Zozo Asian Street Food turns its Strand dining room into a tour through several Southeast Asian food traditions rather than tying itself to one national style. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and its menu is structured for both a quick bowl of noodles and a longer meal assembled from shared plates. Vietnamese foundations are especially visible, but Thai, Malaysian and broader regional influences appear throughout. The result is colourful and informal: aromatic herbs, sharp pickles, chilli, coconut and grilled meats recur across the sections, giving the large selection a recognisable house language while allowing diners to choose very different routes through it.
Small plates are an inviting way to begin. Beef and pork bao sit beside rice crackers, spring rolls and delicate fresh summer rolls, while grilled prawns, squid and chicken popcorn offer contrasting textures. Kaffir-scented chicken and lamb skewers bring the grill into play, and dumplings provide a familiar shared option. More substantial starters include tamarind mussels, a crisp Vietnamese bánh xèo pancake, soft-shell crab and pork ribs. Taken together, these dishes reward a table that orders communally: crunchy, steamed, charred and sauced preparations can arrive in succession before anyone commits to a main course.
Noodles form a menu within the menu. Pho is offered with raw beef, chicken or a fuller special combination; pad Thai, char kway teow and Saigon-style beef noodles move the flavours in different directions. Bun cha pairs rice noodles with grilled pork, herbs and dressing, while salads use green papaya, mango, prawns, salmon, pork or beef to keep the focus fresh and bright. Those choices make it easy to calibrate a meal by richness and heat. They also show why the street-food description fits: the cooking borrows recognisable dishes from busy food cultures and presents them in a comfortable sit-down setting.
For a larger plate, the kitchen ranges from lemongrass-grilled chicken and caramelised pork belly to orange crisp duck, shaking beef and wagyu short ribs. Seafood appears as grilled fish, green fish curry and a dramatic coconut prawn dish, while red duck curry and lamb curry deepen the aromatic side of the menu. Vegetarians can build a meal from fire-kissed broccoli, crisp aubergine, vegetable curry, papaya salad and tofu versions of the noodle dishes. Vietnamese coffee, tea, juices and cocktails complete the experience, giving Zozo enough scope for a casual lunch, a plant-based dinner or a celebratory evening with several plates in the middle.
Address: 113 The Strand, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
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