1/2 price Sushi fresh, generous and delicious! The place is super small, but find your little table for your group and snuggle in! The servers really try to get you in quick and are on it helping each other! Definitely will be back...mmmmm read more

I have driven by here so many times and finally stopped in. All sushi is half off when dining in. It is a cheap and affordable place for college kids. The service was a bit slow but staff was nice and friendly. The rolls are not the best quality but what are we really expecting for 50% off sushi. It's small on the inside and possibly not the cleanest. Probably a good college spot and for late night sushi. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The sushi is always half priced! They are good and great priced. It's on campus so easy to walk to and visit other places near by.

I ordered the California roll, avocado roll, Philly and spicy crab roll. They were all solid. I ordered for pick up and my friend grabbed it, I didn't see the inside. It was open late. Super clutch. They didn't put chopsticks in the bag. I didn't like that. read more

We got the spicy tuna roll, spicy California, and Philly rolls. I do not like sushi in general but I enjoyed this. The spicy California was my favorite, but my partner likes fish more than I and thought the sauce overpowered its flavor. We also got the chicken katsu, which was crispy with good texture but nothing to write home about. It's a college town restaurant, so the dive bar equivalent to a restaurant. If you are looking for vibes, there's probably somewhere else, but it gets the job done read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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We enjoyed our visit. The service was fast with many water refills, the food was very fresh and hot. It was a bit on the expensive side with the vegetable fried rice with chicken being almost $17. Everything tasted very good though and it was very well decorated and cozy. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - vegetable fried rice with chicken, douk boki, American Psycho Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Parking is a bear but we found a spot a few blocks away. When we arrived the place was presumably full so they took down our name and asked us to wait outside where it was somewhere around 10 degrees. Said it'd be about 10-15 mins. Seemed like more than 20 mins later we were called in to a table. There were three tables open at this time so disappointing we were left in the cold. The staff are young and distractible as one might expect on a college campus. The food was very tasty. I had bulgogi and it met my expectations though it was a pretty small portion compared to what I'm accustomed to. I appreciate that they brought sides with the bulgogi. read more

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Drunken Bento is a very popular sushi spot near campus. It has a small seating area but still enough to fit people in. Their sushi is half off when dining in and I'm not a sushi expert but this was a pretty solid option especially for it being right there next to campus. They also have many other options like different appetizers and some noodle soups as well. The service here was great! I let the waiter know of my allergies and he kept going back and forth from the kitchen asking about ingredients in what I wanted to order which I greatly appreciated. Parking is a pain here tho so beware...there is a lot across the street that takes quarters in the meter which is probably the safest best. I do definitely see myself back here trying one of the noodle soups next! read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sunday Morning Roll and Red Devil Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I've walked by this place a lot, but had never been in until a friend suggested we give it a try. 5 stars on value. Dine in is at 50% of menu prices, so the tuna roll is only $3.75??? Are you kidding? For a sushi place, the food was brought out very fast, and the spicy lobster roll was maybe my favorite roll I've ever had! $5 cans of beer, some nightly specials, and a fun college campus vibe. This spot is on my list for a quick great value sushi meal. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sushi Rolls! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Don't go for the atmosphere go for the sushi. This is a great place near the University of Cincinnati campus where you can eat good sushi at a reasonable price. Came down to take our daughter who is a freshman at UC out to dinner and we decided to go to Drunken Bento for sushi. We split 9 rolls across four of us. I should have taken a picture it came out on a cool boat platter. The price was very reasonable and would have been twice as much in the suburbs. Service was friendly. Don't be surprised the place is small and at 5 on a Sunday they had a steady business. We will be back soon. read more

This was and continues to be one of the most affordable sushi places that is really good. The very definition of bang for you buck, if not more bang. They always have half price sushi, so basically it is always incredibly cheep and affordable. Don't let that scare you, it is delicious. They have all kinds of rolls and appetizers and offer really good vegetarian options. I love getting takeout from here, it always comes to me warm no matter what! read more

