Zao Ze Cafe

Wow, what a gem of the area! Fantastic pan Asian offerings. Especially enjoyed the shrimp with noodles, gyoza, fried cauliflower. Great options for taking specialty Asian groceries home, too. They’ve got my favorite Momofuku ‘fancy’ ramen noodles, frozen dumplings, noodles, wine, and intriguing whisky barrel aged fish oil. There are 8 tables, first come first serve, sometimes random hours so you may want to check they’re open. Good for takeout and baked items, too!

Delicious food influenced by a variety of Chinese and SE Asian regions. The menu rotates quite frequently so there's always something new to try. The Hong Kong style egg tarts are a must have, as are the steamed buns (haven't had a filling I didn't like yet). On our last visit, they had one of my favorite Sichuan style dishes, Ants Climbing a Tree, and it was masterfully spiced and balanced. I've also enjoyed the banh mi sandwich and the cold sesame noodles. Their milk tea boba (the actual tapioca balls) are the best I've had in Maine - perfectly soft and chewy. They also have a small selection of pan-Asian grocery goods that can be harder to find around here, so that's also a great reason to stop in.

I got the Phillipino Empanadas, sesame breakfast bun, and curry puff, at 5pm, after they’d been out all day, and they were all still fresh, and absolutely delicious. I still have the cucumbers to try, but I can say I’ll definitely be back, with a fair amount of happy confidence.

Very nice waitress pointed me to and explain each offering. I ordered 3 totally unknown items, I ate outside under umbrella and flowers, vegetables around. It was DELICIOUS! Definitely a come back.

Everything we tried; both hot/cold or savory/sweet was delicious. The space itself is so pleasant and the variety of Asian grocery products was great! We will definitely be back soon :)
A note for parents though - they don’t have high chairs and it’s not a very baby/ young kid friendly space. Our 1 year old was okay sitting / standing in the booth seat though!

The space is really beautiful and they have done a great job getting some interesting grocery products. The table service food though is definitely the star. Everything was tasty and my wife and I tried just about everything on the hot food menu. None of it disappointed. I felt bad that I spilled some water on the floor but the staff was super gracious. Definitely worth checking out.

Inspirational cuisine can be found in this wonderful cafe. In addition to having hot and cold prepared foods to delight the senses there's also a wide variety of pickled and frozen items to go. I'll be back to get more coconut macaroons.

Amazing ! The Friday fried chicken was the best. So crispy and delicious. The milk bread that is available at the counter is also highly recommended. They are working so hard to make things still wonderful during these strange and difficult days.

Zao Ze is a fun breakfast/brunch pop-up cafe (and market) just next to the Tao Yuan restaurant in Brunswick, which has been one of our favorites since it opened -- they are both the creation of chef Cara Stadler. Currently open Fri-Sun, hopefully they'll expand to more days. We've been a couple of times, and there's a nice assortment of small plate items you can pick and choose from, plus beverages -- including wines, beers, ciders, and saki - and coffee and espresso -- check the menu on their web site. Flavors and textures are, as we expected, excellent.Some ingredients were grown in their nearby greenhouse. Service is casual, lunchroom style. Inside and outside seating is available. There are also to-go items for sale; we haven't tried any of those yet, but they looked yummy.

Amazing food and service in the middle of Maine. The staff is incredible friendly, plus you can do some shopping while you wait. The store is filled with curious Japanese snacks and goodies.