BentOn Cafe

I ordered a pork and tofu bowl. The food was lacking in flavor but what was most disappointing was the portions. They provided a veneer of pork and tofu over what was essentially a bowl of rice. C’mon man! This isn’t fillet mignon and truffles — we’re talking pork and tofu! Now I’m back at my desk at work, still hungry, staring at a bowl of rice. With seven less dollars in my wallet. I done been played, BentOn Café.

Big fan of this place! I come here often on lunch breaks since it’s darn close and while it is a really small hole-​in-​the-​wall type of café, it has some quality choices! I typically get the soups they offer or Tuna Don… don burri, don… whatever the heck the tuna slices over a big bed of rice is, haha! Dang good and I swear sometimes I have been undercharged, but maybe I imagine that because the staff is so warm and friendly! Cute little place and worth trying out since they have tons of packaged variety meals ready to go. Also, they offer a selection of pastries too! Stop on by!

If you come late with the catering for ~80 people who will be working a late night, refuse to bring the food inside the building (even though you were supposed to bring it upstairs and put it out in a designated conference room) so my colleagues and I need to come to YOU in the rain, and are unapologetic, I will be hell BentOn giving you one star.

I’m pretty sure a lot of people confuse this place with the Bento spot on 3^rd (the tiny one without seats) as I did. Anyway, relatively cheap grab n go sushi and decent bento boxes under $ 10. Not mind-​blowingly tasty, but solid option for lunch in the area. Plenty of seating and lines move quickly!

Does anyone know if the original owners (not current) opened another restaurant? Before, it used to have an amazing and delicious selection of Japanese appetizers, sushi rolls and sandwiches. A menu I’d only had in Tokyo. Very cool modern twist on Japanese fast food.
I didn’t eat at this current incarnation but it looks OK.
Giving it 3 stars just for running a small indie biz in this mall of a town.

Used to go there everyday as its close to office/​home, cheap, quick and the food was decent. I saw the sanitary grading of C in march and PENDING as of late fall this year (2015) but decided to give it the benefit of doubt (or just too lazy to find another quick lunch place) and kept going for more…
Until one day I found a fly in my ramen broth… I went for a return/​refund and the lady had me waiting for five minutes to get the exact change (to the last penny) for the refund. Thanks.
If it was any other place that usually has an A rating I would have thought of it as a simple mishap, but given their C (or lower) grade for several months I really dont want to know whats going on behind that clean Japanese storefront. It all falls together and I am totally grossed out.

The chirashi bowls and bentos are affordable and easy to pick up for lunch.
The food is average quality and the fish slices are very thin, but you get what you pay for.
Ideal for the days when you are not food-​inspired and want something quick and cheap.

This place is a little hard to find but it was definitely a cute Japanese bento box shop with a eclectic collection of Asian pastries and desserts.
I’ve tried the bibim noodles, the salmon tuna eel egg combo bowl, the green tea cake roll and the green tea walnut cream cheese pastry. The bibim noodles was the only dish I loved. Everything else was okay. The sashimi wasn’t very fresh and the cake roll and cream cheese pastry were both a little dry.
Yet when you consider the price, you definitely get what you pay for. The food is very affordable and if you happen need a quick bite to eat, BentOn isn’t a bad choice. I think going with the non raw fish Bento boxes would be a good idea.

A tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall Japanese to-​go gem in the unfortunate food oasis near my work is as good as it gets.
Would I seek this place out and go out of my way to try their food? Nope.
Would I walk one block from my office to grab lunch and/​or dinner? Yup.
Get:
— Any lunch box of your choosing
— Any lunch special bowl of the day
— sweet potato steamed bun (snack– but it’s an acquired taste if you’re not used to Japanese sweet potato. It has the perfect amount of natural sweetness to ease my sweet tooth pangs with a nice slightly sticky and fluffy texture).
— cake roll (individually wrapped)
Skip:
— Mochi
— anything Korean
I think they have a normal, healthy portion size. (You know, for people with normal appetites. I usually don’t qualify.) If you’re starving go elsewhere… or I guess you could just buy two of whatever.

