Comments on: Cafe Zaiya Adds $5 Special; No Longer Affiliated With Cafe Zest

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:05:31 +0000

Cafe Zest seems to have undergone a really big change last Friday. All of the Japanese staff are gone and the selection of food has really shrunk. Does anyone know what happened?

By: david

david — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:14:20 +0000

man, that’s sad news but thank you for informing us Yuki. these are the little big things safe to say most of us casually do not know.

By: Yuki

Yuki — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:02:50 +0000

I’m not sure if everyone knows, but the owner of Cafe Zaiya recently passed away, so the cafe is now under new management. The original manager and chef, who created the business model and recipes that the cafe is based on, have moved onto other ventures. While it continues to serve the same lunch options, they’re no longer made with the same quality. If you’re looking for authentic Japanese fare in midtown, Cafe Zaiya may be the cheapest option, but it no longer delivers the same kind of quality that it did under the old management and chef.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:42:01 +0000

I live in Toronto. When I coming down to New York, I have to visit Zayia and having The best lunch for Japanise Food. I think that Zayia has the Best Chef in the city. Everything is terrific. 5 stars
Carlos C.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:37:14 +0000

Just got the pork ginger bento with a coffee..so delicious and filling, such a generous portion. Cafe Zaiya is my heart. Other options included: soup noodles with a few pieces of futomaki; sandwich bento with fried chicken, ma po tofu bowl, and oyako don bowl.

By: Offbalance

Offbalance — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:14:15 +0000

I stumbled on this yesterday by accident. I had tried to hit up the free burrito line at Chipotle, and when I saw how long it was, I decided to turn tail. Luckily for me, I’d noticed that Cafe Zaiya was nearby, and decided to check it out. I had the salad roll bento and will definitely be back to try some others.

By: Keef

Keef — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:24:34 +0000

This is definetly the best lunch spot for Japanese food. I miss working in midtown. Working in Flat Iron district does not really count as midtown.

By: Clues

Clues — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:45:49 +0000

I am eating the Sweet and Sour Chicken bento now. It is very tasty. The fried dumpling and small portion of pickled cabbage is a bonus. If you just get the lunch box they charge tax so the total is $4.61 – so the beverage option is a good deal for $5, no tax (i.e., $.39 bottle of water of cup of coffee/tea).

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:30:56 +0000

This is the best news ever.