Zen Chinese Bistro in Portland - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

You want overpriced and decent food that will only give you a little knot in your stomach? you nailed it. Serious, it is good food for what you would expect... service has tanked ever since they have hired some new help. But I guess you get what you pay for. If you order take out, you need to open it up and check it right there in the store 4/10 times you don't get a item, a side or extra sauce.... even though you paid for it.

I came here to buy sesame beef. You can have it with white rice or brown rice. The portion is great and it's also very delicious. They open every day for take outs and deliveries but dine-in is available only 4 days a week after 5 pm.

I only had take out but it was very good. I ordered the Szechuen Tofu, not quite as spicy as i thought it might be but im a medium hot person so it was really nice. Had Beef and Ginger, also really nice with fresh mini bok choys, a great touch. Chicken on Fired noodles also quite authentic. So a very good standard and I would certainly recommend for take out.

Was nervous looking at the building as we walked up but the people were super friendly even though they were understaffed and the food was absolutely amazing!

Zen is open for take out at 11 AM everyday, but only has dining in after 4 Wednesday to Saturday. Food is well prepared and reasonably priced. A little off the beaten path in downtown Portland, But worth finding it if you are looking for good Chinese food.

Whole on a trip to Portland we decided to try this restaurant. The greater was very pleasant as well as our waitress. The overall environment seemed gloomy. We were seated and we had one plate that was broken, another with a hair on it. We git those swapped out and the waitress brought us our water. Three glasses out of four had stuff floating in the water. The waitress brought us different glasses. Two of us order Pepsi that did not taste like Pepsi. At this point we decided to pay for the drinks and leave.

While on a trip to Portland we decided to try this restaurant. The greater was very pleasant as well as our waitress. The overall environment seemed gloomy. We were seated and we had one plate that was broken, another with a hair on it. We git those swapped out and the waitress brought us our water. Three glasses out of four had stuff floating in the water. The waitress brought us different glasses. Two of us order Pepsi that did not taste like Pepsi. At this point we decided to pay for the drinks and leave.

Best Chinese food I've had in a while. Also might be the best overall General Tso's I've ever had. Premium, fresh ingredients. On point service. Was only about $10 more than another local place I tried that had incredibly inferior quality. Will be returning!

They refused table service at 720pm and offered take out only.

Lately it’s been hard to find good Chinese food in the state of Maine since it’s become awash with lobster and clam chowder but DAMN this place was good. The beef skewers, chicken wings, my guy General Tso and his jasmine rice was to die for. I particularly enjoyed the baklava at the end. It tasted all the more sweet because it was complimentary. Defo recommend. 10/10.

We chose Zen Chinese Bistro to celebrate our large Staff Christmas Dinner and we were so happy we did! The food was absolutely delicious and brought out in a timely manner all our guests loved the Huge variety of cuisine to enjoy as part of the family style dinner options! We had such a wonderful time on the second floor of the restaurant and had it all to ourselves. Our servers were Excellent and provided courteous and friendly service. Anything that was needed our guests were immediately tended to! We brought our own selection of holiday music. We truly enjoyed amazing food, cocktails and great company! Delicious flavors, excellent portions and wonderful customer service. Great selection of cocktails and beers. The restaurant is beautiful and elegant on the inside. We highly recommend and will be one of our go to Chinese restaurants in Portland! We highly recommend Zen Chinese Bistro for your next dinner party or holiday staff party!! All our guests loved the delicious food and festive location to commemorate a special occasion!!

Attended for a business holiday party. The staff was beyond accommodating, food was incredibly tasty and served quickly. Recommend for any event or casual dinner!

