Location: Nippon Bento is located at 420 Waiakamilo Rd. #123 on the corner of Waiakamilo Road and Hart Street, directly across from the Kalihi Kai Fire Station. They have two free reserved parking stalls on Hart Street, but if those are taken you'll need to find street parking. Hours are Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with weekends available for call-in pickup only. Service: The ladies working the counter were friendly and patient, answering all of our questions about the different bento choices. They have a pretty extensive selection, so there are plenty of options to choose from. Food: I went with the Mochiko Chicken/Teri Beef Bento, which came with rice, long rice, and daikon. The mochiko chicken was definitely the highlight--it was crispy, flavorful, and seasoned just right without being overly garlicky. The teri beef was a little disappointing in comparison, as it was on the dry side and lacked the same flavor as the chicken. Overall, I'd give this combo a 3 out of 5. Price: At $10.95 plus tax, it's a reasonably priced lunch, especially considering the portion size. Overall: This was a solid, no-frills bento spot. While the combo didn't completely win me over, the mochiko chicken was good enough that I'd come back and order the all-mochiko chicken bento next time. If you're in the area and looking for an affordable local lunch, it's worth checking out. read more

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Picked up this chicken katsu and mapo tofu bento for lunch. The mapo tofu was sweeter than I was expecting. I prefer mine to be spicy, still good nonetheless. Service is always great love supporting Nippon Bento & Catering! read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Chicken Katsu and Mapo Tofu Bento - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A bit disappointed with the noodles. Quite oily and extremely salty. Portuguese sausage is good. Cashier is always friendly and accommodating. Restaurant is clean easy to move around in. Lots of hot grab 'n go items and good variety of bottled drinks. read more

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A co-worker is always willing to pick up lunch for us ... This time it was from Nippon Bento & Catering on Waiakamilo Road, near Hart Street. Their menu is vast, with 38 bentos, starting at $7.75, and 4 donburi bowls for $8.75. Two ordered #33, the Deluxe Bento with Korean Chicken, Meat Jun, and Stir-fried vegetables. It came with rice, topped with Furikake, two pieces of takuwan, edamame, long rice, and a small container of sauce for the meat jun. All for $15.75, plus tax. Brown rice is an option for $0.50 more. The bento is hearty, and I couldn't finish all of the rice. My issue with my bento was that the Korean chicken was soggy; I expect Korean chicken to be nice and crispy. It could be due to the time it was sitting in the bento with the cover on as we've experienced similar issues with fried food in plastic containers ... The heat of the food creates "steam", which softens anything crispy. To me, my Deluxe Bento for $15.75 is a valid alternative to the Z**P** from you know where that costs between $16.15 and $18.65, depending on protein options. Recommended! read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Deluxe Bento: Korean Chicken, Meat Jun, and Stir-Fried Vegetables ($15.75+tax) - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My job tends to get bentos catered from this place but I've never been to this location. From what I remember their meat jun is okay, their korean chicken is better. I think I've also tried their salmon before and its pretty standard. Very consistent in their food and a good option read more

Decided to give this bento shop a try for our airplane meal. We got the mochiko Chix and meat jun bento and it was one of the best combo bentos we had. We called in our order ahead if time so that it was ready to pick up. Will keep this bento spot on our list!! Forgot pics! read more

We ordered bentos from this place for a quick gathering. Great selections with affordable pricing. I had a meat jun/ mochiko chicken combo and it was good. Chicken was crispy and flavored well. Meat jun was tender and hit the spot. Bento was presented well and filling. Great place to order for future events or gathering. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - 6. Mochiko Chicken and Meat Jun Bento - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Hidden gem! Loved this place. I tried their breakfast menu and the food came out quick and being able to choose your own choices from the hot food options was cool. The chicken teriyaki Musubi was also delicious. I noticed a lot of workers picking up bentos. Definitely a place to go when you're in the area. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Mini Breakfast - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Originally I set out to order 10 breakfast bentos from another spot but when I got there, they were closed. Nippon Bento to the rescue! I was able to walk in and quickly order 10 mini breakfast bentos which come with 1 scoop rice, 1 egg (you choose how it's cooked), and 1 breakfast meat. The lady taking my order was fast and helpful, immediately starting to prep the boxes with rice and meat. This is a small spot but they have lots of variety of foods. Always a go to for a quick meal. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Mini breakfast bento, 1 egg (your choice of cooking), 1 breakfast meat, your choice of rice - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love this cute tiny place. The food is impeccable. Service is fast. Not anywhere to sit so just keep in mind and get it to go

