Zaru - Orlando
Lovers of Udon noodles, rejoice! Zaru is open in downtown Orlando, and I’m happy to share that I enjoyed my first experience. Here are all the deets to know before you go.
Location: 1114 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
Parking: Street Parking
Hours: Lunch 12 - 2:30 Dinner 5 - 9:30 - Since they are still in their soft opening it’s best to keep checking their social media for any changes open hours and days.
THE VIBE
Zaru is a small restaurant with an L-shaped 25-seat dining room that hosts banquette seating with two-tops and four-tops. The modern decor was very welcoming and casual, featuring pendant lighting, aquamarine tile, and warm wood tones.
Music filled the space, mainly hip-hop and R&B, but the volume was low enough to hear my dining companion. I saw complaints online that the music was too loud, so while I don’t know about the dinner vibes, lunch was at a perfectly suitable volume.
THE SERVICE
Two different people greeted us and offered warm smiles and greetings, telling us to sit anywhere (just not to take up a four-top since we were a party of two). We were handed a paper menu and instructed how to fill it out. Once they gave us a few minutes to view it, they came back, answered any questions we may have had, and offered direction on our Udon choices.
Tracy specifically was very knowledgeable about the menu and the sourcing of ingredients. She was so outstanding in fact, that as she walked by me mid-slurp, she overheard me saying I wish I had brought a hair tie to keep my hair from my noodles, and promptly gave me an extra she had. Tracy is my haven. She is now my best friend, a girls girl, ready and waiting with multiple elastic bands of friendship, worth more than any you’d be given by a random girl singing the bridge to Cruel Summer. This is sisterhood.
THE FOOD
What I ordered:
1 Grape Soda $3
1 Yaki Gyoza $9
1 Tatsuta-Age $8
1 Nori Udon $15
Add-ons - Shrimp Tempura $3
Add-ons Sweet Potato Tempura $2
Onsen Egg $2
The Gyoza had a much thinner dough than I am used to and now honestly prefer because the star becomes the filling inside and for good reason. The filling had great flavor, so my usual constant dump into the accompanying sauce was optional. They were flavorful in their own right.
I actually didn’t end up getting the Tatsuta-age because they were out, but we substituted it for the Chicken Chashu which although not fried, still flavorful and moist. Two other dishes I was able to try because my friend ordered them were the Potato Salad and the Yaki Nasu - the spicy grilled eggplant - both I enjoyed. These smaller dishes aren’t necessary if you just want to go for the Udon, but they are modest in size, yet shareable and add some additional excitement and flavor to your meal.
On to the Udon - The Nori Udon comes with a nice heaping amount of toasted seaweed (which is sourced from Ariake Japan and is one of the best Nori in the world) in what was a very flavorful broth. I didn’t want to overcomplicate the dish; additionally, I wanted to use the broth as a dipping mechanism for my tempura, so the only add-on that went in my bowl was the Onsen Egg.
How good the Udon is will be left up to personal tastes and opinions, undoubtedly based on how much you’ve already eaten in your lifespan. I can’t brag to you that I’m fresh off a plane from Japan having ridden around in Udon taxis; but my humble opinion is I thought they were the appropriate thickness, just chewy enough with a nice bounce. The texture was pleasing, and paired with the delicious broth, it was hard to find a miss. The addition of the Onsen egg, which adds a custard-like egg white and beautiful runny yolk, gave an even creamier texture to the dish.
The tempura batter was light and crispy; my only wish was for the sweet potato to have been cooked a smidge longer for a softer bite, but that’s a personal opinion.
HOW TO GET A TABLE
No reservations are taken here, so it’s first come, first serve. Due to it’s popularity, I opted for lunch instead of dinner. We got to Zaru around 11:40, expecting a line, but we were the first ones there.
Side note: my iPhone autocorrects Zaru to Zara, so when telling your friend where to meet you, double check they don’t end up at the Florida Mall.
A line formed of about ten people behind us, but we were all sat when the doors opened at noon. Our server told us if you plan on coming for dinner (especially right now), you need to show up promptly (or even before) at 5 pm to be sat in their first wave.
They have a waitlist, so if you show up and the place is full, you can join it and get a drink or kill some time nearby until your seat is ready - but it requires an in-person check-in—nothing over the phone or online.
Since the entire restaurant will be sat at once at peak times, you must be patient or know what you will order ahead of time and get your paper order form filled out fast and into the kitchen. We quickly filled out our menu, and our food came out within 10 minutes.
SHOULD YOU GO?
YES! I cannot wait to go back. From the service to the food I really enjoyed my experience.
I will say this. It’s becoming increasingly popular to visit a restaurant during its soft opening, and then bash them online if things are perfect. But for those in the industry, a soft opening is not when operations are at the height of perfection, so if you are that concerned with having a flawless dining experience, then give new restaurants some time before you go if you are unable to give them grace.
THE MENU
I wasn’t invited to dine here and I paid for my food.