Best around. Been looking for good Chinese for a while. Tried them all

During our visit to Portland, we decided to satisfy our craving for Chinese food at Zen Chinese Bistro. Our order included the Crispy Rice & Chicken Soup, Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, both served with white rice, and a side of egg rolls to go. The Crispy Rice & Chicken Soup was delightful, and the Kung Pao Chicken was decent. However, the Orange Chicken left much to be desired – it was hard, dry, and the sauce didn't live up to our expectations. Overall, our dining experience was average. The ambiance of the restaurant felt a little lackluster, and the cleanliness was subpar, which detracted from the overall dining atmosphere. While our visit didn't meet all of our expectations, it's worth noting that the soup and Kung Pao chicken were highlights of the meal. It's possible that others may have different experiences, and we hope that the restaurant can address the issues we encountered. In conclusion, if you decide to dine at Zen Chinese Bistro, I recommend trying the soup and the Kung Pao chicken, but you might want to be cautious when ordering the Orange Chicken.

Ordered the gluten free Singapore rice noodles with jumbo shrimp. The shrimp was over cooked but they took the tails off which I kinda liked. And they give a good amount of shrimp for a 20+$ meal. Other than that I wasn’t a fan of the poorly mixed seasoning on the noodles. Reminds me of the ramen noodle seasoning packets chicken flavored with cayenne. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Best classic Chinese food in Portland. Great for takeout as well.

Went on a night where they normally do not have dine in but they graciously served us at a table! The food here is the bomb! NO MSG, lots of Gluten Free snd vegetarian options! The portions are excellent! We go here often and I always forget to post a review because I’m so involved with my food. LOL!

Best Chinese style food we had in years! We highly recommend it. Four of us went for dinner. All the entrees and appetizers were judged to be delicious: meat, seafood and vegetarian. Gluten free is clearly marked on the menus and very welcoming. Free parking after 5:00, call ahead to check for seating vs take out. We'll be back.

We stopped after a long day of site seeing & got 2 orders of lo mein with jumbo shrimp to go and it was the absolute best Chinese food I’ve had in the U.S. we drove for 40-45 min back to our campsite & it was still hot and we did not need to warm it up.

Service was fast, courteous and efficient. Food was reasonably priced, plentiful and delicious. The menu was huge. Bar cocktails are delicious. Definitely worth another trip there.

If you’re looking for gluten free Chinese food, look no further! We always hit up Zen when we are in Portland and it never disappoints! Great drinks as well!

Love having gluten free options! A little pricey, and sometimes a bit of a wait for pickup but overall a favorite!

You can only dine in on Fridays and Saturdays. Other days you have to order and pickup or have delivered. Excellent service. Menu clearly labeled for gluten free items.

Zen has wonderful Chinese food. (Don’t do this) but I ordered food 15 min before they closed & though it was too short notice… when I showed up on my bike they made sure to get me my order. Thank you Zen Bistro & the kind cooks!

Excellent service and the food and drinks were delicious!!

I’ve heard numerous times how amazing this restaurant is! And it’s all true! Couple of weeks ago, I went in and grabbed one of their small Zen platters, for me, and a friend… It was enough food to feed an army! And truly the best old school American Chinese food I’ve ever had! Their prices are a bit higher than some of the other local Chinese restaurants, however, completely worth it, because it actually tastes good! Their eggrolls, BTW. epic! The couple who run the restaurant are lovely, sweet folks, too!

Crab Rangoons and Orange Chicken were very good. Would definitely order again

Tonight was my first experience with them - amazing first impression made! Superior quality food that will last me for several meals! I won't even kid there - it took a tablespoon or one of each of the three dishes/sides that I ordered to fill a full-sized plate and which filled me. Typically Chinese food has you begging for more a few hours later. Not this time! This was a total treat and I'm glad I did it! :)

Been eating here for years and I've never had a bad meal. Staff is always friendly. Prices are reasonable for the serving size.