So my go-to rolls are Yellow Tail, Hot Mama and Bengals. Sometimes I do a Sunday Morning, mostly for others, but I like it too. They have been consistently delicious the last year. The staff has been just as consistent in great customer service for dine-in and carry out. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Huge ginger salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Waited an hour in the cold, saw a table open up as a newly arrived party (same # of people as us) entered and the waiter gave them the table. Told the waiter before anyone was seated that we had been waiting for an hour AND pointed to the waitlist on the wall with my name on it but did not get seated. Unbelievably disappointed but good sushi if you can get it read more

I went to UC and probably walked by this hole in the wall hundreds of times, what a huge mistake. It's narrow inside, but they make the most of the space they have. The sushi was very good, super fresh. Also, the whole menu is half price and a real bargain, not like other half price places. Minus one star because something was up with our beers (cans of Rhinegeist Truth), either the beers were bad or the glasses still had soap residue as they foamed up like crazy. Otherwise, we'll for sure be back, what a great find! read more

I had a longer class Friday morning, so by the time I got out it was lunchtime. I decided since I parked so close to Drunken Bento I might as well stop in for a snack to go. This is only my second time here but I remembered a dish that dinner of my friends ordered before and I just had to try it...the Kani Salad. Shredded crab with cucumber, scallions, masago, and tempura flakes tossed in spicy mayo sauce. It is so good with a nice helping of crab, and just the right amount of crunch from the tempura flakes. This will now be my staple when I find my way here. The sushi was great too. I've had a few different rolls and have yet to be disappointed. I placed my to go order and was out the door in about 5 minutes. The service and staff are helpful and friendly, and always engaging with guests through out. It's a cute little spot, definitely worth a try. I also hear the college crowd loves this spot on the late night. read more

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I had take out from Drunken Bento tonight and I was excited to learn some of their rolls were buy one, get one. The Sunday Morning roll was perfectly spicy with a nice texture while the Yum Yum roll was less spicy with great flavor. I would have liked more ginger, but I forgot to ask, so that's on me! read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sunday Morning roll and Yum Yum roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

We ordered takeout from this restaurant. Our rolls were fresh and delicious. Great quality. We enjoyed several rolls and salads.

My friend and I desperately needed food and water after attending the Taylor Swift concert and thank god for iZen's Drunken Bento! We walked in and sat down immediately around 12:30AM. There was nothing open downtown near the stadium late night, which seems like a miss for downtown. But a friend of a friend recommended this establishment because it's open late and near where our Airbnb was. The server was awesome - I loved his energy and conversation. And he was ON TOP of that water game. We ordered gyoza and a roll for each of us. My friend also ordered a ginger salad and said it was the best ginger dressing. The food came out so fast and I devoured it just as fast. I wish we had this place in Indy! The establishment itself is small inside but since we came so late it wasn't too packed. Apparently it's a popular place for the college crowd but since its summer there weren't many college students. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

With a name like this one, a patron should expect a fun sort of dive, and Drunken Bento definitely used to fall in that category. When I lived in the neighborhood 10-ish years ago, this place was always hopping, but you could somehow always get a table; and the sushi was fresh and fairly priced. I remember ordering *way* more than I could eat, because everything was good! Sometime during the intervening years, Drunken Bento has slid a bit downhill from the dive category to a state approaching brazen neglect. The young folk who work there are still fun and pleasant, and do still seem to care at least a little about the experience of the patrons. But whoever owns this place doesn't visit. If he did, I hope he would notice that the artfully stagger-stacked wood wall along the entire left-hand side of the restaurant is now covered in pen-scratch graffiti, dust and spider webs that overhang the tables. The bathroom floor has a cockroach wing ground into it, and the corners of every room now resemble hiding places or residences for six- or eight-legged inhabitants. My chair was so covered in crunchy crumbs -- probably leftover cold crunch coating that they use instead of actually frying the tempura -- that I stood back up immediately after sitting. No employee even noticed me vigorously cleaning for them. The food is still not bad. There aren't as many options as I remember, and the options they do have no longer seem like things I absolutely had to try. Nothing was delicious except the overly-small gyoza appetizer. The sweet potato rolls were tasty, if you could ignore their cold temperature and dryness. (See the bit about the crunch topping replacing real tempura.) But the spicy tuna is to be avoided. It resembles pink ground beef and the flavor of the fish -- is there fish? -- is completely overwhelmed by spice. To me this always seems designed to disguise the age of the tuna, and to be fair to Drunken Bento, I think lots of places do it. I also left (the first time) with a full bladder on purpose, thinking it would be better to hold it for another hour than see the insides of the bathroom. The hubby convinced me otherwise, but I'm still not sure he was right. The last thing I said was, "At least we never have to do *that* again!" But I'll miss the place that Drunken Bento used to be. read more

