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Bento Express

4.4 (359 reviews)
ModerateTaiwanese
Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:10 PM - 8:00 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Bento Express Photos

Business Info

BENTO EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Bento Express

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Side dishes
Julie W.

This place still has the best popcorn chicken for the best price. It comes out hot & fresh. I've tried the pork chop entree and it's good too. My kids still like the sides for the bento box too. My mother thinks it's too salty unfortunately. I tend to agree with her so this is a nice lunch maybe once a month. It is very authentic. Depending on the cook, some dishes turn out really good.

Roxanne C.

I think the food here is just alright. I always get stressed out ordering here because I feel rushed. I usually get a bento with an extra side instead of rice for $2 more. There aren't too many vegetarian options. My favorite is the broccoli but honestly you can just make that at home. The tofu with cabbage is not bad either but tofu is kind of too firm. The store is very small and gets busy during meal times.

Bento number 2
Maggie W.

I haven't tried Bento Express before, but my partner recommended we stop by for dinner when we were in the area. He said "it's pretty worth" since you get to choose 4 sides with each bento. He got bento number 8 (fried pork chop) while I got bento number 2 (stewed minced pork). I got eggplant, tofu strips, seaweed, and pig ear with my bento. I think portions are decently generous (not quite as generous as some supermarket bento boxes -- iykyk), I was pretty full and I've had more of an appetite from an increase in cardio recently! The sides were all made really well and well seasoned. I particularly liked the tofu strips and seaweed, but I think they were all good. My partner said his pork chop was a bit dry, but I liked the minced pork in mine. There's a very generous amount of rice (too much for a pre diabetic) in each bento, and since the meat is served on top of the rice it absorbs all the wonderful sauce. For around $16-$18 dollars for the bentos with meat, I think this is a pretty good deal! You do get 7% discount if you pay with cash. Service was great! They speak both English and Chinese and get you your food very quickly. I don't think there's any tables inside, this is very much a get your food and go eat elsewhere kind of place (makes sense it's bento Express). Overall: worth a try!

Menu
Mark T.

8/18/25 Bento Express 1677 Hollenbeck Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94087 I went there for an early dinner. It's in the CVS plaza at Homestead and Hollenbeck, so plenty of parking. It's a takeout only order and plate setup, no interior dining. There are many main entree selections and it comes with four sides, including both protein and vegetable choices. I got the fried pork chop, three vegetable sides and a sausage. Everything was lightly seasoned, not excessively salted. The chop was huge with a crispy breading and tender. Service was fast and with mass quantities, good for 2 meals. A good value and repeatable.

#4 with 4 sides
Cindy C.

Huge fan! The pork belly was perfectly cooked, and the fatty part was super quick. The rice is really good, very chewy and slightly sticky. Also love their pig ear, cooked very soft and flavorful All of the veggies were not oily or salty. Definitely a go to for me when I want a healthier, cheap, but still super delicious option for dinner or lunch. Reminds me of really good home-cooked taiwanese food!

Popcorn chicken
Richard C.

5 stars. The value here is so good. You pick a main entree and you get to choose 4 sides to go with your bento. All the sides looked really good. I ended up choosing tomato egg, Taiwanese sausage, stir fried cabbage, and tofu. For a little less than $20, you get an extremely filling meal that is very good quality. This is peak comfort food and it's really quick and convenient. There are no tables for indoor seating. There were like 2 tables outside, but this place is definitely more of a grab and go place. Overall, I highly recommend this spot if you're looking for a filling, comforting, and tasty meal

Phil Y.

Interesting place! I don't know of anything like this in Southern California with all our Taiwanese restaurants. You choose the main dish which they cook immediately for you, then choose from 4 side dishes. I ordered the pork chop, a Taiwanese sausage, cabbage and stuff I can't remember. The price was reasonable, and the bento was enough to feed both my wife and I. Service was friendly even though I didn't know what I wanted. They normally accept both credit card and cash, except when I showed up and the credit card machine wasn't working. It was similar, yet different from the Taiwanese food in the Los Angeles area. I liked it even though I can't remember what the other 2 sides were.

Constance L.

