The Bento Box

It’s a little hard to spot them from the plaza if you don’t know the restaurant. Ordered the smoked chicken bento box, they’re not bad. A little on the saltier side for me for the chicken, though I eat very light so it’s probably just me. I think the rice portion shrank a little bit over the years. Still comes with a drink, I had the ice black tea no sugar, they’re great. Dined in and it wasn’t super busy inside. Most people ordered to go. I had a good experience overall. Would come back in the future.

I stopped in quickly and ordered the green onion pancake with beef and the sesame ball with red bean on a whim. Both were fresh and delicious!! This place is such a gem and not overpriced! Run by a very sweet family (mom and pop and their daughter when I was there) and offers super affordable fresh food made to order, this would be a great stop for lunch. The beef pancake was one of the best things I ate all year. Fresh cucumber and pepper and a delicious sauce. So flavorful!

I ordered the Smoked Chicken bento box with an order of Crab Rangoon. The Rangoon wonton was thin and crispy and the filling was very tasty. The smoked chicken was excellent. The veggies were cooked nicely. The smoked tofu was also a nice treat. Not that they were bad, but the smoked egg and pickled radishes were not my thing. The passion fruit with lemon jelly, included with the meal, was also refreshing. Overall a pleasant lunch. Most folks seem to order takeout, but they do have about 4 tables for eating in. Give this place a try!

SECRET MENU FOUND! Their Taiwanese Beef noodle is by FAR the best I have had in the US. I'm from Taipei and lived there for years, and this will be a beef noodle worth revisiting even if it's in Taiwan. It tastes exactly like home, has enough beef to be a protein meal and their soup is a killer, braised umami with picked vegs. Remember to ask them for more soup when ordering, also it's only available BEFORE 1pm and AFTER 5pm. The beef noodle is not on the menu so just ask. The place is got great atmosphere and mom and pop feel. Also choose plum tea for their free drink. That's the best. I tried them all.

Before I get into my review, let me start off by saying that this restaurant is one of the few Taiwanese/Chinese restaurants that could make incredibly delicious, soft intestines. There are many restaurants that could make good crispy intestines, but few can make soft intestines as well as The Bento Box. They actually clean their intestines, and the taste of the intestines is NOT overwhelming and vomit-inducing (like it was in Chili Garden Restaurant which is a few stores nearby...that place made me swear off intestine for a few years). So BRAVO to the chef at The Bento Box...I can eat intestines again! Anyhow, I was starving while randomly driving different areas one day looking for a Chinese restaurant to eat at. I stumbled upon The Bento Box and thought I'd take a look. My curiosity paid off...this is one of the tastiest Taiwanese restaurants that I've gone to. I'm testing out the keto diet for myself right now (much like 90% of fat Americans), so I always get the phenomenal pork belly stew with a side of cooked lettuce, which has all already been pre-cooked (like a regular to-go restaurant sitting behind a window). Absolutely delicious. Once in a while, I'll experiment with other items on the menu, and I've never been disappointed. I've had the pork feet, the hard-boiled tea eggs, the scrambled eggs with shrimp, the beef broccoli, and the spicy fish with tofu (which was a "daily to-go special," although I didn't eat the tofu since I'm trying keto), amongst other things. They've all been very tasty. Thankfully, I'm not the only one that agrees. I see many Chinese and Taiwanese people regularly come in for food at this restaurant...this place is legit! To top it all off, the staff is also extremely friendly! It's a small, family-owned restaurant (I think) with a maximum of 3 people behind the counter serving everyone. You pick up your food at the counter and once you're finished eating, you clean up after yourself. There's no wait staff. Simple and effective for a small business... Highly recommend this place!

I ordered a fried chicken leg bento box, take out at evening time. They used a leftover chicken leg from lunch and re-fried it to serve it to me. It was so harden and stale from refrying, like chewing plastic. I will never go back again.

