Zen Bento

Great food and friendly staff. Don’t like how when you pay with credit card for take out order you are asked to give a tip. Kind of puts you in the spot. The beef bowl with teriyaki sauce is awesome.

Great food and kind service but the efficiency in getting orders prepared could be improved upon. Certainly not trying to deter people from eating here, just trying to supply some constructive feedback. When I last ordered from here I called ahead and ordered because I didn’t have much time, just enough to drive pick it up and get back to a busy day at work. The phone order itself required me to re read my card information 4 times, which was OK those can be complicated to take down but in combination with the fact my order had not been started by the time I arrived 15 minutes later. I cannot emphasize enough how polite the staff was but I couldn’t help but notice one member of the staff was carrying the team overall. She was very nice and patient with patrons and especially with employees but I felt bad she was having to work so hard at the registers and in the kitchen. I’ll definitely be back and hopefully write a review of improvement.
Thank you!

I’ve never had a bad meal at Zen Bento and on my latest visit I bought lunch for clients in from all over the United States and everyone said it was the best lunch they’d had in a very long time.
Zen Bento is great for lunch or dinner and for take out. Their bento meals are always fresh, hot and delicious. The people are friendly and always cheerful. I’ve had every Bento they serve but my favorite is the Chicken Bento with Zen Sauce (Pro Tip: Get a Side of Kamikaze and mix them for an extra hot sweet and spicy kick).
There are a number of add ons, green onions, sesame seeds and peanuts, get them, it makes everything even more delicious. Try the Miso soup too.
If you are looking for a healthy, inexpensive, delicious lunch or dinner this is it. I just wish it was closer to my house, I’d eat here at least two or three times a week.

I popped into Zen Bento on a rushed work-​day wanting fast, healthy food. Here is what I got:
Food: Many options to try. Choose a bowl of white, brown rice or noodles and add veggies and proteins. On this day (and many other days), I chose a brown rice Tofu Bento with a spicy garlic chili sauce called Kamikaze. The vegetables ranging from broccoli, red peppers, carrots and squash were perfectly steamed and fresh. The tofu was soft and delicious with the sauce. What a great option for Vegans, Vegetarians or meat-​eaters wanting a twist to their regular diet.
Ambiance: I wish I could give Zen Bento a five star rating. However, their indoor seating area is cramped and only allows for a few diners. That would be okay, however the lack of style, does not make you want to stay more than a few minutes. In addition, the establishment was not as clean as I’d hoped. A not-​so added bonus is the constant ringing of the phone, diners standing in line to pay for orders and the conversations from patrons and employees in such a small space.
If it’s a nice day, you are in luck! The restaurant is located in downtown Eagle in what used to be a quaint old house. You can sit outside under the many umbrellas and enjoy people watching while soaking in Eagle’s terrific vibe.
Service: Crazy fast and friendly!
Price: Very reasonable for a healthy, quick lunch.
This location is best for ordering ahead of time for pick up or for sitting outside in nicer weather. I might also suggest to Zen Bento to offer washable bowls and silverware to cut down on the huge amount of plastic waste that is produced.

The food here is always amazing. Cooked perfect, vegetables very fresh and the sauces very tasty. Customer service is usually spot on. Occasionally it could be better. Call in your order for no wait. The inside of the restaurant is the only reason I give it 4 stars. Simply put it is roach. Not clean, banged up dirty walls and paint is terrible. Floors and bathrooms need some serious work.

Healthy, customizeable, crave-​worthy, flavor-​filled… and did I mention healthy? Zen Bento checks the boxes on so many of the «healthy hacks» that I ask for in a restaurant… why not just go there to get them all met?
Food: Their bentos are AMAZING. I’ve tried their chicken (what I order most), the salmon (my favorite — the salmon filet is huge!), steak (always perfect), and their ahi (seared to a T). Each one, when topped with ANY of their sauces, is so good. I typically order a low carb or ¼ the rice & extra veggies. They don’t back down on the veggies, piling them super high. I recommend the Zen & Ginger Soy sauce combo (with a little Kamikaze on top!), but if you like peanut sauces, their Z-​Nut is amazing (though it’s made with dairy, so caution to those who can’t handle lactose). I have tried their salads before, but the bentos are SO GOOD that it’s not worth getting anything else!
Drinks: Self-​serve soda fountain & refrigerator.
Atmosphere: So tiny & quaint. We typically take our food to go, but if it’s a nice day, you can enjoy your meal on their countertop in the sun or out on the patio.
Service: Always hip & friendly. Like a Dutch Bros of the food world. It’s often younger kids who enjoy making food & making people happy.
Happy Hour Offerings: n/​a & closed on Sundays
Healthy Hack: Ask for a low-​carb bento or ¼ of the rice & extra veggies for the perfect & carb-​balanced combination.
Tips: Ask for sauce on the side, or you may wind up with a pool of sauce at the bottom. Also, they can combo their meats and any of their sauces.

