Bento

Two Locations:
3832 W Newberry Rd
3841 Southwest Archer Road

3.5 thumbs up

Bento used to be a regular staple in our dining out options. For a period, I think we ate there at least once a week. When you have a choice between 25 rice bowls/Bento Boxes, 9 noodle bowls, 8 noodle soup bowls, a dozen other soups and sides, and a full sushi menu, it's hard to run out of options. I will say that we somewhat burned out on Bento and haven't been in some time, but that doesn't detract from its quality. Also, Bento is a local business that is constantly growing and expanding. They currently have restaurants in Orlando and Jacksonville too. I always like to see a local business succeed that deserves it. Let's focus on each of the choices.

Sushi:
Their sushi is pretty good, but not amazing. The business focuses on quick turnover and a college age market, so it doesn't have to be the best in town. It certainly isn't bad, but it's not my favorite. That being said, I don't think you'll be disappointed or find it worse than Drangonfly, Ichiban, or any of the other lackluster sushi places in town.

Bento Boxes / Rice Bowls:
Most of the main dishes can be ordered in Bento Box or rice bowl format. The Bento box comes with small portions of ginger salad, rice, string beans, noodles, and a tiny dessert. The desserts are almost always terrible, but the Asians aren't renowned for their sweet teeth. The rest of the items are all very fresh and tasty. The Bento Box is ideal to get a little sampling of several different things. If you don't want all of the pan asian accoutrement, you can just order the same main dish on a bowl of rice. Some of my favorites are the spicy chicken, korean chicken, and the teriyaki. It's pretty impressive how many options there are with the Bento Box and Rice Bowl.

Noodle Bowls:
I've never honestly had these, but I'd imagine they'd be on par with the rice bowls.

Bubble Teas:
Of course, they have Bubble aka "Bobba" teas. These are various flavors of tea, combined with milk and sweetened quite a bit. You can also order tapioca "bubbles" or pearls to suck up through a giant straw. I honestly find them kinda weird, but can see how they're popular in pan asian culture, where desserts are mysteries to me.

So, why do they only get 3.5 thumbs up if I"m raving so much about them? First off, the service is always notoriously slow. I don't think I've ever received my food in less than 20 minutes. Also, on busy nights, the place is packed, making those 20 minutes climb above 30 and sometimes 40 minutes. For a somewhat fast-ish food restaurant, that's inexcusable. Also, their vegetarian options are quite bland and uninspired.

Overall, Bento is a good restaurant. It's not the best in the world, but it's definitely one of the better Pan Asian options in town.