Zen Sushi

In Short – You might recognize Zen Sushi if you're a mating masochist who watches reality dating shows like "Blind Date" and "The Fifth Wheel." Both have made this alluring sushi restaurant and bar the setting for many disaster dates. Bamboo-lined walls and Asian-inspired decor fill the spacious bar, which has two levels and a cushy outdoor smoking spot. The upstairs area features comfy lounge seating and a colorful Kabuki-like stage. Downstairs is like a low-key dive bar--perfect for watching aan act on the small stage in the adjoining dining area. – –

Editor's Tips

The Extras:: Basic Beats happens every Saturday night when DJs Dr. No and Yuuki spin a deep house blend of dance floor favorites.
What to Drink:: Two bars serve plum wine, tropical drinks and assorted sakes shots for $1.
Know Before You Go:: Indie music fans and like-minded locals flock here to catch the nightly entertainment that includes everything from rock to spoken word to drag shows.

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User Reviews (27)

ambiance	90.0% positive	“Spacious, great location, great people.” “great night of fun, food, dancing and singing in a cool environment.” “The service wasn't notably slow, I love the ambiance although it might not be for everybody if you dont like listening to Black Sabbath or the greatful dead while eating.” “ambience was great.” “The decor looked nice, and the whole place had a good/relaxed vibe to it.”
drinks	25.0% positive	“These owners had no experience running a restaurant or a bar, and the place was full of health violations.” “When we were standing at the door waiting for our check for the one roll and drinks we had, the rude waitress made us wait while she walked out and told the bouncers something and served water to her other tables.” “worked for another bar of his for 2.5 years and build a great clientel.” “This will be a 21 and over show with full bar 10 bands or More on 2 stages all for $5”
food quality	57.14000225067139% positive	“great night of fun, food, dancing and singing in a cool environment.” “Blah food, bad service, very pricy” “The only thing I can think of in regards to the poor reviews of the fish is that maybe these people like the special rolls with sauces and extras.” “Our meals started off with some miso soup, which was actually quite good.” “While we waited for the food they played the most depressing music.” “Going downtown to little Tokyo, where the sushi is fabulous and the people are friendly.” “Food is authentic and the astmosphere is great.” “The sushi was bland, the portions were small and the services was slow.” “Great food” “suprisingly good food” “The club was in total disrepair, horrid service, mediocre food.” “food was expensive, service was horrible!” “The food was great.” “Ok food, though mediocre for the price.” “As a customer, I paid for overpriced food and attitude problems from multiple staff for literally for sitting in their restaurant and then going outside for a brief conversation prior to leaving.” “The sushi was good and i liked that they also have a DJ and dance floor.” “The food,service, and bands are great” “When the check came, we were annoyed to be paying for inedible food.” “the food is not even that good.” “don't care for that stuff as a whole, I just like good sashimi and sushi and the quality and taste of the fish here is the best Ive had in Los Angeles.” “The food's not bad when you can actually get service.”
overall	100.0% positive	“Overall, you can eat, watch a great show and dance all in one place.” “The decor looked nice, and the whole place had a good/relaxed vibe to it.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“Can't wait for Zen to die and return as a good neighborhood hang like it was always meant to be.” “Exasperated by this after standing there for three minutes, we decided to just leave and were quickly stopped by four huge bouncers who told us to go back inside.”
service	47.220001220703125% positive	“The food,service, and bands are great” “The food's not bad when you can actually get service.” “just went here with a few of my friends and the service was so bad.” “Bartenders were nice and very friendly.” “Going downtown to little Tokyo, where the sushi is fabulous and the people are friendly.” “the staff are just rude.” “The club was in total disrepair, horrid service, mediocre food.” “food was expensive, service was horrible!” “The dance floor is big enough for dancing, good crowd, nice staff and well rounded out music (Top 40, Hip Hop, Dance, and some Spanish).” “The service wasn't notably slow, I love the ambiance although it might not be for everybody if you dont like listening to Black Sabbath or the greatful dead while eating.” “When we were standing at the door waiting for our check for the one roll and drinks we had, the rude waitress made us wait while she walked out and told the bouncers something and served water to her other tables.” “usually don't comment on these sites, but the horrible service here warrants it.” “The service was horrible.” “If you like good service DO NOT go there” “As a customer, I paid for overpriced food and attitude problems from multiple staff for literally for sitting in their restaurant and then going outside for a brief conversation prior to leaving.” “Spacious, great location, great people.” “Blah food, bad service, very pricy” “The only thing I can think of in regards to the poor reviews of the fish is that maybe these people like the special rolls with sauces and extras.”
value	28.570001125335693% positive	“Also, the price is reasonable fo.” “As a customer, I paid for overpriced food and attitude problems from multiple staff for literally for sitting in their restaurant and then going outside for a brief conversation prior to leaving.” “food was expensive, service was horrible!” “Ok food, though mediocre for the price.” “The sushi was bland, the portions were small and the services was slow.” “And it was kindda pricey, 12.95 for a rainbow roll, wtf?” “Exasperated by this after standing there for three minutes, we decided to just leave and were quickly stopped by four huge bouncers who told us to go back inside.”
wait time	50.0% positive	“The sushi was bland, the portions were small and the services was slow.” “Exasperated by this after standing there for three minutes, we decided to just leave and were quickly stopped by four huge bouncers who told us to go back inside.” “The service wasn't notably slow, I love the ambiance although it might not be for everybody if you dont like listening to Black Sabbath or the greatful dead while eating.”

