Bento Man

Been eyeing this place for months since I moved to Downtown. Finally stopped in today and boy am I glad I did! I ordered the beef bowl. It was delicious. Thin slices of beef with perfectly cooked onions and yummy slices of grilled zucchini all over yummy yummy rice (they have brown available if that’s your thing). Not overly sauced, perfect amount. But if you like lots of sauce there is extra available to you in the condiment area. The sauce is delicious.
Service is nice, the restaurant is clean, and the food is relatively quick. This place is also very reasonably priced for being downtown. They have a diverse menu, can’t wait to try something new on my next visit!

I just finished a very filling lunch at Bento Man… Not necessarily fulfilling. Chicken Katsu Curry with Salad, White Rice and a Macaroni Salad. I found the curry to be a bit overwhelming for my stomach, a reason I rarely order it and the Katsu Chicken was nicely breaded and very crunchy, just not quite satisfying or tasty. The plate portions are large enough though. They are very welcoming and my food was brought to my table about 10 minutes after ordering.
This wasn’t my first time ordering here, I dropped by here a couple of years ago looking for LA Chicken, the former occupant of this space. Disappointed that they had closed, I believe I ordered the Teriyaki Bowl on that occasion.
Today’s meal wasn’t quite my cup-​o-​tea, but I’d come back to try something else on the menu.

The guy at the front was truly the Bento Man! There’s a neat little painting of him near the seating area. Super simple place for a quick tasty bite. Was very impressed

The food was good. But they messed up the order and forgot to bring out one person’s food. So that ruined the entire experience.
When we asked for chopsticks, he brought out chopsticks for the asian people and forks for the white people, which was rude.

i had the spicy tuna Poke bowl. THAT SH*T WAS FIRE DAWG! the guy taking the orders is very cute and old and funny. Lil tokyo is a trip and i enjoy coming down here and trying a new weird spot! BIG UPS

I came here when I was on jury duty based on Unilocal reviews. I was not disappointed. The food was great. And I really thought the Bento Man was charming. Five stars!

Awesome place! Miso Ramen was as good as Daikokuya without the wait! But the dish that stole the show was the teriyaki chicken, cooked up all crispy and delicious. Def coming back. Food is a 5, location is a 3, therefore 4 stars. Try it!

Found this place here on Unilocal.Good food, cheap prices, and the owner is really friendly. I personally had the chicken teriyaki, which as mentioned in other reviews, it has a nice crisp texture to it and it tastes great. This place is definitely worth a try.

The old «Bento» man is so adorable! I’m a sucker for sweet (azn lol) grandma/​grandpa type people running little shops. They’re usually the sweetest people and in this case too true. I mean ok he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary except be super nice and old and has a kind face LOL but it makes me want to keep coming back and support the business.
Other than that, this place is probably perfect for a quick lunch or meal. It’s not much in décor or anything, and the menu is simple and straight forward. My bf and I both got the chicken and beef teriyaki combo (I was majorly craving) since I wanted to try both.
But now that I know, I think I prefer the chicken teriyaki! It has a slight crisp to it which was yummmmmm. They don’t come drenched in sauce either, which is great if you prefer your meal not soaking wet. BUT I kinda do lol so if that’s your thing, they also provide squirt bottles of teriyaki sauce, along with the very necessary Sriracha. MMMMM
The combo also comes with a small salad with thousand island dressing (or at least taste like it), and a small side of mac salad — kinda similar to ones you find in Hawaiian BBQ. The sides are just ok, so I think the teriyaki is the star. I think next time I’d go for a chicken bowl.
Also this place doesn’t seem to have any sort of signage outside lol so look out for a small shop on 1^st! It’s in the middle of the block and it’s pretty small so open dem eyeballs

I went here with a co worker for lunch.
Wow!!! Amazing place.
Very simple and very easy.
The service was excellent, the owner is soo nice and accommodating.
The beef bowl I had was amazing, made fresh to order and was the perfect serving size.
The meat was quality and cooked to perfection.
I would definitely come back here then trying to find a gem in all the mediocre places in little Tokyo.
This is my new spot.

I love the Bento Man! He always cracks me up. He is also a really bright guy who has lots of interesting stories and can even speak pretty good Spanish. The food is always fast, affordable, and delicious. There are vegetarian options and tasty soup too for those frigid Los Angeles afternoons.

We came here a couple weeks ago on our visit to L.A. we decided last minute to visit because it looked clean and the store was empty, and we loved it! They were so nice, they helped us and explained what was in the food on the menu. The owner even gave us some free raw tuna to try, we do love raw fish so we decided to try it and it was awesome :) best ramen place ever!