Hello Everyone, I am leaving this review for personal sentimental reason. I have been to the bay for 20 years, and realize all the Taiwanese restaurant are retiring from the Bay Area, and it’s either the chefs are retiring, or they are not making profit for their business as all the real estate as gone up. Anyways, let’s talk the foods. Typically, you will enjoy Taiwanese bento style such as fried chicken, railroad, or popcorn chicken with 2 side dish over the rice. I had fried chicken bento box, and they did a pretty good job on adding the 5 spices with thick cut chicken thigh, which makes it a steak style chicken. The price is around $16~$17 (I can’t remember exactly) with a free tea drink. I think the bento box is good enough, and only had a sip of the tea. Hmmm, as I expected, they are bitter and mixed patch tea, and I will never order them personally. The food value is probably 7 out of 10, but I am in the for hometown nostalgia, and will continue to support them if i stop by at the plaza. add oil, Paul

Cute little Chinese / Taiwanese shop for bentos or noodle soup; locally and family run (always a bonus point for me). I love to support small businesses in my area (when I went the mom and son duo were working the front counter). I stopped by this place on recommendation from a friend. During COVID, they don't have dining seating sadly, but hopefully there will be more options to dine-in the future. I got the beef noodle soup (fyi, it's a little spicy and has a kick to it!) and the Hainan Chicken Bento. The bento comes with a drink as well which is a nice addition. We got the 25% sweetness which was actually not very sweet at all (the way I like it, lol). Food was a bit saltier than my ideal flavor but I think all store bought food is usually salty in general. I liked the ginger sauce on their Hainan Chicken; I went to Chicken Meets Rice on another recommendation but their ginger sauce was way too sweet. Chicken Meets Rice chicken is softer / more tender if you like the softer style chicken. Definitely stop by if you're in the area :), especially if you like Taiwanese food. The food was tasty, not expensive, good portion size, and the family is nice. They let us know our food would be done in 15 mins because the noodle soup takes a little longer and it was finished on time. I do agree w/ another reviewer that there are a few menu's so it can be a little confusing where to look. Pro tip: they also sell frozen dumplings, potstickers, and chive pockets but they run out so call ahead if you want to get some homemade dumplings :).

Rate of food is 3/5 For Yelp's rating system, I bump my review to 4/5 because service is always nice and the price is good for how much food you get. The taste is pretty standard. I've tried the fried pork and the railroad pork (fried pork cooked in sauce after). The main dish has never really wow'd me but I enjoy the side dishes a lot.

Came here on a weekday for lunch. Not a lot of seating so most people just buy their food to go. I got a bento and the total came out to be $19.60 which is on the pricier side. What I ordered: - Stew Pork Bento (3/5): the pork was quite tough but the flavor was good - Passion Fruit Lemon drink - included with bento (2/5): it's really just syrupy water. I would have preferred to pay a couple dollars less and get no drink. Overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again but I also wouldn't be completely opposed to trying out one of their other bentos in the future.

I mean for the price, what you get (bento + drink + a little something if you pay cash), and in this economy... it's a pretty good deal. HOWEVER, the taste of their food is very subpar compared to ALL of your surrounding options (aka if I drove there, I wouldn't spend my money here). They have a 2 sesame ball (with red bean paste filling) special if you pay more than $15 on Thursdays but you can also get this any day of the week if you just pay cash and more than I believe $17 (or it may be $15). FOOD: Their menu is a word vomit... no offense. Fried pork chop bento - very subpar taste - authentic flavors present per pork chop - stewed items needed more flavor - cabbage and broccoli on point and as expected Fried fish balls - I legit thought there would be curry included but then I forgot this isn't a Cantonese shop, hahaha - it's just fish balls you get from 99 ranch fried Black tea You also have the options of green tea, plum juice and passion fruit lemon jelly; with or without sugar for the teas. No toppings. Passion fruit per the honesty of the server is completely syrup. - standard red tea as they call it in Chinese - very lightly brewed; light flavor profile and no bitter aftertaste AMBIENCE - tables and chairs - dark - older gentlemen do eat in - restaurant owner friends and children are often seen eating here SERVICE: I regret not speaking in Chinese because I feel as if you get a completely better service with the option of changing up sides if wanted. (This is due to the experience of eavesdropping after two older males were ordering in Chinese after me whereas I utilized English) PARKING: - located in 99 ranch plaza - massive options for parking except a ton are "compact" sizes; free + private lot

Honestly feels like this place is a hidden gem. I ordered the chicken bento box and a side of mapo tofu. Everything tasted great! The chicken was nice and tender, and the mapo tofu was silky and not too spicy.

A Taiwanese cage with stewed meats . You can buy to go or dine in . I have tried their smoked chicken thigh ( huge side $ 6.99 special promotions) and 5 stewed eggs for $5.99 . You can buy individual item or buy a bento box with a few items combination. Please refer to photos for menu and my food items . They taste great and I like to return to try their smoked pork knuckle ( giant size ) .