Fantastic authentic Taiwanese food -- my family has been coming here for years! Detailed breakdown below: **Service, 5/5** Relatively quick service; you order all your side dishes and then might need to wait if you order a fried main dish (as opposed to a braised main dish) since they're fried to order. No seating, it's a grab and go situation, but parking is never an issue. **Price & portion, 5/5** Prices have steadily increased throughout the years unfortunately with rising costs of everything, but the quality and quantity has remained consistent. A bento easily lasts me two meals. **Taste of the food, 5/5** My favorite is the fried pork chop, but genuinely every main and side dish here is fantastic. Love the wide assortment and abundance of choices, and how you can order a different combination each time. All the side dishes are relatively healthy and super flavorful. You genuinely can't go wrong with any choice, but some of my favorites are the napa cabbage, mapo tofu, and the classic tomato egg.

7/8/24 Sweet & Sour chicken with 4 side dishes. Wife chose mostly vegetables
Lee D.

Quality/Quantity - Got two bento boxes. As a first time customer, the process was way harder than it should have been. I told the poor employee that helped me that it was my first time here and that my wife sent me. My wife wanted any chicken that was NOT deep fried. Well most of the meats here are deep fried. Finally, it was suggested that I get her the orange chicken. I thought I was buying an orange chicken bento box, they sold me a container of just orange chicken. Redo... By the way, decent portions. Then I selected my bento box with deep fried pork chops. Well, by the time I got home, it was far from deep fried; it was soggy. I am thinking it was probably soggy when they put it into the box...? Then it was hard for me to select the sides because trays were sitting on top of trays. And I did not know what I was allowed to select or not...? While writing this Yelp and going through my pictures, I discovered that there are actually 3 menus above the counter that lets you know what all the sides are. And I believe anything/everything could have been a side, hence the orange chicken as a side for my wife after we remade her order. In summary, pick a "main" item and anything in the warmer case in front of you can be a side, period. Atmosphere - Small local business with outside seating. Plenty of mall parking. Open 11am to 8pm 6 days a week, closed Sundays. Service - Good, friendly but confusing. The girl that helped me can use some additional training especially when it comes to helping new customers. Price - Cash discount - 5% off. $33 after discount. Reasonable for the quantity of food, but not quality. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2016.

Bento with pork feet, tomato egg, bitter melon, meatball, eggplant
Hoai-Huong N.

I've never had a Taiwanese bento before but this was amazing. For the price and how much food they give you it's def worth it. My mom and I split a bento with pig feet, tomato egg, eggplant, meatball and bittermelon. Def pass on the meatball next time it was okay, but the rest of the sides were so yummy. My favorite was the eggplant! The pig feet could have been a bit more tender, but it was still delicious. You have to get the rice with the sauce!! For two people we were definitely very full, but I would like to note if you are splitting with someone to ask for extra rice.

Combination plate
Sarah C.

Authentic~ for what it is Taiwanese bento experience. 5% Discount if you pay with cash It was my first time, but if I were to come again I would get the combination entree and for the 4 sides: tofu strips, eggplant, pig ear, vermicelli noodle

Joe H.

Me: My first time here. How to order? She: One main course and any four side dishes. Me: four? She: Yes. Any four side dishes. Me: ok. I want fried chicken cutlet and these four. She: ok. ..... Me: How come there are only sides dishes and rice in my bento box. Where is my chicken cutlet? She: Sir. The fried Chicken cutlet is our most popular main course. IT IS TOO BIG SO WE NEED TO USE A SECOND BOX. Me: ....You are all real Taiwanese aren't you....Only Taiwanese store will do that. She: yep.

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Bento Express Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Bento Express

Can you order on delivery services like doordash?

Nope

Can you order online ahead and pick up?

I think you can- by phone only. But you won't be able to choose side dishes.

Do they accept Apple Pay?

Yes

View All 4 Questions

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O2 Valley - #R2 Chicken Cutlet Rice Plate

O2 Valley

(605 reviews)

$$

Wait. What?! I haven't reviewed this place yet? This is super common go-to for us. The portions are…read moregenerous and we love the rotation of sides that come with the bentos. You never know what it is that day and it's like a game for us to see what we get. Our favorite is the tomato egg side but I am never disappointed by any of them. Our hands down favorite is the grilled chicken cutlet bento. I suppose grilled is a little misleading, it has a light crisp to it and it's marinated in some sort of tangy slightly spicy sauce. Sometimes I get an extra side of grilled chicken so baby bear can get extra protein. It's never too much; leftovers the next day go into waffles in the morning for a fusion-y brunch :) If we are feeling extra hungry, we'll add a garlic popcorn chicken side too. Dining in is also an easy casual option. You order directly through the QR code at the table and the food comes out pretty quickly. Toppings, utensils, water are on the side that you help yourself too. If you're good with that service model, it's fast and easy too.

