Zen Gardens

Always great food and tea. Every time we go to London from Ottawa we go here. We cannot go to London without going to this restaurant. It's a must try for sure. Pictures are won ton soup (small bowls) udon noodles with fried tofu I believe (daughter got this", kung po soy chicken, sweet and sour lappa, fried been curd sushi roll (cone, yes vegan) and lotus tea.

While the food was tasty, the portion sizes seem to have shrunk a lot! The dinners no longer include tea or magic bar either. They were sold out of several offerings as well. Tables were littered with paper, pens, and the last customers dishes - who’d left before we arrived - and the dishes remained the entire time. Service was extremely slow, despite telling them on arrival that we had a set time to leave by (75 minutes), and not a single other table seated. The waiter who was practically non existent never brought our cash change out. He said he thought it was all a tip…

Wonderful experience. We enjoyed all the Vegan options and 2 types of teas, which were served to us in candle lit glass teapots! Amazing staff, excellent food and wonderful service! We will be back again 😊

Fantastic vegan/vegetarian food with incredible flavor! The staff were super friendly, and the service was top-notch. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great dining experience.

I don’t live in London, but when I’m in town, I love coming here! Tonight, I had hot & sour soup and black bean “fish”, and I’d recommend both.

My absolute favourite place for dine in or take out. The wonton soup is always my go to & I can’t help but always get a bunch of appetizers as they’re all so good! Staff is so friendly & I always feel welcomed here. Lovely & delicious!

Do not go here for a dine in if you are hungry. I’d recommend a take out. They take 20 min to get to you for order another 30 min wait for the food to come and 15 min to get you the bill. I always have a terrible experience whenever I dine in here. We went there yesterday and it was my bad I was starving. As we entered 3 tables were still dirty with plates and leftovers. The employee said he only has one table that’s available and this is all he is got. He gave us the menu and disappeared for about 15 min. He showed up with a take out delivery and we called him to take the order. He quickly ran inside saying 5 more minutes and disappeared again. I had to go call him to ask if he can take the order or else we d leave as we are hungry, he said thy are very busy at the moment and can’t take order so we left the place. Am surprised to only see 2 tables filled in and a take out every 10 min where they couldn’t keep up with the service. And this is the third time with similar experience. If I am still ordering food from them. It d be a take out only for the quality and taste but never going back there for a dine in again. Horrible staff and service.

Great place for vegan food! Mostly all vegan Asian cuisine with unique fare and traditional dishes with vegan plant based meat. Ordered from here for Super Bowl This year as we didn't feel like making anything. Ordered the day before and it was ready on time for pick up, hot and fresh and we got a discount for picking up. Owners are very friendly and very helpful. Great food and great service, will definitely be ordering here again.

In the words of our omnivorous son, "it shouldn't be legal for food to be this good!" Delicious veggie sushi, lunch bento box teriyaki special, and udon soup amongst our family

Being a vegetarian, the name immediately caught my eye. They have a plentiful menu of Asian flavors with for any taste, vegetarian or carnivore. The combination platter was a deal. It comes with tea, soup, spring roll and nuggets, fruit salad, entrée, rice, and dessert. All for a good price. The food was really tasty. Service was good. Nice atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this if you are in the downtown London area.

Great food shit ass service sat here in the restaurant for more then 50min before they took our order because they kept giving priority to delivery orders

I am in love with this place! We went for lunch and had the udon soup, hot and sour soup, pan friend dumplings, curry vermicelli and to top it off the ginger hopper drink and coconut milk. Everything was DELICIOUS! The flavours were perfect and serving sizes are large! We even had takeout the next day and it was just perfect! The service was excellent and very attentive!

Absolutely great food and great variety. Great for vegetarians and vegans that miss Chinese food! I have only ordered through online but I've never been disappointed with what arrived. Definitely recommend.

ok food. Very clean but a bit on the bland side. Service was meh. Although polite, server was unable to answer simple questions about the menu and didn't care enough to go ask someone who knew. When paying with card, one of the servers just put the machine on my table and walked away. Had to wait for her to come back to reset, then had to wait for a pen in order to sign. They just need to get it together a little more is all.

