Out Of The Box Cafe

closed– as of 10/​25/​2013

Fantastic food. Best Asian Chicken Salad and Sushi Rolls. Sorry to say that they closed their doors for good on July 3^rd. They will be missed!

You cannot ask for a tastier, cheaper lunch in this area for Japanese food. Okay, it’s Hawaiian/​Japanese fusion which is A-​OK by me, because it’s still delicious.
I arrived today at 2:30, and worried the place was closed! But no, they were just stealthy about being there. I was promptly greeted as soon as I came in by a friendly server (whose name I didn’t grab, but he was adorable, I promise) who then offered suggestions as I waffled over the menu. There’s a lot that looks delicious here, and I decided to snub the salad (I’m just not a big salad eater, okay?) in favor of the 3-​Favor Donburi. And I’m not sorry I did because it’s great. Nom nom nom!
I was out the door in less than five minutes with my lunch in hand (since they weren’t that far from closing, and I had other places to be) and headed elsewhere to enjoy my food.
So, I’m writing this between shoving that donburi in my mouth, yummy forkful by forkful. Seriously, for a fast lunch on West Temple? Hit this place right up! Tell them that you saw them on Unilocal!It’ll give ‘em a smile.

The food is quite good, especially considering the price — it’s very inexpensive. And I was surprised at the level of customer service. They cleared our plates, asked us if we needed refills, and gave us two plates of free cookies while we sat chatting after we finished our meals. So to sum this place up: very tasty, very inexpensive, and incredible customer service. How can you not like that?

You have to be kidding me! I just spent $ 7.50 for the best lunch in Salt Lake.
I was downtown on the prowl for phở when I read the Unilocal for ootb. Took a chance and could not have been more impressed.
The list of items on the bento box was impressive so I gave it a try. Crispy chicken and tempura shrimp. Tangy teriyaki beef. Mini spring roll and pot sticker. Edamame, cold tofu, wakame salad, and rice with soy and sweet sauces Even the condiment fruit was perfect. The complimentary cookie for dessert put me over the top. That’s right — all for $ 7.50!
In the tradition of incredible food simply done OOTBox wins my vote for best in Salt Lake.

I feel bad that my family knows the owner of this restaurant, yet it took me 3 years after their grand opening to actually go try it. Nonetheless, please feel assured that there is no bias or favoritism in my judgment.
This place is definitely hidden. But I feel like it’s hidden for a good reason, as if it was a secret that only lucky people knew about. Even though I had the address leading me to it, the business sign was camouflaged into the industrialized look of the whole street. I almost missed it and quickly made a sharp turn into my parking spot once I made out the name of the business.
That being said, it’s amazing how big of a customer network they’ve built, probably through word of mouth. I don’t think they do any advertising, but they don’t need to. Their food is just so amazingly fresh, delicious, and beautiful crafted! I love getting the Bento Box because it includes a sample of various goodies; rice, beef, edamame, tempura, etc. And honestly, I definitely feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. They are only open in the morning to afternoon though, so best bet is to stop by this place during your lunch break instead of after work.
Their menu is conveniently organized into a simple board on the wall, where you can comfortably browse through choices and ring the bell on the counter when you’re ready. I believe that everything is made-​to-​order (I could be wrong), so call your order in first if you don’t have time to wait for a little bit. The employees are all super courteous and are willing to answer any questions you might have.
The only reason I didn’t give this darling café five stars is because the salad that I ordered wasn’t very good. I believe it was the Asian Chicken Salad because I was reading the Unilocal reviews when I ordered it. The sauce that came with it was incredibly sour and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to eat it with the salad. But perhaps they had created the sauce that way to cater to people with more Americanized taste buds.
However, I look forward to trying other delectable items on their menu. Keep spreading the word, Unilocalers!

hidden gem.

I stumbled across this place when a semi was backing in to a business, blocking my path on west temple on my way over to my wife’s work, so I took a right up this street and saw this place. I was drawn to it by the bakery & café description so I decided to go back and try it the next day— I was extremely pleased to discover the type of food they had was japanese. We used to live near koko kitchen downtown and I find that the stuff we got here is of similar quality. We tried a small chicken salad, which was most tasty, seasoned with rice vinegar and containing just the right mix of nut and veggie. Also got the 3 color donburi which was so sweet & tasty. If you like tomago sweet omelet, it was like that but also with a teriyaki beef and peas over rice.
I look forward to trying the curry, bentos, sandwiches, and loco moco. My wife saw an order of the meatloaf they were taking to another customer, & said it looked amazing. They gave us 2 sugar cookies free after we were about ready to leave. I have no complaints, especially because everyone was extremely friendly and served everything with high professionalism. What a lucky find.

If the Asian Chicken Salad were a man, I would marry it! That is how much I love it. Their sandwiches are good as well, try the fried green beens as an alternative to french fries … okay so they are still fried, but are totally a veggie serving! They offer a frequent diner punch card to get free food after so many visits. This is a quaint family-​owned business that offers breakfast and lunch, though I believe are closed before dinner. Just a block from my office it is often the go-​to place when I do not have time to pack a lunch. I highly recommend! In fact, I might just go there now!

You must try the Oriental Chicken Salad. It is to die for! Very few places in Salt Lake are able to pull off an awesome salad… Out of the Box is one of them. (coming from a guy…)
If you have time… This out of the way café is worth searching out. I’ve already put them in my ‘fav five’.
Tuesdays and Thursdays — they have sushi available.
I’ve never had a business meeting there… but I have seen tons of business lunch meetings in the back area. For being a local business they sure offer a lot of options.
Jerry and Theresa are awesome!!! BTW, tell them you saw them on Unilocal