We tried there prepared bentos and a plate lunch of mochiko chicken, fried rice and salad. They tasted great and was very very reasonable! They were very welcoming and friendly! We went early so no crowds and parking was open! read more

I was very pleased with this bento and catering. They have large portions and are moderately priced. The food was good, very tasty. I liked the Bible verse on the sticker as well, that was on each box. Delivery and packaging was good. Thank you! read more

If you're planning a large gathering and need some bentos, I'm sure you'll find something at Nippon Bento & Catering as they're known for their affordable size bentos. They specialize in Japanese-style bento boxes with a large variety of choices. Their menu typically includes items such as salmon, meat jun, mochiko/teriyaki/Korean chicken, tonkatsu, and a ton of other tasty offerings. They also have sushi and other various dishes. Best to pre-order for your event as this will ensure food quality and allow the caterer enough time to source the ingredients and prepare the dishes properly. Enjoy! read more

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We have ordered bentos from Nippon and they are by far our favorite. We order for New Teacher Induction Summer Academy out on the west side. We appreciate that they are willing to drive to Kapolei to delivery food for our teachers in NW. They great options. Sometimes the vegetarian bentos feel sad. These ones are so Ono!! Food feels fresh and made with great care. Probably the best bentos I have had on island. We look forward to working with them again. read more

I received a mini bento that consisted of mochiko chicken and meat jun. The mochiko chicken was still a little crispy and was coated in a tasty sauce. The meat jun was terrific. It was thin pieces of beef layered together and coated in egg batter. I really really liked the meat jun. There was also a piece of takuan and rice sprinkled with furikaki. I'm not sure about the prices. It was catered from my job. I've heard that their prices are reasonable. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - inside the meat jun - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Stopped by this place for a quick lunch after arriving in Honolulu. They had a vast selection of food and i ended up getting the #38 bento. Even though the sign says to order bentos 2 hours in advance, they were able to make it for me on the spot. This is definitely a mom and pop shop. The service was good and had good vibes. The food was very good. Mochiko chicken, kalbi and butterfly fish. They have a bunch of other snacks and spam musbis and small bentos made ready to go. Definitely worth a visit to grab some food before heading into the city! read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - 38. Kalbi, Mochi Chicken and Butterfish Bento - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Today I got to try their bento special of $9 for 2 regular bentos, which I chose roast pork charsiu for one bento & B.B.Q. Chicken on Sticks for the other bento and they were great. The seasoning was so good that I did not need any other seasoning. Also, the worker was very friendly. This place is a real gem for the cheap price and and also for the great taste. read more

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I had the butterfish and mochiko chicken bento. It was very good and I would definitely order it again. There were two pieces of grilled butterfish that were very tasty and nicely cooked. The mochiko chicken was also prepared well. The amount of batter was perfect. Also, I like the batter somewhat crunchy and chewie, which this one was. I feel this distinguishes it from regular fried chicken. It also had a little hint of sugar and garlic, which made it very flavourful. The bento also came with edamame, long rice and takuan. All complemented each other nicely. The bento order was accurate and ready on time. The cost of the bentos are $10-$13 which is very reasonable for what you get. In this post covid era, it seems office get togethers are made up of bento lunches instead of the all you can eat pot lucks. Either one is fine with me. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Butterfish and mochiko chicken bento - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Enjoyed the variety of bento offerings in various price ranges to fit our budget. Nice meal presentations, and very pleasant and helpful employees working at the counter and in the back. The food was tasty - our group enjoyed the regular sized katsu bento $9.25, and the full $11 and up bento with butterfish and mochiko chicken, Teri beef and other combinations. Included rice, a sprinkle of Furikake, ume, edamame, and daikon. (We didn't order the really big bento $15 and up.) We placed a bulk order for a Monday business luncheon as a result! read more

