We had come here after seeing various Instagram reels of this place as well as its predecessor (similar concepts). It appears that the predecessor allowed you to build your own bento box, however The Don has pre-set bento boxes where you select an entree and the sides are decided for you.
We came at lunchtime on a weekday and were the only ones inside. The employee behind the counter was super helpful in explaining what all was included in the bento boxes. The bento boxes include white rice, a vegetable side, and two egg rolls. They also have a giant tablet next to the counter if you prefer to avoid the human interaction and place your order directly. Seems a bit redundant to me honestly.
Upon placing our oder, the employee said it would be a 5-10 minute wait for our food to come out. We ended up waiting nearly 15 minutes and the whole time, no one else came into the store aside from a DoorDash pickup. They do have complimentary cold water and one long table to sit at while you wait.
I got the chicken katsu bento box while my partner got the spicy tofu bento box. The bento boxes are packaged super cute and presentation is very neat. These reminded me of the ekiben we bought in Japan before hopping on the Shinkansen! However instead of self-heating by pulling a string, these here had a much longer wait to come out, lol.
The chicken katsu was perfectly crispy and came with Japanese curry sauce (packaged separately to pour on top when ready). The spicy tofu was fried just right and had a good amount of jalapeños to add an extra kick. My only complaint here was the vegetable side: mine came with kimchi while my partner's came with seaweed salad. We both wanted what the other had, so ended up eating from each other's bento box for the side! We weren't asked a choice for our side, rather it seems like you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.
For sides, we got the fried chicken bites and the miso soup. The fried chicken bites are like Taiwanese popcorn chicken - very crispy and chunks were sized just right. There was an accompanying spicy mayo which was good for dipping. The miso soup was sized generously but could have contained a bit more tofu, as it was nearly all soup broth.
While the concept is unique for Houston, I do think some improvements could be made with wait time, since the concept of a takeout bento box (these are not really meant for dine-in) is to have something ready quickly. I would recommend checking the menu out ahead of time and calling in your order to minimize wait in the small space. Additionally, allowing for selection of a side would be helpful. Nonetheless, I hope this place makes it and we will make an effort to come back to try more of their offerings! read more