Yum yum yum. My favorite place to eat out. I do eat healthy, but even healthy eating aside, their food is delish!!!

Eagle location – everything was plastic – a big trash pile when you’re done eating. I didn’t feel the zen vibe at all. Food was just average. Very disappointed.

As a clean, healthy eater this is my next best choice for eating outside my own kitchen. Fresh, delicious and satisfying! The chicken is great but my favorite it the ahi poke!

There salmon bento is worth every penny! Their food is so good! I’ve been going there for years. Rene the owner is so nice and very helpful!

I ordered a low-​carb salmon bowl.
Pros:
— I got what I ordered
— Clean eating area
Cons:
— The ordering workflow was silly. Order at one cash register, then they tell you to walk to the other cash register where they can take your payment.
— It took way longer than I expected. I was expecting a fast casual restaurant (a la Chipotle)
— While waiting for my order I’m 90% I heard someone in the back using a microwave. I sincerely hope I’m wrong because charging $ 12 for a microwaved meal would be an awful thing to do.
— THE FOOD WASN’T GOOD! I can excuse almost anything else, but after everything I else, getting a lukewarm bowl of watery, soupy, limp veggies with a flavorless filet of salmon perched on top was too much to take. Three-​quarters of the bowl was liquid. It was disgusting.

Excellent for lunch! Only three minutes away from work. Quick service, great food. I ordered the salmon bento w/​the ginger soy sauce, delish! Would highly recommend, and am now definitely looking forward to the West State street location closer to home.

My first visits to Zen Bento were at their downtown location when I worked nearby. I think I’ve gotten the salmon bowl every single time. It’s so good, why order anything else?
I have always experienced a very good service at this location. Sometimes, however, they are out of something. That happens when you are served fresh ingredients.
There is a small but lovely patio area out front that is covered by nice shade trees.

Love the Zen Bento. This is my go-​to meal the day before any big race/​ride, … or, well, anytime really.

Best lunch ever! Try the salmon bento with genger soy and zin sauce, it is the bomb!!!

The first thing I ever ate here was the salmon with brown rice, vegetables and ginger soy sauce (called a brown salmon in Bento lingo). Years later and I’ve never found the need to try anything else on the menu, though I understand they have other things, like chicken. The salmon portions have always been big and cooked to perfection, so why give up on a sure bet? The steamed vegetables are always killer, too. They have other sauce options and white rice, too.
This place only has a few seats inside, but the outdoor seating rocks. Perfect for a bike ride to on a nice day and you won’t leave feeling bogged down by grease gut wishing you brought your car instead. Did I mention that the salmon bento is epic?

This is a terrific concept restaurant and I crave their food and eat here regularly. I would give it five stars if only all their dishes were good, but you have to order the right thing to have a good experience.
That thing is: Steak Bowl, whatever rice you like or no rice, and Soy Ginger sauce, with extra sauce. You won’t go wrong with this delicious, fairly healthy and lean lunch option. Every time I stray from this option I kick myself, like ordering anything but orange chicken at the Panda Express. You know what I mean.

My good friend Vance Beeson is the manager here, so I try to drop in as much as I can. The service is great, the location is super convenient, and most importantly the food is sooooo good and healthy! Careful eating at this place, cuz you’ll get hooked :)

I had lunch there today because it’s very close to my office and I know I will get a healthy, filling bowl of zen quickly!
Why YOU should go:
1. They are QUICK — even during the lunch hour.
2. They are FRESH
3. They are friendly — this works for me for a few reasons, namely because I can turn into a shedevil when I am hungry for lunch and they don’t even get snippety with me when I’m a little «hurried» with my order ;) Thanks guys.
4. They have two locations — downtown Boise and downtown Eagle. Nice.
What they could work on:
1. They are a little on the HIGH priced end of the spectrum — I always get the Low Carb Chicken Bento Bowl (no rice and 3x the veggies). But they charge you an extra $ 1.69 to go «low carb». Fine! Ding the people who want to eat healthier why don’t ya…

«It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.»
There is a duality to this review: the food and the folks. The food is of a standard I’ve come to expect from Zen Bento: it’s hella good. For that, it’s four stars. The ingredients seem fresh, the taste is heavenly and the presentation is fetching enough.
The folks who work there, now there’s a howler. These teeny boppers are so dizzy, it’s a wonder they remember to take payment. I’ve had to remind them to add the veggies once and another, to add the soy ginger sauce. OMG!
If this is a take-​out, great thing: you won’t be annoyed too long. Sit in however, and take in the sights and sounds of America’s future as it sinks in an ocean of silliness.