Pre-made bento. Have tried hamburger, pork stir fry, steak stir fry, misoyaki butterfish. All excellent and reasonably priced. Their attention to detail is spot on. The flavors are so deep and everything is seasoned so well. Take out only. Go early for the best selection. read more

Stopped in on Saturday noon to dine-in. Still had a big selection of bentos. Parking can be a challenge but we were lucky to get a street parking. Been here before and they were tables to dine in and complimentary miso was served. We asked the ladies behind the counter about that, and they said, since the renovation they eliminated the dine in tables and complimentary miso. The only tables there was being used as an office desk. We were sad, had to eat in the car before our appointment. However, food quality still remained the same. They have a big selection of bento's and side dishes. Kinda miss their miso soup, but o well that's how it goes. We had a combination plate with different kinds of rice with the mixed season being my fav. There was Salmon, Saba, and Hamburger with some side veggies. All good and tasty, very flavorful. We'll definitely be back soon, mahalo! read more

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This is my first visit to this establishment. There was a nice variety of bentos. It's so convenient to just grab and go. Prices are reasonable. And they were still warm. I definitely would go back to try other bentos. read more

I am so happy my Aunty introduced me to Obento Rinka! All this time I thought there was only the restaurant Rinka and I didn't even know they had a bento place. Their bentos remind me so much of Japan. Everything so detailed and each item so unique. The top compartments had the chicken and side dishes, and the bottom compartment had the nori & rice. It consisted of a deep fried fish cake, salmon, piece of karaage chicken, kinpira, okra, tsukemono, and my favorite the tamago with mentaiko. I like how everything is in different compartments so that nothing gets soggy. I really enjoyed their nori bento. I can't wait to make a trip to their store to try many more of their bentos! So so good and I love Japanese style bentos. You can tell they take time to make each item that is included. read more

The sister bento shop to their restaurant in Kaka'ako. A small eatery on S. Beretania that offers traditional Japanese and updated, local style fusion (if you will) lunch box meals. Chirashi and cold noodles are also available, as well as side dishes - both traditional and local-oriented. There are a few desserts such as the Black Sesame Pudding. Previously, not a fan of black sesame anything...but this dessert has changed my mind. They have two specials to close out the summer of 2019: A buy 1 bento and get a dollar off a cup; 20% off a purchase of more than 10 bentos. Excellent service and bentos. read more

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We ordered 7 special bento for Saturday and ordered them on Thursday. 5 had the Rin bento that comes with Chawanmushi. My husband had butterfish misoyaki. He said the fish was cooked well but light on miso so he would probably not order it again. Another had tonkatsu bento which was small compared to the Rin bento. When my son picked up the order at 11:30 there were hardly any bento left so recommend you preorder. The Rin bento were delicious - like Japanese food you get in Japan. 9 sections of food each prepared with so much attention to detail. I love warabi mochi so having that as one of the sections was an extra treat. I rate them 4 star instead on 5 because when I called To order I ordered 5 Hana bento - a 2 layer bento with chirashi - flavored rice -on top. Two hours later the lady called and said they could not do our order since they got an order in for 130 Hana bento for Sunday and they needed the special containers. I changed my order to The Rin bento instead but later wondered why our order was not honored as I called first. I would have happily taken the order not boxed in a 2 layer box. Yet I am happy for them that they got such a big order. We will be back soon and get the Hana bento. read more

Obento Rinka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Good bento only available in the morning . Afternoon is left overs. We were forced to buy bentos that we didn't like . We could have gone somewhere else but wanted to support small business read more

We needed bentos for my mom's funeral services and wanted to try Obento Rinka, based on the Yelp reviews and pictures. We ordered 30+ on Saturday and paid for it in cash. On Monday, the new restrictions were announced and so I didn't need that many bentos and wanted to change my order to 15 bentos. Called them on Monday morning and the person was so understanding and accommodating. Picked up the salmon, chicken karaage, chicken karaage and oyster and the Healthy bento. They were beautifully presented and delicious! The bentos were ready at the pick up time and they refunded me the difference. They have a variety of bentos, sushi, desserts, soba and even Japanese drinks. I would definitely go again to try other things. I don't think they have a parking lot but there are metered stalls along Beretania Street. 10/10 read more