I love their gluten free options! So delicious

Owner was rude. Delivery driver was an hour later than what we were told they were going to be. Food was ice cold and absolutely disgusting

Food is very good, we order often. Chicken wings are juicy and ginger spices are noted. I love the egg rolls but the duck sauce is the key for me. ASIA in So Portland(sadly now closed) but they had the best duck sauce on the planet. Please ZEN, get that duck sauce recipe

I have to change my review after my recent experience. Who argues with a customer and uses an online ordering system but tells you that you should have called instead? Wait, then wouldn't credit my card after the botch up but instead insists I wait while they redo my order? Like I would enjoy eating that! I was never credited, felt bullied, and will not recommend this place.

Delicious food and great atmosphere. Everything we had here tasted good, not greasy and had wonderful flavor. My husband and I would highly recommend!

I am more than excited to go to Zen Chinese bistro because I always hope that the cute little gray french bulldog named prince is working!!!!!! He makes it worth a trip to the store alone ! Adorable. Prince makes it more convincing & inviting for me to try dining in here sometime !!! (I am a food delivery driver)

Nice little place just off the main strip of Fore St. Large gluten free selections on the menu. Pleasant staff.. excellent drinks.

After checking the online - learned it was only takeout! Also online food price and different than store manu!

Haven't had decent Chinese food since leaving Mass but Zen is pretty close. Great food and staff...owners were gracious

Favorite Chinese takeout in Portland, always consistent and delivery is usually fast :)

Zen Bistro is the best! The only place I order Chinese food from.

We love Zen! They have the best selection of gluten free items on the menu, all labelled, not to mention, the food is delicious!

Great food! No MSG! CRAB Rangoon is home made and awesome!

I have Celiac disease and this is the only one I don't get sick and the food and people here are amazing

It's my favorite place to get oriental food

I was less impressed this time. Have ordered takeout before and enjoyed it. But, I think the quality wasn't there this time. The food tasted off & the inside was dark, dingy and dusty. I know they aren't doing in-person, but the 1st impression is not of a business that cares about 1st impressions. And, I'd give it another try, but it's too expensive to get "just ok". Sorry, I really wish I could give a better review than, "meh".

I had the gluten free general tsos chicken and Singapore street noodles - need I say more? Both very delicious and large portions. I will definitely be ordering again!

Owner was super nice and they have amazing soup options! Definitely recommend! 😇

Yuck. Flavorless yuck. I ordered the crispy rice and chicken soup. This is a soup that I make often. It’s a beautiful clear broth with veggies, chicken, pork, and shrimp. Sometimes other seafood is added. It’s served with deep fried rice that sizzles when you add it. The soup I got from zen was thickened with cornstarch to a snot like consistency, had very little flavor, and a tiny packet of the crisped rice on the side. For $30 dollars I got a dollar store meal. Plus I asked for utensils and got 2 chopsticks and 1 fork. I ordered soup and an egg roll. No spoon for 30$. Come on.

A gluten free oasis of Chinese food. Prices have gone through the roof post-COVID but we end up ordering delivery again and again. Not a lot of other GF options locally.

Best Chinese food in the area. Very fresh and clean taste! Generous portions always gives us two meals.

I have Celiac but I had so many options!!! Food was AMAZING!!! Even though eating in wasn't allowed, the gentleman- maybe the owner- let us after we explained we were on way home to Boston. AGAIN- FOOD WAS AMAZING!!!! GF wings!!! Unreal!

Food was pretty good expensive tho

Online ordering is always quick and easy.

Love that they show what is gluten free! Never had a bad reaction! Super delicious, even as leftovers!!

Standout Chinese restaurant in Portland. The owner, Kamal, was very kind and let us dine in. They don't offer much dine in since they can't keep staff. We live about an hour away and needed a place to eat after the Christmas concert. My 95 year old grandmother had requested Chinese food that we could take to her, so we were glad to be able to takeaway from here. We had hot and sour soup, pork dumplings, and bbq spareribs for apps. For dinner, we had Singapore rice noodles, sweet and sour chicken, beef with peapods, and pork fried rice. Absolutely delicious. We can't thank Kamal enough for his hospitality! We'll be back when we're in town.