BentOn Café serves grab and go Japanese pastries, sandwiches, bentos, and bowls. There are no tables. There are no places to put anything down. There isn’t even enough space inside to fit a stroller. But their Thursday and Friday chirashi bowls for $ 9 and freshly made onigiri make me a believer. You must be here before 12:15 pm to have a chance at getting the chirashi! This summer they also have offered a cold noodle bim bim bap that is EXCELLENT. I also love their swiss roll cakes, the almond cookies, the onigiri… Of the things I’ve tried, I’ll say the only thing that is average is the coffee.
Portions are just right for me, but may be small if you are a big eater. Prices are affordable for a Midtown Lunch. Do NOT bring an entourage as there is no space. The line often goes outside the store. Menu is posted online and is usually changes every week (
). The ladies behind the counter are lovely people. There have been several times that I’ve showed up at noon and their delivery of sushi hasn’t come in yet, so do expect that there may be hiccups sometimes.

BentOn used to be Café Zaiya which was previously the location of Oms-​b.
Sorry to be a party pooper, guys.
I got the overhyped and overrated Friday chirashi special. I took a Citibike over from my office to pick up this bowl and I’ve got to say, it wasn’t really that worth it. Sure, its like $ 8.95, but in my opinion and in this case, you really get what you pay for.
I showed up at exactly 12:54pm and there were two bowls left in the case — not sure if they had more in the back. I was super excited and bought one immediately and left. There was no line at the time.
The chirashi bowl comes with tuna sashimi, salmon roe, unagi (eel), chopped green onion, and a little sprinkling of seaweed. The sushi rice was okay — the rice texture was a bit too sticky in my opinion. The tuna was not fresh at all and had a really strange texture to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m sick later tonight. The eel was tough and was the texture and consistency of canned mackarel, if anyone has ever had it. The only thing good was the salmon roe. In addition, you get a tiny cup half-​full of cold miso soup with bad tofu.
As others have mentioned, there is no seating here.
Would not return, unless maybe for onigiri.

This cute little spot is very close in proximity to my workplace, so I USED to come here, almost everyday for lunch… until today. Just came back from vacationing for a week and noticed the «C» sanitary grading right after I had checked out. Im in utter shock. If you read closely, its been a «C» grade since 3÷6÷15. Trust me, that was not there this past March, April or May. I used to get the «Five Color Sushi» and various other sushi specials they have during the week. The food is very similar to Café Zaiya’s (its a half block away from NY Public Library/​Bryant Park if you haven’t tried already).
I dont think I’ll be coming here again until they bump up their sanitation grading to at least a «B.»
A «C»??? Gross!

I resisted going to this place for the longest time because it was a barren winter wasteland and I didn’t want to bundle up to forage when I could just go to my building’s cafeteria. But I love this place. It has the closest thing to my mother’s mapo tofu (the secret is a generous dose of sesame oil).
Other things on my must-​try list: the soondobu (which always sells out before I have a chance to hustle over), the green tea roll, any of the assorted baked goods that they have cleverly placed right in front of the entrance, an actual bento box, etc.
Not sure how it stacks up to Dainobu a few blocks over (maybe a greater variety of Azn snacks and household products) — but still very, very grateful that there’s a fantastic option for lunch so close to my office on the days when I haven’t cooked or when I’m not fiending for the cafeteria salad bar.

Love this place. It’s authentic and I think their bentos are more delicious than what I usually see at Mitsuwa. I’ve been here for lunch a few times. I like their bentos that have a protein and sides. They give you a small cup of miso soup when you checkout and if it’s a larger bento, they will ask what kind of rice you want. I believe they have white, purple, and brown. I like the purple!
Despite all the reviews on the chirashi, I haven’t opted for that yet. It doesn’t look filling enough. I’ve only gotten the bentos and mostly stick with the daily ones. That might be why they have a lower C rating — for keeping food out. If you go at the right time, the bentos are still slightly warm. But, what the right time is, I’m not sure. Sometimes they stock up at noon (they don’t make the bentos there), sometimes before noon.
Ask for a stamp card — even though it takes forever to accumulate.
I’m not totally sure if they have any affiliation with Zaiya. Their baked goods look a bit Zaiya-​ish and I haven’t seen Zaiya’s bentos lately.
I usually go at noon or right before to avoid the queue and there’s actually room to browse.
And to the recent 2 star reviewer — giving them 2 stars because there’s no seating or not enough vegetarian options, would you give Louis Vuitton 2 stars because they do not have any budget or vegan selections?