What a gem of a place. I wasn't expecting much from a Chinese place in London, ON, but man was I impressed. While not exactly authentic, whatever it lacks in that area they make up for with super delicious, creative, and generous dishes. They serve mostly Chinese food, with some sushi thrown in - usually when Chinese food places serve sushi, I steer clear. They even have a dim sum menu. Nearly everything is vegan (a few dishes have egg or dairy, which are clearly marked). I went for a small bowl of won ton soup ($5.50++), which came with a nice array of fresh vegetables and tofu, and a delicious light broth; and curry vermicelli ($10.95++), which came with tofu, gluten a la BBQ pork (which was amazing), and other shredded vegetables - delicious! The female server was very friendly and appreciative of my business. Highly recommended, and if I'm ever in London, I will be sure to come back. Awesome place.

This place is a vegetarian place. I normally don't like to go to these places because I love my meat. But after reading all the reviews I just had to try it. I'm so glad I did! I got the bent box with ma por tofu. It also came with purple rice!! I was initially scared of eating the purple rice expecting it to be too hard. But it was actually soft with a little bit of texture. The bento box also came with tofu nuggets. They were my favorite part of the bento box actually!!! the portion was just right and I enjoyed every bite of it. The meal also came with tea and dessert. It's like heaven in my mouth. Super delicious! I would have to come here again next time I visit

Had lunch here yesterday and LOVED it. The vegan drumsticks were excellent and we enjoyed the seitan platter as well. It has seitan four ways and the textures and flavored are all very different which was very impressive. We each had a lunch combo. I almost died from the adorableness of the bento boxes that came out. My lunch was vegan so it came with five round nuggets rather than the two chicken nugget shaped soy nuggets my husband received. The salad was incredible...strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, cucumber, radish, tomato and lettuce with a very spicy orange dressing drizzled on top. Sounds like an odd fruit/vegetable combo but it really worked. The purple rice was great and my entree of tofu with sesame skin was very good. We left completely stuffed and satisfied. Reminds me of a classier Loving Hut with no television playing news of animal disasters around the world. Kings Cafe is one of their suppliers and I have tasted many of their vegan items at the Toronto Veg Fest, so I knew they would be excellent.

Went here for dinner tonight for my girlfriend's birthday. I made a reservation for 7pm and was seated immediately. The waiter was really friendly, quick, and accurate with his service. She got the bean curd and veggies bento box and I got the enoki mushrooms and seaweed wrap bento box and both were really good. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the dressing on the fruit salad, but can't fault them for that I suppose. The purple rice was good; I really enjoyed its texture. The soy nuggets were awesome! The sauce was on the mushrooms and choi were a little on the heavy side, but cooked perfectly. The spring roll was also very nice. I'm a big fan of oolong tea and I found that it was a good accompaniment to the meal. My girlfriend really enjoyed our dessert: a date square with cookie and oats. The waiter was also kind enough to offer us a gift certificate to come back as a birthday present! The menu is quite expansive too! I'll be back to try more of it!

I happened into Zen Gardens when I was wandering down Dundas looking for healthy eats on a summer day, I was not disappointed! Their wok dishes are filling but not greasy, the eggplant hotpot was flavorful and smooth. This place needs more attention, I hope they get it!

This is one of my favourite restaurants and I am not even vegetarian OR vegan. My daughter is and suggested it. I was a little nervous but no need . There is even a soup there that when you eat it makes you feel healthier.

We had a delightful meal with friends last night at Zen Gardens and it was fantastic. We started with a seitan platter and two pots of tea, jasmine pearl and an oolong. My only complaint on the night is that the tea was made with water that was too hot making the tea more bitter and flavored with tannins. Each of us had a combination platter that was priced at about 15 bucks. This is a really good value and all of us really enjoyed our food.