Found this place in the middle of a strip mall full of restaurants. I ordered the stew pork bento box and boy do you get a lot of food. So much I couldn't finish it. The pork was just the right combo of fat and meat. The meat and rice was good and so was the cabbage. The meal came with a drink as well. If you pay in cash, you'll get an extra item. The service was quick on my to-go order and as the lady said, "it will be up in 3 minutes" and it was. All in all, a very solid spot for a Taiwanese Bento Box.

Another authentic Taiwanese bento place located in San Jose area! Simple, no frills meal but represented traditional Taiwanese "bento box" style meals. Similar to Japanese bento boxes but Taiwanese preferred the bento to be hot so most of the items tends to be hot/warm. Choice 4 side dishes plus an entree and there goes your quick meal for the day. Very fast pace place so figure out what you want for your four items before you place your order. Cash or cards.

The fried tofu was so good. I loved how many different versions of protein/tofu they give you in the bento. They definitely give you more different kinds of food within your bento than other places. Also, their cabbage tasted better than others weirdly enough. You have a choice to get either black tea, green tea, or passionfruit w/ lemon jelly, complimentary with your bento. Unfortunately, I was told that they have discontinued the milk tea but the green tea I chose instead was absolutely delicious. It wasn't too sweet, and you could really taste the tea rather than it be watered down like other places. The only thing I didn't like was that the chinese sausage was seemingly steamed instead of the usual so it was a lot spongier than I like. The service is nice and accommodating. I went another time to get the same order before writing this but they, unfortunately, ran out of fried tofu. They felt bad so they offered just to give me a side of tofu that they offer in their bento but I declined. Graciously, they still gave me one extra piece in my bento to make up for it! Definitely a place I'll return to for some quick meals!

We ordered a Hainan chicken bento with a side of a hainan chicken because we thought the bento portion wouldn't be enough... well. It would've been :p however! The bento chicken was hot and the side of chicken was cold, so I preferred the bento portion. Because we paid cash and over a certain amount, we got a free side of fish balls (you can choose). The chicken was some of the best I've ever had and the tea eggs were amazing! The veggies were seasoned well and the minced pork over rice was a great addition. I liked the pickled turnips (I think that's what they were) as it added a light crunch to each bite. Whenever I'm in Milpitas again looking for a hearty meal for an excellent price, I will be coming here. For our drink, we got the passion fruit with lemon jelly which was very refreshing.

My family used to get takeout from here during the pandemic and I'm glad to see this place is still around! It's primarily a takeout spot, but there are a couple tables inside. When my friend and I stopped by recently, they didn't seem to have any AC or fans running, so it was pretty hot inside. Service was very friendly. For a bento + a drink, prices seem pretty reasonable. The drink that comes with is probably the same as a small size at a boba place. I ordered the popcorn chicken bento with the passion fruit drink and everything was great! Very, very flavorful, good ratios, all around just a lovely spot for Taiwanese comfort food.

We found this cute little restaurant at the Milpitas Square plaza. They serve a wide range of bento boxes. We got the Chinese sausage and Hainan chicken bento boxes. Each bento box comes with ground pork, an egg, tofu, cabbage, and some kinds of pickled vegetables. The portion is much larger than I expected! If you pay in cash, you can get 3 additional sides free - that's where the huge chicken legs in our bento boxes came from. Each bento box also comes with a drink and they offer green tea, plumb juice, passion fruit juice etc. Overall, food is pretty tasty and the portion is big and filling. The staffs were very friendly. The restaurant is small but there are some seats for indoor dinning too.

Great Lunch spot to go for a Togo or dine in. Good portion of rice and veggies and a lot of meet for the skew pork: - Really tender and soft, flavor is just right not too salty. - Couldn't finish the whole bento. Less than $20 They also offer a free drink at lunch or an additional braise tofu as an option Was recommended this by the worker there and they were really nice and let you know about the portions. Would definitely come and try there lunch bentos

I stop by here when I'm HUNGRY and craving a lot of MEAT/ protein. The Bentos are PACKED and weighs a good 3 lbs and comes with a drink. Braised Pork Belly - It's alright, the sides it comes with are AMAZING, smoked chicken, marinated egg, tofu, pork over rice Note: If there is a family they will turn on the fan (summer), as soon as they leave it was turned off, even though I was dining in.. Anyways, I defintely recommend y'all check them out and maybe grab it Togo for more comfortable dining.

