Gombei Bento

Reasonable prices. Very casual dining room. Nothing fancy. Just good food.

Wouldn’t let me take the food to go. They should probably change the name «deli» if they don’t let you take the food home.

I haven’t been here in a while, but remembered liking it, so I stopped by for a takeout. I Ordered the locomoco combo, but they seem to have neglected the burger patty… :(

We got two combos of California rolls and chicken teriyaki and salmon teriyaki. Price was pretty reasonable and it was pretty filling. I liked the food. They also gave free green tea. The rolls were nice. They use imitation crab so my bf who’s allergic to real crabs could still enjoy the California rolls. Salmon was good too. The chicken was ok. Our friend ordered shrimp tempura but he hardly got any shrimp. It was mostly veggies tempura on his plate.

How I miss this place.
This was one of my favorite lunch spots to go to when I worked in the area. Order ahead and pick up or take your time and sit in.
The portions are awesome especially for the price. Love the fact that the lunches come with a little salad!
When sitting in, try there freshly made soy milk! It’ll definitely put hair on your chest. Another plus about this place is the fact that they make their own tofu.
My favorite dish is the katsu curry. The sauce is a perfect consistency. Not too runny and not too thick. Miso salad dressing is also spot on. Again, not too runny and not too thick.
If you’re in a hurry and want a quick bite to eat, definitely check out this place.
Only downside is the parking lot is very limited and it’s a little tricky to get there. Otherwise, this is a must try!

Value for money. Average taste. Had the Chicken teriyaki pork cutlet fried rice combo which was only about $ 8.70. However I didn’t really enjoy the taste. I think the rice could have been more flavorful? They’re nice and have quick service though!

Big troop of waiters = fast service
A lot of customers are officers and workers = big portion
Japanese = clean and tidy
Japanese food = 4 stars

Generous portion homey cheap eats! I prefer the Gombei location in San Jose and the selection and quality are much better there, but this location is a good option for a weekday dinner takeout — fast, affordable, nothing fancy but lots of food.
I always get the mackerel dinner there and for ~$ 10 it’s really satisfying: tons of rice, some cabbage stir fry, a salad, and two pieces of fatty mackerel. The other dinner entrees I’ve tried (beef, salmon) do not really stand out. The half-​gallon soymilk is quite bland IMO.
I don’t think people come here for authentic top-​notch Japanese cuisine. I come here because I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to pay too much for food. For the price point and convenience, I would come here over and over again.

I’ve been on the hunt for cheap eats in the South Bay for nights I’m too tired to cook and was excited to try Gombei Bento. I ended up getting the chicken teriyaki entrée, which comes with rice, salad, miso soup; along with a pork katsu curry entrée.
Pros:
Super friendly, fast service (if you call ahead, it literally takes them 5 minutes to have your food ready)
The chicken teriyaki had huge portions of meat — enough for leftovers the next day
Pork katsu curry was yummy
Cons:
Is it just me or is the food a bit on the salty side? Not sure if my tolerance for typical, sodium-​laden American food has decreased in my old age, but I thought both the pork katsu and teriyaki chicken were really salty.

2 stars for the food.
4 stars for the tofu.
4 stars for the value.
This has relatively inexpensive bento boxes but don’t expect cooked to order food. We ordered salmon and tofu combo plate and a shrimp tempura plate. They came out within 5 minutes which is nice if you are in a hurry but isn’t nice if you expected cooked to order food. My tempura was soggy and that is a deal breaker for me. The only good thing about this place is they sell their house Gombei tofu and soy milk. That is worth coming here but the food is so-​so. If you want cheap eats and are in a hurry, this is a good place. If you want food that is of high quality and tastes great, go somewhere else.

This is a great joint to come to for a casual lunch. I came @ 11:45 right before the lunch time rush. I tried a chicken dish with tempura (broccoli, sweet potato, etc) & rice as well as the curry udon. The curry udon noodles were super soft. They give free samples of unsweetened soy milk. There is a back room with extra seating. I thought all of the menu options were great options for lunch. You get some hot tea with your meal. The store manager walked around the tables to check on customers and to clean up people’s plates (also probably to encourage people to leave because there was a line for ordering as well as people waiting on tables).

This place is cheap, good and tastes fresh. I have never been disappointed with any of the items I’ve ordered here. I’ve tried the following and all were equally good:
#3 — Fried Tofu & Vegetable Tempura
#13 — Chicken Teriyaki
#14 — Beef Teriyaki
#15 — Pork Cutlet
Combo: Tofu & Chicken Teriyaki
Combo: Tofu & Beef Teriyaki
You can choose between two different types of tofu, fried tofu in mushroom sauce and cold tofu. Their tofu is made daily I believe and you can really taste the freshness. Because I am allergic to seafood, I always make sure to ask them not to use the mushroom sauce for the fried tofu (as it contains dashi) and no bonito for the cold tofu. The gentleman there was very kind with telling me which items are pure vegetarian and contain no dashi. I really appreciate that as many of the Asian restaurants that I’ve been to don’t seem to make the effort to help you out with these things. I believe the menu items I’ve listed above contain no dashi. Overall I highly recommend this place for a tasty, cheap, and fast meal!