I love the concept of a veggie Chinese joint paired with soothing, minimalistic design. (Definitely a much nicer ambiance than the similar Golden Era in San Francisco!) All our food was fresh and well-portioned. The cups of soup are huge and very generous with the fixings, although I think the veggie wonton filling could be improved. My partner's sweet & sour was different from the usual and he totally loved it. My favorite item was the veggie BBQ pork bun! There isn't any such thing in the Chicago area, and I had been craving it for sooo long. As far as I could tell, their veggie version did a fairly good job mimicking the real thing--very similar flavors and textures. The sticky rice in lotus leaf, another item I've been craving was sadly rather bland and overpriced. Also, we thought the pan-fried dumplings were just okay. Our entrees were quite impressive though. I had the fake fish in maple sauce which was incredibly meaty and fishy-tasting (in a good way). My partner's eel dish was crispy and super delicious--that's what I'd order next time! Instead of rice, we each received a side of fresh fruit covered in orange sauce, which struck me as a bit odd. The fruit was perfectly tasty, but I'd prefer to leave that for dessert. I ordered an extra side of purple rice ($2) which came with a delicious crispy sesame seed topping. Very, very polite service, and lovely ambiance. Will certainly return if we drive to Toronto again!

Loved this place when I lived in London. The crispy soy fritters are the best. You must try these 100%

This place used to be one of my favourite vegetarian places in London. The last experience we got for takeout left me hanging. I ordered the fried rice with the avocado and the spicy eggplant. The rice was $11, decent tasting, but nothing to blow me away. The spicy eggplant was $15. For eggplant the portion wasn't very big, but that's ok, I know that this place does amazing things with flavour. Not so this time. It was bland, unflavourful, and not remotely spicy. I hope this changes next time.

Zen garden is a very zen restaurant. Decorations: very near and clean and with a sense of purity. Food: a lot of mock meat to choose from. I ordered toufu bento and sour soup, my hubby ordered sweet and sour rib(bean) bento and we enjoyed every bit of it. However the milk tea didn't reach my expectation which can be a little too light for me. Service: very friendly staff who'll remind you to check the meter outside the restaurant and yes, parking is just in front of the place. I'll come every two months for a pure and clean meal here definitely!

We decided to order in a 'goodbye lunch' for a coworker. She is vegan and selected Zen Gardens as her restaurant of choice. I've always heard good things but of course, could never muster up the courage to go. I even lived across the street from this restaurant for 3 years! I ordered the vegetable curry with the soup of the day. First off, this is the most kawaii-take out I've ever received! The boxes were so cute! The food, wow. I totally wasn't expecting how amazing it was. I judged vegan food to be cold and bland...like veggies can be. Nope, I was wrong. I'm sorry Zen Gardens, I will never judge you again. The food was warm, and hearty. Who knew comfort food could be vegan? We order take-out from a few different places for lunch. With a large order for 8+ people, they nailed each one. The boxes were clearly labeled and nothing was missing. If your work orders in from time to time, i would definitely recommend this spot. I'll definitely keep this place on my radar the next time I'm downtown for a meal!

If you're looking for awesome vegan/vegetarian food, this is the place to go! We didn't totally love the rice dish we got (a little bland) but I could just fill up on the appetizers, they're way too yummy! The menu is huge, so I'm sure we'll love whatever main we get next time! I can't wait to go back!

I ate at this restaurant today for lunch. I ordered an Asian Soup with vegetables and udon noodles. I found it inedible and hours later I still have a terrible taste in my mouth. We were the only table occupied. The waiter did not seem concerned that I didn't like my meal. We ended the meal with tea, which was very good. But I will never go back.

I am not a vegetarian. But I realize how much more of a challenge it is to cook vegetarian food. This dinner was good based on that challenge. I ordered a soup with dumplings...very good, nicely plated. Will return!

This is my favourite vegetarian restaurant in London. Absolutely delicious cuisine, outstanding staff, ready to modify and give suggestions based on your palate, and a lovely serene environment with a babbling waterfall and soothing chines string instrument music. Vegetarian or Non Vegetarians alone will love this superb culinary experience. Try the King Pow Soy Chicken, Soy Chicken bites, or the fried chow mein is superb.