Came earlier today for lunch for the first time! I ordered the hainan chicken bento with the plum juice (comes with the bento) and since I paid with cash and my total was more than $17, I got fried fish balls (4pc) for free! (Btw there's a lot of pig's blood 'cause friend doesn't like it so we put her portion into my bento lol) There's actually a lot of food in the bento, I got full from the protein so saved the leftovers for tomorrow to eat! Chicken had no liquid sauce (there was some scallion/ginger over it) but meat was still tender. Really liked how the sautéed cabbage tasted! The minced pork that comes with the rice was well-seasoned as well. Plum juice tasted fresh and healthy but just a bit too tart for me. Cashier was pleasant and patient while I was being indecisive lol Overall would come back to try another entree/appetizer!

Many options for under $20, when you want to-go. Food; I typically order the fried chicken here. It's a crispy chicken with plenty of it. It comes with vegetables; broccoli, pickled cabbage, pickles under the chicken. With a whole soy sauce egg. With a tofu triangle. Rice is fresh with meat chunks. Makes the rice not boring. Food is filling and refreshing. It's Taiwan food and it's delicious! With a drink included too, it's a full meal, you'll have plenty to keep you full. Service; Here is best to keep a $20, to get one more item of your choice. -They do have card option here as well, and platter itself will cover the minimum. It's a quick service without a doubt. Fresh and quick for something like this. Friendly service and easy to talk to. Ambiance; Owners are huge cat fans. Not a cat insight, but you can definitely see it around the shop, buts are home pets mostly. It's a spaced out place to dine in. It's a bit cozy and a personal choice, to like it or not. It's well kept and well cleaned, not once it was dirty, just stuff. It's hard to beat the ease this place gives. If your fans of their old Campbell shop, years ago, they're are not going away. They do place modern music here and I can hear myself. I would recommend this place for whenever, you're looking for a rice plate with fried stuff. It's a good place for when you're hungry or when you're out for a park. Definitely worth a visit. If mass ordering, you gotta do them a time in advance for them to prepare it. :)

I did not like it at all. The fried chicken was a little weird. It was boneless chicken. Now they do give you a lot of food. There was a weird smell inside I think it was coming from the grease I would have to try this type of cuisine again.

It's my family usual dinner takeout place for one of the weekday. We have been regularly ordering from this restaurant since last year. What we love is their consistence in delivering yummy bento box. The pork chop and chicken filet is always moist and tender. Never chewy like meat jerky. I put in the review late since I don't judge at the first sight.

Very yummy and so worth the price for the amount they serve you! The bento boxes come with an ice tea of choice as well.

I always get their fried chicken bento! It's the best! The seasoning on the fried chicken is delicious; not too over fried, crisp and meat is tender. If you pay with cash, add free 4 fish balls to it. Food comes with drink and I always get the passion fruit. I tend to call for a pick up, I have dined once and it's a nice zen environment where they were a lot of plants and bathroom was clean. Authentic Chinese place cause when you call them, they speak mandarin to you.

Horrible service, disrespectful attitude towards customers. Rudely yells at customers as if it is perfectly normal behavior. Will never come again.

My co-workers and I have been coming out here for the past four years serving the best Taiwanese bento back then it was $13 now it's close to $17 still you're getting a great value with generous portions always best to pay cash and a get a free appetizer of your choice which include drinks. The ladies working here are the best and they have a wide display of Japanese figurine cats (maneki nekko) lucky cats as their main attraction that one cannot help noticed it's more of a cat cafe like the ones in Japan though here they don't allow cats which would be nice to interact with customers. Fast food is getting so expensive which is one reason why I choose bento for its diverse healthy meals which seems to be the latest trend so I came by this morning greeted very warmly I got the grilled salmon it comes with side dishes: cooked pickled cabbage, tea egg, ground pork on rice drinks are included had the passion fruit w/lemon jelly and an appetizer cooked tofu. Minimal dining space no outdoor seating mainly take-outs would definitely be back highly recommend prices are very reasonable. Weekdays are the best avoid coming out here on the weekends late afternoons are the worst very little parking and pack with shoppers.

