Zen Toro Japanese Bistro

Mahsa Eftekhari

Great service and tasty food! Recommend the teriyaki Salmon!

Jansen Wendlandt

Update 2022: the prices are wonderful and the food is good but not quite amazing. 2019: A small front room opens up to a larger seating area, but still is often crowded. Service isn't always on par with the food, but food is always excellent. #sushi #dinner #datenight

Andrew X

I’m honestly so bummed to have to leave this review, but Zen Toro has in one way or another betrayed my trust. I have eaten ramen there before and had been informed that they had a broth option that didn’t have msg. Since I didn’t get migraines afterward I assumed that they told me the truth, and perhaps they did. But restaurants often change and it’s been a long time since I visited and forgot which broth was msg-free. So I called in advance to check and while I very much appreciate (and expect) their honesty, I was super bummed to learn that they no longer have any options without msg (or perhaps they never did and the msg before wasn’t enough to trigger a migraine). There’s no way of knowing but in any case, they have betrayed my trust as a customer. I held them up for a long time as one of my VERY FEW Davis restaurants that I would recommend to friends, but I can’t support a business that doesn’t respect their own product or their the health of their customers. I tried every other ramen shop in town and all use msg and I really thought at least Zen Toro would be different. I just checked other reviews and it looks like they in fact changed ownership recently and the restaurant has really gone south. It so sad when a family builds a legacy of quality only to have it destroyed by people who only care about profit and liquidate the asset for short term gain. The old Zen Toro did serve msg, which I didn’t like or respect but they still had clear options without and other great dishes and great service. Now there isn’t even an option for msg-free ramen in Davis which is super lame. Sad to see you sell out Zen Toro. You’re better than that. Or at least you used to be. 😔

Bernardo Adolfo Bastién Olvera

This is one of the hidden jewels in Davis. Very delicious food and they are gluten-conscious with several recommendations for celiac people.