The only Vietnamese restaurants I have ever tried before were Pho Bac and Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House, so I’m first going to make a disclaimer here. I won’t pretend to be an expert on Vietnamese food, but when it comes to saying whether food is delicious or not, I may qualify for that. π
Here’s the story: One Sunday, we got the chance to test this Vietnamese restaurant in Promenade 3, Greenhills Shopping Center, San JuanΒ calledΒ Zao Vietnamese Bistro. Their menu has vast items and in one quick reading, I thought there are enough reliable interesting dishes for diners to try and come back for a number of times without having to reorder the same thing.
Other restaurants in this new wing in Promenade also piqued my interest. But because Zao’s staff offered the most warm welcome in introducing their must-try food in the reception area, we trusted that this Vietnamese restaurant would bring our taste buds immense pleasure for dinner.
Review of Zao Vietnamese Bistro (Promenade 3, Greenhills)
Ambiance: β β β β β
This modern Vietnamese restaurant in the mall is built with two floors. Decorated with conservative colors, both areas are well appointed and are large enough to accommodate guests without having people to wait long. Getting a table is not a pain.
Seats are positioned with ample distance between customers, making a cozy vibe that’s more on the private and formal sideβappropriate for a date and also good for a trendy crowd. The classy ambiance is magnified by the beautiful ceiling set with elegant lights.
Service: β β β β β
The wait staff acted chill and totally professional. They were always ready to move on their feet whenever they see customers raise their hands to call attention. This is the type of customer service that deserves respect and will also earn you a reason to go back and have another amazing dining experience at Zao Vietnamese Bistro.
Food: β β β β β
Something every table seemed to order was the Appetizer Sampler (PhP 565). We had it as a solid starter and nothing went wrong. This sampler featured a nice presentation of all sorts of appetizers in one plate: fresh rolls, vegetable salad, spring rolls, pork and chicken satay and sugar cane shrimps.
They were all rich and pretty tasty. I especially liked the sugar cane shrimps. It’s a new discovery for me and I found it very unique. The satay were hard to chew. The spring rolls were standard fried goodness with dipping sauce.
But if you prefer not confusing your palate with an assortment of food with differing flavors and textures, feel free to order them individually, as follows:
- Fresh Rolls (PhP 215) – with shrimps, noodles, pork, bean sprouts, greens and yellow bean-hoisin sauce
- Crispy Spring Rolls (PhP 245) – with pork, glass noodles and mushrooms served with lettuce wrap
- Pork/Chicken Satay (PhP 195) – grilled Vietnamese satay with Zao dipping sauce and pickled vegetables
- Sugar Cane Shrimps (PhP 345) – deep fried shrimp paste wrapped on sugar cane served with lettuce wrap
Zao’s Vietnamese Beef Stew (PhP 365) consisted of chunks of slow-cooked aromatic beef simmered in star anise and basil, swimming in a bowl of reddish stew. It’s a good rendition, with a delicious mix of sweet and heat. Cooked well and full of flavor, the beef chunks did the heavy lifting, which deserved to be scored an A. Pairing this dish with steamed white rice was great and just proper.
Price for Value: β β β ββ
I’m not a huge fan of Vietnamese food but this restaurant is approved! π If you’re in search of something new and good to eat, come check out Zao Vietnamese Bistro in Greenhills. Prices of food here are not cheap, but servings are big, the kind that will fill you up without hitting your wallet so hard. One a la carte dish can be shared by two people, take note.
Side trivia: Zao means βlifeβ in Vietnamese. π
Other branches:
- Unit 1 C, 16 Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global city, Taguig | Contact number (02) 856 2819
- 2nd Level, Eastwood Mall, Orchard Road, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City | Contact number (02) 470-7587
- 5th Level, Shangri-La Plaza Mall – East Wing, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Blvd. cor. EDSA, Mandaluyong
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
What I like the most, when I come to a restaurant is the feeling that u are welcomed and they do anything to make u feel comfortable and get what u want! That is the best way to get more customers and good reviews π
nice article!
Thanks, Irena. The servers here were very polite and courteous. Great service definitely merits plus points. π
I dont get to eat Vietnamese food as often as I like to, but when I do it’s always a fresh, fulfilling meal. This restaurant looks inviting and the food too.
Try it. You’ll be glad you did. π
I only two Vietnamese dishes- the Rolls and the Beef Noodle Soup which I love! Food quality, service and prices are important to me and this restaurant looks like it deserves a visit
Yup, you can’t go wrong with Zao. π
I love this review, especially how you started it out- I’m no expert on Vietnamese food, but I can tell you if it is good or not! Haha. The beef stew looked really yummy to me.
Thanks, Samantha! That’s one way of showing my honesty in the first place, literally. π The beef stew was something I didn’t expect I would like.
I am loving the post. I love to go restaurant just because of environment and food. Food seems yummy.
Thanks, Hina! Food here are full and flavor and shareable.
The decor of the place looked really trendy! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, actually every restaurant situated at the new wing of Promenade in Greenhills are designed with very modern and trendy accents.
I’ve tried one of Vietnamese Bistro called PHO. The food taste good and the price is quite pricey..
Maybe it’s because PHO is highly commercialized now since I also often hear about it in other countries.
I don’t think I’ve ever had Vietnamese food before, but everything looks so good! Especially the Vietnamese Beef Stew. YUM!
I bet that most of the dishes (if not all) being served by this bistro taste great. The chef must be compelled to create a menu to appease the locals.