I stopped by around noon for a quick lunch and managed to grab a table before the lunchtime rush…read morehit. I ordered the popcorn chicken bento box along with a rose Earl Grey milk tea. The milk tea was overwhelmingly sweet, it's almost like drinking sugar water so I couldn't finish it and ended up throwing it away. The popcorn chicken itself was decent, but the sides lacked flavor. The portion of rice was quite generous, so I had leftovers. Overall, the portion size was good for the price, but it's not something I'd order again.

Taiwan Porridge - Cupertino - Taiwanese Porridge with Sweet Potatoes

Taiwan Porridge - Cupertino

(533 reviews)

$$

I have two words: UNLIMITED. PORRIDGE…read more I would end the review right there if yelp would let me. We also got some eggplant dish, bean curd noodles, and steamed cauliflower. Surprisingly veggie-friendly for this authentic homestyle place as they have an entire menu for vegetarian options!

Atmosphere of hole in the wall (simple, counter service like McDonalds) place for prices of a…read morenormal restaurant... 14 dollars for lunch special x3 choices, 17 for lunch special x4 choices 16 dollars for steamed halibut.... Service is expected of hole in wall place; nonexistent, so that is not factored into the review. but they really did not need to ask for extra tip like what service did you provide?? Pretty unprofessional IMO For a takeout, having you not pay right away and having you pay at table is a predatory practice that encourages excess tipping as well compared to other counter service restaurants (think Mcdonalds) Food was alright; not too salty. P balanced. Pig ears had good woody spices and seaweed had solid garlicky sea flavor. Fish was light and soft with scallion ginger aromatics. Tofu quail egg was just sweet sour. Sauce bit watery. Rice porridge was lowk great depression food (Hella water, a few sweet potato pieces saving it by a bit) Good if it was 35% less. The voucher if you pay with cash is over many visits like what so many places give immediate cash discount........ But it really is something you can make at home

Home Eat - Fried Chicken in Sweet Soy Sauce | @whaevaeats

Home Eat

(1.2k reviews)

$$

Came in to celebrate a birthday. Food was very good. Freshly made and delicious, especially the…read moresesame chicken. The beef shank wrap continued to be a delight, it was incredible! The combination of meat, veggies and the exterior crispy pancake created such an outstanding tasting effect. The lamb dish had one of the most tender meats I've tasted. The brown sugar sticky rice cake was soft inside and hard outside; with just the right amount of sweetness. Service was ok. They should've been kinder and more grateful. I liked how they have a sign posted on window saying that gratuity is at free will and you don't pay for the wrong dish they send to you. It showed accountability. That's why we keep coming back, for now.

I've come here a handful of times for 5+ years and generally check in for their monthly specials…read more Parking is pretty full due to the other stores in the area. There was no line for us to be seated. I was able to flag down a server to seat us since they seem to be extremely busy cleaning tables and servicing others. The hotpots are full of ingredients and the broth has always been tasty. Unfortunately, the meats seem to be overcooked. Prices have been going up over the years where only the monthly special is enticing for the value. Servers were friendly and checked in on us, but it took 25 minutes for our food to show up at our table after we ordered. The only consistent experience I've had are the oranges at the end of the meal. They are always amazingly sweet, juicy, and comes off the peel easily. I don't usually enjoy oranges, but I love the ones HomeEat offers! Will be back if in the area, but hope kitchen service will be quicker in the future.

Chick & Tea - Front Entrance

Chick & Tea

(276 reviews)

$$

Chick & Tea is in one of the many small strip malls in Sunnyvale!…read more You order at their counter kiosk, or from a QR on the tables. Cute lil cafe, with some fun pop music playing. They have a small dine-in area. If you need to satisfy that "fried food" craving, definitely try their basil popcorn chicken! You can choose your spice levels, but wish they offered a sauce to pair. I will say I appreciate the size and juiciness of the popcorn chicken bites! Breading is not too bad either, we've eaten it even after letting it sit it the kitchen for a few hours and they didn't get soggy!

