Bento 415

Moving to 8^th and Folsom. Open June 1^st according to their Facebook page.

My office is a half block from here, so we try to go for Bento 415 once a week or so. I’ve tried all the boxes save for the Mission box, and they’ve all been amazing. My current favorite is the Haight box though. Those sweet onion chips that come with it are really great.
The staff is incredibly nice, the food is very good, and I usually end up getting one of the bakery items while I wait. Calling ahead is a good idea.
I know that they are closing/​moving soon (BOO!) and I hope they land closeby and soon!

You have 2 more weeks before this store CLOSES on April 23^rd (lost their lease). Owners/​partners hope to find another space in the SOMA area to reopen their business.

I managed a rare SF week-​day lunch at Bento415 (indeed, it was quite a schlep from where I was wfh in the Inner Sunset), and came away feeling pleasantly surprised and fairly impressed.
Not one to pass up fried chicken, I opted for the Chinatown Bento, that week: fried chicken sandwich with sweet potato & Asian greens; an Asian Spring pea salad with breakfast radishes, sesame vinaigrette; shitake mushroom & cabbage eggroll; pickled daikon & cucumbers.
Though I pretty much carted the lunch across the rest of the city back to where I was wfh (a 15-​minute trip by car), the sandwich was not soggy at all — the chicken remained crisp, the sesame bun (which tasted like brioche) beautifully fluffy, and even the eggroll non-​rubbery. I loved that there were a couple of vegetable options — a salad, the egg roll, and the pickled veggies included with my meal — this is important (must have veggies!). The sandwich portion is indeed smaller than what you may expect at say — The Yellow Submarine or your local Subway, but taken with the rest of the lovely accompaniments, the meal was quite filling and definitely satisfying.
There is a wait, so be prepared for that (nice to know they make your bentos to order)… perhaps it’s their secret weapon in enticing you with Pinkie’s Bakery sweets — cupcakes, cakes and other pastries displayed so alluringly at the counter. Yes, I couldn’t resist. Yes, I wish they were open weekends so I could return easily.

This small nook serves up great take out food perfect for lunch or an afternoon snack.
Bento 415 is about the size of a small barista coffee shop with no indoor seating. They serve drinks, teas, their own brand of bento boxes, and baked goods. Most of their stuff looks enticing. There are a couple of tables outside but they cater to the takeout crowd.
My colleague recommended getting the «Chinatown» bento box. I bought it without even reading the description. The food comes in a sub sandwich sized container. Inside «Chinatown» you’ll find:
*Fried Chicken,* Roasted Sweet Potato, Asian Greens
and Ginger Mayo on a Sesame Bun
* Asian Spring Pea Salad with Breakfast Radish and
Sesame Vinaigrette
* Shitake Mushroom and Cabbage Egg Roll
* Pickled Daikon and Cucumbers
At first I was really skeptical about the quality and portion size. When I opened the box up all I could see is packaging; however, when I picked up the «magazine-​quality» sandwich I knew I was in for a treat. This stuff is good. The portions are just right too. Since the food is really rich I was bursting at the seams when I was finished. The only thing I would have liked was maybe less fried stuff and a healthy treat like some fresh fruit salad. It would be cool if they gave you an option but I’d also be fine if they didn’t change a thing.
While I do like their use of biodegradable packaging, I would have equally enjoyed eating the food off of a plate. I’d rather waste nothing than dump something.
_​_​
Looking forward to trying out their baked goods and other lunch boxes.

Dear Bento 415,
I really wanted to love you. Your staff is friendly, your bento packaging is adorable, your menu items are unique and delicious-​sounding, and you’re super close to my work. However, I don’t know if I somehow have a more discerning palate or something, because I am just not that impressed. For $ 10 per takeout box, I expect either a decent filling portion or fantastically tasty servings, but have gotten neither after trying out the Chinatown and Mission boxes. It’s not that the food isn’t good, because it is. It’s just not great. Every time I finish my meal here, I feel rather dissatisfied («that was it?»). As I tend to eat the least out of my friends (save for the ones on diets), I don’t find it to be reasonable that I get hungry again quickly after one bento box.
I wanted more from you. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt after the first time. But I don’t think I’ll be a regular here after all.
(This review is really 3.5 stars, but since half stars have still yet to exist, I bumped it down to 3 to adjust for what I feel like are inflated ratings.)

I had the Chinatown, the North Beach, and the Haight bento boxes recently, and can only compare them to Michelin-​level restaurants (Chez Panisse, Fleur de Lys,.). It is truly amazingly good and magical.
Some more adjectives: fantastic, toothsome, mouthwatering, flavorful, tasty, scrumptious, yummy, appetizing, delectable.
Oh, and a few exclamation points: !!!