This is my favourite vegetarian restaurant during winter. Their soups are delicious and every item on the menu is so perfectly balanced between nutrition, flavour, authenticity and crunch. My personal favourites are the butternut squash casserole and the sweet and sour lappa, I always order purple rice to accompany. I haven't tried the deserts yet because I love the food so much that I usually don't make it to desert! Their menu has a wide range and lots of variety. Their service is impeccable and I love the ambiance. They treat us as family, they remember my name and even my voice when I call to order. Delicious! Come and try it out, you'll absolutely love it!

Only tried this place because I was curious about the restaurant being vegetarian. Being vegetarian myself and an old friend of mine at the time being vegan we decided to check it out! All in all, it was very meh. Maybe we would have had a different experience had we ate in? But out of everything that we got... the vegan nuggets had to have been the tastiest thing, and that's pretty sad for a restaurant that is supposed to specialize in vegetarianism, in my opinion.

Zen Gardens is at the top of my list when I'm with my non-meat-eating friends. It's clean, service is EXCEPTIONALLY good, and the food is amazing. It's so good, in fact, that it attracts a sizable crowd of non-vegetarian/vegan customers. One thing I'm always impressed by is how fresh everything is. The steamed vegetables are always perfect - not overdone or slimy. The portions here are not huge, but the prices are reasonable when you consider the quality and service. I usually order the fried bean curd combo - it tastes a lot better than it sounds ;-) The only drawback to this place is that most of the mock meat dishes contain gluten, so gluten-intolerant diners might have problems ordering here.

Zen gardens has a great atmosphere, lots and lots of options and is a great spot for trying new things! The tea pots are really neat, so be sure to order tea! I was really excited when first looking through the menu, because of all of the veggie options, but was not overly impressed with what I ordered. I had the 'chicken balls' , the lotus leaf wrapped rice, bbq steamed buns, seaweed crusted tofu, and veggie tofu soup. The chicken in the balls was good, but the batter was very bready, my boyfriend loved the lotus leaf wrap but I was not a fan, the steamed buns were awesome! I would not order the seaweed tofu again, not so good, but the tofu soup was very good!! I give this place a 4 stars because I love that everything was veggie, and there are some really yummy things on the menu. I would not bring a 'new vegetarian' here though, as the 'meat' will not be what they are looking for!

First time trying all vegan foods, me and my friends were afraid that we don't like eating it at first, but the truth is that the vagan food here is so great! You must have a try if you want to eat all vagan! Here is the best choice in London!

It was overall a great experience. Fantastic food and super helpful staff. Being a frequent traveler who is also vegan, it is usually difficult to find good places to eat but the steamed dumplings, rice noodles with veggies and delicious smoothie hit the spot just like I was hoping it would. Will definitely come back when in town.

Located in a little restaurant strip on the north side on Dundas street the place is a pleasant serene, vegetarian restaurant. The atmosphere is Asian in style & theme with a few tables in the window looking out into Dundas street and a kitchen located behind a bar at the back. As part of a vegetarian chain that includes King's Cafe in Kensington market in Toronto I knew the food would be good. In a city that has too many roadhouse styled restaurants Zen Gardens has an extensive menu. I opted for their "chicken" balls and a "beef" curry that was really delicious. It was so nice to have some healthy food after surviving for the last week on too much fast food. Not to be missed if you love good Asian vegetarian food.

Every time I'm in London, I make it a point to stop in here! I love this place! The atmosphere is great, the service is fantastic and the food is just wonderful! Although, I must admit, it is the food that keeps me coming back every time. Since the first time I've stepped foot in Zen Gardens, now five years ago (wow, I feel old typing that) to the last time I was there (late last year), I always love whatever food I choose and leave with a positive experience. Even the carnivores I bring enjoy the food. I would greatly recommend this place to anyone, including anyone of my close friends.