09/29/08

Zen Sushi should not exist!

by emi1130 at Citysearch

I also worked here for the past 3 owners until last year, and I have to agree this place slowly got worse and worse.

And even at it's best it was never what it should or could have been.

I was forced off the schedule after the most recent owner brought in all family members (with absolutely no experience) to take over all the serving and bartending positions, along with the rest who either walked off due to the awful conditions or were fired for no good reason.

These owners had no experience running a restaurant or a bar, and the place was full of health violations.

They also brought in their family members to hang out and eat and drink for free, and they never tipped us either. Cheap and greedy was what they lived for.

Oh, and they never sent me my W2 either, and when I called and called and called, I never had one call returned.

The owner prior to them were another couple who seemed okay, but they booked such horrible shows, there were 2 shootings as well as vadalism in the area because of the horrible hip-hop nights there.

It also turns out they never renewed their license so the place was operating illegally.

The first owner I worked for was not the sweetest, but seems like a god now looking back.

I worked for another bar of his for 2.5 years and build a great clientel. I brought in pretty good money for them, but the new owner who came to that place let me go because he wanted people who would put up with his cheap ways...

So sad these places go under due to bad ownership and management.

Can't wait for Zen to die and return as a good neighborhood hang like it was always meant to be. (or just get torn down!)

Pros: Nothing
Cons: Bad owners, bad staff, bad music, and bad health standards!!!

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07/30/08

THIS PLACE IS NOT RISING FROM THE ASHES IT'S IN THE FINAL STAGES OF BEING CLOSED DOWN

by silverlakeartist at Citysearch

THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WRITING GOOD REVIEWS ETHIER WORK THERE OR HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP OUT. THE REALITY IS I WORKED THERE FOR 3 DIFFERENT OWNERS AND THE PLACE HAS BAD PROBLEMS. NO LEGAL PERMITS FOR ENTERTAINMENT UPSTAIRS OR SELLER'S LICENCE,THE SOUND QUALITY IS STILL HORRIBLE !!! THE FOOD IS EXTREMLY UN-CLEAN !!! THE NEW OWNERS ARE FASCIST !!! THEY HAVE HIGH PRICES FOR BAD DRINKS !!! THE BARTENDERS ARE SLOW AND UN-FRIENDLY !!! THE SECURITY ARE RUDE !!! THE OWNER DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY !!! ALL THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT IS YOUR WALLET AND HOW MUCH THEY CAN TAKE FROM YOU AND THEN TREAT YOU LIKE DOGS TO GET YOU OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME !! THE PLACE IS GREAT BUT THE PLACE IS CURSED WITH "OUTSIDERS" WHO COME TO SILVERLAKE AND TREAT IT LIKE A GREEDY BIZNESS.THE LAST COUPLE OF OWNERS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE, BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE,BAD FOOD,HIGH PRICES,RUDE STAFF AND GREED !!! I QUIT BECAUSE OF THE NEW OWNERS AND I WOULDN'T SPEN A SINGLE CENT FOR A BAD NIGHT.KEEP IT SMALL AND LOCAL !!! SUPPORT THE POEPLE THAT TREAT YOU RIGHT AND MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT HAVING FUN !!!