Food is so solid!! I love how much meat they give you and how not salty it is compared to most places. Their drinks r also not too sweet which is really hard to find. Like other reviews the store itself looks pretty small but food is solid!

Very authentic flavor, and I could see the effort they put in curating the bento box (the restaurant staff does it behind the counter). The passionfruit tea with lemon jelly and no sugar adjustments was very watered down, just be aware of that. I liked how tender the pork chop was and would choose that over the popcorn chicken in the future. The popcorn chicken is pretty tasty, just lacking some flavor imo.

Been coming here multiple times for the taiwanese bentos. The entrees are pretty great. We got 1 fried pork and 1 Hainan chicken. I think its a family business and thats amazing that they work together, homey service. Both those bentos are my husband and I's fav. The bentos also come with a drink of your choice. But prices have increased quite a bit fyi. Also they got a private parking lot.

3.5 stars. Convenient to-go ordering. There are a handful of tables for dining in if you choose. Courteous wait staff that speak both English and Chinese. If you order their bento, it comes with a variety of sides and a drink which is a good value. I just opted for appetizers today. What's nice is if you pay cash and spend over $17, they will give you a few extra pieces from a list of appetizers that you can choose from.

The food getting more and more oily. Fried pork chop and fried chicken chop, so oily that I can't really finish it. Also the fried stuffs looked huge portion but it's actually the overly thick flour batter.

This place is alright! Check in on Yelp to get 10% off your first order. Bento Box: For $13.99, it's a good deal. Includes a drink (black/green/milk tea/passion fruit with lemon jelly). I ordered the bento box with fried pork chop, ground pork rice, steamed vegetables, stewed egg, spicy pickled radish, and stewed tofu. The pork chop was juicy and crispy. I thought that the flavor was interesting, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I really liked the ground pork rice, steamed vegetables, and stewed egg. I could probably eat a few servings of those items. The radish and tofu were OK. The milk tea wasn't that great, but I expected it from a place that doesn't specialize in boba. The bento was filling and the portion size was decent!

Very friendly service in this tiny location amongst 100 other Chinese/Taiwanese shops in Ranch 99. I only had the Taiwanese sausage with garlic and milk tea but both were good Taiwanese Sausage - 10 - Sweet and flavorful while being lean and the garlic is a good monotony cutter for this appetizer Milk Tea - 5 - Tastes more like a chai tea than a Taiwanese milk tea and is a bit too sweet. You could cut this with another glass of milk to get the balance it needs.

Finally try this place as I'm doing a bento tour I picked the porkchop bento combo. Total was $17.50 cash. Get to pick an extra item. I pick egg. Didn't know there was already one included. Would have pick something else Big pork chop and good portions... good food I just think there should be option to decouple the drink and lower the price as I don't usually need the drink I think the pig feet bento I got at taiwan Cafe on Able is comparable. $15 without the drink. Anyways. Still good food and nice portions... It is a deal if you like to have a drink as the drink would probably cost $3-4 at a drink place... Again, i would prefer to decouple as I make tea with better tea leaves at home and have a tea ritual... my tea would probably cost $10per cup. I'm a tea snob... only high grade lishan oolong or aged puer...

I love the bento plate the teriyaki chicken and white rice with bean sprout salad, and deep fried vegetables!

Tasty! This place currently only does take out and is located in the 99 ranch strip mall. Food: Stewed pork bento: tasty big pieces of stewed pork. Tastes like what my parents make at home. All the sides were great too and it comes with your choice of tea or milk tea for $15. Railroad pork: This was crunchy and good too, but I prefer the stewed pork. This also comes with all the sides. Service: We ordered in person so it took about 10-15 minutes for our food. The cashier was nice and let us wait inside, although it is located in a strip mall so you can definitely walk around and check out the other restaurants or get dessert.

my experience was marred by the staff's attitude. From the moment we arrived, the service was lacking in warmth and professionalism. Our server seemed disinterested and barely acknowledged us, which set a negative tone for the meal. When we asked for recommendations, they were unhelpful and dismissive. The food, though mediocre, might have been more tolerable if the service had been better. Unfortunately, the unfriendly attitude left a lasting impression and overshadowed what could have been a pleasant dining experience.