One of the few all-vegetarian restaurants in London, this little diner has a great location downtown and is close to the Galleria. There are milk or egg products in some of their dishes, but it's not a problem to ask the servers which are gluten-free and/or vegan. The portions maybe a little smaller than what you expect for the price, but a lot of the dishes are tasty. They're not traditional dishes and many options for mock meats. What really sold me is that this is one of the only place I've been to where I can find vegan beef chow hoa that's practically identical to the real thing (and yes, I've had the real thing before). Come here for dinner with a small group of friends, but not if you're on a budget.

This place has great food but the service is at a snails pace. I normally don't care too much about service nor try to let it affect my dining experience but this place is remarkably terrible. My boyfriend and I once experienced waiting for 30 min before someone got around to bringing a menu, and it was not even busy at the time. Other times the wait staff forget to inform that their debit or credit system is malfunctioning until after I've been seated and made my order. That said, the food is quite tasty and priced well; it really salvages the experience. The soy chicken nuggets could pass off for the real thing. I particularly found the bento box lunches very well worth the price for what you get. However, based off my experience with their service I think next time I'll just order take out.

Service was great, and food was good. I got a dinner combination with the vegetable curry and I liked everything about it except the curry. The curry was a little watery and was very mild. I like my curry to have more curry flavour. However everything else about the meal was awesome. I loved the salad, purple rice had some crispy topping on it that was new and I liked that too. Plus the dinner combination comes with a date square for dessert! Great price for everything you get. I think if I got something other than curry I would have given five stars.

I enjoyed my meal here, but it was over priced relative to the portion sizes, quality and service level. Pros: - nice selection of meat substitutes, and sauce types - nice selection of teas - neat Zen-like ambiance - Friendly but slow service Cons: - Portion sizes relative to price - Avoid their "daily special menu" - even smaller portion sizes with cheap sauce, and lackluster presentation - Good luck with parking in downtown

Amazing presentation. Creative and exciting dishes. Superb, fresh taste. Beautiful decor. Clean. Fine dining at a bewilderingly low price. A+. I'm impressed (and that's hard to do). The food was cooked properly. Thoroughly cooked the hot dishes. Spring rolls were hot, delicate, and crispy. The noodles appear to be hand made, and are silky and satisfying. Broccoli in the soup was crunchy; just perfect. Soup was maybe a bit under-seasoned, which is traditional Chinese, but maybe not so much to Western taste. For the entree, I went with the server's recommendation, and I was delighted. The sauteed vegetables were still crunchy; not overcooked and soggy. The gravy was slightly bland and could have been sweetened or salted, but it did nothing to take away from the overall taste and presentation. I feel the emphasis is on less sodium and sugar, and that's probably the right move, but discerning tastes might disagree. The tofu chicken was done better than any wing restaurant; not just tossed in a bowl; made with care. It tasted slightly like chicken but lighter and much tastier; absolute perfection. The salad was so fresh that I have to imagine most of the ingredients were picked that day, which means they're paying good money for the experience. Are they walking to the market in the morning? I hope so. To add to my shock, when the bill came, I was amazed at the price. They could easily be charging twice as much, but hopefully their rock-bottom prices will bring people in. So much food for so little. The place is immaculate. The first thing you notice when you walk in: It's clean and the decor is elegant and fresh. The menus had some manual edits, but they were nicely done. I'm shocked to find this place empty at lunch. If only you knew what you're missing. My only hope is that this becomes one of the best restaurants in town.

Amazing food, great use of seitan. Clean and tranquil environment. My kids who are veg loved it, nuggets and seitan pops.

great place for vegetarians and those, like myself, who are not vegetarians but want to try something new! i really liked the purple rice that comes with some flavored crispy toppings. the vegie dishes are simple and flavorful but nothing too special... but the imitation meats are really good! the BBQ pork steam bun were excellent too. i also like the decor, it's peaceful, good for lil chat with friends. p.s. im from China and had tried some vegetarian restaurants back home. and i think the food in zen gardens is pretty authentic. highly recommend!

