Zen Restaurant - Sushi restaurant in Boston - 21A Beacon St, USA

December 2023: Food quality was much better than the first time I dined here. Uni and salmon roe were both very good. October 2023: Quaint sushi restaurant close to the Boston Athenaeum. The service was very good, quite attentive. The food was okay. The taste wasn't there for me. There was a couple of ladies who were arguing at a table nearby.

Good quality sushi and creative rolls. I was in Boston for work and I came here two nights in a row I liked it so much. I like that the surroundings aren’t especially fancy, it’s just good food! They have a lot of awards hanging on the wall.

Cozy Japanese eatery near Boston Commons. Great menu and atmosphere. I came here for a quick bite during lunch time and was pleasantly surprised by the food and service. I would recommend this place for a casual lunch or dinner with friends :)

To begin, I would like to point out that there is only one person on the whole floor. This means, this person is the hostess, food runner and server. While the restaurant might be small, this poor worker was running left, right and center. To add on she was a tad passive aggressive but I can’t even blame her cause she was running the whole restaurant by herself. When I walked in it took forever to get greeted and sat. It took forever for her to take my order and thankfully it didn’t take so long for the food to come out. On to the food, it was sooooo mid that I think I can classify it as bad. The fish was not fresh, and the soup and salad was not fresh or good either. The gyoza was both undercooked and burnt at the same time, but not in an “Al denté” type of way. One great thing however is the atmosphere, it’s quiet, well lit and cosy. However one does not go to a restaurant simply to enjoy the atmosphere, the food and service are more crucial. If the food was as good as the atmosphere, then I would partially recommend this place, however you cannot eat vibes. Please save yourself the trip and the money and do not eat here.

Excellent, if small, Japanese restaurant. We had vegetable tempura as an appetizer, since my daughter is a vegan. I had mackerel sashimi as well, which was excellent. My daughter had a vegan sushi selection. I had chicken yatatori. Everything was excellent. Very good service as well. Having been to Tokyo / Yokohama long ago in another life, this place was quite authentic. Prices were very reasonable. Highly recommended.

Was in the mood for a low key authentic sushi meal and zen did not disappoint. The fish was fresh and service was fast. I tried a little but of everything and they gave me a sashimi plate to close out my meal. I am i. Boston pretty often and will surely be back.

Delicious food , polite staff, good service! Everything is pretty good.

I went there with a 9-month old and a friend. Baby pooped and I asked if there is a changing table in the bathroom. The response I got from a server is “We don’t have a changing table. We are not a mall”. I was shocked to hear that. I said “Most restaurants have changing tables”. She said “Not every restaurant does”. I said “You are the only restaurant I’ve been to that doesn’t have one”. And one other server said “Wen’s noodle doesn’t have”. I was again shocked and I have never been back to Wen’s noodles since I had the baby. I will not go back to Zen either.