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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I was sad when I saw Sakura-ya close up, and hopeful when I saw this new place open. I've only tried their chirashi, but it was excellent! For $13 I got a freshly made bowl of warm sushi rice (perfectly seasoned) with an unexpectedly wide variety of raw and cooked seafood. Raw: scallop, snapper, ahi, negitoro, salmon, ikura, saba and hamachi. Cooked: tamago, hotate, and ebi. I think I got it all! There were so many different things I had to make a list, but I may have missed something because I ate it all too fast! As others have noted, everything was very fresh. I'll definitely stop here for lunch when I'm in the area! read more

Obento Rinka - Fresh chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Parking is tough for this place. You might get lucky and find street parking right in front, otherwise maybe you should have the driver stay in the car as you go and get your food. I'm really lucky on my bento but I really liked what I had here. The price was kind of high, but I actually liked every single thing. My bento came with shrimp tempura, chicken, hamburger steak, croquette, and fish. How often do you get a single bento with all that variety? I chose to have my bento come with the special rice. Oh boy. I can't really describe what was in the rice, but boy it was tasty. My one complaint was that the piece of chicken that came was really small and lacking meat. It isn't the part of the chicken that should be included in a bento like this. Other than that, great bento. I'd come back. read more

Obento Rinka - Bento with special rice - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Not the cheapest bentos but you're paying for the quality of food. Tastes just like obentos in Japan! There's a small dine-in sitting area and not just only take out. I was told that if you dine-in, your bento comes with miso soup. Will come back again! read more

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

Food and selections are good, however, some of the people they have working there aren't very friendly so this is a HUGE turn off. I prefer Kokoro-tei or Teruyas because everytime I go in to either of these places the staff are super friendly and nice not to mention the food is exquisite! read more

Food too little. Prices recently went up so value even worse. The yakiniku bento beef was so tough, it was like gum. Too bad, this place was better before ..... read more

Hands down the best bento shop in Hawaii!! If you haven't you need to try their other bento shop in Waikiki and their restaurant behind Queen street Whole Foods!!! read more

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Good variety and reasonable price for fresh made obento that are truly Japanese style in cooking and presentation. Too many places too greasy and more carbs than veg or main items. Rinka's Obento is well balanced in portions and flavors. Glad I found it. They fueled us up after beach time in the north shore. Just don't want to eat greasy farmed shrimps, bad L&L plates and really don't like overpriced sandwiches, bad pizza or Mexican offered in the North Shore. read more

Great bentos, have to go early for bear selection. Parking is limited and cashier speaks very broken English. read more

I ordered the Hana Bento for a family gathering at the park in Nuuanu yesterday. The bento is a little pricey ($25), but perfect for a special gathering (after our annual Obon memorial service). The bento also comes with a mochi dessert, so it's a complete meal. Everyone enjoyed the assortment of meat, fish, tempura, seafood and prepared Japanese vegetables. Small portions of each, but collectively filling. I liked that I didn't have to take orders in advance (e.g., choice of entree) because of the assortment. One piece of advice: if you order online, be sure to check your junk mail box if you don't get a response. I placed my order for 24 bentos a week in advance, but their prompt confirmation went to my junk mail. I only realized this when I went down to the store. I've had their other bentos before, and the quality and taste have consistently been good, but you have to get there early or order in advance. Otherwise, it looks like they make only enough to run out each day. On the day I went to place the Hana bento order, it was shortly after 12noon, and they only had one bento left. read more

First time here. Only had bentos ready and a few Okazuya ready at 11:45am. Got the $14 Chirashi which came in a beautiful box with cover and a Chawanmushi. And the $12 salmon bento with a delicious egg tarter sauce food was very good but I thought the price was a few dollars over Fair. read more

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

Obento Rinka was not easy to find. It's located on S. Beretania, near Times Supermarket and Honolulu Burger Company. I only saw street parking which cost money. I went with a buddy of mine and our first impression was not a good one. Right as we entered, a couple stood up and asked the cashier about how much longer their food would take. We automatically felt like things were unorganized and that we were going to wait a while. We did not see any real menu to look at so we stood in a line which funnels you into a crowded corner where it leaves you having to squeeze your way out through the crowd of people. Not a good setup. I saw pictures on Yelp of the chitashi bowl so we already knew what "we" were going to order. My fiancee, at home, is not as much of a chirashi lover as I am so I had to look around for another menu option. Again, due to the lack of a real menu I just had to look around the room for pictures and whatever dishes were displayed. I ordered her a poke bowl and 2 curry croquetts. After about 15 minutes of waiting we received our food and took it home. When we got home and took out all the food, we noticed that the "poke" bowl didn't look like "poke". It looked like a negitoro bowl with green onions. It looked like scraps of ahi and not "cubes". All in all, the food was a little above average if that's worth anything. I will not return to this restaurant due to the parking situation, ordering setup, and wait time for the food. read more

