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    I Heart Bento

    3.3 (129 reviews)
    Closed • Closed
    Updated 2 months ago

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    I HEART BENTO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids

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    Priscilla L.

    Last minute random choice for lunch for 7 people. Our original plan was to eat at restaurant across the street, but they had no room for 7 people, so we just practically ran around the 2 plazas to look for a place that could hold all of us with a good variety of food and we landed here tired of running around the place in such hot weather. This was a mom and pops takeout cafe with a few chairs and NO RESTROOMS. There was one nice cashier lady taking our orders and making our food. It was true like other reviewers said about the chicken teriyaki chicken pieces being a bit on the dry side, but there was some sauce on it. Rice was ok a bit lumpy due to a little too much water in them. But all right. From their website they are a mom and pop shop opened since 1988, specializing in Japanese and Taiwanese bento boxes. Their Halal chicken and Angus beef is marinated and grilled to each order and they add their house made teriyaki sauce to bento box. Pricing is reasonable and good for locals around this area. I personally would not come out of my for this takeout for food is average. But it's important to support mom and pop locations as many are closing up due to the economy.

    I have no idea what this item is.

    I tried coming a few times to try this restaurant and it is never open when I am in the area. Finally caught it open, and what a huge disappointment! Plastic utensils should have been the first clue. I ordered chicken teriyaki with fried shrimp but got small pieces of chicken . The kind they give you as samples at Costco. No flavor or no dipping sauce either. The shrimp was frozen and fresh from a box. Best thing in the bento box was the salad. Nice a fresh! I also got this small burnt thing in my bento box. It' was unidentifiable. So I tossed it. Please do yourself a favor and pass on this place.

    Top: Unagi Don Bottom: Teriyaki Angus Beef and Fried Shrimp Bento
    Mariela M.

    A small mom and pop restaurant!!! Their bento boxes are amazing! So many options to choose from and all of them looks so loaded. I got the teriyaki and friend shrimp bento and it was YUMMY. It comes with salad, rice, and California roll and I was so full when I finished. My boyfriend got the unagi don and it was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of unagi sauce. The veggie tempura was crispy and hot and just full of flavor. It was my first time eating fried lotus and wow! I'm missing out! Overall, everything was great! From service to food, it was OISHII! Definitely coming back to try out more bento boxes from them.

    LeeLee C.

    Never understand why we would eat bento because I can just do a quick stir fry at home for half the price, anyhow, hubby picked this so I tagged along. The menu's the regular items, didn't find it attractive. After ordering we waited for them to freshly prepare the main entrees. Maybe it's my first experience with bento shops but I was surprised that it's not an in and out ordering pattern. Now comes to food. There are a variety of small items in the bento. My fried pork cutlet is a bit too salty for me.

    Menu
    Mishan G.

    This is one of those places I wish was better, but I regretfully have to give it a middling review. The concept is very good - simple bento box, prepared quickly, with a nice amount of food in each box. Also a local business run by mom&pop, something that is really dying out here in the bay. I got the salmon and chicken teriyaki bento plus a California roll side. Honestly, the California roll was surprisingly good - very freshly made and carefully wrapped. Superb for the price really. The bento on the other hand was just average. The salad was good, nice variety of vegetables and had edamame which I like. But the chicken was fairly dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. The salmon had a decent crunch, but I wish it was more seasoned, although the texture was a high point. Additionally, the price is quite high for the taste quality. ~$20 for a bento is not competitive and makes it hard for me to want to come back with so many options that have a larger impact on each bite. If I had to give a pointer/feedback, I'd say the best thing would be to reduce the amount of items on the menu. Focus on just a few different bentos and bring their taste up. Right now, the stock to upkeep the variety has probably too high overhead, driving cost up. So, I'd suggest doing what places like Hironori do. Less than 5 variations, but top notch quality.

    #9 Teriyaki Beef & Fried Shrimp
    Jeff I.

    I initially didn't have high hopes for this place, but I decided to order here as it was recommended on my doordash. We ordered the teriyaki beef bowl, teriyaki beef and fried shrimp bento, takoyaki, and some California rolls. Firstly, the food was delivered hot! I'm sure this is more kudos for DoorDash, but nevertheless I will give the restuarant some credit. The portion looks small, but is still a good amount. I will say that the cut of meat for the beef teriyaki was so good. Some places keep so much fat on the meat, but this restaurant uses a leaner cut. The takoyaki presentation could be better, but they taste adequate. For the price of the food, I find this place pretty good. It does lack an authentic feel (seems more fast foody). If I need something quick and good, I will be order from here.

    Salad was good but the teriyaki looked and tasted terrible!!
    Annette H.

    Awful. We ordered I Heart Bento the other day because we had some Door Dash credits that we needed to use up. Ordered two simple boxes---chicken teriyaki and beef teriyaki. Never has such awful teriyaki at a restaurant before. I'd liken it to if you asked a kid to cook, and they didn't really know what they were doing. Maybe their regular cook was absent and they had a server cook instead. Terrible presentation, terrible food. Small portions and the pieces of meat look horrible. With all the great restaurants in the area, not sure why anyone would go here.

    Naina S.

    Delicious bento box joint. Food - quality of chicken was good, fully cooked but not too chewy. Teriyaki glaze was delicious, not too sweet or overbearing. I got the teriyaki chicken with shrimp, so I had a bit of variety. I recommend it because to me, the premise of bento is having a variety of dishes. The amount of chicken to shrimp ratio was just right. I was quite full after the meal. It wasn't expensive either -- 11.95. You can get this with California rolls as well but I felt like I'd eaten more than enough rice. My partner got the steak, and he thought that was excellent. Logistics - this is mainly a takeout spot. They do not have a bathroom. Food took a while to cook because there was a Doordash order ahead of us, but there are options to order ahead. Seemed like most people were doing takeout. There is a lot attached to the restaurants on this strip, so parking was not an issue. Also, the owners were really nice, I'll definitely be back. This hit the spot. :)

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Overpriced, waited a while for the food, and the chicken was dry. Spent $30 for a bento box and bottle of tea for lunch. Not worth it.

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Solid place for amazing lunches. I have had their salmon bento box, spicy tofu bowl, vegetable gyoza and shrimp tempura. Enjoyed every time.

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Love love love!!! Super yummy and reasonably priced. Why do you make me write more to post this review.

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

    I LOVE their bento box! You get so much food for such an affordable price and it's literally so delicious! Highly recommend!

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    8 years ago

    Inexpensive & fast. Got the chicken teriyaki bento and it was very filling and tasty :) would comeback here again!

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The best takoyaki in the bay area.The fish cakes are very good also. I will come back again and again.

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    12 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Fast, tasty food and a ver friendly staff. They always treat us well. Definitely come and check this place out.

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    6 years ago

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