Zen Chinese always delivers (literally and figuratively!). We've yet to find a dish on the menu we don't like, and the service is fantastic.

Love the lunch specials here with the soup, entree, and choice of rice. Food is ready quickly and it's very hot and delicious! Can't wait to try more! Friendly staff too!

I LOVE Zen Chinese Bistro. As someone with celiac, it is rare that I feel 100% confident about the food I order from restaurants, but I have never had a problem with eating at Zen - and I am really sensitive to cross-contamination. On top of that the food is absolutely delicious.

Great food, definitely will be going back!

Always good, always fast. Some of the better Chinese food around.

As someone who is gluten intolerant, I have a deep appreciation for Zen and its management. Not only are most dishes gluten-free, but they are also made with high quality, FRESH ingredients (for instance, dishes do not contain MSG). I order from here at minimum once a week, and I have to say it is the most consistent restaurant in the area. The food is always top quality, the atmosphere is chic and spotless, and the management could not be any sweeter. My recommendations: hot & sour soup, Singapore rice noodles, moo goo gai pan, sweet & sour chicken, orange chicken, Chinese bok choy, Szechuan string beans, and sesame chicken

Doordash screwed up our order twice and these guys stayed open and waited for us to come pick up our food. Awesome customer service and delicious food.

I LOVE..LOVE this place! The food is always prepared fresh, so flavorful. The staff are EXCELLENT! THIS is my favorite place to eat~

Me and my fiancee have only ate here once so far, but it was very tasty! A little more pricey but it is definitely worth the yummy quality of there food!!! We absolutely will eat here again! :)

Friendly staff and great service.

I like this place. The portions are generous and the servers are friendly. They even let me charge my phone in the restaurant!! A+ for service. My kung pao chicken was tasty. The portion was huge and I had to take the rest home. Beware, the chili oil is really hot.

The food was good but the food isn’t worth the amount they charge. General Tso’s chicken shouldn’t be $21.00. Any where else that’s ordering two dinners of that dish. I could see if the portion was larger or if the quality was any better than any other restaurant but it wasn’t. Other than the pricing great experience.

This place is awesome! Freshest Asian food in the city

Super friendly staff, the restaurant is beautiful and the food is so good. :)

Hands down the best Chinese food we drive an hour and half and bring coolers for leftovers

I recently found that I can't have gluten. They had so many options for gluten-free and they were really great about it. The food was excellent and I am so glad I tried it. I will definitely be back the next time I'm in the area!

Numerous Gluten Free dishes you wouldn't expect and fresh ingredients. From Orange Chicken, General Tso Chicken, Chicken Cashew, Moo Goo, Fried Rice (all kinds), Beef Teriyaki are all gluten free. I recommend the GF crunchy Chicken Soup for 2 as an appetizer. Excellent quality and staff are welcoming. Enjoy your time.

Great gluten-free menu, and delicious food. Would definitely go again!

I found Zen many years ago and it is my favorite spot. The food is amazing service is fantastic. I have shared this place with friends and family and they have always said it is the best. I have celiac and they have many safe and Delicious choices. It is one of the few restaurants I feel completely comfortable knowing I can eat well here.

This is hands down the freshest and best tasting Chinese food I’ve ever had!! This is the only place I’ll be getting Chinese take out from now on!!

We ordered takeout for our first time dining at this restaurant. The food was ready/hot for pickup. We ordered the hot and sour soup and the Zen appetizer platter. Both were delicious and we look forward to trying something else from the menu when we return to the area.

If I have a choice of where I’m getting takeout, it’s almost always here. They are very fast and the food is always delicious. Also, the chicken wings are addictive.

Good food, served promptly. Our favorite Chinese restaurant in the Portland area.

We LOVE Zen. Great food, always ready quickly, and safe for peanut allergies.

