The Zen restaurant is now 19 years old.
Created in 2006 by the Japanese Okawa Zen and located in the Palais Royal district of Paris at 8 rue de l'Echelle 75001, our restaurant invites you to taste its traditional seasonal cuisine.

Zen can be reached by phone or email.

Zen Okawa's story begins in Japan, where he enjoyed the simple and delicious cuisine of Taishu Shokudo restaurants at lunchtime and Izakaya restaurants in the evening, places to relax after work. A foodie with a deep attachment to Japanese culinary culture, he felt a real lack of it when he moved to France, where he struggled to rediscover the authentic flavors of his native country.

It was this nostalgia that drove him to create a place faithful to his memories. His encounter with Mitsuru Yamada, a passionate and experienced chef, marked a turning point: together, they decided to revive authentic, sincere, and accessible Japanese cuisine, as it is experienced daily in Japan.

Born in 1976 in Shiga.
While at university, Mitsuru Yamada, passionate about cooking, decided to quit his studies to pursue a career in the restaurant business. He found a job in Kanazawa. After 10 years of experience, he met Mr. Zen Okawa, who offered him a position at Zen as head chef.

Mitsuru Yamada accepted because he saw it as an opportunity to discover the richness of French cuisine.

After three years, in order to further enrich his experience, he decided to work in other restaurants, both Japanese and French, in order to understand the differences in taste between the two cultures. With these experiences having refined his expertise, he returned to Zen in 2015.

"I want people to have fun while constantly discovering new flavors." Mitsuru Yamada

One evening in Osaka, in an Izakaya, Zen Okawa had a revelation: to open a Japanese restaurant true to his values. Alongside Mitsuru Yamada, an esteemed chef, he brought to life the "Zen" project — a name full of meaning, both personal and spiritual, inspired by the Japanese character "善", a symbol of kindness and harmony.

Driven by meditation and a quest for betterment, Zen Okawa aspired to convey balance and kindness to those around him. Mitsuru Yamada shared this vision, expressing it through his cuisine: a search for harmony in each dish. Together, they imagined a place where every gesture, every flavor, and every attention contribute to a sincere, authentic, and soothing experience.

Do you have a question or request? Write to us and we'll be happy to help.

Location

© 2025 ZEN | 善