Yu Zen

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Casi C

Joined 3 years ago

Good Sushi and a Good Price. YUM! Pretty much sums up the whole thing! But let me dive in a little deeper for those of you who are not satisfied with just my 5 star rating and the word YUM!

The fish is super fresh. The place is the perfect size, not too big not too small. Everything I've tried there has been delicious and well priced. They have an unfiltered sweet sake (I forget the name) for under $5! Their house sake is always hot and tasty and well priced. The nice lady who seems to run the joint and help out with waiting tables is soooooo sweet! I want to take her home with me! She accidentally spilled a bit of cold sake on our table and she gave us a new one on the house (plus we had the spilled one that was hardly missing a drop!) And the best part....it's walking distance from my home! 5 stars all the way around!

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Thayer Walker

Joined 4 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. There's nothing wrong with this spectacularly average Japanese restaurant, but unless you live in the neighborhood you might wonder why you made the trek.

The 4000 block of Balboa Street is notable only for its spectacular mundanity and it's safe to say that Yu Zen, a Japanese restaurant that calls this strip home, is a product of its environment--there's nothing offensive about it, and nothing particularly endearing either. The sushi is average but the prices are too, so you get what you pay for. The staff is certainly friendly but the service is unexceptional. Pretty paintings of pastoral Japan hang on one wall but much of the rest of the restaurant is a blank white canvas--looks like the decorator went on vacation halfway through the job. The California rolls are made with real crab, and the pork belly is spectacular, but in general you won't regret dining here per se, but if you don't live in the area, you might wonder why you didn't just go to the average sushi joint in your own neighborhood.