A cute and clean eatery with an expansive menu that feels healthy and fresh. Very well priced with most items being $8~$13. Great portions that are filling and not overloaded on the plate either.

Vegetarian heaven! The menu is huge, the food is great (best hot and sour soup I've ever had), and the servers are friendly and happy to explain anything on the menu to you. There are so many things on the menu that I haven't tried yet, so I'll definitely be back many more times to eat my way through the entire menu.

Absolutely Delicious!!! Our family's favourite restaurant for sure! We always start with the Soy Nuggets (we honestly felt the need to double check that they were soy the first time! They are just like McDonalds chicken nuggets but SO much better and cruelty free!) and then my husband and I split the Sweet and Sour Lappa with two sides of white rice. it is the perfect amount of food to split between us and so delicious! They are super accommodating as well. Sometimes we don't feel like the pineapple that comes with the Lappa so we substitute broccoli for no extra charge (not that it would even matter because it's pretty affordable- $35 for the two of us including tip!). Even when they are busy we have never had to wait long for our food. Our nuggets are out in 5 minutes and the Lappa comes our just after we finish the nuggets. The owners are also very nice and attentive and the atmosphere is overall very nice. We actually had the reception of our wedding here last year with most of my husband's family being meat eaters and they loved it as well!

This place is AMAZING. I feel like a million bucks both during, and after the meal. So fresh. Combos are great! I'm not a vegetarian but this place could make me switch!

The place to go for vegetarian food in London. A chinese style restaurant with a variety of mock meat products but also a great fresh salad with mango. The place is clean, Service is fast and very friendly. Very affordable. I ate 3 meals there. I would especially recommend their bento box or "combination" meals The only problem is that the only serve lunch and dinner , as I would have gone for breakfast while I was in town , if they had served it.

My daughter ate here a few months ago was was very ill after. We stay at the hotel across the street frequenty and this place is not busy at all. Would not recommend.

The food was alright. I am vegetarian, and was extremely happy to learn of a vegetarian restaurant in London, which unfortunately has extremely few of them. We really enjoyed the dumplings, but the fried rice was hard and tasteless and the tofu chicken was absolutely disgusting, very watery and strange tasting. This place is somewhat like a Chinese restaurant, but it really isn't. Real Chinese restaurants are extremely generous with their portion sizes, the portions here were absolutely pathetic; ridiculously overpriced for the small amount of food you get. The service was friendly but very slow. I though it was worth a try, but I will not be returning here.

Enjoyed a great dinner here tonight. The menu is massive, there must be 50 different dishes available. Hard to choose but our waitress was really friendly and helped us pick. We had the wonton soup to start and shared a few entrees - all of which were excellent. Very flavorful dishes. One of my favorite vegetarian places now!!

In town for work and just had a great dinner! Loved the fried rice with avocado. The vibe inside is very chill. Tea is served at your table in a translucent tea pot over the top of a candle warmer. Really cool. Next time I travel here for work, will definitely be back.

Was in London for business and found this gem. Being from Vancouver, I'm spoiled by great Chinese food and many vegetarian options, and I was still pleasantly surprised by Zen Garden. The decor is clean and minimalist, like the name suggests. The tea is high quality, full-leaf, served with warming tea light. I had three items that were vegetarian versions of classic dim sum dishes. All were flavourful. Did not miss the meat. Will go again next time I'm in London.

Was extremely sick after eating here. Place is never busy...that should have been my first red flag. Lesson learned, eat here with caution!

As others have pointed out, this is one of the few all veg restaurants in London. It's primarily vegetarian but it has great vegan options and a wonderful and helpful staff to help you navigate their menu. I've been here with mixed groups comprised of vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters and each always leaves satisfied. The service is excellent, the food is delicious and always very fresh, and the atmosphere is peaceful and relaxed. It is in fact very "zen." With a menu still capable of impressing the average meat-eater, it's easily one of my top picks in London -- especially for vegetarians and vegans. Always recommended. I love this place!