I got a stew pork bento with squid balls. Portion size is HUGE. I'd almost rather get a smaller meal priced a little less (or same price with higher quality veggies). This is unbeatable value for the money, tho. It's like homecooked, enough for two meals, generous portion of pork belly, delicious, and includes a decent drink, for $14? And if paying with cash, a little extra somethin somethin thrown in? Count me in. Fast, too...5 min from ordering to getting food. Would definitely come here again! (Btw, there's no dining here, take out only, but there's a neighborhood park 6 min away with shaded picnic tables. Starlite Park.)

The food is not fresh and make people sick. Where did all those good reviews come from? And the service is extremely bad; she's constantly yelling to every customer

The comfort of classic Taiwanese style bento boxes. Actually, I'm not sure there is a place that serves bento boxes like this around in the bay, at least not to this quality and authenticity. I've been to this location twice and both times, the food was pretty darn tasty and authentic. This little unassuming mom & pop little shop serves a hefty sized and well portioned bento box to satisfy most cravings. From it's stewed pork, which actually does melt in your mouth, to the fried pork and chicken, which tastes like those delicious savory appetizers and desserts served at the most popular boba shops, and then to all of the little side dishes and fixings, this place packs something for everyone. Not only will these bento boxes not leave you hungry, these bento boxes will actually leave you enough leftovers for a second meal. Both times we came and we got the bento boxes. Each bento box comes with a drink. You'll have your option of tea, milk tea, or fruit tea. Refreshing. They also offer sides when you pay with cash (take advantage of this because those sides are compliment the bento box themselves very nicely). I did notice other sides that this place sells a la carte--which I didn't try. But those seemed to be quite traditional and classic dishes too which I would definitely try when I return.

I ordered a fried pork chop bento yesterday for lunch to share. The combo comes with a free drink (option of black tea, green tea, milk tea or passion fruit tea with aiyu jelly). The combo also comes with braised pork rice, cabbage, a braised egg. If you pay with cash, you will get a free side as well! I enjoyed the combo! :)

I smell a strong urine smell in front of the door today. I don't want to blame them, because it's called boar taint - only 20% people can smell that, other 80% just feel nothing. The owners family must not sensitive to that. But, if you can smell that, please don't tell them like stupid me - otherwise they will kick you out and threaten you.

Good value for the money. Large portions with free light drink. Food flavors are really mild instead of salty. Be aware that drinks are watered down. My husband ate all of his bento but for people who eat less, portions can definitely be split into two smaller meals.

This is our new to-go place for take-out bento boxes! Now I would go here more than Shihlin to support local business--and I do like their bento boxes better. Here are my reasonings: 1) Yummy meat. Their frying is not as consistently clean as Shihlin, so sometimes there is a pond of oil at the bottom of the slot, but the meat is marinated much better and taste better. But if you are looking for more crunchiness, go to Shihlin; 2) Yummy vegetables, I love their cabbages, much better than most bento-box places where they give you a couple pieces of sad broccoli, here the vegetable amount is solid and tastes actually good. 3) Variety of food. There are so many little things in their bento boxes that are hard to resist, a tea egg, a piece of tofu, marinated grounded pork on top of rice, pickles... 4) Free drink. Love their passion fruit tea! We have tried a few types and so far our favorites are the fried chicken, popcorn chicken and fried fish. But the other ones taste good as well. And if you pay in cash you will get an extra thing to add on the variety :-)

I order the chicken bento box. It came chicken pieces, cabbage, white rice, broccoli, and cauliflower. The chicken was very fatty and dry. The broccoli and cauliflower were steam dry like vegetables at Dennys. The rice was dry. The cabbage was hard. A lady next to me had there bakery bread which she said the dry bread . The service lady never refill by 6 oz glass of water. With so many choices of restaurants around the area.

