would return here. Three of us went on a Friday night (place wasn't at capacity). We each ordered a salad and 3 sushi rolls to split. This event took 3 hours. Our server was absent from our area most of the time and the food took almost an hour and a half to come to our table. Sushi was good but not worth the hour and a half wait."
    Dined on 3/21/2014
  • "I loved the ambience here. It's byob and a great spot for a date. I tried a few different rolls including the volcano roll (amazing) and shrimp tempura (actually tastes like fried shrimp). Definitely try the sushi pizza; you'll be a happy camper!"
    Dined on 3/19/2014
  • "Good food all around -- for my fish- and chicken-eating companions as well as for me (vegetarian -- wonderful vegetable sushi and udon noodles); everything was beautifully done. This restaurant is moderately pricey, for us anyway, so we'll likely think of it as special-occasion material. But it's a terrific place."
    Dined on 3/18/2014
  • "Second time there. First time was much, much better. We were looking forward to our second experience, but probably will not return."
    Dined on 3/19/2014
  • "Wow! What a gem. I've never been to Zento before today. I went specifically because it was on OpenTable and close to one of my client's offices. Sushi was fresh and beautifully prepared. Server was quirky and extremely nice. Highly recommended."
    Dined on 3/19/2014
  • "Good food, but the service was slow. Servers should be more attentive and friendly."
    Dined on 3/15/2014
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Philadelphia / New Jersey Suburbs Winners
  • Most Booked 1000-Point Tables
  • Philadelphia Winners
  • Most Booked 1000-Point Tables
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Plan your next party here
Zento Contemporary Japanese Cuisine + Sake Bar is the ideal location for your next private event. Bring your guests to enjoy … the trendy establishment and vibrant scene as our skilled chefs and professional waitstaff take care of the details. Continued
Great for events up to: 50 35
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