Super cheap and fast! Highly recommended if you’re short on time or have a small budget with big appetite. I think the most expensive is about $ 10.
Thumbs up for: cheap, fast, large portions, and tofu products made here.
Thumbs down: carb load, not the best taste and sketch area. Closes early!
I got the salmon teriyaki combo with cs roll (8pcs) @ about $ 10. Bf had the tempura plate. Omg portions were big!
The combo I’d say is the best deal since you grt entrée, salad with dressing, an orange slice, scoop of curry flavor okara, tofu pulp, and 8 pcs of decent ca roll. The salad i had was drenched in dressing which i didnt like. Teriyaki sauce was pretty good and they didn’t smother my salmon in teriyaki sauce. As for the tempura plate, it was piled on high, but the texture isn’t like what you see in other restaurants like sushimaru. The batter was pretty smooth/​not flaky like tempura should be. Give it a try if you want…
Okara: tofu pulp that’s not as bad at it looks. It’s not gritty, but soft. Gombei sells a curry flavor and plain. Or try it when you order a plate befire buying the product itself. Cards accepted. It’s next to seto restaurant which i think is near lucky’s?

This scoring is actually 3.5. I was craving Japanese curry and found this place after work. Since it had 4 stars, I decided to give it a try.
I would rate this place…
3 — food
4 — service
4 — value
3 — ambiance
Food: I had the katsu curry and the bf has chicken teriyaki, pork cutlet with fried rice. Both entrees came with a salad. The salad was probably my highlight since it had that delicious, creamy, sesame dressing. We also had a side of California roll. The curry was ok, I’ve had better. There were probably only 4 – 5 pcs of katsu. The chicken teriyaki wasn’t bad either. The only feedback we had was that our food was not that hot. The California had too much rice for our liking
Service: that was also a highlight for us. They were attentive for a small quick service shop and our food came out quick
Value: good portion for what you pay for. You definitely won’t leave hungry and for $ 7.50 each plate; it’s definitely a great deal.
Ambiance: it’s a small quaint place. Nothing fancy, but it’s clean and organized.
If you like tofu, this seems like a place to try since they make fresh tofu. They had a sample of their soy milk which tasted pretty good and fresh.
Would I go back? Maybe if I was craving Japanese food and was on a budget.

I’ve gotta say, this place has grown on me. It’s not a fancy restaurant, but it’s good food for a great price, with great service. I’ve eaten in as well as gotten food to go and there’s no difference in quality or amount. Definitely try to get here early or later to avoid the lunch rush and the limited parking. Otherwise, ordering to-​go is fast. They’ve also never messed up an order for me or my colleagues (who are also habitual customers now).
In summary, it’s one of my go-​to spots near the office for lunch. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Nice spot for To-​Go. If you plan to dine in, good luck finding a seat during the lunch rush hours. They have a long table down the middle of the restaurant that’s like a communal table though. If you do dine in, you order/​pay at the cashier first then find a table and they serve you the food. Don’t forget to tip! Their «serving you» is still service, duh.
Food comes out super fast here, so that’s a plus. Free hot green tea and soy milk samples! I ordered the Chicken Curry but instead of Katsu chicken, I got it grilled. SO GOOOD! Big portions too! The gentleman that helped us, Len, was super friendly! Next time I’m coming back for their Udon Curry and Tofu! I heard they make their tofu fresh in house every morning, so that’s a must try!
Heads up… Parking is horrible! I parked around the corner in the residential area, but it was worth the walk.

Felt pretty comfortable here-​nothing high-​class, affordable meals, efficient and friendly service, and okay tasting food!
I got the Katsu Curry Meal (it came with a salad)=$ 7.25 (It was pretty filling). Also, thankful that the drinks weren’t overpriced ($ 1 for a can of soda). OH and they have free, self-​serve, cold soy milk (with cups and sweeteners provided)!
One thing that’s a little inconvenient is the location/​parking (you have to turn a corner and park behind the restaurant).