COVID-19 TAKEOUT/CAR HOOD DINING As I was unpacking our Taiwanese bentos on the hood of my car, this mask-less guy rolls up on his bike and starts air sniffing my food. What is this, SF?! Back into the car we go, and I feel a paw on my shoulder and another air sniffer on my hands. But, thankfully we had some boiled chicken that the kind owners provided for free to keep TT busy...thank you! The Bento Box is a family-operated, mom and pop shop serving traditional Taiwanese "Railway" Bento Boxes (provided to commuters/travelers during long train rides). I rarely go to Milpitas but when a Taiwanese friend raved about it, The Bento Box quickly jumped on the top of my list to visit. During COVID, The Bento Box is open for takeout and delivery through UberEats. I visited for a late lunch yesterday so there was no line. They limit the amount of customers in the store with social distancing markers on the floor. All staff wore their masks properly covering their nose and mouth. Hand sanitizer available. For their Bento Box ($13.99), choose a protein which is then served with steamed rice, minced pork, veggies, pickled mustard greens, stewed tofu, and a tea egg. It also includes FREE milk tea. They also have stewed meats like liver, intestines, tendon, tongue, etc. that you can purchase by the pound or by catering trays. Bags of frozen dumplings are available. For purchases of $15.25+, if you pay by cash, you get a free side: squid balls, pork liver, fried pumpkin, tofu, or smoked chicken. I ordered two Bento boxes ($13.99 each): * Ji Pai, Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet: https://bit.ly/3ad5r8s --Jai Pai: Cooked-to-order, the Ji Pai was hot, uber crunchy, and flavorful. It's like a schnitzel but the coating is crumbly and dusted with mild chili powder and white pepper. The marinated cutlets are really tender and you can taste the fragrant garlic, ginger, and 5-spice. The best part? You get two large cutlets! --Rice w/ minced pork: Classic Taiwanese comfort food, the minced pork and rice was delicious especially with some of the pickled mustard greens. --Veggies: Cabbage, carrots, and broccoli were still very crisp. --Stewed tofu: Firm tofu stewed in soy and spices. --Tea egg: The tea soy penetrated through the yolk so it was very flavorful. You can taste the anise. I'm trying to avoid eating too much rice so the food was a tad salty for me but with the rice, it balances out. * Stewed Pork Belly: https://bit.ly/30K8bHy This was not my order but I did taste a bite of the stewed pork belly which had a good fat-to-meat ratio. Since I visited after the lunch rush, the meaty chunks of pork belly marinated longer in the stewing liquid....savory sweet and just melts in your mouth. The accompanying milk tea which I requested less sweet, had strong tea flavor with a good balance of creaminess and sweetness. Both bento boxes had enough food for two meals so if you're looking for value, The Bento Box is a great option. Service was very friendly and gracious. I was shocked to read some of the recent negative reviews while drafting mine because I experienced quite the opposite. I was trying to find something to buy TT that was bland and they were very upfront telling me the spices they use not suitable for dogs. The owner's son (?) told me they usually feed their cat, the salted chicken and boxed up free boiled chicken leg for TT. He loved it and stopped air sniffing my food so thank you (I removed the bone)! Overall, 4 stars for the Taiwanese Bento Boxes. Personally, I liked it lot better than Bento Express in Sunnyvale. Bumping it to 5 stars for the great value, customer service, and COVID safety precautions. If you're looking for legit and delicious, Taiwanese Bento Boxes while supporting a small mom and pop business, give The Bento Box a try!

My daughter and I love this place. We always get the vegetarian bento which comes with rice, braised egg and soy product, pickled radish and veggie, cabbage and a free drink. My daughter got the milk tea with boba and I got the ai yu which came with rainbow jelly. The rice is cold/rom temp just like a proper Taiwanese bento should be. Love the pickled radish and veggies so much. The portion size was amazing as in we couldn't finish our bentos and snacked on the leftovers the rest of the day. Takeout only so we had to find a park to eat at. A couple tables/chairs outside would have been great tho. I'm sure the meat bentos are even more amazing. Maybe when covid is over they can add a couple more veggie bento options. Wish they had half size options too for those of us who just can't eat a full one. :)

I'm always excited to find a new Bento Box place. Some days I wish I were living in Taiwan so that I could easily grab bento boxes on the daily! I'm not sure if maybe I didn't order the 'right' boxes but was a little dismayed by the main entrees. I got the Hainan chicken was I normally like at other places, but this one was extremely salty, and the chicken wasn't at all tender. The other we got was the Pork Belly, which was definitely tasty, well cooked and well flavored. However, instead of thinner slivers how I've normally seen it cooked, it was like huge squares of meat- which may not sound bad, but huge slabs are slimey pork belly fat aren't that appetizing to me. The side dishes were not bad- cooked cabbage and a tea egg. Each bento comes with a tea. The milk tea was no good at all- too sweet and watered down at the same time. I would've preferred to pay less and not get a included drink.

