Love My Bento Hawaiian Style

For my girlfriends birthday we decided to hit up the food carts in downtown Portland, OR. After eating several single items from several different carts, we found «Love My Bento», a Hawaiian food cart, and split a Kahlua pork slider. It was served very hot (and it retained that heat surprisingly long) on a toasted bun with coleslaw. Just by looking at it, I figured it to be nothing too special, but after one bite we both knew we wouldn’t be able to keep trying different carts. We had found what we were looking for. This was the most delicious Kahlua pork I can remember having in my life. We ordered two more, but this time in the large/​regular size. Still just a toasted bun, coleslaw (which perfectly complimented the pork — just the right amount and seasoning), and Kahlua pork — just bigger. To top it off, they were only $ 5 each. Mind-​blown, and stomach happy, we now can’t wait to go back again.
The lovely woman who took our order was also very friendly and made our visit quite pleasant. Great food, great service. Great job guys!

We are visiting Portland and were looking for something inexpensive for dinner. We ordered a combo plate for $ 8. You get 2 meats, so we picked beef teriyaki & chicken teriyaki with macaroni salad & rice. The meats were cooked on the grill while we waited, then put over a generous portion of rice. I asked for some extra teriyaki sauce to put on the rice. Everything was really good, including the rice w the teriyaki sauce.

They’ve only been open a couple months, and as someone already noted, this makes 3 Hawaiian carts in this cart mega-​plex. But to my way of thinking, that can ONLY be a good thing— that’s three times the opportunity for awesomeness! Since the 808 Grindz cart has such limited hours, this one is open much later and hence little overlap twain the two, hence littel conflict of interest.
I went for the 2 meat combo meal ($ 8.50), and was met w/​a particularly hefty take-​out box, bulging around the edges, that let me know I was gonna have plenty of left-​ovahs for tomorrow and maybe longer. Word! Since they were out of spicy pork, sadly (and out of musubi, but it IS on the menu), I went w/​Kalua Pig and shoyu chicken. Both shredded meats were exceptionally tender and juicy! There was even chicken skins strewn in the thigh meat, and I was digging it! Even though I picked the green salad over the usual mac salad (b/​c believe it or not, I really am not trying to tempt the Gods of Diabetes), this was still an obscene and very filling amount of food! A great value, served up by a friendly couple showing true Aloha spirit. Mahalo, and stay thirsty!

I am a fan of Love My Bento Hawaiian Style.
The owner is super friendly and have many delicious food on the menu.
The portion are very generous and very good variety on the menu.
We got the Poke. So fresh and delicious.
If I am in the area, I will be back to try other food items because I love my spam and delicious hawaiian mac salads.

Really cute little cart — they just opened about a month ago and the owners are very sweet. I know very little about Hawaiian food (they put spam on everything?) and got the Shoyu chicken. DELISH! For $ 5.50, I received fair portions, good mac salad on top of a lettuce leaf and the chicken was marinated in their heavenly home-​made sauce. One owner mentioned they will be changing the menu — «simplifying» it. Great new place to check out — let’s hope they are able to stay!

Yum! So much better than some of the other Hawaiian places I have tried in Portland. I had the chicken teri bento. Generous portion of well cooked & flavored chicken teriyaki. Nice fluffy white rice, and KILLER mac salad. Broke da mouth! Ono-​kine grinds brah. Will definitely be back here soon!

Hey, more 808 love representing in downtown! The cart owners are John and Michelle. As one probably would guess, they are originally from Hawaii, having lived in Waipahu and Kapolei (that’d be on Oahu, folks) before coming to Oregon. Small world…
Michelle wanted to open a food cart for a while now, and both felt this was the right time to go for it. And hey, why not stay true to your roots for food options? The menu is pretty simple, with about six or seven plate lunch items and a couple of burger options. I’m an island boy at heart, and I needed my mac salad fix!
What is it with me and chicken? I think I’ve seen too many Chick-​fil-​A commercials…“Eat mor chikin.“
I opted for the shoyu chicken ($ 5.50). A healthy portion of slow-​cooked shoyu chicken on a bed of white rice, with some homemade macaroni salad. I saw the light — and it was good.
«You like pickled onions too?»
Whoa, what?! Um, yes! Nothing like some sweet, tangy, crunchy onions to go with the meal! (insert Homer Simpson salivation picture here)
It’s like the dang chicken is singing opera to me before I eat it. «It’s beautiful, so beautiful…» (fake crying)
The moist chicken had taken a sauna session in a subtle teriyaki-​style sauce. That same sauce coated the rice. Ho… winnahs! Yeah, many of us island boys gotta eat flavored rice. It builds awesome character, after all. If I had to nitpick, a bit too much chicken skin on my portion. I may be a human vacuum, but even I’ll avoid consuming that part.
Mac salad = freakin’ awesome. The key to a killer Hawaiian plate lunch, and they nailed it. You ever have one of those moments where time stops and you see one of those flowery, sunny fields? It’s like Happy Gilmore when he went to his happy place! Cool, isn’t it?
They also got cole slaw, but trust me, just eat the mac salad. Love their bento… Hawaiian style! No mainland alterations!
They got kalua pig, teriyaki chicken, even pipkaula. Damn. Maybe they’ll do a loco moco later? Oh, and for the burger lovers, three burgers on the menu!
I lost count of how many different food carts operated there before John and Michelle came along. It used to be a Filipino cart a few months ago. I know 808 Grinds is on the same block, and they’re tough competition. A Hawaiian food cart a few blocks away only stayed open for a couple months before closing. Here’s to hoping Love My Bento has a long cart life!