The West Bank is loaded with Asian restaurants, but only recently has a significant number of Japanese restaurants opened there. Scarcity, however, can't explain the following Cafe Zen attracts. It's often full, particularly at lunch. All that happens because its sushi bar is much better than you'd expect from an anonymous strip-mall space on Belle Chasse Highway. It could hold its own in any other part of town.
Owner Hiro Tomiyama came out of another local sushi place to open Cafe Zen in 2001. It began as a very small, tight place, but in 2008 it moved to larger quarters in the same strip mall, right next to its original spot.
The sushi bar absolutely dominates the space, with more than the typical number of seats fronting it. A wall of windows in front keeps the place bright. The clientele is decidedly on the young side.
The key to any sushi bar is making friends with the chefs by becoming a regular customer. Here you can get away with just acting like you're a regular customer.
| Attitude | 1 |
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| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 2 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 0 |
