If you get hungry shopping at the the University Village, Zao Noodle Bar is a good chain restaurant to go with the kids (or without). They have asian fusion food (skewed towards Vietnamese), a selection of teas (mango ice tea, Thai ice tea, green tea) and a very nice sitting area. They also have a bar area and you can order alcohol. Yesterday, we were able to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and eat out in the patio.
The food are light and full of vegetable selections. For appetizers we had chicken dumplings and lettuce cups. Main entree: there are side salads, noodle bowls and rice bowls of varying spice levels for $7-$9. The vegetables weren't over cooked. For dessert, they have mochi ice cream, gelato and banana spring rolls in chocolate sauce. You can see pictures and the full menu online ( http://www.zaonoodle.com ).
The kids get a coloring placemat and menu of items around the $4.50 range or lower (example: the Teriyaki bowl and Peanut noodles). On Tuesdays, the kids eat FREE.
The service was quick and friendly. They take major credit cards and participate in several discount programs such as UPass. They are located next to Ravenna Gardens and across from Ben & Jerry's.
Because I always try something new, the food is a hit or miss for me. Their prices are reasonable for the well to do U Village patrons, not starving college students. I gave them a third star because the food is a bit more healthy for the kids (the other choice was the burger joint and a milkshake) and the no fuss seating - very important when you have 2 hungry kids.
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