THEY STILL DO RAP MUSIC WITH UNDERAGE KIDS DRUNK ON THE STREETS AND TAGGING UP THE COMMUNITY.THEY STILL TREAT PEOPLE VERY RUDE AND THEY ONLY SEE YOUR WALLET ! NOT YOU !

CALL ABC @ THE 800 NUMBER.ILLEGAL USE OF EXPIRED PERMITS !!!

Pros: IT WILL CLOSE SOON !
Cons: IT HAS TO CLOSE NOW !

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07/19/08

Grand opening of Silverlakes best Indie ,Punk ,experimental live music club VAmped

by sashlisachristine at Citysearch

GREAT ROCK CLUB AND SUSHI.Silverlake finest venue for Indie ,punk and experimental music .Los Angeles's finest club in the heart of Silverlake is Club Vamped!

The food,service, and bands are great

Club Vamped @ Zen Sushi in Silverlake 2609 Hyperion Ave 90027 Saturday July 26th 7pm-2am

Former promoters of Hot Pants at Mr Ts Bowl 1995-2001 after Fuzzyland and before Mike TV comes back with a BITE! This will be a 21 and over show with full bar 10 bands or More on 2 stages all for $5

Lineup so far with more to come TBA

the Urinals

The Kids Of Widney High

Artichocke

Indio Bait

THE LONELY DUCK

The Human Value

The Deep Sea Goes

Horrors Of Toledo

Biblical Proof Of UFOS

Special Guest DJ Richard Presley (Breeders/Fear guitar)

Sash and Lisa Christine from Vamped Records

spins everything from The Carter Family, Virgin Prunes , Tracy and The Hindenburgh Ground Crew , AutoLux , The Fall, Birthday Party, Crime , US Maple, Pavement, Pink Mountain Tops , Neutral Milk Hotel, Yeah Yeah Yeahs ,Interpol, Tex Ritter , Sesame Street Soundtracks , Red Foxx ,Deadly Syndrome , The Cramps, Soft Cell,Marc and the Mambas, Joy Division , Faust , Ugly Cassanova ,The Germs,Stereolab,The Gorries,Hot Snakes,Can, X, The Black Lips,Deer Hunter,ENO,The Frogs,Tall Dwarfs, Leaving Trains TRex,Stooges,minutemen and the best in experimental ,goth ,real industrial, garage,punk indie, and weird soundtracks and comedy..

Pros: great food service music
Cons: not open 24 hours

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07/11/08

Looks like its comming up from the ashes.

by rigo61 at Citysearch

Where do i start? After reading review after review, I started to notice one thing, how old they are. I recently showed up on a Friday night because they started opening the dance floors for dancing. Heard they had a new manager and promoters trying to change this place to its former glory. The dance floor is big enough for dancing, good crowd, nice staff and well rounded out music (Top 40, Hip Hop, Dance, and some Spanish). The decor looked nice, and the whole place had a good/relaxed vibe to it. Didn't try the sushi (not a raw fish fan), even though people were saying good things about it. Bartenders were nice and very friendly. Overall a good experience, i defenitly would show up next week.

Pros: Decor, Friendly Staff, Good Music, and Enjoyable.
Cons: Parking

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12/26/07

Not very good fish and a little violent

by rapperd at Citysearch

This place feels like it is about to fall down. There are holes in the heap grey plaster exterior. Left overs from upset stomachs from the hot dog/bacon vendo that stands outside. Oh, did I mention there was a gunfight last night, over 12 shots fired. Class A joint if you ask me. If you don't get fatally ill from the fish just bring tha heater.

Zen Sushi

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Editor's Tips

09/29/08

Zen Sushi should not exist!

by emi1130 at Citysearch

07/30/08

THIS PLACE IS NOT RISING FROM THE ASHES IT'S IN THE FINAL STAGES OF BEING CLOSED DOWN

by silverlakeartist at Citysearch

07/19/08

Grand opening of Silverlakes best Indie ,Punk ,experimental live music club VAmped

by sashlisachristine at Citysearch

07/11/08

Looks like its comming up from the ashes.

by rigo61 at Citysearch

12/26/07

Not very good fish and a little violent

by rapperd at Citysearch

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