I was in the area so popped in to check it out. As of July 2022, they have 2 tables with seating, about 5 - 6 seats each. The lady is very friendly and nice and reminds me of bento shops in Taiwan. I got the fried pork chop bento and milk tea combo. It was 17.50 total. Fried Pork Chop Bento--8/10 The portion size of the bento was huge. Definitely very filling. The pork chop is very crispy, but a little thin. The rice with braised pork on it was good, but it didn't quite "hit the spot" since some of the meat tended to be on the dry side.The stewed egg was very flavorful. Milk Tea--8/10 The milk tea was good. Wasn't the best I've had, but it wasn't bad. It was just good. Boba pearls were cooked well and its was chewy.

Tried this place for the first time with a friend of mine on Saturday. First off, as much as they do take card, there is a $15 limit first before being allowed to use it. Otherwise, make sure you have cash handy. The food itself however is pretty good. The popcorn chicken was perfectly breaded and not overly salty. The seasoning is on the chicken itself as opposed to the outer coating which isn't bad. The chicken pieces are on the fatty side but it's still pretty good. I loved the marinated beancurd and egg as well as the cabbage. White rice is white rice. The minced pork on top is alright but there's not a whole lot of flavor to it. That could probably have more seasoning to it. My friend who ordered the fried chicken said it was good at the time but it caused an upset stomach by the middle of night after our dinner probably due to the amount of oil used on it. However, that said, it's a solid joint for food if you're in the mood for a Taiwanese rice bento. Personally food quality wise, I might prefer Wehouse better which is just down the street from the plaza Bento Box is in. Drink wise, well, the meal came with a drink which was a nice surprise. I haven't tried the other drinks but the passion fruit tea with rainbow jelly was super delicious and refreshing given the super heat wave that's taken over as of late. So that's a 5/5 right there. Overall, it's a pretty standard Taiwanese snack/food shop. It's not the best but it's no where near the worst either.

I really wanted to like this place because they offer a deal where you get free milk/fruit tea when you order a bento box! But I have to say that I was kind of disappointed. I got the milk tea with my bento box and it was really watered down. My boyfriend got the fruit tea and it was also very light in flavor. As for the bento box, I got the fried chicken and it was flavorful and you can't really go wrong with the tea egg! Everything else was ok, nothing to really write about. The service was kind of slow and disorganized. Overall, it wasn't very memorable and probably wouldn't go again.

Extremely generous portions for a great price. Also comes with boba tea too! The food is great and usually lasts me for an entire day.

Pretty good home cookin here, solid portions and free milk tea drinks here but food quality nothing special, or terribly healthy too. *Stew beef bento - looked good, did not sample *Stew pork bento - looked good, did not sample *Fried pork bento - it's a pork cutlet, similar to pork tonkatsu, except they don't cut it for you. Tasted dry and overly breaded. *Hainan chicken bento - dry and old chicken - definitely the most underwhelming dish. The chicken just smelled old. Chicken Meets Rice waaaaaay better *Pork feet bento - yes, I was born in the Year of the Pig so cannibalistic thoughts arise, but who cares, I love pig feet and they make it well here. Lots of knuckles to navigate with your teeth, but the flavors are impeccable. Each bento box comes with a brown tea egg, small 'salad', which is really just shreds of iceberg lettuce, and rice with ground pork/veggie - and a small sample of stewed (hard) tofu. There's a lot to unpack here, and for $13.99 each it seems like a pretty fair deal. One big comment to management - please please please consolidate your menus into a single, simple, easy-to-read menu. As you can see in pictures, it is very confusing to have six or seven menus with items that overlap and items that are no longer offered.

Not bad take out restaurant. Went here at a moment's notice. Food was fresh from the kitchen and came with a drink. You really do get what you paid for. However, the popcorn chicken I ordered dis not have the same taste as the popcorn chicken buy from a boba store. It was slightly bland. My lunch bento box came with brown egg and I think tofu and pickled veggies along with milk tea. Like I said, you are going to get what you paid for.....lunch. Update. Ate the lunch but my lunch came with milk tea. I saved my milk tea for my trip home from work. OMG.....I could make my own milk tea and it would taste so much better. If I decide to have another bento lunch, I will be sure to get something else instead. Their milk tea must have been the worse I have ever had in my entire life. I changed my rating from four stars to three. I will need to give this place another change to bump up my rating decision. Quality: B Service: A+ Price: A