Zhu Is Now Serving Pan-Asian Vegan Cuisine in Arlington

The transformation of Kathmandu Spice into a vegan restaurant is complete: Zhu Pan-Asian Vegan Restaurant grandly opened on Saturday.

The Arlington eatery was aiming for an early July opening; Kathmandu Spice shuttered in May after a decade serving Himalayan fusion fare. Zhu's, called Zhu's Garden in earlier licensing documents, offers a variety of vegetable, tofu, and seitan-based dishes. The restaurant uses entirely non-GMO products, no MSG, and exclusively sea salt. It's also 100 percent vegan and kosher. Boston Restaurant Talk reported, via Chowhound, that the Boston Vegetarian Society hosted an event there on July 25.

Family-style cuisine spans Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, and other cuisines. Entrees include bi bim bap, black pepper seitan, General Tso's soy protein, a sizzling platter of tofu teriyaki, Kung Pao eggplant, and more. The Boston Vegetarian Society noted Zhu comes from the owners of Veggie Fun in Providence, R.I., which has the same vegan, pan-Asian concept.

Zhu is open Monday - Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Friday from 11:30 - 11 p.m., Saturday from noon - 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon - 10 p.m.