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There's a tradition in my office for new staff to plan the annual Halloween and Christmas party. COVID put a halt to this tradition the last 2 years, so it was nice for our office to celebrate again. I've already paid my dues by planning these parties when I first joined so I had the luxury of just RSVPing. In the invitation, it was mentioned that the food is being catered by Nippon Bento and Catering (NBC). I don't recall ever trying them, so I was intrigued. Established in 1989, NBC has been serving Japanese bentos in the Dillingham area where you can also order from them online (Door Dash, Grub Hub, or Bite Squad). They have a large assortment to choose from and even have vegetarian ones and can also have brown rice for a surcharge. I was impressed with their website for visuals of their assorted bentos. I took no part in the planning nor coordinating but here's what I experienced. NBC's staff came to deliver the food to our office in the Kaimuki area. Party trays were properly labeled and placed in our conference room. Sauces and salad dressings were also labeled and packaged separately. Impressive. It was time to eat and here's a summary of our luncheon menu: Fried Noodles (3/5) Your standard local-style fried noodles using Sun Noodles (?) yakisoba cooked with shredded carrots, bean sprouts, sliced onions, and large chunks of celery. It was okay - - nothing to write home about. Mochiko Chicken (4/5) Boneless and skinless chicken thigh meat cut into chunks that were marinated and deep fried until golden brown. This was delicious but would have been better if the chicken was piping hot. Chinese Roast Pork (2/5) This dish had potential as the pork belly was marinated and seasoned well but it was a tad bit overcooked. The skin was still crispy, but I found the meat to be too hard to my liking. A few enjoyed this dish but many of us found the meat difficult to chew on. Meat Jun (4/5) Another local favorite that was executed well - the meat was marinated nicely and still tender. It had just enough egg batter to keep the dish together. But I found the accompanying sauce heavy on the soy sauce and somewhat monotone. Could have used a bit more vinegar and/or sesame oil. Misoyaki Butterfish (4/5) I was skeptical of this dish as I understand the high cost to make this. The butterfish was sliced thicker than I had anticipated, and it was prepared nicely. I do understand that food is made ahead of time and to be eaten later but it would have tasted better if the food was hot. Corn (3/5) Your typical commercialized canned corn that has been jazzed up with some butter, salt and pepper. I'm not a fan for corn but some of my colleagues enjoyed it. Choi Sum (5/5) Surprisingly, this was one of my favorite things to eat. Compared to what I'm used to eating at Chinese restaurants, the choy sum was cut unconventionally into small pieces but really enjoyed the seasoning. Seemed like they added some shichimi (?) for a little kick. This was delicious eaten at room temperature. Green Salad (3.5/5) I was happy that a premade green salad mix was not used. I appreciate the salad components of fresh and crisp romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, carrots, and celery were used. This was served with an Asian dressing on the side. Not sure if my colleagues are small eaters but we did have quite a bit of leftovers. We had lunch for 2 more days for those staff who wanted to eat. One of my colleagues did an excellent job repurposing the roast pork by adding tomatoes, onions and reheated in an oven. Overall, I was impressed with the food quality as it exceeded my expectations. I will consider using NBC should I need bentos or need to cater food for an event. read more

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The bento here is really good. My office orders from here almost every time we have a meeting or workshop. The best thing is they do deliver and There's no delivery fee. read more

Great Mochiko Chicken!! Try it in their bento or just in the their musubi. It's so crunchy and taste perfect.. this is my go to. My 2nd favorite is their Mabu Tofu. read more

