Zengo - Denver

We were about to celebrate two birthdays and our waiter, steve, was very accommodating: he had to ask with the bartender and cook some paintings about offers and ingredients. the ahi and salmon peppers were delicate and tasteful, the zen omikase was tasty and well suited for a group of four (we asked to add an additional part so that everyone had a portion of everything) and the soba noodle sauté, pork ribs, and bulgogi tacos were very enjoyed. we appreciate the open feeling of the room, and the mix of retro-wire chairs and sculptural wooden wall were a living part of our dinner talk. unfortunately they were from two of the dishes we wanted, the spicy lump crab guacamole and duck maseca pancakes, but we still eat well and shared almost everything, including a cheap bottle of wine. Although we all enjoyed the side of the thin cut pickles, the chicken was full and arrived sans peanut sauce our waiter took it from the bill for us. Portions are quite small and price a little high, but the valet service is free and in a 2hr parking place that makes a real difference for cozy eating. tischwartung was a problem at our little four top, but steve was otherwise attentive and friendly, and he took care of our birthday desserts and coffee. all in all, we enjoyed our celebrity evening and would return for Nibbles/Tapas and a drink.

We have eaten at Zengo many times before and had a great experience but have not been there in over a year. We went to celebrate a family birthday. They were extremely overwhelmed. It started with only one valet person. He was doing the best that he could running back and forth but when almost all of customers need to use this service due to lack of available parking, you need to have more than one valet parker. We had reservations which they didn't seem to care about although we were seated promptly. However, we sat at our table for almost an hour without service. At the forty minute mark, my husband inquired and our waiter came over about ten minutes later to take our drink and food orders. We received our food before our drinks and some of our drinks were beers. The bartender could not make a drink. Two of the three that we originally ordered came out as other drinks because they were out of the main ingredient of the ordered drink so they just randomly substituted a drink. They were good about taking the drinks back as we did not want them and they did not charge us. The newly ordered drink was a gin and tonic that tasted terrible, how does that happen? We just paid for it. The food was good but they were out of several items that they didn't tell us about until after the order was in process and then the server can back for a different order. At the end, only sorbet and churros where available for dessert so we passed. The food was good but not as good as it has been in the past and other people had dishes that cooked at their table and the entire restaurant was being filled with smoke. The entire night the lights were turned up really high so you felt like you were being interrogated. It was seriously bright, almost like after hours lighting for cleaning purposes. Our server tried his best but we will not return.

I'm beyond disappointed with what Zengo has become. I've been a loyal diner since 2013 and today was unacceptable. They took off their best tapas and added on sushi. It was similar to the sushi you get from king soopers, the fish was dyed and thinly sliced. They replaced the black cod with mahi-mahi and they did not have grey goose or belvedere. It was the worst dining experience I've had in years. We had to send a dish back because it was cold and we had to bus our own dishes and put them on the table next to us. I will never be back.

It was a quiet night at Zengo when 4 of us went for a meal. The menu is interesting with a mix of small plates for sharing. We like the location easy to get to from the light rail or by car.

This was the first time I have been back to Zengo in a couple of years- food was great and the service was good but I do miss the brussel sprouts