Last review of 2018 Randy S is the person that put this amazing bento spot on my radar. Thank you so much for coming here over and over again. I can see why you come here so often. The food here is delicious! Obento Rinka offers bentos that are the same caliber of food from Rinka on Kapiolani. I originally wanted to go to Rinka but Mink didn't want to dine in. She suggested take out so I recalled Obento Rinka being a bookmark that was close by so we went. It's a small shop which has a table that can seat up to four people should you want to dine in. Most people come here for take out. Due to the location, you will have to look for street parking. Luckily we came on Christmas Eve and found a spot right in front. There were two workers and they were very polite. The bento selection was good and everything looked tasty so making a decision on what to get was difficult. After looking through all the bentos twice, Mink decided on the Grilled Salmon Bento and I chose a new item called the Shokado Bento. The portion size was just right and all the ingredients were prepared perfectly. My sashimi was fresh but because the bento was in a refrigerated area, the tempura was cold and not crispy anymore. It was still good though. Overall, solid bento spot and I look forward to coming back to try other bentos they offer. read more

Obento Rinka - Grilled Salmon Bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This is another amazing bento spot I had to introduce to my Grams. She got the daily special which was beef sukiyaki and shrimp tempura ($11), while I got the soba w/ nameko & Ikura ($8.50) + a crab cream croquette ($3.50?)+ warabi mochi ($3.50?). It's really hard for me to resist Warabi Mochi lol. Everything was DELICIOUS. You really can't go wrong with their great VARIETY and QUALITY, BEAUTIFUL presentation, overall YUMMINESS, and AFFORDABLE prices. Definitely check this place out! Note: takeout only, and strictly enforced limit of 2 customers inside at a time. read more

Obento Rinka - Beef Sukiyaki and Shrimp Tempura ($11 Daily Special), Soba w/ Nameko & Ikura ($8.50), Crab Cream Croquette ($3.50?), Warabi Mochi ($3.50?) - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Attended a funeral and the food was from Obento Rinka. The bento box presentation was beautiful and the food was delicious! Looking forward to trying other items there. read more

Obento Rinka - Funeral bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Same great food, same great taste. Only updating that this time I showed up around 11 or just before. They did not yet have out their sushi bowls. We stayed to eat there and they came out maybe around 11:30 or 11:45. I ended up with the salmon nori bento, which was awesome. A little bit of everything! And under the piece of nori, there was that salted seaweed, which made the rice that much better! read more

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I hear everybody raving about Rinka. A good friend of mine was so impressed that he went three times in a week! He works at a high-end steakhouse so I pretty much trust his tastebuds. If he says it's good, it probably is. I would love to try for myself but there were a few factors that got in the way: I live near Waikiki, and when I head west, I end up taking the freeway. I very rarely go down Beretania. And if I do, Rinka only has metered parking on the street and finding a spot is all about luck.... As the saying goes, "If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all.." Well my luck has seemed to change for the better, as a business associate brought lunch for us and lo and behold! It's from Obento Rinka!! He had gotten a variety, from somen noodles, chicken karaage to salmon. I chose salmon. What's impressive is the rice. Multigrain rice from Japan. You can enjoy the different textures and each grain has their own unique glucose content that won't make you want to "pour shoyu all over em". The salmon was nice and firm, with just the right amount of salt with no overbearing fishy taste. The sides comprised of a spinach-potato salad which I thought might have been mixed with okara; a byproduct of making soy milk...sunomono, thinly sliced vegetables in vinegar, Japanese pickles and okra. Mind you, I don't like okra. You can say that I hate it. I don't know what compelled me to try it, but I'm glad I did! It seems to have been covered with either okara or miso. I'm guessing okara because miso would have given it a stronger aroma. Whatever it was, I was eating something I hate! I can see why my friend went there three times in a week. And he lives in Mililani! If he can make an effort to go there that often, I guess I should too. Looking at their online menu, it looks like they have ala carte items too. I guess I can swing by to get some of the spinach-potato salad. Maybe some okra too. read more

Obento Rinka - Salmon bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The service was excellent and the food was really delicious especially the butterfish.