Thank you Nippon Bento & Catering for providing such excellent Bentos for my mom's funeral services. Prior to ordering, my brother-in-law & sister went down and tried three different Bentos. Their mind was made up after consuming all three. We decided to order 250 Bentos that were to be delivered free of charge. We went with the large that contained 2 entrees with rice, chop Chae noodles, daikon etc. Our choices were a miso butterfish with Kaarage chicken, a meat jun with mochiko chicken, a salmon with Kaarage chicken, and shrimp tempura with mochiko chicken. All were delivered on time and as fresh as could be. Attendees were amazed to see the size of bentos, the variety choices and the excellent taste of the food. You can't go wrong these days for the price either. Many had asked where we ordered from and all said they were filled to the brim. Thank you Nippon for making mom's services the best when it came to the food. Will definitely order for future events from now on. read more

They're just ok. I thought they would have had a bigger selection of items. Marukai wholesale mart has more variety of bentos than they do. The okazu items I selected were only ok. Average at best. Thought the hype would be better but I was sorely disappointed. You can do better. Much better. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Mac salad, fried noodles and mochiko chicken. $12. Expensive and very average on taste. - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I've always had a great experience ordering through Nippon Bento & Catering. I've never actually been to the restaurant ever, but at work we used to always order Nippon Bentos and arranged someone to drop them off to us. We stopped after Covid happened, Many years later, they're finally on grub hub! So happy! I love that of all the selection of food out there, Nippon Bento & Catering has more healthier options. Large variety. I wouldn't hesitant. Buying food here is a must. read more

It seems like bentos have taken on extra importance in the time of covid. Nobody wants to organize a potluck and find themselves on the news a few days later for hosting a superspreader event! My office has ordered from here 3 times this past year, and every order has been super successful! I've had the $7.25 regular bento with mochiko chicken, spam, Mandoo and long rice. Everything was tasty and very filling. At our last event, I chose the $8.95 large bento with the mochiko chicken and butterfish. Butterfish is pretty pricey, so I just expected a small piece, but was blown away when I saw we got two large pieces! There were a bunch of bones but they were easy enough to pick out, then enjoy. It was lightly flavored and went well with the other more salty side dishes like long rice, Ume, and green beans. The chicken is sweet and had a nice crisp even though I probably ate it a few hours after it was fried. It's great that they have so many options for decent prices so that everyone can order exactly what they want. I just wish they were open on weekends so we could order bentos for family parties too! read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Butterfish and mochiko chicken bento, $8.95 - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Quick stop to get food for the plane before heading to the airport. Some prepackaged items. Also can build your own combo. Parking is scarce. Friendly service. Accommodating. Mostly to-go food; no where to sit & eat. read more

Very disappointed with the quality of the food - we couldn't even finish our bentos. The teriyaki beef was overwhelming sweet and smothered in sauce. The mochiko chicken was mostly breading with very little chicken. read more

I came here because of the cheap prices and they USUALLY load the plates But today, my experience here was not a good one. Plates was upsetting. Gosh and the options on the serving table wasn't appetizing. Mochiko chicken wasn't crunchy. Felt like it was re-fried. Hamburger steak was room temperature on the outside, cold on the inside. And you know what that means - reheated! Bacon was stale like it was from yesterday. Hotdog was barely cooked. Spam was so thin. Pickled cucumber tasted like it was soaking in water rather than vinegar mixture. My family wasn't happy at all. On top of which, customer service is normally good. The one lady who was helping me, carried a box, chopped the celery, touched my plates/tongs, touched her face mask, touched my money, put back her face mask and went back to cutting the celery without a single hand wash nor sanitizing her hand. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Excellent bento #37 bbq meat mochiko chicken and butterfish. The size and value of the bento were extremely plentiful and tasty. They delivered 20 bentos to our group and everyone left with a smile on their face. Sides were long rice, soy beans rice and pickled daikon. The butterfish was the best so soft and meaty. read more