I’ve never had chicken jerky teriyaki before… not really my thing. Beef was definitely better than the chicken, but not by much. The pasta salad was bland and the Gyoza was microwaved? Store bought? I won’t be returning here anytime soon. Don’t be fooled by any of the menu pictures. 2 Stars for the friendly cashier.

Your basic teriyaki place with good food and big portions. It’s strange though because there are no signs outside letting people know that this place is «Bento Man» I ordered the teriyaki chicken plate and it was delicious and more than enough food for a hungry dude. Great place to pick up something quick and fairly healthy if you’re pressed on time.

I stumbled upon this place while exploring little Tokyo during my lunch break for jury duty. Short walk from the court houses and pretty quick. I had the chicken bowl and wanted to order seconds. I was a little disappointed at the small amount of veggies it included. One guy behind the counter and one lady cooking real food you can see and taste. I want to try everything on the menu. I will be back.

There’s so many Japanese restaurants to choose from in Little Tokyo, and sometimes you’re in a hurry and want something affordable, so go to Bento Man. I must’ve been here a long time ago, but I wanted to try the Spicy Poke. It was good. It was a quick and easy visit.

Bento-​Man, the one place I’d always have to go to whenever I visit Little Tokyo. It’s a small little place with a few tables and a restroom towards the back. It’s very cozy! There are some seats outside of the store too, surrounded by green fences.
I’ve tried the Miso Ramen and the Shoyu Ramen, both are delicious and full of flavor. The price is around $ 8 per bowl of ramen which is decent because I’ve been to other places that sells $ 15 a bowl! The wait for the food isn’t long at all ^_​^.
The staff is friendly, the owner gives good service! There was one time where the owner gave as a bowl of porridge on the side of our ramen (How nice of him!)
Overall, my experience at this place had always been great.

Great place for some Japanese food in a hurry. I had the chicken bowl complete with veggies and a drink for under $ 10. The location is good and it has two tables for outdoor eating.
Customer service is good and you can be in and out in about 15 minutes. Worth a try.

4.5 Stars (4 for food, 5 for service and convenience)
What a gem! Tucked away behind an unassuming green picket fence, on a quieter section of 1^st street with poor signage, there is a jolly man assembling delicious bento combinations at unbeatable prices. I wish I had discovered this place long ago, as it is definitively worthy of being a regular on my lunch rotation.
Bento Man is nothing fancy. The interior is relatively unadorned and consists of a few simple chairs and tables. Behind the counter is the merry Bento Man waiting to take your order. If you dine in, the food is brought to your table and (surprisingly) served in glassware. There is a small table that boasts complimentary sauces including yummy house teriyaki and ponzu, as well as restaurant staples like Sriracha and soy sauce. Complimentary water and cups are self serve at the front counter – very convenient!
The food is all fresh and above average for what you’d expect at a casual joint like this. The poke bowl is delicious, light and flavorful. The poke is made fresh everyday with great flavor from the scallions, chilis and soy sauce. I love that they add yellow bell pepper and cucumber for a little texture and crunch. They prepare only a limited quantity and it seems like it sells out by midday so get it while it lasts! The beef teriyaki bowl is awesome – the beef is paper thin, but lean and tender. The teriyaki sauce is quite exceptional, better even than some more upscale Little Tokyo eateries. Plus, the teriyaki bowls come with a side of grilled zucchini. It’s unbeatable for the $ 6 price tag. They even have spam musubi! Bonus! I’ve been searching the area high and low for a place that serves good spam musubi, and by golly, I think I’ve found it.
What truly distinguishes Bento Man is the customer service. The owner is just adorable and makes all his customers feel important. I think I received at least three bows of appreciation as I left his establishment today. Quite exceptional!

I *hate* giving out 2* reviews for small business. It’s already bad enough that they have much larger spots to compete with, as well as similar mom & pop places.
However, rather than 1* that the food deserves — it’s the value and the quickness of the restaurant is. I ordered the chicken teriyaki bowl «grand opening special» of $ 3.33 (limit 3 per person), regularly $ 5.95. Great deal. It took a few minutes for our food to be cooked fresh to order, and then we were on our way.
There’s a table where you can fill a container of teriyaki sauce (as well as tonkatsu and Sriracha sauce) to have extra or to go. Also, on that table was a small bucket of pickled cabbage. Nom nom nom. Rather than the savory pickled cabbage, it was a sweet/​spicy version. I personally like that version. The teriyaki chicken bowl also comes with three slivers of squash. Portion wise, not too bad. Great for lunch, however it was pretty bland and the extra teriyaki sauce I grabbed came in handy.
There are other items you can order — tonkasu, other rice bowls, udon, ramen and so forth. I would give them another chance but I would pass on the opening special…