I recently ventured to Obento Rinka to see what they had to offer. I made a point of getting there shortly after they opened and there was a huge variety of Bento offerings. I settled on the Misoyaki Butterfish and Ginger Pork Combo. So Delicious! I highly recommend checking them out for an elevated authentic Japanese Bento. I went back a week later to try another Bento... read more

Obento Rinka - Miso Butterfish & Ginger Pork Bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Had a failed attempt at ordering one weekend where no one was picking up the phone. The hub wanted to give it one more try the following weekend and I'm glad he persisted. We decided to the the order ahead one I think they're called the Rin and Hana bentos that come with chawanmushi. Anyhow, totally worth it. These bentos down to the packaging reminded me of the ones you get in the downstairs basement of Japanese grocery stores or the bustling food courts at Tokyo train station. Fresh, delicious, beautiful presentation and just overall high quality. At the store, they are observing good practices with only two ppl inside at a time and limited to ten minutes inside store. Also got their yuzu cheesecake dessert, their mochi dessert with kinako and red beans (forgot the name) and side dishes of okra and spinach. They also have pre-prepped bentos that are available to takeout. These looked good but not as special as the ones we preordered. Of course the prices are higher than Japan but I haven't seen nice bentos like this here. $16-$18. Call a day or two ahead!! read more

I wish I knew that there was a second location sooner! I heard about bento rinka from a friend, but the location was out of the way and inconvenient since it was in Waikiki. This location is right across of Gracie's and right before Safeway and petco on the left hand side of the road. Parking is primarily metered parking on the street. I was lucky and found one right by the store and threw in a few coins. There was more open stalls available and I went during lunch time around noon. They don't really have a printed menu but they have an assortment of bentos on the counter ranging from 8-13$ each. They also have fried items in a glass case, and sushi in the refrigerated area. I decided to skip the sushi today and try some bentos. I picked up a steak bento which was good and the meat was soft. I even ate all of the rice and I'm not even fond of rice. My husband ate their version of loco moco. It also was a good choice and had a good sweet taste to the meat. I also got an omu rice looking dish that my dad ate but I'm not sure how he liked it or not. Some of the fried items I picked up was the fried chicken and the curry croquettes. They ranged about 2.50-4.50 each dish. I didn't care for the croquettes since it tasted really dry. Maybe because it was room temperature. The packaging is really cute too! I really wanted to save the containers but I really don't know how I would wash them anyway as the box and plastic was connected together. I can't wait to come back again and eat more items from here! read more

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Stopped in this place since I used to love the food here. When I arrived there were no customers and in minutes there were people standing outside the store. Gave it a three stars because the old lady was impatient and seemed to be rushing me. That is definitely not what I'm used to in the Japanese culture. On top of that there wasn't much of a selection and all they had left was kept chilled on the counter. Don't think I'll be returning here again sadly. Definitely not one of the small businesses I will support. read more

Obento Rinka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love the assortment of bentos available! The food is always tasty and fresh! I love the healthy bento, a little bit of everything but honestly I can eat all three scoops of rice! The Saba bento was enjoyed and the side dishes are always so good! read more

Obento Rinka - Healthy bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Drove past this bento spot on South King Street a thousand times but never noticed it until today. Got a variety of mixed bento and everything here is DELICIOUS. I like that they give you small portions of many quality good items so that you have many things to taste and it's so fun to eat. Curry croquettes are also good. I am absolutely in love with their yuzu cheesecake! Definitely higher quality than your average bento in Hawaii. Go here if you want a nice treat for yourself! read more

