bento box

best sushi ive ever had.. i love chef lee and his sushi creations at thebentobox. it is really worth the money and time. best sushi in wilmington, nc...probably in the whole state! :)

unmatched excellence in wilmington. just got back from our second time visiting chef lee atbentobox tonight for a celebratory post-wedding weekend dinner with mom. we were once again treated as personal guests. you won't findbentobox in any taste of wilmington or top chef competitions...since chef lee has already been there, done that. you can tell they take pride in the freshness, presentation and above all - flavor! of everything on the menu. we are new in town and have been slowly looking for a sushi place to call home, looks like we found it. our first visit was nice experience on a saturday night, sitting front row center and talking to lee about everything from his time in palm beach as a celeb chef to how the fish is flown in fresh from around the world. we started with excellent seaweed salads and a regular salad with amazing ginger dressing. my fiance loved the low carb cucumber & tuna rolls and i could have eaten 2 full pain rolls, extra painful. then we just had them throw together a sashimi platter of their liking and everything just melts in your mouth (like good sushi is supposed to). fresh horseradish, superb ponzu sauce....all in all very much worth the $$. and to top it off, you have to try the chocolate potstickers...rich belgium chocolate pastry wraps with caramel...absolutely a must (hence the capital letters).

our second visit was pretty much an all star recap of our first night, but add the dim sum. there is a backstory on how he gets his dim sum, and it tops anything else we've had in town (like everything else on the menu)......we will be back for third and fourth and fiftieth visits if i have anything to do about it.....

mixed feelings. i have mixed feelings about thebentobox. the food is generally excellent, fresh, light and delicious. my favorites are miami vice, caterpillar, crabbie pattie and the chocolate pot stickers. chef lee is the incognita: he can be charming, interesting or he can be abrasive and off-putting. my solution is to order take-out, because the food is worth it.

my friend and i wanted to have dinner at genki sushi but when i asked about reservations, i was told there was availability but that none of the staff wore masks. that was a big turn off for me.

i called thebentobox and was told their staff does wear masks.

great menu but i was disappointed not to see any sushi or sashimi platters on the menu. there were a lot of special rolls to choose from, to include vegetarian rolls. i did see they havebentoboxes for lunch only.

i started with the octopus salad ($9) with cucumbers, sesame seeds, masago with a kimchee sauce. it was a little on the salty side for my taste and only a few pieces of octopus. next i had the godzilla signature roll, which was panko shrimp, crab salad, cream cheese with eel, avocado, masago, sesame seeds and an eel sauce. it was a large portion, filling, and rich in taste with the eel sauce.

my friend had the sunomono salad and the delicious signature roll.

for dessert, we were served a complimentary chocolate pot sticker. we had the choice of cashew, thai chili or peanut butter. we both chose the thai chili. wow, that was amazing!! however, it was not spicy at all. we could barely taste the thai chili.

a very good meal indeed.

the cauliflower and lumpia were delicious!  i read a review that was communicated by an actor. he inspired my desire to try it!  i was so glad i locatedbentobox!!!!

disclaimer: i did not have sushi, which appears to be the source of praise forbentobox.
we visited tonight, seated ourselves and were promptly greeted by the server. we ordered filipino lumpia as an appetizer, i had hot jasmine tea and my bride had hot green tea. the green tea tasted (for lack of a better term) not unlike seaweed, and for the remainder, we shared my jasmine tea.
for our entree, i ordered the japanese fried chicken, and she had tempura udon noodle soup. the chicken was tasty, although a birthday bland, she stated the soup was excessively salty. not a bad meal, but not as great as the reviews would have me believe.
by the end of the meal, the restaurant was getting crowded and we were ready to pay out, but our server was too busy entertaining the incoming party crowd to bother. eventually, she brought our check, dropped it off and we didn't see her again. another person cashed us out.
your experience may differ, but we weren't very impressed. i doubt we will be back.

new items. ate at thebentobox this past week and decided to try a couple of their specials. my boyfriend and i started off with the crispy rice lettuce rolls and they were delicious. i had previously tried their lettuce wraps (which were not my favorite) so i was pleasantly surprised at how amazing these new wraps were. for my entree i ordered the braised short ribs. served with wasabi infused mashed potatoes, they had a hint of asian flavor but not overwhelming. a classic comfort food done the right way!


-----06 sep, 2013-----

curry dish. i usually go to thebentobox for their sushi but recently discovered their kitchen dishes. so far, the curry with chicken has become one of my favorite meals and i find myself craving it all the time! next time i plan on trying the pad thai.

best sushi in wilmington. i literally go tobentobox at least twice a week. they are always so nice to me and my friends, even though we have very specific sushi needs. we all order different types of sushi, and the staff listens to what we want. the price is great for what you get, and the atmosphere is great as well. i always feel like i can trustbentobox because it feels clean when you walk in. the sushi comes out super fast, and the staff is always willing to help. i would highly recommendbentobox to anyone that loves sushi, and even if you aren't a sushi fan, they have great noodle and rice dishes!

great local asian.bentobox is moderately priced but more than delivers. portion sizes are perfect and the sushi is so fresh. the last time i visited, a friend and myself split the ka pow lettuce wraps and sweet and sour shrimp tempura for an appetizer. we got the crabbie pattie sushi roll for our main course and it was the perfect size for the two of us. can't wait to come back again!

great experience. i lovedbentobox! i had never really tried sushi before so i tried to stay safe and i had the miami vice. every time i go back i have tried something different. all their sushi is fresh and they serve nice proportions. everything is so fresh and there wait staff is extremely friendly. every time a friend comes to visit i always suggest one night we have dinner at bentobox!!

first time visitingbentobox and i was absolutely delighted! the service was efficient but polite and courteous. we tried the korean beef skewers as an appetizer and they were delicious! we couldn't help but stare at other tables sushi and meals because everything looked so great! perfect portions and beautiful presentation. definately plan on coming back again soon to try more!

fresh/friendly sushi. i absolutely loved the atmosphere right when i walked in. it was almost like home and i felt so welcomed by the staff immediately. oh i almost forgot the food was the best part, could you believe it! extremely fresh sushi, presentation was phenomenal, and quick and friendly service. if you want great sushi and want a more upscale feel, go tobentobox.

if you are looking for a delicious and filling dinner,bentobox is the place to go. with a menu that provides variety and reasonable prices, it makes for a very pleasant dining experience. i would recommend not just the sushi but some of the hot dishes-the chicken pad thai is outstanding!

best sushi in wilmington.bentobox opened my mind to sushi. they had a great menu full of all sorts of variety and sushi combinations. the staff was also very friendly and served us well! their sushi is very fresh as opposed to most other sushi places here in wilmington. the decor is also easy on the eyes (:

must go!. i absolutely lovebentobox! the food is always awesome and the employees are so sweet and really want to make your experience a positive one! everyone in wilmington should go!