This food is GREAT! Delicious. Affordable. Large enough portion. All biodegradable packaging. And run by kind, friendly locals who are adding to the landscape of the San Francisco food scene.
Today I had The Mission. I was blown away. It was REALLY delicious.
I like Bento 415 a lot. I’ll probably eat lunch here once a week. I’d recommend it to anyone. Looking forward to them expanding throughout the city. This place would be great downtown!
YUMMY. Go get a Bento 415 today!

Bento 415 is this cute take and go spot, which also serves as a bakery. The combo of sweets and savory is perfect. The bento boxes are all extremely creative with sides like ginger sweet potato salad, or quinoa and pine nuts.
The tofu sandwich is really delicious. It surprised my Mom. «This isn’t meat?»

Unbelievably good. I had the Chinese Box. In fact, I’m eating it right now and I already want another one.
A friend of mine got the Mexican Box. His comment, and I quote, «I’m from the Northeast, so I don’t know very much. But what I do know is this: Bento 415 is the best food I’ve ever eaten. If I had my choice between a Bento 415 Box and freedom, I’d be a card-​carrying SOMA-​class member of the Communist Party.»
He’s a lot more eloquent than I am. Needless to say, it’s very good.

These are boxed lunches for adult foodies. Each of the four types of bento boxes ($ 10 each, named after SF neighborhoods — Chinatown, Haight, North Beach, Mission — and representing different regional cuisines) sounds delicious. The menu also includes desserts, drinks, and soup.
* Mission Box ($ 10): The box had three items and a bag of chips on the side. The smoked skirt steak torta featured a soft, fluffy mini bun (cute), slices of juicy, tender smoky steak (delish), queso fresco, and a «spicy slaw» w/​chili mayo. The slaw wasn’t spicy but it added a nice crunch and a pleasant sourness. I loved the pretty jicama & carrot slaw/​salad with creamy avocado on top, a few nutty pumpkin seeds, cumin vinaigrette, and cilantro. The fresh, bright tasting slaw was sweet and crispy and the herbs and dressing added flavor and acidity. The pink grapefruit segments were succulent and tart (they didn’t have much chili powder and lime). The bag of totopos was good but plain (fresh, crispy corn tortilla chips, salted lightly).
They assemble the box after you place the order and it takes about 6 — 10 minutes to get your box. Note, there isn’t any indoor seating, so remember that it’s takeout. Also their hours are really limited (11 AM — 2 PM).
The different sauces and dressings tend to mingle in the box (e.g., the bottom of the torta bun was wet). I wish they had a better compartmentalized box. $ 10 is completely reasonable for a box filled with inspired, delicious, fresh, inventive global cuisine.

I usually try to wait until I’ve had a few visits to any one establishment before I review, but damn this place is good.
The flavors in the Mission Box that I got were fresh, simple and complex all at the same time. Service was good, but I can see how it might be hit or miss depending on how busy they are.
I’m a foodie, so what might seem like weird flavor combinations (cumin on fresh grapefruit) to some, for me are the reason I eat. Someone edit that last sentence for me.
Anyways, I’m now in love with whoever made this deliciousness so they’re going to have to marry me and/​or cater my wedding soon.

«The Haight» is the vegetarian box and was very, very good. The price is $ 10 and that includes tax which I think is cool.
Be prepared to wait a long time as this little place is having some scaling issues. We waited about 30 minutes during which time my box was brought out 3 different times (once totally wrong, once right and then a duplicate by mistake) my companions were told they were out of the box she ordered but then found another one due to a mistake with someone else. A bit messy right now, but worth it for the great food.

Rewind to July 4^th. I’m in a field in Golden Gate Park, where 20 well regarded local chefs have convened to cook for their friends who, as it turns out, are mostly their co-​workers. I happened to be one of the extremely lucky tagalongs.
Midway through a rousing game of horseshoes, I was introduced to Chris Beerman and later the stunning Patience Elfving. Cool people they were, we began to discuss our shared entrepreneurial interests. It was at that time they conveyed the amazing idea behind their brainchild: Bento 415.
The concept was simple: take the Japanese concept of a Bento Box– a compartmentalized, culinary mix, ready-​made for a quick lunch– and apply it to the various tastes of each neighborhood in San Francisco. Brilliant. I loved it immediately and the product manager in me instantly saw the ingredients that would find their way into each box’s flavor: North Beach, The Mission, Nob Hill, etc.
Fortunately, I live a block away from Bento 415’s digs in Potrero Hill. And today I had a Nob Hill Bento box for lunch.
So how was it? Let’s put it this way: this fledgling company has some kinks to iron out. For one, it took an awfully long time to procure my box of non-​heated food even though I was one of two people in the shoppe. Moreover, I was still hungry when I was finished. Also, a Bento box, a Ginger ale, and a pecan pastry cost me over $ 15.
Still, I’m willing to give them another shot since they’re good people, my steak sandwich with avocado salad and carrot/​daikon with tasty rice vinegar was very good. I’m sure their kinks will be ironed out and when that happens, Bento 415 will be my go-​to neighborhood sandwich joint in no time flat.