Obento Rinka - Believe me when I say that every bite in this was golden! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Although this is a bento place, I have yet to try their bentos--but I sort of wandered in after shopping at some of the nearby markets (for some there's a lot of specialty grocery stores like right by here, no idea why but I get my indomie and tajin both from literally markets right next to this store). Anyway I got the sesame mont blanc. I'm not a particular fan of chestnut (it's good but I don't like seek it out) but I do like sesame flavored things, especially when used in desserts. Since it's not cloyingly sweet, I think these are particularly good in the summer, or when it's humid. I think I've only tried mont blanc once in Japan and barely remember it, but this mont blanc had a very light and fluffy texture interspersed with creamy sesame flavored (?) stuff on the inside and a little crunch from the sesame seeds. I could've eaten the whole thing in one bite and, hopefully, I'll have that opportunity soon. Also I have no basis of comparison for this dessert besides desserts I've tried in general, so take this with a grain of salt. read more

Obento Rinka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Most definitely one of the better places in town for bentos. While it's not always possible, I try to hit this place up before 11am because not only will you have a larger selection of bentos to choose from, but also that some may still be warm as it gets delivered straight from their off-site kitchen shortly before they open at 10am. Quantites are somewhat limited but they do go fast. So more the reason to come here early. But more importantly, come here because the value for the quality of the food is pretty tough to dispute. There are a couple of small tables to dine on, however, this is more of a grab-n-go kinda place. Parking is all street but usually not a problem to get an open stall along Beretania. Check this place out! read more

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If you are looking for a Japanese bento place this would help satisfy your craving. They open at 10:00 a.m. and their bentos go pretty quick. There is a limited seating area for dining in. Most of the people just pick up their bento and go. Sometimes if you are lucky they have discounts on some of their bentos. read more

Finally tried this place after always driving past it! Came here around 12pm ish on a Friday. I was lucky enough to get Street parking right in front of Obento Rinka. The junk part is that sometimes cars drive so fast on S. Beretania Street that it makes it difficult to parallel if the car behind you is basically tailing you. But enough about that... it's located a few store fronts from 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grill and in-between the Asian Grocery mart and the Mexican restaurant. It's really tiny inside, but there were lots of different bentos to choose from! They only allow 2 customers at a time and there was 1 lady working. She was really friendly and polite and waited until I made my selection. I was hoping for butterfish, but it seemed like they didn't have any that day. From what I could recall they had: grilled saba, mochiko chicken, salmon, fried oysters/chicken katsu, "healthy" (seemed like all veggie), hamburger steak bentos and a tonkatsu bowl. There were different rice varieties that you could choose from too. Each bento had either white rice, multigrain rice or brown rice. It also comes with various picked veggies or sides. I also noticed that the mochiko chicken was a "daily special" so I'm unsure what their specials are each day. They also had some cold dishes too. I picked up the Grilled Saba bento with multigrain rice and got my husband the Mochiko Chicken with white rice bento for dinner. On my way out I saw they always had cheesecake so of course I picked up 2 of those! In order to use your card, you have to spend more than $5 which is really easy to do. The bento was delicious! I squeezed a bit of lemon juice on my grilled saba and it was very good. I also enjoyed the multigrain rice. I liked all the little sides that came in the bento as well, but unfortunately I don't know what they're called lol. My husband really loved the mochiko chicken. I couldn't even try a bite because he ate it so fast! But he did let me have his pork hash and tamago that came with his bento. I believe each bento was $13.25 and the cheesecake was $3.25 each. As for the cheesecake it was yummy, but I'm not sure if I'd pay that price again for such a small slice. You get a lot in the bento for what you pay for, but I have paid less for these type of bentos. I didn't mind the price though because it was still pretty reasonable. I think the next time I'd come here, I'd probably walk there so I don't have to deal with crazy drivers LOL. read more

My favorite bento shop in Honolulu for quality and selection. I always try to get there at 10 am when they open, for the largest selection. Everything here tastes good, looks good and is good. The quantity is good too. ( there's another place nearby that has a very nice vegetarian bento for $7-but I'm still hungry after I've eaten everything!) Take out only here and located in a nondescript building on South Beretania Street. Parking can get a little tricky since it's sandwiched between Asia Market and Mercado dela Raza. Worth the stop for the best Japanese boxed lunch in the city. read more

