The Zen Mongolian Grill & Lounge

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  Haven't been here since it changed hands, but I had a gift certificate from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a>.
  
  We went on a Wednesday nite which is karaoke. I have mixed feelings about karaoke...but until 10pm families are welcome and even the kids were singing, which actually was pretty cool.
  
  We were greeted within 30 seconds of walking thru the door and had a choice of the "main" dining area or the Mongolian grill area which is not as loud. In the main area they have this water feature, I could not sit in this area at all due to my sensitivity to chlorine. (it had just been treated) I sat in the grill area away from the kitchen (which also smells like bleach) and I was fine thru my meal.
  
  The waitress was super nice, brought our bowls, filled our water & soda before it was empty and even brought a pitcher at some point. The rice was ready...she was timely in presenting the check and returning the change.
  
  It was around 8pm. We ordered the grill $11.50 per person. There was a nice variety of seasonal veggies, I didn't see any potato (strange as it may seem) a usually suspect on the veggie bar, so I mentioned it. The meat was nice and chilled just as it should be and plenty of pork, beef or chicken...and also plenty of tofu. They also offer rice noodles for those who can't handle the gluten. We were only given one bowl, I suggested they offer 2 in the future (like most grills). I was told if I had leftovers I could take them home. lol...but I didn't have any leftovers.
  
  The chef is also very pleasant, with clean uniform & clean hands (something I always notice) Our meals were hot, cooked just right (meat done with crisp veggies).
  
  The entire place has obviously been scrubbed, repainted and completely redecorated. I was pleasantly surprised...they even re-did the space upstairs and the small meeting room (12 people). I couldn't help but think how cool a birthday party, shower or Christmas party might be in this area.
  
  I did miss the teapot of black tea. The Chinese have black tea with meals like dim sum because of the high oil content. The tea helps it pass thru the system...I mentioned that too.
  
  The new owner obviously has some great ideas...I think when we frequent these places, we are helpful when we make requests or mention features we like. Then the business owners know what is working and what to eliminate.
  
  They will see me again :)

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  Posted on 10.20.12 Drew K.

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  Took my family there tonight for the first time and I must say I have mixed feelings about the place.
  I was not very pleased with the service in the place. We had to wait, what I would consider and overly long time before our waitress even showed up to the table. When she did finally arrive, she was not the most pleasant person I have encountered. I almost had the feeling we were inconveniencing her.
  It was not extremely busy, but the food seemed to take quite a long time to reach the table.
  After our meal, the waitress took  far too long to bring us our check, and then completely disappeared. We finally ended up going up to the bartender to settle up our bill.
  There was live entertainment that set up about the same time we had begun to eat, and it was a little loud for dinner conversation to take place.
  I am not against live entertainment, but I prefer it to be in a bar setting rather than a dinner setting... my preference.
  The food itself was the only redeeming quality of the restaurant, and I must say it was quite good. I enjoyed designing my own meal and with a few more trips, will get my spice mixture down to a tee.
  I will definitely go there again, but will probably go only during lunch hours to avoid the live entertainment...assuming it is only a dinner event.

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  Posted on 04.21.12 Rufus R.

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  If you are driving through Roseburg or visiting for longer, I would recommend stopping here for a meal.  There is great decor with an indoor water feature and fresh, vibrant colors on the wall. The food was tasty, hot and very fresh. They had a great selection of veggies, sauces and spices to flavor your meal.  This place is not all you can eat, but the portions are very generous for the price.

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  Posted on 03.04.12 Maria K.

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  If there were such a thing as "The Peter Principal" for restaurants, Zen would be the poster child.  A victim of their success, they stumbled badly under the pressure of an almost filled house. There were 4 in our party, and 3 ordered the Mongolian bbq (at $14 each!!), one ordered the seafood combo (also $14) which consisted of fish and shrimp and fries.
  The 3 bbq diners went to the line to fill our bowls with veggies and meat, but there were no bowls. We stood there for about 5 mins, and finally flagged down a server going by to ask about the bowls. She said she would bring them. Note: There were 3 of us standing there.  Another few minutes, and she comes back with 2 wet bowls, still dripping.  We pointed out we needed 3 and she replied they were in the kitchen just coming out of the dishwasher and would be "right out".  At this point, the guy without the bowl decided to pass on the bbq, not only because he didn't want to wait for the bowl but also because the veggie and meat trays were decimated. Only  1/2 of the bins had any food in them at all, and these were mostly down to the scraps. Of the 3 meat choices, pork was also empty. Note: This was at 6pm! We asked another server if they were going to restock the bins and she went into the kitchen to check. About a minute later, a worker came out with one tray of broccoli. We asked about the other items, and he glanced around for a few seconds and seemed a little surprised, then said he would check. At this point we just filled our bowls with what was available, and placed them on the counter with the 2 dozen or so bowls waiting for the one chef to bbq.
  We went back to our table for what turned out to be a considerable wait.  The bbq entrees finally arrived, without the promised rice or shrimp. After reminding our waitress twice for the shrimp, the chef finally cooked it and she delivered it, but we never got the rice. (I noticed the table next to ours also got their rice late, they were just finishing up their plates when it was delivered.) The seafood combo arrived and it consisted of one piece of fish about 3" by 2" long with 2 small breaded shrimp and the equivalent of a small order of McDonald's fries, if McDonald's served ice cold fries. There was no tartar sauce or even a lemon slice. When my friend asked for tartar sauce, the waitress advised they were out.  (Isn't tartar sauce pretty much just mayo and relish?) The guy who gave up on the bbq ordered the fish and chips, and he got 2 small pieces of fish that were overcooked to the toughness stage; he never finished them.  
  Honestly, this was easily the worst dining experience I've had in years, so why 2 stars instead of just 1? Well, the quality of the food, the portion size, the price, and the kitchen staff all deserved one star. Heck, a zero or minus star would be more accurate. The only shining light was our waitress. She genuinely seemed embarrassed by the whole experience, and apologized numerous times - she said they just weren't prepared and really wanted us to try them again in the future. We won't, but not because of her. We gave her a big tip, mostly because she was really trying hard and had to cover too many tables, and partly because we felt sorry for her having to apologize all the time. Zen, you need to get your act together, or those crowds WILL go away.

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  Posted on 02.01.12 David S.

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  This place is totally revamped from the previous incarnation of the old Sugar Pine Inn Mongolian Grill. The look and feel definitely fits the name. The tables have a mini zen garden to pass the time with  or after you eat. In the lounge they have a water fall that really sets the atmosphere. The overall ambiance of this place is really like a restaurant you would find in a larger city.  The new management has done an excellent job.
  
  The food is awesome. They offer a full menu and a nice selection of local (Oregon) beer and wine.  One IPA they offer comes from a brewery in Ten Mile (a small town outside of Roseburg). The mongolian grill service bar has some additional spices and sauces that the old restaurant didn't offer. The meat and veggie selection is pretty much the same; however, I did notice some difference in the variety of veggies than before.
  
  The only drawback I seen was that they were slow to notice us when we walked in, so we had to track down someone. The service was fine once we got their attention. I believe once they get their legs under them they will be watching for customers better. If you find yourself in Roseburg, or are just looking for a nice place to eat out, then check out this place. It's is well worth it.  I betting you will be surprised!

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  Posted on 01.07.12 Ronn C.

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