ASHEVILLE – A North Asheville Japanese restaurant expanding with a second location will be the newest vendor to join S&W Market’s food hall lineup.
In May, Zen Sushi is slated to debut its kiosk at S&W Market, 56 Patton Ave. downtown. It will be an abbreviated version of its flagship restaurant at 640 Merrimon Ave.
Queena Zheng, co-owner, said North Asheville’s clientele is primarily local, and the downtown addition will attract more tourists.
“We want to show our sushi to everybody,” Zheng said.
Zen Sushi
Zen Sushi’s food hall menu
Although Zen Sushi’s menu will be condensed at the food hall kiosk, diners will have plenty of options.
The menu will feature appetizers, salad, vegetable maki, sumaki and hand rolls ranging from a $4.89 cucumber roll to a $15.99 Yellowtail jalapeno appetizer.
Appetizers will include tuna tataki, sushi and sashimi, and salad.
Avocado, cucumber, seaweed, squid and spicy kani salads will be available for light, refreshing bites.
Zen Sushi
Zheng said it was crucial to offer a wide selection of healthy, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, such as the pickled radish, avocado, kanpyo (dried gourd strips), and inari rolls, considering Asheville customers’ requests and dietary restrictions.
There will be more than 15 seafood sumaki roll options, including the classic California, Philadelphia, tuna, eel cucumber, and shrimp tempura. The crunchy bagel roll includes fresh salmon, cream cheese, and masago (roe).
One of Zheng’s favorite menu items is the veggie lover roll, which includes vegetables like asparagus.
“When you eat it, you feel a bit of a crunch. It’s not boring,” Zheng said.
Zen Sushi
Another go-to is the Yellowtail jalapeno ― Yellowtail fish topped with jalapeno and tobiko and served with yuzu soy sauce.
She said the Yellowtail scallion and salmon avocado are popular summertime picks for customers.
The S&W Market evolution
Zheng said Zen Sushi opened 25 years ago, and she became its new co-owner two years ago. She said Zen Sushi’s second location could improve her business, as it and many other restaurants attempt to recover from last fall’s Tropical Storm Helene.
Zheng said she’s excited and nervous about the new endeavor, and designing the menu and the smaller, unique space has been a learning experience.
Zen Sushi will open in the space previously occupied by Mikasa Criolla, a Peruvian and Spanish-fusion eatery, which closed due to Tropical Storm Helene and did not reopen after nearly two years at the food hall.
The S&W Market vendors are Buxton Chicken Palace, Farm Dogs, Flour Café, Flour Focaccia Sandwich Shop, Highland Brewing, The Hop Ice Cream and The Times Bar. Circa 29 event space, downstairs, is available for private event booking.
Ryan Isael, director of property management for Ellington Realty Group, owner and operator of The S&W Market, said the food hall reflects Asheville and its community. All vendors are locally owned, small businesses with uniquely curated concepts and food, and Zen Sushi, a family-owned and operated restaurant, is ideal for the food hall.
“We look at the food and what they’re offering, but it’s more the people we want to bring in ― people who are from this community, part of the community, and on-site giving back,” Israel said.
Israel said he and his family frequent Zen Sushi, but Greg Garrison, co-owner of The Hop Ice Cream, introduced them and suggested that Zen Sushi be considered for the vacant kiosk.
The Hop and Zen Sushi are neighbors at Merrimon Square, a North Asheville shopping plaza, and the ice cream shop operates a kiosk at S&W Market.
The S&W Market in Asheville July 7, 2021.
Garrison said Israel was seeking a unique concept with extensive vegetarian options, and the restaurant could prepare easy dishes for diners looking for a quick bite.
Israel said Zen Sushi’s downtown location will allow the restaurateurs to expand without the added costs of owning a standalone brick-and-mortar and extend their reach to a new audience.
Israel said slight improvements are planned for the S&W Market in 2025, focused on increasing vendors’ business.
The food hall had been popular for lunch, and Flour Café’s opening last year brought in a morning crowd. Israel said Zen Sushi could help boost dinner service when the dining room hours extend in late spring/early summer.
Zen Sushi
The S&W Market has operated with reduced hours since reopening last fall after Helene.
He said that following Helene, the food hall’s customer traffic has steadily increased as the spring has brought warmer weather and more tourists. However, it hadn’t returned to pre-storm levels.
“We hope that we’re going to get nailed this spring, that we’re going to see an onslaught of support and tourism coming back and people wanting to see the revitalization of Asheville, and they’re going to support these small businesses,” Israel said.
Zen Sushi
Where: 56 Patton Ave., The S&W Market, downtown.
Opening: May 2025.
Info: For more, visit zen-sushi-asheville.com and swmarketavl.com and follow @swasheville on Instagram.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: North Asheville eatery to open second location at S&W Market food hall