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Looking for the flavors of Japan? Hidden in an unassuming storefront, this humble bento joint draws the foodie crowd and local city workers alike for good reason. Offering delicious, homemade Japanese Bento for affordable prices, ready-to-go meals make for a people pleaser. When you arrive, you will see they offer a wide variety of delicious bento, both refrigerated and room temp. Perfect for a beach day or a pick me up the options seem endless - prob around 20 different options. These are REAL bento, made to provide a range of flavors, textures, and tastes. I picked up the ginger pork bento which was DELICIOUS, only downside was this is not really in a super airtight container and leaked some of the sauce, even though I had it as flat as possible. Note that only 2 folks in the store at once, try your best to respect other patrons and move as fast as possible, I def got caught up admiring everything and didn't even realize that I was holding up a small line! I look forward to trying more bento from here :) read more

Great new addition to the Chirashi or Bento lunch options in Honolulu. The quality was above average and overall value for $13- was decent. Parking can be challenging on the street but worth the effort. Service was pleasant but there is a wait while they prepare your food so order by phone if you can. read more

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Obento Rinka opened where used to be Sakura-Ya. Menu is similar to Sakura-ya, Nigiri Sushi, Chirashi, Variety of Okazu, Daily Bento, Healthy Bento etc... Pictures of Okazu looked good, but they were sold out today... next time... I had Nigiri Sushi, I wanted to compare Nigiri Sushi that I always had at Sakura-Ya. Yay!! Freshly made to order!! Served 2 separated dishes. I liked warm sushi rice!! Great Deal for this quality Nigiri Sushi set for $13 (Tax INCLUDED)!! PLUS!! Miso soup will be served if you dine-in!! I will definitely come back soon!! read more

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This is one of my family's go tos for bentos, and it's usually hit or miss because they change their menu quite frequently! Some days they have less selection than others but the day my mom and I went, there was a ton of selection!! (I don't think it really matters if you go early or not because they do try to restock). There's usually always street parking in the front so that's not a problem :) the shop is small and homey and feels clean. My bento this time around hit the spot, it was a chirashi bento that even had a chicken karaage and Tamago in it. The only thing I didn't like as much was that the ginger was mixed into the rice so it was hard to pick out the strong flavor..but that also didn't stop me from eating every last bite hahaha. There were a bunch of other fish bentos like salmon and saba, as well as fried foods like tempura and tonkatsu this past Friday. Highly recommend obento rinka! read more

Obento Rinka - Chirashi bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Good bento is real, it is not just in the movies of our minds. I lost my faith in bento because so many dogwater bentos abound... I mean sometimes u just want a dogwater bento. The one here eats so special, i can't wait to come back, I had the meat lover one and each bite feels a treat. Don't get thrown like I did when they run your card and don't give u a receipt. I parked at Safeway i be scared of getting my car towed, I went and got some veges first. read more

Bentos were very well kept and organized on the display shelf. Place was very clean and orderly - a very cute takeout place for sure. The Japanese lady spoke in Japanese to us so it was a good opportunity for me to practice up on my Japanese. There's an Instagram special going on for this month where if yo my post a pic of their bentos and show that you posted you get 10% off hashtag #obentorinka read more

Obento Rinka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Little shoo next to the asian market. If you blink your eye you might miss it. For a small place they really have a huge variety of unique bentos. If you haven't tried this please stop by it's real authentic Japanese only two people at a time allowed in. The only downfall is I felt a little rushed with such a huge variety to pick from, they even have a healthy bento selection which is great. The noodles in the bottom of a sushi bento was genius ,compact and grate for a lunch at work. read more

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some of the best bento boxes around. it is extremely professionally done. you get what you pay for and this is no exception. Definitely would come back here in the future! read more