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Aloha, great Chirashi lunch, really. But the mushy Nigitoro bowl was the bomb. I love perfectly cooked rice, I believe it makes the dish, great rice. Nice ice cold ocha, so good with any meal. Very friendly staff. Parking on Beretania or at Times, easy enough. read more

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This review is for 5/12/21 around 10:30am. This review is also not based on food quality as the food is good. This 1 star review is for the woman working at this particular time that decided to give me the worst attitude and make me feel unwelcome as I was about to purchase $50 worth of her bentos. I, along with my two daughters ages 2 and 4, waited outside as you are supposed to due to the two person at a time allowed inside rule. When it was our turn, we entered and I did by best to choose our bentos as quickly as a mother with two toddlers would. I then make a quick phone call to ask another mother-friend which she would like out of two options. I did not see the no phone rule, and my not even 1 minute phone call was far too long for one of the women working that day. She said, "the customer is waiting outside, you cannot take so long they are waiting. There is a two person rule." I then let her know, I am aware. I too, along with my two toddlers waited outside until it was our turn. And yes, the two person rule? Are you alluding to, you'd like my children to wait outside on Beretania street while I choose our bento so the next customer too could come select his as well? As she continues to give me attitude, I am now upset as I have my bento waiting on the counter while her cashier is, and has been on the phone the entire time not ready to assist us. I now call for that woman who went to the back instead of assist us, to let her know I am ready and remind her that she has a customer waiting outside. I then ask her, if I should I take my business elsewhere. Should I leave these bentos on your counter that we've already touched, and go elsewhere. Suddenly, she doesn't understand my English so I go ahead and ask her again in her native language, Japanese. Please tell me, why is it appropriate that you hustle me to get out of your shop, make me feel as if I am unwelcome as a paying customer who also waited for a nice while to enter your store? Why was that so necessary? Before I entered, my friend also purchased her bento there and asked the woman a question about one of her bentos. She replied with, "it's nothing special just ketchup rice, with an egg and ketchup." As someone who worked in the service industry, please, if you're having a horrible day, do not leak that attitude onto your customers. I don't leave horrible reviews unless the business/restaurant/ establishment/ staff is out of line and yesterday, that is just what it was. I will no longer be coming here for my bento. Thank you. read more

My secret bento place. After being a fan of Rinka on Makaloa for authentic, high quality Japanese food, I knew I had to visit Obento Rinka. Located on Beretania Street, across from Times Beretania, Obento Rinka is a small bento shop. There is no parking so either feed the meters on the makai side next to the shop or park in Times (illegally!). It is mainly a grab-and-go shop, although there are two tables for those who want to devour their bento right away. They have a variety of beautifully prepared bentos. What I particularly love is how they have different bento boxes, just like what I find in Japan. The Hana bento, which is one of my favorite often comes in a hexagon shaped box with two tiers. Everything is high quality, very tasty, and satisfying. I often pick up a bento here before heading for my flights to the mainland. Everytime I unwrap in on my flight, the flight attendants go "woooooah, where is that from!" The staff are friendly, although they really seem to cater to Japanese as many of the ladies in the front don't speak English very well. read more

If you need a place to go for a japanese bento...this is the place! Great selection and taste is awesome!

This place has super yummy bentos and at a super good price! A definite must try. The only negative is the parking is very sparse and on a busy street. Best to have someone able to just run in and they have most bentos made to just purchase. read more

Obento Rinka - Chirashi special bento $15 - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This simple bento was very satisfying and I wasn't too hungry or too full. The owner is really sweet too! I love the selection and containers! read more

Obento Rinka - Fried karrage , oysters, dashi rice with shaved egg, tamago, salmon, Korean word is gobo, and some squishy jelly! - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A wonderful bento place; reminds me of places in Japan. The choices are constantly changing unless you order ahead of time but still wonderful healthy choices. read more

It is the best bento my whole family enjoys. Each item they make with care. I believe not even in Japan have I eaten freshly cooked of each Sozai like Rinka's bento. It's not the local type take outs. When we want Japanese Bento's we go to Rinka, praying that there's street parking. read more

Good flavor and decent variety of selections. The customer service needs to be improved. I always feel like I'm inconveniencing the ladies and looked down upon because I'm not Japanese. I don't expect service to be friendly or chatty but I don't want to feel like I shouldnt be buying a $12 bento. read more

Tried this place on a whim right before I left to the airport. I ordered 2 bentos and a poke bowl. I had the chicken karage bento and the salmon bento also ordered their poke bowl. Spent about $43 and I couldn't even eat it. Everything was cold and soggy. Quality wasn't good. Smelled awful and the flavor profile wasn't there for me. And not to mention the owner literally rushed us out immediately right after we paid, I couldn't even gather my luggage, chopsticks and fork because she said there's people outside, "go" ... the shrimp tempura was literally the only thing edible there so had to trash the rest and didn't even eat it. Ended up getting Burger King as a second meal at the airport :( read more

Selection and quality has been getting less and less, while prices have gone up and up. Japanese ladies need to learn to communicate in English and be less power trippy. Other bento places that are better value with better service. read more