Pretty fantastic. The gang at Flickr ordered a dozen or so boxes for lunch today and all of us were impressed. I had the «Haight» bento, which was filled to the brim with vegetarian goodness. The other boxes looked like they might leave you a little bit hungry, but the Haight proved to be a filling and healthy lunch sized meal. Others around the table thought mine looked the best, with its golden beets, quinoa, and pomegranate salad. Be the end of lunch everyone was satisfied, and I don’t think anyone felt like they hadn’t had enough.
I don’t think they usually deliver as far away as the financial district, but we’re going to have to convince Bento 415 to visit FlickrHQ again in the not-​too-​distant future.

meh describes it well. I got the «bento boxes» from Pinkie’s Bakery, another rather boring addition to our neighborhood.
I’ve tried two bentos now, the breakfast and the Chinatown and both were pretty boring and overpriced for what you get. For the price of a 10 dollar box you can get a hot or cold freshly made meal at Sally’s right next door or at any of a ½ dozen places around the area.
Not sure why they call it a bento box as there is actually very little in the boxes. It may seem healthy but it actually wasn’t. The quiche and granola with yogurt probably had more cholesterol and fat than many sandwiches.
The Chinatown was a really white guy version of Japanese take out food which made the name all the more fail. Hint Soba noodles are not Chinese.
I think this will popular with the marina and hipster workers who feel guilty about not making their own lunches and want to pretend that this is healthier and more like them making it themselves than going to a restaurant.
In the end they are paying around twice the amount to pretend they have a homemade meal. So who ever came up with the idea is one smart guy.

Tried this place with a coworker and we both liked it.
I ordered the «Chinatown» and it was elegantly constructed. The flavors complemented each other very well. The pickled veggies go very nicely with the salty and fried wonton and peanuts. The cold soba noodles with the chicken are a pleasure to eat.
I wasn’t a big fan of the sweet potato purée but if you add the peanuts to the mix, the flavor improves a bit.
I think the menu is very creative and will definitely have to try some of the others.

Didn’t know what to expect from Bento415, so stopped by with a group from work to check it out today. Ordered the «Haight», which is a vegetarian box, because I am a sucker for anything with Pine Nuts.
It’s one of the tastiest, hearty meals I have ever purchased for $ 10. The flavor combos were clean and bright, and ingredient composition itself was diverse, colorful and creative.
I strongly recommend checking it out for lunch. The staff were so excited to welcome us, and all of us oohed and ahhhed over each box when we got back to the office.

YUMMO!!! Bento 415 is yummy and innovative! I had the Chinatown and, I will say, I am a bit weird about cold food, but this was so tasty and fresh I didn’t even notice. The soba noodles and the Asian Sweet Potato were very flavorful, coupled with the crispy wontons, make a perfect combo.
I like this place a lot! My fist time here and am very impressed! I will definitely come back for more and am eager to try the Mission Box! This is exactly what SOMA needs, food that is innovative and healthy, yet does not compromise flavor and quality!

This food is delicious. I got the Haight (the vegetarian option) because it was all that was left! Our company bought everything in less than 30 minutes and the vegetarian was all that was left of them.
I’m not even vegetarian. But, wow. Quinoa– light and delicious with sweet currants and slight acidity. Beets (red and yellow) — sweet and delicious, with a sour cream or yogurt over the top. Green beans and salsify (?) — it definitely wasn’t jicama– light, perfectly salted and peppered, and a great balance to the other vegetables. I mixed the spicy peanuts into all of this and the result was a symphony for my palette.
If you want a healthy, affordable lunch, this is a great way to go. Well done, Bento 415!
Please bring more gluten-​free options next time as well. (I think their Mexican and Haight are gluten-​free but not sure about Chinatown [because of soy sauce, which contains wheat] and North Beach [because of pasta]). :)