I’d hate to be the Negative Nancy in reviewing a place that’s clearly beloved by my fellow mid-​town diners, but let’s call a spade a spade. This place just isn’t all that; it just doesn’t do it for me, and here’s why:
There is no seating. Point blank. No seating. Wait, what?! Yep, no seating. There isn’t even an atrium nearby, so plan accordingly. We took our meal to Grand Central’s food court seating area.
I literally felt like cattle being herded from the line outside the entrance, around the tiny store, to the cash register.
They have VERY LIMITED vegetarian options. In case you’re ever in a position where you’re meeting your friend for lunch, you don’t eat meat, and they really want to eat here, get the Healthy Tofu Teriyaki Bento Box for $ 11.95. That’s literally your only option.
Their menu in general is very difficult to read. I went over it a dozen times over a two day period, and I still don’t get it.
On a positive note, the guy at the cash register was helpful and I liked the way they promote Japanese events in their store. I’m always down for promoting cultural events.

Hole-​in-​the-​wall, super duper tiny little spot. It is easy to miss if it was not for the long lines of hungry workers on lunch break. You can find baked goods, bento boxes, onigiri, and chirashi bowls.
Friday special Chirashi Bowl is the way to go. It is a bowl of tasty, seasoned rice with fresh salmon roe, tuna, and eel. Really good value for what it comes with.
Onigiri– rice balls are really good! Spicy Tuna and Salmon are my two favorites. I really liked that the rice is still grainy and fresh by the time I get them. Fish meat to rice ratio is proportional. Incredibly fresh and the seaweed is still crunchy!
During lunch hours, the line is out the door but it moves fairly quick. Everything is very well packaged to make it easy for customers to grab and go.

Let’s just say, the Friday lunch special says it all. After following Chris S.‘s ROTD, I surely got the most out of my experience at Benton. This review is only for the Friday chirashi lunch special which includes salmon roe, raw tuna, cooked eel, and extremely well seasoned rice. All the ingredients are super fresh and a clear reminder of why Japanese food is so good. Ahh… also, it comes with a miso soup so don’t forget to ask — all for ~$ 8! WHAT!
The café itself isn’t really even a café to be honest, it’s a walk into a line, grab your food while on the line from the displays (they have other stuff than the chirashi lunch special like other bento boxes for our non-​fish eating friends, noodle bowls, desserts, and onigiri — take my advice when I say that the salmon onigiri is just a perfect snack, it’s filling but not too much and the fish is just so fresh, all for $ 1.75), pay quickly and leave. I love that — it’s quick and efficient and good for if you’re alone or in a group, heading back to the desk or the building cafeteria with friends.
I would recommend coming in well before 1:00PM just so that all the chirashi bowls aren’t gone, and with more people finding out about this midtown gem, that’s sure to happen!
The photo shows the some of the Benton offerings: (L-​R): Thursday special known as seafood chirashi delux (yellowtail, shrimp, tuna, red snapper, egg, salmon roe), Wednesday special (seared salmon with salmon roe), Friday special (tuna, cooked eel, and salmon roe), five color chirashi (tuna, egg, salmon, eel).

Wed online delivery, Fri arrival at 10:50am. Success!
Remember to tip your delivery guy 15−20% considering there is no charge to your order :)
$ 8.50 each. The chicken+white fish bento definitely better than the mackeral and tempura one. Missing the mixed chirashi sushi :(

This place is awesome. I was looking for a sushi spot in my new work neighborhood and this was one of the hits that came back. Totally unassuming, tiny place tucked away on 45^th St. It feels almost like a grocery store, as most of the items are in bins on shelves along the wall, or behind a glass case at the counter, akin to a deli. They have a number of buns, sweets, bento boxes, bowls, maki, chirashi, and a bunch of stuff I couldn’t even figure out. They also have these great rice triangles (onigiri) that come with various things inside and a piece of nori to wrap it in. I had never seen or had one of those before and it was excellent. I’m no authority, but the place felt pretty authentic, and I was definitely in the minority as a white dude.
They also have rotating daily specials, so there is a lot of variety and it all seemed really fresh. My lunch was delicious and I can already sense a habit forming. Looking forward to going back and exploring the rest of the menu.

First of all, it’s not actually a café. It’s a lunch grab-​and-​go, no seating.
My coworker and I discovered this little shop last summer. Now the lunch rush hour line has grown out the door, but don’t be fooled — the line moves fast. Give it 10 min at most.
What’s the appeal of BentOn? Those bento (lunch) boxes or rice bowls for $ 8 – 14. You can choose from a variety on the shelves. It’s quick and they have solid choices on the shelves anyway — Teriyaki, Curry, Mabo Tofu, Grilled Eel, and more. They have one special of the day, for example, Chirashi (on Fridays).
OR they offer udon or ramen which you order over the counter — prepared on the spot, per order.
Let’s not forget those onigiri (aka rice balls) at $ 1.75 a pop. NUM NUM NUM!