We did takeout for a party of 50 people, everyone loved the bentos! Very easy to work with and they were very good with communicating. They are so polite and we would order again from them in the future! read more

I ordered chirashi bowl $21. It seems like $13 one before... I miss Sakureya time..never gonna back there again. No shrimp head miso soup. There r 2 pieces of egg cake (sushi man tried to fill up with cheap things like 2 salmon, 2 tuna,cooked shrimp. read more

I was driving by and saw a parking spot, so who was I to say no to such a gift? Looked clean and appealing every time I drove by, and I wasn't disappointed when I walked in. Small space, but it offered a nice selection of pre-made bentos, a display case of ala carte foods, and a refrigerator chest with side dishes. It was a little on the late side for lunch, so the ala carte case was almost empty. I am always leery of pre-made bentos, but I selected one with fried rice, shrimp, and some siu mai. Back at my desk, oh my. Very, very tasty. Maybe a little on the salty side, but otherwise surprisingly good. The quality of the ingredients was absolutely first-rate, everything was prepared well, and even cold the meal was outstanding. This is not your everyday choke rice garlic chicken and hot dog combo bento. (I will always love you, Sugoi, but this is marriage material.) I'll be keeping my eyes open for available parking stalls along Beretania. This is going to become one of my go-tos in that neighborhood. read more

A bug was in my takeout sukiyaki bento two times. When I found a bug at the bottom of the takeout container for the first time, I almost finished the sukiyaki, so I let it go. But I couldn't let it go when I found the same bug in my sukiyaki dish again. My husband took it back to this restaurant and asked for the refund. However, the cashier gave him only a half price of the dish even though I got only 5 bites before I found the bug in the container. I understand that every restaurant is struggling during the pandemic, but they should have just refunded the full amount. I never want to go back to this place again. read more

Nice little spot to get a good bento. Neatly packaged and comparable to bentos I eat in Japan every year. I like the attention to detail and respect given to every dish in the box and how its presented. (See pics) Fairly priced and quality ingredients. Plenty of variety too. From smaller one entree bentos to chiraishi to full blown 16 item bentos. Only downsides are because it is one of those hole-in-the-wall gems, parking is almost nonexistent (street parking) The lady at the counter was really nice. The store is really clean and the bentos are all spread out with prices displayed which I really like since I'm more of a visual person. There is only one table in this place so it's more of a grab and go spot unless you're lucky enough to sit. I like this spot and will visit again. read more

Obento Rinka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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One of the best bentos I've had. There was a sold of lightly breaded piece of salmon, a little tsukune, a little croquette. And you can get fried chicken by the piece for about a dollar so you should probably do that. Everything was just excellent quality and I kinda wish they were closer to downtown because I think this might be kind of a tough location for a bento spot. read more

Such a good selection here! They have a bento for everyone! From small bentos to very large ones. And the taste, soooooo delicious!

Fresh and delicious! So far tried their Hana Bento, Chirashi and okra with iriko. All very yum! Highly recommend and if ordering several orders, call it in advance to assure they have enough supply. And they accept credit card! read more

Obento Rinka - Menu pics as their to go menu is primarily in Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Cute little bento shop with many sushi options as well. They make lots of premade dishes like an okazuya, but the sushi is all made to order. My favorite thus far is the nigiri set only $13 for a super plentiful yummy set. I also love their saba no battera $9. read more

Great selection of fried food: sure to up your cholesterol and on your way to a double heart bypass. If not fried lots of white rice to up your diabetes and spike your A1C level. Oh did I mention you, will gain at least five pounds: I though Japanese cruise was healthy. Check this food out if no concern. I'm sure it's good or your health! You not planning to live past 60 anyway! read more

Love the chirashi here. Costs a little more than when I came here last year...it was called Sakura-ya previously. read more

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

Can't beat the price for fresh sushi. We got lucky with street parking on a Saturday afternoon. Chirashi and sushi bowls were under $15 (most under $10). The sides are okazuya style, so they're more cold/room temperature than hot and fresh, but still delicious. We also tried a nitsuke style flounder that was pretty tasty. Will definitely be back for the ahi bowl! read more

Just like Japan! Always fresh with high quality ingredients. Parking is limited to the street in front of the restaurant.

Best bentos in Honolulu, period. I go there whenever I want to impress or have lunch with someone who knows what's good.

I was looking for a Japanese restaurant to go to and found this bento place. OMG, I tried various bentos from here already, and all of them are super good. Authentic Japanese taste! I have been recommending this place to my Japanese friends from Japan who miss Japanese food. read more

We only recently discovered Obento Rinka, located on the makai side of Beretania Street, across the street from Times Super Market. In the last two months we've visited Obento Rinka @ least 5 times. It's now our go to bento place. My wife likes the salmon bento, & I like the chirashi, if it's available, it sells out all the time. I also like the butterfish, flounder, or karaage chicken bento. There's also small dishes like seasame okra that my wife really likes. We highly recommend trying their bentos, as they are 'a cut above', so delicious. We need to go there soon!!! read more