Zengo Denver

Zengo Denver reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. LI

   LifeIsTooShort VIP

   Denver107 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 21, 2017

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   It was closed. Please don't take anymore reservations for it.
   

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2. SP

   SandyP

   Washington DC27 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 14, 2017

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Open table shouldn't allow you to make reservations at places that are no longer in business!! Puts a wrench in date night . . .
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Denver1 review

   1.0

   Dined on May 13, 2017

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   It's closed. Update your crap, OpenTable. Don't book here.
   

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4. MN

   MNMC

   Denver14 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on May 3, 2017

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   We were in to celebrate two birthdays and our waiter, Steve, was very accommodating: he needed to inquire with the bartender and chef a number of times regarding offerings and ingredients. The Ahi and Salmon pokes were delicate and flavorful, the Zen Omikase was tasty and well-suited for a group of four (we requested an additional portion be added so everyone had a serving of everything) and the Soba Noodle Sauté, Pork Ribs, and Bulgogi Tacos were thoroughly enjoyed. We appreciated the open feel of the space, and the mix of retro wire chairs and sculptural wood wall were a lively part of our dinner conversation. Unfortunately, they were out of two of the dishes we wanted - the Spicy Lump Crab Guacamole and Duck Maseca Pancakes, but we still ate well and shared nearly everything including a reasonably priced bottle of wine. Though we all enjoyed the side of thin sliced pickles, the Chicken Sate was dry and arrived sans peanut sauce - our waiter took it off the bill for us. Portions are rather small and pricing a little high, but the valet service is complimentary and in a 2-hr parking area, that makes a real difference for leisurely dining. Table maintenance was an issue at our small four-top, but Steve was otherwise attentive and friendly, and he graciously took care of our Birthday desserts and coffees. All in all, we enjoyed our celebratory evening and would return for nibbles/tapas, and a drink.
   

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5. WT

   WhiteTornado

   Denver6 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 2, 2017

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   We have eaten at Zengo many times before and had a great experience but have not been there in over a year. We went to celebrate a family birthday. They were extremely overwhelmed. It started with only one valet person. He was doing the best that he could running back and forth but when almost all of customers need to use this service due to lack of available parking, you need to have more than one valet parker. We had reservations which they didn't seem to care about although we were seated promptly. However, we sat at our table for almost an hour without service. At the forty minute mark, my husband inquired and our waiter came over about ten minutes later to take our drink and food orders. We received our food before our drinks and some of our drinks were beers. The bartender could not make a drink. Two of the three that we originally ordered came out as other drinks because they were out of the main ingredient of the ordered drink so they just randomly substituted a drink. They were good about taking the drinks back as we did not want them and they did not charge us. The newly ordered drink was a gin and tonic that tasted terrible, how does that happen? We just paid for it. The food was good but they were out of several items that they didn't tell us about until after the order was in process and then the server can back for a different order. At the end, only sorbet and churros where available for dessert so we passed. The food was good but not as good as it has been in the past and other people had dishes that cooked at their table and the entire restaurant was being filled with smoke. The entire night the lights were turned up really high so you felt like you were being interrogated. It was seriously bright, almost like after hours lighting for cleaning purposes. Our server tried his best but we will not return.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Denver3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 2, 2017

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   I'm beyond disappointed with what Zengo has become. I've been a loyal diner since 2013 and today was unacceptable. They took off their best tapas and added on sushi. It was similar to the sushi you get from king soopers, the fish was dyed and thinly sliced. They replaced the black cod with mahi-mahi and they did not have grey goose or belvedere. It was the worst dining experience I've had in years. We had to send a dish back because it was cold and we had to bus our own dishes and put them on the table next to us. I will never be back.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Denver3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on May 2, 2017

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Worst Denver dining experience I've ever had on May 1 2017. We used to love Zengo, it was different and great food/service. We will never go again. They were out of Vodka (two types), and we got our wonton tuna tacos before any drinks ever arrived (server said bar was backed up - only about 6 people at bar). Tuna tacos were mostly white rice. No soy sauce on table, no sushi dipping bowls. No black cod available and it is one of only about 5 full entree size items on the menu. Sushi was inedible. Edamame was soaked in oil! Stir fry beef dish stone cold like it was made the day before. Tenderloin was well done shoe leather. Poor server was by himself and could not come close to keeping up. We bussed our own table and had to get soy sauce from other tables! Waygu beef at $13/oz with 3 oz minimum contained pieces that were pure fat (about $3/piece)! We complained to our server (he said he's heard it a lot lately) and to management. We were comp'd some of the food, but then they added $20 to the price of our bottle of wine! Server said he told them they overcharged on wine but maybe it was because our food was discounted. They did end up taking the $20 off but what shady business practice that was. We will never dine there again.
   

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8. L

   Lisa

   Denver53 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on May 1, 2017

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   It was a quiet night at Zengo when 4 of us went for a meal. The menu is interesting - with a mix of small plates for sharing. We like the location - easy to get to from the light rail or by car.
   

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9. CG

   CGarr

   Denver1 review

   4.0

   Dined on April 22, 2017

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   This was the first time I have been back to Zengo in a couple of years- food was great and the service was good but I do miss the brussel sprouts~
   

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10. DB

    DBear VIP

    Denver59 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 22, 2017

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    If you go by other reviews, you might think that Zengo has really gone down hill in the last year, or since changing things up a bit. I would argue that this is not the case. We visited Zengo previously about 15 months ago and then last Friday. I was not terribly impressed with our earlier visit. This time, however, we went on Friday during Happy Hour so we could try a couple of drinks and an appetizer before dinner. We took a couple of seats in the bar area. Since they do not have any beer on tap (bottles only) I decided to try one of the $5 cocktails, the Whiski Wash. I enjoyed it and my wife liked the vodka/basil drink named the Brahma. The Chicken Karaage is chicken thigh meat served with a Korean chili sauce and was quite good. Since our service was good we saw no reason to move to the dining room and ordered our dinner in the bar area. We had the New Volcano Roll to start. I ordered the Squash Curry (which turned out to be pumpkin), and my wife got a spicy prawn dish of which I don't recall the name. Everything was very tasty, but if you shy away from spiciness with some heat, you may want to avoid Zengo. Both dishes were spicy in their own right, but not so much that it took anything away from the flavor of the underlying food. I really enjoyed the curry and could still taste the pumpkin. The spicy heat to the prawn dish is one that your mouth won't soon forget and stretched my palate a bit, but I would order it again if in the mood for such. The portions were good (we took home part of the prawn dish), so we didn't have dessert. In any case, the service, food and ambiance were all to our liking and we recommend giving Zengo another try.
    

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