Food: 3/5 The food is nostalgic and mediocre at best. There…read moreis nothing extremely special about the food but it has a very homestyle feel to it. The pork cutlets were fried well but the breading just fell off. The grilled pork chop was pretty solid and had a good charbroiled flavor. The fried chicken was probably the best: it was juicy and crispy. However, it could've been better with a little more spice. I do like that it comes with a wedge of lemon to make the flavors a little more prominent. Service: N/A Not much of a service since you can order through the kiosk. You pick up your food when it's ready and it's pretty much self serve. Ambiance: 2/5 It's a pretty empty restaurant during the time we went on a weekday night, but there were still a couple of people. Felt like a cafeteria where we self serve and clean up after ourselves. Despite the rating, I would come back for a taste of home cooked meal from time to time. Very simple and balanced bento.

Xiaoman Riceburrito

Xiaoman Riceburrito

(232 reviews)

$$

TL;DR: Definitely delicious fan tuan, but dang if the price doesn't sting a little bit. Sometimes…read moreit's worth it though. Food: They know how to assemble a good fan tuan--chewy sticky rice, delicious fillings, and crispy youtiao make for a really pleasant breakfast experience. I also like their black tea with soy milk--well-balanced and not too sweet. Service: Food is ordered at a digital kiosk and the staff bring it out when it's ready; interactions have been cordial, so no complaints here. Ambiance: Not quite applicable because there's no interior or exterior seating, but the storefront is well-decorated and clean. Overall I'll probably be a returning customer, but not a super frequent one. They know how to execute well, but fan tuan being kind of a street food makes the relatively steep price sting a bit. But I guess if you live in the Silicon Valley and not in Taiwan then it's what you've got to work with.

I really love fantuan, basically rice balls usually made with glutinous rice so it's more filling,…read moremore chewy, and stick together better. There are regional versions, of course, but Xiaoman's decidedly Taiwanese, with salty preserved daikon, crunchy youtiao (Chinese donuts), umami-filled Taiwanese sauerkraut filling the insides. You can also get it without the crunch, but to me that's the entire point. The rice is done well. Each grain sticks together but aren't mushy. It's actually quite hard to pull off -- soaking the different kinds of rice, cooking it with the right ratio of water, cooling it slightly to let off some steam. Beyond that, the rice burrito is on the small side (they usually come gigantic in Taiwan), and I'd say it tastes pretty good but didn't evoke memories of the rice balls I've had. I was looking for something more savory, more substantial... and maybe of a slightly different style. Overall, I'm so glad we now have this in the Bay Area. It's something I might get if I'm in the area -- but it's not so good that I'll travel for it.

Flaming Ox - Traditional Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Flaming Ox

(378 reviews)

$$

North Valley

Had such a comforting meal at Flaming Ox. The restaurant was very clean and the staff were friendly…read moreand welcoming. The noodle soup had a light, comforting broth that honestly tasted nostalgic -- like childhood comfort food. Personally, I liked the dry noodles a little more, especially with their chili condiment on the side. It was SO good together. The spicy wontons were the perfect portion for me. The filling was flavorful and well-seasoned, and the sauce had a nice balance without being too vinegary. One thing that really stood out was the meat -- the slices were ridiculously thick in the best way possible. Every bite felt super satisfying and hearty. Definitely coming back again

I brought my mom and aunt to Flaming Ox, and they loved it. I ordered the bone broth soup with the…read moreshirataki noodles (a great low-carb option!), while they had the thin noodles. The broth was rich and deeply flavorful. The beef was incredibly tender--my 80-year-old aunt had no trouble chewing it at all. Even the tendons had a perfect texture and weren't overly chewy. The water spinachwas lightly sauced and served as the perfect fresh side to balance out the meal. The service truly set this experience apart. Our server was so kind and attentive, especially toward my aunt who is in a wheelchair. It's rare to find a place that feels this genuinely welcoming. I was down to 10% battery, but they have outlets along the wall. Since I had my block and cord with me, I was able to charge up while we ate. Great food, accessible, and amazing staff.

Bento Express - taiwanese - Updated May 2026

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