Even so summer has arrived; I was hungry for something different. I remember a former coworker telling me about Japanese Curry House in Cupertino, which I had never heard of before.
I did a quick search on Unilocal and found a better alternative at Gombei Bento in Sunnyvale, which is much closer to where my former work associate could meet me for lunch.
The restaurant is on Maude Ave and conveniently has a left hand turn light to enter their parking lot which is L shaped right behind.
I arrived early and enjoyed smelling combination of the many different cuisine’s wafting down the street.
You enter the restaurant and go to the counter where they have large pictures of their menu and have their menus posted all over the restaurant. I was torn between Katsu Curry and Curry Udon. I chose the Curry Udon and my former work associate chose the Shrimp Tempura Udon.
The service is much like Sizzler style, where you order and pay at the counter and they bring out your order to your table.
The tables rapidly filled up for the large lunch crowd of predominately young Asians that patronizes this location.
We received a refill of our green tea as they came by and cleared our empty bowls.
Great place and good food!
I would recommend and look forward to either returning or trying one of their other locations in the south bay!

The restaurant is closed on weekends, so the only time we can get here is on a weekday evening.
We stop by the restaurant, about a 9 minute walk from the new 7 story LinkedIn building on north Mathilda. There is on street parking on Maude and Borregas, but we make a U turn into the shopping strip down the road in front of the Nearly Nude, I mean Nearly New, store! I guess I was thinking of post dinner activities!
The place is typical of your fast food restaurants, with pictures on the overhead signs above the counter area, and menus with numbered items. And they take credit cards. Here you pay first, after ordering at the cashier. Don’t want any walk outs –people leaving without paying!
Extremely clean with no food droppings on the ground, and simple but clean wooden tables and chairs, with a place to watch your parked car on the street –an advantage in this not so safe neighborhood!
I order the #1 chicken teriyaki /​pork cutlet combination with rice and lettuce for $ 7.75, while the wife gets the #8 salmon teriyaki with shrimp tempura for $ 9.25. There is free soy milk, which tastes a bit like colored water. I ask for a fork instead of chopsticks, as everything comes on a plate, and I don’t want to slurp food like my coworkers!
10 minutes after ordering, the food arrives. Hot mustard sauce on the side to go with the pork cutlet, and an excellent teriyaki chicken, tender and tasty, with the teriyaki sauce not too sweet. The pork cutlet –lightly breaded and could taste the pork, but is a bit dry and bland. Ample serving size-​could barely finish it. And if I can barely finish it, you know it is a large serving!
The 3 ounce salmon fillet is so so — not much flavor, definitely farm frozen, and only two of the tempura were shrimp, the others vegetable tempura. But for $ 9.25 you can’t get a better deal!
On our next visit, a lady comes in a bunch of kids in soccer gear, and orders 2 pitchers of beer. Hope you are not driving lady! She sits down, and sure enough 3 adults come 10 minutes later, to drink that beer.
I point out food on the ground under the table, and they have someone over pronto to clean it up. Now you don’t see my wife cleaning up food on the ground under the table at home –that’s why we have cats!
I order the tofu and beef teriyaki $ 9. Superb fresh fried tofu, with green onions, while the beef is tender, with teriyaki sauce, and served with rice, and salad, and soy extract.
The wife has the California roll and chicken teriyaki. 8 rolls, artificial crab, but otherwise decent, didn’t fall to pieces, with avocado and white rice. Now you didn’t expect real crab in the 8 california rolls with chicken teriyaki for $ 8?! Dream on!
On our third visit, I order the chicken teriyaki/​pork cutlet again, while the wife gets the #9 gombei loco moco for $ 7.75. Yes, a bit of Hawaiii, and the place does does look like an L&L BBQ.
Loco moco is beef stew with gravy over rice with green onions –no egg. The beef is very tender and not hamburger like in the islands, but the portion size of meat is not as large as the other meat dishes. The wife did not like it, so guess who had to eat it?! We have no dog, and the cats would only eat the meat. We switch dishes.
Just before we leave, a shaved head guy in a tank top with tattoos all over his arms and neck comes with his lady to remind you that you are on the rough side of town. It can’t be that rough, otherwise the lady would have tattoos also!
Now I understand the area is not the best, so they close at 730pm! Which means your hot date had better hurry up with her make-​up preparations! On the other hand, if you are with a hot date, and you come here, this might be your last date!

Surprising find!
Came here because of the Unilocal reviews. Boy is this place good :) Did not expect that before going in.
The parking lot is strange – all the way on the other side of the block for some reason. The inside was also confusing at first – all the wait staff greet you when you walk in, and the place looks like a sit-​down place, but for some reason you are supposed to order and pay for your food first before sitting down, and then they deliver the food to you. Not a big deal
The food was amazing! Man, the curried ramen was the bomb. The menu just says «curry ramen», but it actually had a lot of chicken in it. Score! The curry gravy was aweeesome… especially when all the noodles are covered by the curry when you pick up the noodles and eat it. Slurp slurp slurp.
Can’t get enough. Before I knew it the whole bowl was empty. Ah I want more!
Definitely worth visiting