Never tried Vietnamese food before, and maybe, I do not like it, usually Chinese food instead. The place looks clean, organized and the colors are excellent to the furnitures. Great review.
Vietnamese food is far from Chinese food, but they’re both delicious for me. Asian cuisine has this mere taste of ethnic flavors mostly packaged in a familiar dinner-time format.
Oh I love the ambience! The food looks superb too!
Aside from the good food, I really want to go back to this place, as the vibe and service were both friendly and welcoming.
That looks like a great place to eat. I would love to try the sugar cane shrimp.
If you must eat something from the large plate section, this is your jam.
I was there in Promenade when this was inaugurated. Is this another Chris Tiu restaurant? I saw him there. Thanks for this guide so I have something to refer to when we decide to eat there.
I don’t think that Chris Tiu is an owner or part-owner of Zao. I’ve read articles saying that the owners here are Kay and Conrad Alcantara. You’re welcome!
Looks like some really nice food to enjoy. I love the look of place.
Yup, this is another option for you to go when you want to quench that craving for refreshing and exotic flavors of native Vietnam.
The interior is stunning! I would love to visit this place one day!
This restaurant must be a hit to local diners since they have grown and expanded to a number of branches in the metro in a considerably short period of time. It’s a must-go. π
Gorgeous venue! Gorgeous food! I really wish there was a Vietnamese restaurant close by.
You can check out TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zomato and other online searches for Vietnamese restaurants near you. π I’m sure you’ll find something within your parameter.
I love Zao! They have one here in Shangrila. My fave is their appetizer sampler. π
I haven’t seen their branch in Shangrila. Now I’m interested to see how the ambiance there differs from this one in Promenade. π
Oh my goodness, all that food looked so wonderful! And the restaurant looks really inviting. A perfect place to have a meal π
It’s also a good hang-out place just to chill and strike a catch-up conversation with buddies.
I would love to go there! I like Pho Hoa over Pho Bac. The other Vietnamese restaurant that I’ve tried is Le Family in SM Aura, so this seems to be worth a try. I love Vietnamese Food!
Ohh first time I heard about Le Family. I’ll check it out later. π Thanks for the tip.
I want to eat at your malls! Our malls don’t serve anything remotely that good looking!
Oh, really? We have a lot of great restaurants housed inside the malls here. You should fly to the Philippines soon. π The malls are tourist destinations themselves.
I’ve never tried Vietnamese food, I’m a pretty picky eater. These restaurant looks very nice and the food looks like something I could try.
It would be a great challenge then for restaurants to feed you something you will like and come out of the establishment feeling satisfied with their offers. π
Wow, by the 5 stars in ambiance, service, and food I reckon that this is an excellent place to hang by with my friends, a very nice environment and delicious meals! Love your photos!
Thanks, Vanessa! The photos, I hope, had been enough to make you salivate. Haha. π
Honest review here. Never tried Vietnamese before but the dishes seems deli naman.
Yup, you have to try dining at a Vietnamese food to see if you appreciate the cuisine (or not) with your family. π If eating healthy and delicious food is your thing, this might just get your nod of approval as well!
Wow this place looks gorgeous and the food looks amazing. I would love to eat there. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Rebecca. Zao Vietnamese Bistro is well worth a visit. π
Sounds like a great place to go out and eat! And the pictures are just delicious!
Thanks, Joanna. It sure is! We were so proud of ourselves for trying this out.
Awesome decors and furniture with lovely matching of colors. Truly nice to dine in and the food too looks yummy. Never tried it before.
It’s good to try something new once in a while. This is a good item to include in your list of restaurants to visit. π
Oh! The fresh rolls got me! They look so yummy!
The fresh rolls are a specialty of Vietnamese cuisine, I think, because they are ubiquitous in any Vietnamese restaurant’s menu. π
Same here, I’ve only tried Pho Bac and Pho Hoa. This one will be next on my list.
Try their pho as that may be your gauge of deciding if this restaurant serves great Vietnamese food.
The place look so elegant. It’s the perfect place for an intimate dinner.
Yeah, Zao Vietnamese Bistro is a good representation of everything you’re looking for to set a relaxed mood for dinner.
I’m also not a huge fan on Vietnamese food, i think they’re kinda too bland for my taste. There aren’t a lot of Vietnamese restaurants locally either (probably 2) and i sampled lots of them on our trip there back in 2012, i don’t remember the names (i’m totally helpless when it comes to food names LOL) and only pho sticks on my mind haha
We’re more accustomed to just ordering salads, fresh rolls and pho. If you order more meaty dishes then they won’t taste as bland. π
I have never had Vietmanese food, but the spring rolls look good and the skewerd meat.
I can’t see anything positive for the skewered meat because I don’t like eating meat in the first place. My boyfriend likes it and I think many people will, too.
The setting is gorgeous and the food looks divine. I love restaurants with an upbeat ambiance. This would work for me.
The kind of ambiance here makes me want to stay longer. It’s cozy and so nice.
I didn’t noticed na sugar cane pala yun with shrimps! They did a really nice food preparation.
Yup! It’s creatively presented. π
Crispy Spring Rolls is so tempting! Dishes are so delicious
I’m glad we ordered the sampler platter so we saved ourselves the trouble of finishing an entire plate featuring the same thing. This appetizer is an ideal entree to get at Zao. π
Lovely place to dine in. The environment and food looks as nice!
Yup, it’s a great place to bring a date. π