Zen Chinese Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland and has some of the best Chinese food in Maine. The food is consistently outstanding, and always has the taste of fresh ingredients. I highly recommend the sesame chicken, the walnut shrimp, and General Tso's chicken as my personal favorites from the Chef's specialties, but everything I've ever had from Zen's has been excellent.

I'm sure I've reviewed before but i love this place so much they get more than 1! I've said this before and will again: BEST RICE IN THE WORLD!!!! and I absolutely love the lettuce in the wonton soup. Sooo gooood!!! - Marie :-)

Great selection and super tasty.

I love this Chinese food! First off, tons of the meals are gluten free (labeled on menu), which is not common for Chinese food. Second, the food is delicious, & seems higher quality than traditional Chinese food. Third, the staff is very nice also. My husband & I get takeout here all the time, & highly recommend it.

Our experience with Zen Chinese Bistro has been excellent, so with the advent of COVID-19, we decided to do takeout. We ordered Pork Dumplings, Duck with Ginger and Scallions, and Hunan Shrimp. The only thing good was the Pork Dumplings. My duck was tasteless, tough, and thoroughly unappealing and the shrimp was not much better and there were only 3! It's a shame, as there are so few good restaurants available and Chinese restaurants are taking a hit as they are wrongly accused of COVID.

Me cobraron casi $ 7. 00 más de lo que decía el menú. Cuando le pregunté al camarero, actuó como si estuviera confundido y repitió lo que pedí. Cuando le dije cuánto debería haber costado, él dice que el menú subió solo un poco, no se preocupe, es solo un dólar o dos, dije que no, casi $ 7, todo lo que dijo estuvo bien. Son deshonestos y demasiado caros, pagué $ 28 dólares y cambio por arroz frito y togo de ragoon de cangrejo pequeño.

Best chinese food in Portland. Quantity and quality were both first class.

Excellent 1st meal here. Tough to find Peking Duck cooked traditional style and prices were great. Will be going back again soon

It was OK. Many good places to eat in Portland. Probably will not be on my must do list next time. During the busy dinnertime we were the only ones there. Mid week, December. But the phone was ringing and take out orders seemed to be doing good business.

Hidden gem! We ordered the Zen platter and loved every bite. I've never cared for spare ribs until I discovered this place. Wow! So delicious. We will be back!

My favorite Chinese restaurant on the planet earth!

Excellent fresh food nice people good customer service. Food pricey but worth it. Good size restaurant very busy. Waited at Christmas time 1/2 hour to be seated.

Great Chinese Food, but head & shoulders above the usual. Always cooked just right and ready on time. Easy to get to.

The food was good. They're very conscious of food/gluten allergies, which is why we chose to eat there.

Great food, nice atmosphere for a date night.

Fast delivery, great food, polite service!

Are you wok?? First, I must admit to loving Chinese food all my life...mainly because my mom had been taught by a good woman friend from Kowloon. Mom is gone but Mrs. Chang's legacy lives on in our family since the 50s At any rate, I have a low bar and will even enjoy 'mall' Chinese food. That being said, I can be 'snooty' when I want. Zen, in short, II have found to be the best in our small, food loving town and i have been enjoying them since they opened a few years ago. I have never been disappointed. Their food is, well, incredible. The . veggies are always fresh and kept in excellent texture..only kept in that great invention, the wok, until just right. This equally true of their proteins. They feature regional styles, all cooked to perfection. I would only say that they are a tad pricey, but you usually get what you paid for. You won't be disappointed at the eclectic atmosphere and food. Near west side, arts district, the old port and busy waterfront.

My favorite dish is Kung Pao chicken is the best.

Our second visit in two weeks, The service, menu and atmosphere were all delightful. The portions are huge! Great Tastin, fresh, no MSG delight! Parking close and free. When the boat is back in the water,

THE BEST CHINESE FOOD IN PORTLAND HANDS DOWN

Lovely people! Super courteous. Great place