Zama

“Working in Center City provides its lunch challenges that Zama solves. And by challenge, I mean, the $20 lunch. Either you’re eating a quick bite from a food truck and have to take the lunch somewhere to eat it or you’re paying for a very overpriced lunch that might not be as filling. Or, you’re stuck with the fastest of fast food that may still be $20 once you check out but what are you really eating? Zama is my hidden gem, go-to lunch that solves all of these problems. Tucked away before Rittenhouse Square, this Japanese restaurant has it what you’re looking for. It’s sleek, with wood slats and accents throughout to warm up the dining area. Bar seating by their storefront window is my typical place to sit since I’m normally alone but the bar staff is always nice and attentive. Although I have tried other items in the menu, the Maki Lunch Set has made it quite difficult to move to other items on the menu. I’m a sucker for a colorful plate and this dish has all the color from the house salad to the edamame. But you also get texture and contrast from the tempura vegetables and udon noodle soup. Lastly, you get to choose a 6 piece maki that comes with a mushroom maki. I typically go back and forth between the spicy tuna and the spicy salmon. Can’t go wrong either way! Zama provides an incredible lunch for an excellent price. It’s my favorite center city lunch spot!”

“My favorite sushi spot of all time! I always pass by here but never had the chance to try. And damn I wish I had gone here earlier. Atmosphere is giving traditional Japanese sheek. The service is impeccable—waiter regularly checking in and I appreciate the food runners explaining each dish without asking to. The yuzu salt endamame was flavorful but a little too salty for my liking (and I love salt). The agadashi salad was great. The king crab roll topped with scallop was amazing! And to think there couldn't be a better roll the crunchy truffle eel wrapped in daikon was THE BEST maki roll I've ever had! It surprisingly blew my expectations. I'm definitely returning to see what the lunch service has to offer.”

“Zama is an unassuming restaurant right off Rittenhouse Square that has some incredible Japanese cuisine. I came for the first time and had such a great experience! Started with the lychee cocktail, it wasn’t overly sweet and was strong enough to give me a buzz off one. For an appetizer, I had the udon noodle soup with was salty and rich with umami flavor. It was excellent and I’m going to crave it in the fall & winter! I also got the salmon and eel fiesta roll. The avocado salsa on top was fresh, the eel bbq sauce added a nice sweetness. Difference textures and flavors all worked together to create a perfect roll. Peter was our server and he was great. So attentive and helpful with the menu. The restaurant was incredibly clean and well kept, loved the decor. I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this place - I’ll definitely be back!”

“Overall quality of fish was good. The chef tasting menu rellied a bit more than I would have preferred on tempura foods as filler. The wasabi used was overpowering either by the amount or the type (western not real wasabi) drowned out the fragile taste of the fish when used. Normally would have been a 3 for me rather than a 4 but server was good and overall ambiance was ok so I rounded up a 3.5 to a 4.”

“I found it to be more gimmicky than actually good. The menu is very interesting in theory, but in reality nothing was excellent. Salmon on salmon roll the top was not very pleasant to eat. The extra crunchy is also strange. Calamari salad was very good, but the NY stip steak was quite bad. Service was so-so. I don't think I would visit again.”