Found this small little shop at McMillan and decided to give it a shot. They had a huge banner saying dinning hall are now open which is covering their sign making it hard to spot them. But it's across the street from tea and bowl. Ordered their sushi as well as dupbap and I really enjoyed it. They even have Korean pancake as one of the side dishes, which was a pleasant surprise. Overall sushi is okay. But really enjoyed their Korean dishes. Would probably make this my Korean spot. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Seafood dupbap - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Absolutely love this place. Service is great, food is delicious and priced perfectly, and I love the small restaurant ambiance. Whether you dine in or order take out, drunken bento never disappoints! read more

Small and mighty this place has been for almost 20 years. I've been a customer since 2008 and I'll try other places- but a knock out guarantee for great food/sushi/bento, is this hidden gem. Service has always been 100%, ordering is easy, I've never, ever had issues with sushi or entrees. It's one of my go tos- no hassle, no surprises, just exactly what I want, every time! read more

Sustainable sushi for college students. What more could you ask for? In all seriousness, I think this spot is a hidden gem on McMillan. What they lack in space, they make up for in great sushi with sustainably cheap prices. A nice little spot! read more

I was skeptical trying this place but was pleasantly surprised. This is a hidden Gem. The sushi was fresh. The beef & chicken were made to order. The waitress was attentive. The restaurant was quiet, as there was only one other table occupied. It is street parking, so parking can be tricky. Definitely worth the trip. read more

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Small joint, but reminds of places back home in SF, or even Berkeley. Food is crazy good, prices are stellar. Service is great every time. It's near UC, so the crowd is predominantly college kids, but it's a great spot to come grab a bit, especially on Monday's when Kanji is closed. read more

I love this place. I don't like raw sushi but I get the Sunday Morning. It's so good. I always get great customer service every time I go. Despite their internet being down today they handled it well. I will always go back. read more

so I've been to this restaurant multiple times in my past. Last night I ordered carry out the bulk of my order was sashimi. Upon opening up my order at home I was pretty grossed out. The sashimi was not cut in slices, but in chunks of fish and various different sizes. The mackerel I ordered was just skin, there was no fish on it. It was to the point where I actually could not eat it. When I tried to eat it it was like tearing through layers of flesh, almost like steak. I called to let them know about my order, and how it was pretty unappetizing, gross enough to throw it away (40$ plus). The manager was incredibly rude, offered no help or compensation. She in fact went so far as to say that's how they serve their sashimi, chopped left over pieces of fish they didn't use for rolls. She said the nigiri was also served this way. Never in my life have I been served sashimi nigiri or any sushi that looked like that. This restaurant has been decent in the past, but this was straight up gross. Also not to be incredibly rude, but if you google anything about sushi and how important the cut is, you'll find tons of information how this chopped up thick fish is a major no go. Gross and rude. I do not recommend and won't be going back. read more

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Solid sushi joint. Recently grabbed takeout here (3 different rolls and miso soup), and it was ready in about 20-30 minutes. Easy to order by phone and pick up was quick (can be tough to get parking since the area can get very busy). I've dined in a few years ago and found the food very good then too. Always a restaurant to consider when I'm craving sushi. read more

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We ordered sushi through DoorDash and it was hard, not fresh, the avocado was brown. We won't be ordering again.