Catered dinner in Honolulu... My alma mater has an annual scholarship fundraiser and it's conducted in Waikiki. Being an established organization, they know to keep costs down while still taking care of the volunteers. That's where Nippon Bento & Catering comes in! Prior to this, I had never heard of this business. As an observer, I thought that this company was very professional and efficient! They called 5 minutes before arriving at a major hotel in Waikiki. We saw their white van approaching, so we waved and they waved back. We borrowed the rolling wagon from the bell desk and the boxes of bentos were delivered to our meeting room. Wow...the meals were packaged so neatly and the food looked so appetizing! We distributed the Mini sized bentos to the elementary school children who sang in the choir. The Regular sized bentos went to the high school students who performed onstage and were greeters/Ambassadors. The Large bentos fed the adult volunteers. There were two choices - butterfish with mochiko chicken or teri beef with chicken katsu. I chose the latter. It was tasty and filling! Yes...if I needed to feed a large group and was too busy to pick up, I would hire Nippon Bentos and Catering! Notes: minimum order for delivery is $100. If the delivery point is farther away, the minimum order is $250. We paid them upon delivery with a business check. read more

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Yesterday got a chance to visit my dear friend Wilma, who works at Nippon. I had the butterfish and katsu bento for lunch. It was really good especially the butterfish. The texture, the flavor delicious I craved for more after that. read more

Ordered 75 regular assorted bentos for my Brother's Memorial Service. Sent email and they responded and advised me need 2 weeks prior notice. They take credit or dbit card, check and of course cash. Since I live in California gave my debit and did not charge a fee. Was advised that most people just order 2 types, but said it would be no problem in ordering assorted. Food ready on time and tasted good. read more

Best bento I've ever had. Chicken, Butterfish, and ribs were perfectly cooked and super flavorful. Box is sizeable and very satisfying. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - #38 - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I ordered 40 bento's for a simple work luncheon and was able to place my order and pay via email. I called in advance to get some information and they told me to give 3 days notice. Delivery was free, food was hot, price is reasonable. I received no complaints about the food, and my co-workers know I like to Yelp, so they tend to provide give me honest feedback. The portions are generous. Knowing this from looking at the Yelp photos, I ordered me a small bento, with mochiko chicken and spam and it was a perfect portion for me and tasted pretty good. Ordering was so easy, you should consider Nippon if you need to order maybe for a lunch meeting? Or gathering at work. read more

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I checked this spot out did lunch. They have hot foods and bentos. It's not made to order but the prices are great! I ordered their Korean chicken with choice of fried rice and seaweed instead of kimchee as a side all for about $5! If you want bentos, you should come earlier for more selection because if you come around lunch the bentos are mostly gone. read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Korean fried chicken with fried rice - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Get the mochi chicken, so ONO! Juicy and super crunchy. Low prices, plenty food- hard to find that combination these days. Mahalo Nippon Bento \m/ read more

Nippon Bento & Catering - Mini Mochi Chicken bento - Caterers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

They may such yummy bentos at such a reasonable price. Their delivery service is excellent. I have never gone into the store, but from the outside it looks beautiful. We have only ordered and had the bentos delivered, but we have loved everything each time. read more

Got in there just before closing and still the food was AMAZING!!! Next time we're out here we're going to try one of the bento boxes before they sell out. read more

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My sister and I were desperately looking for a place that had bentos and catering trays and found the perfect place. The prices were very reasonable for what we wanted. I called them and placed an order for 50 bentos for me and a couple of party trays for my sister for two different times on the same day. One was for pick up the other was for delivery. We had a couple of hiccups with the orders, but the owners did a nice job in fixing the problems. The pick up order was for 7am, and it was missed, so we had to wait for about 30 minutes while they made the order. I purposely ordered the pick up time earlier because I wasnt sure how traffic would be...thank goodness I did too! It all worked out. The delivery order came on time, but they gave us forks even though I called to confirm the day prior that chopsticks were provided (this might have been a communication issue so be sure to talk to the owners and not the workers), but it was fine. Everyone raved about the mochi chicken and noodles were delicious too. Tip: pay in cash as a surcharge is added when paying with a credit card. I definitely would go back to place another catering order. FYI: The place was busy in the morning with truckers and workers stopping by to get lunch before going to work. read more