Solid spot for sushi and bento goodies to go! Prices aren't too outrageous and the quality is definitely worth it! In my review, I'm going to throw shady comparisons to Genki, which is freshly scarred in my memory. I made the mistake of getting sushi at Genki Ala Moana last night and it was horrible!! I'd been craving it, and Genki used to be decent but it went downhill so fast since the last visit that I think I might never return again. So after that, I STILL had a sushi craving to fulfill. Enter Obento Rinka- to da rescue... da next day!!! I was disappointed to see that they discontinued their nigiri sushi menu- it's all pre-made sushi now. But no fear! It's still delicious and fresh. Definitely restaurant quality. I only got the salmon avocado roll bc I was sulking that there was no nigiri option... and it was sooooo good! The salmon was fresh- melt in your mouth style. The avocado was also fresh and the cucumber was crisp. Decent size pieces. It came with ginger and shoyu but no wasabi!!! Dang it! I should have double checked before leaving. Coincidentally, Genki did the same thing to me (but in their case I asked for it but didn't get it). Is wasabi having a bad crop and it's become super expensive so people guard it now?! I also got a curry croquette for $2.50. It had a strong Japanese style curry flavor, with soft fluffy potato, and bits of ground beef. Covered in panko and perfectly fried. If I'd brought it somewhere and eaten it as is, it wouldn't have been so good because it had been sitting out so it was room temp and not crispy on the bottom side. Luckily, I took it home, popped it in the toaster and a few minutes later it was revived like the choker necklace fad. I love sauces, and it's not served with any (maybe if you ask), so I ate it with some mayo at home. Fat kid status! Both items were so good, I wished I'd gotten more. Oh well, I'll be back... Reason for 4 instead of 5 stars? No parking (yes, I hope this against establishments), the fried foods are served room temp, and they don't do nigiri sushi anymore. read more

The folks here did an excellent job of working with me to provide a higher quality level of bento for a memorial service for a cherished family member. My husband picked up the meals in containers he had prepared in advance to make the transport easier and they really worked with him to see that all needs were met. The attending guests were very complimentary about the beauty and quality of the meals provided. read more

This place is awesome! One of the few places that has own driver for delivery, if spend over $100 (without paying all those Bite Squad fees). I had to order COVID friendly packed food for a work meeting. Emailed my order and they responded quickly. Food was delivered on time, all the staff was impressed with how tasty and pretty the food was packed. The only thing was they had problem w processing my credit card over the phone, so I had to go into store to pay w my card. They did give me option to pay via check or cash to driver on day of, but I had to pay w company card. Overall, everyone was happy so I'm happy. Will definitely order again for next event. read more

Obento Rinka - Rin Bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Food is excellent. Love the pork ginger and the chicken bentos. A bit expensive but worth it!!! Treat yourself for a taste of Japan.

Very very good meat lover bento! Everything looks good and well organized. Cant wait to try all of the bentos!

Guided by from a friend who hails from Japan to try a place in Makiki that served superb Japanese food, I decided to give Obento Rinka a shot many months later. I mean, being a self-professed Japanese food junkie, how could I not? It's true, high quality ingredients and effort go into each bento at Obento Rinka. I decided to try the deluxe bento. As with traditional Japanese food presentation, every detail was apparent from the way the salmon filet was cut with artistic precision, to the arrangement of colors. I really liked the touch of ikura (salmon roe) atop the rice and thought it really accented the stark whiteness of the rice very well. (It also tasted dang good too!) While the bento prices do appear a bit steep (average price is approx. $15), the quality of the food certainly makes up for it. If you get there early enough to snatch up some a la carte okazu (prepared meats, fish, chicken, veggies), you could likely get away for a little less. There's metered parking fronting the establishment along South Beretania Street. I was fortunate to find a parking spot right in front. Must've been bento destiny. read more

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Great little bento spot! Loved their multi-grain rice in their bento. Good variety and quality! Get Lucky with street parking along Beretania! (Meter parking) Small dining space - about 16 people can fit on their tables and they serve complimentary miso soup when you dine in. Take out is smart for big groups. Will try their Salmon Ikura Bowl next time. Mahalo! read more

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