Bentos Coffee & Cookies

They have a variety of bento. Generous portion but they also offer lite version (smaller portion). You also have a choice of white or brown rice. Good food.

In the Portland building. I walked by after getting a parking permit and decided to get coffee. Once inside the smell of cooked chicken actually made my mouth water. I was able to hold off long enough for my mocha to be made and then just had to try the chicken that made that smell. It was some of the best spicy chicken I’ve ever had and I will be back.

I really wanted to like this place, and was especially excited that there was Korean food. Given that it was owned by a sweet Korean guy, I was expecting awesome. Got the bibimbap, and it was the worst bibimbap I’ve ever had. Made with chicken instead of ground beef, vegetables were not of Korean style, and the sauce that replaced the gochjjang was more like watered down sweet chili sauce. All in all, I was really disappointed.

It was just ok. My girlfriend and I each got a bento. The portion sizes were good, but the actual food was just alright. The vegetables were rather bland. The teriyaki sauce was the only thing saving them. The service was quite friendly and quick at least.

tried the bulgogi tacos and was not disappointed. Two large tacos with the bulgogi beef and fixings. Didn’t try the cookies, would recommend the bento for anyone looking for a quick lunch.

Delicious food, generous portions, reasonable prices and friendly/​quick service, can’t ask for much more when looking for a lunch spot downtown!
They have a good selection of bentos (rice, veggies, meat), a few soups and even some fusion dishes like the bulgogi burrito which is one of my fave items on the menu.
The owner is always behind the counter with a smile on his face and readily accomodates special orders.

I’ve tried this place 3 times now. I work right nearby and I’m always searching for a go-​to lunch spot, so I really wanted to like it. Don’t let the convenient location fool you, it’s just not worth it. The chicken was tasteless and chewy, the veggies oily (and mostly made up of cabbage), and the sauces I’ve tried («curry» and teriyaki) tasted sickly sweet and canned. I savor every morsel and moment of my lunch, but I just couldn’t finish the curry chicken. To add to the pain, the cookies are surprisingly flavorless! I could get better cookies at 7 – 11.
Chang seems like a nice dude, but I will be exploring the many more exciting bento places around town.

I’m gonna give this place a 5, not just because the food is good, but the owner is the coolest guy you’ll ever meet at a place like this. Never got his name but going off his «Chang’s 401k» tip jar, I’m guessing that’s his name. Dude will talk you about restaurants, food and whatever you bring up. Makes coming here a blast, like I’m kicking back with a few beers with a good friend.
The food itself I find to be very good. I’ve had the chicken, spicy chicken, hawaiian bento, spicy pork and bulgogi korean burrito. All were great and filling and very affordable. My only complaint is about the spicy pork being a little too salty for my taste. Everything else I’ve had there has hit the spot.
I work about a block away so I visit this place atleast once a week. Give it a try if you’re in the neighborhood and chop it up with Chang, he’s awesome.

This place is tucked away basically at the bottom of the City of Portland building, you know, the one that has Goddess Portlandia on top. As others have pointed out, this little restaurant has some rather unusual bento combos, so much so, that you really have to read the descriptions that are included on the menu. At any rate, I’ve had the octopus bento and the unagi bento. They’ve been very fresh and the sauce was just dandy for a lunch. I also like that you get a choice between white and brown rice.
Don’t forget to put a tip in his «401 K» jar. It used to be for paying off college but I guess he got enough tips for that.

I’m with the other two reviewers, here: The cookies are so-​so (I make better at home, so does that make mine the «Best in Portland?» If so, that’s embarrassing: I’m just following the recipe on the back of the bag o’ chocolate chips. But I digress). I think the bentos are definitely where it’s at here, and it’s here, too, I want to see them up their game.
The dry erase menu offers an impressive array of bento varieties — as Melinda writes, there are some pretty unexpected combos, and that’s exciting. Some are good, some are on this side of boring, and a few are pretty darned good, indeed. I consistently pick up their bento-​interpretation of the Korean Bi Bim Bop. Obviously, it doesn’t come to you sizzling in a piping hot stone bowl with a cracked egg still frying on top, but it’s tasty chilled nevertheless. Tender chicken, flavorfully marinated veggies (particularly the spicy sesame spinach), and a zangy (is that a word?) chili sauce make the dish a nice alternative to, say, Steamer’s across the street. I wish they gave you more of the sauce — on brown rice alone it’s wonderful — but c’est la vie.

Because this place is so close to the office I thought I would give it a try. What is it with restaurants trying to be too many things? They have a bento menu, cookies and muffins, and special coffees. Huh, they should concentrate on doing at least one of those things really well and not do all of them tolerably. $ 5.40 for spicy chicken and veg on rice? The price is right. The food is from a steam/​heat table, which is a pet peeve of mine. I would describe the food as adequate, it was called spicy chicken but wasn’t spicy! I ended up with 2 cups of white rice with a cup and ½ of dark meat chicken and ½ cup of mostly cabbage with a few carrots and broccoli, slathered in a semi spicy sauce reminiscent of tonkatsu barbeque sauce. I was not impressed. I love a good cheap lunch and this wasn’t one. They do have miso soup on the menu and udon so I might come back and try those but otherwise I think I will keep walking by this place. It was oddly crowded though, so other people do eat there.

This place has «Portland’s BEST Cookie!» painted on their window. The window LIES.
However, if you are looking for bento adventures, this is the place to play Indiana Jones with chopsticks. Hawaiian bento? Fish cake bento? You will find them here, intrepid wanderer.
I suspect the «best cookie» line was cooked up as a way to lure unsuspecting lunch-​seekers through the doors, but I really think they should change it to «Portland’s Most Interesting Bento Combinations!»