It’s lunch time in New York City. What to eat? You’re hungry, but not hungry, hungry. You want a good sized lunch, but you don’t want to overeat. It’s a struggle. The indecisive New Yorker is forever contemplating. When I can’t decide, I usually go get a Bento Box. I love the choices, the varieties, the fact that it’s not that much that it fills you up in the middle of the day, but also not so little that you find yourself hungry again in within a few hours. So. A Bento Box it is. But naturally, being that most of them come with a Sushi Roll, one must choose wisely. Quality is of the essence. I’ve probably had dozens, if not more, Bento Boxes, and below you will find a few that I enjoyed immensely, and that I would definitely recommend.
Evil Katsu
Evil Katsu is located on E 9th Street on the Lower Eastside. It’s small, friendly, and they have some dang great food. My Bento go-to here is the Chicken Chicken Katsu Bento Box. For $25 you get a house brined, twice fried chicken cutlet with your choice of two sides, house pickles and Tonkatsu sauce. Super yummy.
Momo Sushi
Momo Sushi calls the Flatiron District its home. On Park Avenue South, Bento Boxes are put together thoughtfully and with care. Here I ordered the Shrimp Tempura Box. You gotta love Shrimp Tempura! I got myself a Spicy Tuna Roll, and it comes with rice and Shumai, soup and salad. It will run you $18, which I feel is an excellent price for a really good amount of food.
Suki Ichiro
Suki Ichiro is to be found on the Upper East side. Second Avenue and 88th Street to be exact. At this lovely spot I usually go for the Chicken Teriyaki. It’s a classic, it’s a crowd pleaser. This one comes with Pork Gyoza , California Roll (I exchanged mine for a spicy tuna roll for a small upcharge), rice, soup or salad for about $13 for lunch, about $21 for dinner. Good stuff.
Ootoya
Ootyoya in Chelsea on 18th Street is a serious player. You will be served the real deal. The Bento Box (yes, singular, there is only one Bento Box here), is a little more expensive, but, oh boy, is it worth it. Its a ton of food, very shareable, and it’s amazing stuff. For $35 your box will include: fried vegetables, grilled Yellowtail, Dashimaki Egg, steamed marinated chicken, Breaded and fried pork cutlet, Washu beef, seaweed, edamame and rice. Yes. It’s a meal and a half.
Yuzu Kitchen
Yuzu Kitchen is close to my job in theTheater District, so I order from there quite frequently. And fine. It’s not a Bento Box. It’s more like a Bento Bowl. But I think it’s close enough with enough choices at hand, that it needs to be included here. The Short Rib Bowl is around $17, and it’s my absolute favorite. It’s a soy marinated flank steak served with rice, furikake corn, cherry tomatoes, chili oil marinated beans, shishito su-age, and a boiled ajitama egg. Amazing.
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