• 4
• So many tasty options!

EXTENSIVE vegan options, comparable in menu size to Grasshopper. It's by far the biggest vegan menu within near my home in Medford Square, though I am quite grateful to now have 3 other vegan restaurants nearby (True Bistro, Taco Party and Fruition Vegan Kitchen). I prefer Zhu to Grasshopper (not just for being closer to me): 1. They serve brown rice by default. 2. They have only tofu, seitan and vegetables, no mysterious mock-meats from china/taiwan which may or may not be 100% vegan. 3. They have a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks which is key because my partner strongly prefers wine/beer with dinner. Also, my friend with severe peanut allergies seems to trust them more (Grasshopper had cross-contamination problems for her). Overall, decor is nice and the staff who seem friendly and the right amount of attentive. I've been eating their food almost every week since they opened (in person or delivery). I really like the food generally, though not everything I've tried was great. My favorite entrees are the Veggie Curry Noodle Soup and the Kung-Pao Eggplant (which unlike some Asian places, comes with a mix of tofu and several vegetables, not just eggplant) and I like the Crispy Soy Nuggets or Vegetable Tempura for an appetizer. As one other reviewer mentioned, everything here is on the sweet side. The dipping sauces can be extremely sweet and some of the entrees are on the sweet side as well (e.g., orange seitan), though most are only mildly so. They seem to add some amount sugar to pretty much every food (except the steamed vegetables). Most entrees come with Miso Soup and brown rice, which is nice. But they're also somewhat more pricey than some places (in between the cost of Taco Party [moderate] and True Bistro [pricey]), at about 14$/entree. The rice portion is stingy, though, about 3/4 of what I'd want to go with the dish. The main entree portions are decent, plenty to fill you up, but not the mega-portions of Grasshopper. I should mention that my omnivore "foodie" partner really likes this place, so it seems like a good option to bring non-vegans to. Dessert-wise, it's so-so. I like the rice pudding (with fruit and nuts), but that seems to be the best option. The Fried Ice Cream was interesting, but nothing special & I heard the cake was mediocre. Other places have better. The excessive sugar in some non-desserts and the lackluster desserts keeps this from being a 5 star rating. But I still highly recommend.