I loved the restaurant and the food..it was delicious but I wish I picked Volcano sushi instead. Darn. Next time! read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Best. Sushi. In. Clifton. I love this place with all my heart--it never disappoints. Amazing food, amazing prices, amazing service. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Spicy crab roll, salmon nigiri, Sunday morning roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Tasted great! Got food poisoning couple days after tho. I wouldn't wish those symptoms on my greatest enemy. 24 hours of straight agony, having to sleep with a bowl because I would shoot out of REM sleep to abruptly vomit five separate times throughout the night and through the entirety of the following day. If you're willing to fight for your LIFE in the bathroom and be bedridden for an entire day and night with debilitating headache, muscle pains, nausea, vomiting bile (sparing the details of the other end), and menstrual-like cramps, by all means. Get the dynamite roll. It tasted great. Also all the staff are super friendly and sweet. They all seem to have great fashion sense too. The vibe of the place is cozy yet bustling. Such a nice experience until I got home, but I guess that's just the nature of getting seafood in a restaurant nowhere near the ocean. It's not their fault that they have to leave fish and rice sitting out for hours at a time while they're assembling the sushi combinations through their shifts. read more

Fantastic food. The service is always very fast and friendly. Super great price as well.

My daughter and I enjoyed our quick stop here, the service was great especially considering it definitely caters to the college student crowd. The decor was fun, large jenga blocks written on over and over again, my daughter especially liked reading the various hidden notes on the wall. The sushi was great too. We had the Sunday Morning, which seems to be the crowd pleaser, and we were not disappointed. The Dynamite roll was really good, if you like spice. Overall if you're looking for a quick bite in the Clifton area I would recommend here, good drinks, good food, and definitely a local fav. read more

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The Sunday morning roll here is the best! At first I hated sushi until someone told me about them! Can't get sushi from anywhere else!

Been going here for years... it's more of a closet instead of a restaurant... the door is sort of hidden and the corners are well worn with memories and history... but that is part of the charm. Quintessential urban college spot. The Dragon Roll and Sunday Morning are my favs. The hot stone bowl (dolsot bibimbap) is a classic. Either order, plus a hot tea and a generous tip, gets me out the door for $25 or less. You won't regret giving it a shot. read more

Izen's Drunken Bento is cheap Asian. I mean cheap. You can get a large sushi roll for a buck or maybe two. It has half price sushi every day. This is a never ending special. I had a vegetable roll for lunch. It's about $2 for the entire roll. This was pretty insane to only have to pay this. Is the sushi excellent here? Of course not, but you get a great value. As long as you aren't too snobby about sushi, it's good. They can't compete with the places in Hyde Park for quality, but they can on price. This is located close to its sister bar, Drunken Taco. It's a great two stop. They are crazy on the weekends. read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - Vegetable Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Ordered sushi delivery for 3 people--got 1 set of chopsticks. Good thing I ordered extra Wasabi--what came was like a dot. Chincy on the pickled ginger. read more

Although I have been to other half-price sushi joints, I had never been to Drunken Bento prior to last week. I went with a friend for lunch, around 12:30 on a Friday. As expected, it was very busy, but we were seated almost immediately. The restaurant itself is small and compact, with little room in between tables. I didn't mind this, but I would imagine if you wanted to have a more private conversation, this wouldn't be the place. The sushi menu was consistent with other half-price sushi restaurants in Cincinnati, including classic rolls as well as more expensive rolls, like the Sunday Morning and Dragon Roll. I ordered a philly roll, alaskan roll, and Volcano roll. For all 3 rolls, my total was under $15! The food came out fairly quickly, and our server made sure to refill waters and check on us periodically. I appreciated that even though they were slammed for prime lunch hour, she still made a point to connect with us as customers. She was also very friendly. The food was pretty good, again on par with other sushi places like this in town. Nothing special, but I can always count on consistency with these types of places. Location is prime, especially if you're in the Clifton area. On West McMillan, it's surrounded by other restaurants and even next door to a local bookstore. If you're a UC student, I would expect this would be a weekend staple. Next time I am in Clifton and craving sushi, I'd definitely stop by again. I also like that they're open late! read more

iZen's Drunken Bento - volcano roll (left), alaskan roll (top), philly roll (bottom) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The sushi here is crazy good for the price, although the service is clearly lacking. However, if you can bear through the wait it's amazing. The sushi is always half-off the menu price if you order inside so you can always feel free to try something new without breaking the bank. My personal favorite is the Sunday Morning Sushi because it has a nice crunch to the outside while being sweet on the inside. If you come here make sure that you've allotted plenty of time to eat here. It pretty easy to wait an upwards of thirty minutes to get your sushi. It may be a small restaurant but it's always packed, so the wait is understandable. They're also open pretty late if a late night sushi craving ever hits! read more

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