Update 7/20/22: Had to get lunch here one last time before they close at the end of the month ? Got the pork chop bento and popcorn chicken, which were as good as I remember from the times I went weekly pre-covid.They make consistently great-tasting bentos. The space seems a little small at first, but they do have a seating area upstairs as well.
kevin ramirez
Sold on the Fried chicken bao and mala noodles and it’s what keeps me coming back! Noodles have a kick but so good. I’d skip on the pork belly bao but to each their own.
Angela K.
Taiwan Bento has been my favorite weekday takeout treat throughout this pandemic!!! Everything I've tried is so delicious and amazing and I always recommend them to friends! Standouts are their fantuan (only available on Fridays and it's what makes me look forward to Fridays!), their bento boxes (I loooooove the roasted chicken and fried pork chop! The braised pork sauce on the rice, the tea egg, and the pickled veggies take it to the next level), the popcorn chicken (I simply can't resist eating a few pieces on my drive back home bc the smell is soooo deliciously intoxicating), and their mala noodles (I love the combination of chewiness from the noodles with crunch from the peanuts and cucumber!). You just can't go wrong with anything on their menu!!!! Street parking may be a little bit tricky to find but trust me it's worth it!!!!!!!!!
Cailin Z.
Taiwanese food will always have a place in my heart as my favorite comfort food & Taiwan Bento did not disappoint. So glad I found this place! The bento plates are awesome. I've tried the Fried Pork Chop one & the Hella Belly (pork belly) one - both are super delicious and hit the spot. The pork chop is fried well and had a good light coating that isn't overly bread-like. The pork belly is my favorite though. It's flavorful and has the melt-in-your-mouth satisfying quality of a great braised meat. The cuts of meat for the pork belly were high quality with a good distribution of the layers of fat so you never get a bite of pure fat. I also got their brown sugar boba milk tea, but it was just alright. It leans more on the side of a strong tea taste, so those who prefer milkier drinks may be disappointed. The boba in it was a bit stale and had an uneven texture (soft outside with a hard center), but that might just be because I ordered 30 minutes before closing. Sweetness is on the lower side even when ordering without ice, which is the way I prefer it. Can't wait to come back & try more!
Priscilla Struck
pork belly bao .... sooo tasty!!!!
Julieta B
They make the best pork belly baos I've ever tried. Every time I visit Oakland, I have to get an order.I also recommend their fried pork chop bento, OMG so delicious
Tanya C.
Love it but the portion is small. I stopped going there for this reason. Give 5 stars just to support this biz.
Allison H.
I ordered the popcorn chicken through Seamless and I was very impressed by the spices they'd added, along with the portion size. I don't usually get spicy popcorn chicken but this spice mix they added was SO good. I am from Taiwan so I've had quite a bit popcorn chicken in my lifetime. This is up there. I just wish they weren't only open on weekdays before 7pm, otherwise I would order from here more.
Melanie G.
Ordered takeout here for lunch during a weekday. The online ordering system was very easy to navigate. This is a classic taiwanese cafe that offers dishes like taiwanese sausage, braised pork, popcorn chicken, and beef noodle soup. Each meal was about $14. I opted for the taiwanese sausage bento with came with rice, braised pork sauce, a half tea egg, edamame, and veggies (I got steamed but they also have pickled veggies as an option). The taiwanese sausage was delicious. You could taste the quality of the sausage and it was not overly salty like other sausages. The pork sauce that came over the rice was delicious and if I go back, I'll definitely order extra pork sauce. Although the price was quite high for a taiwanese cafe, the quality and amount of food you get definitely makes it worth it. Parking seems to be scarce but it's no problem since this is a takeout only place at the moment. Overall, I'd definitely come back here whenever I'm craving classic taiwanese food!
Heike Woodward
What a delicious meal that was & it was made fresh to order, outstanding . We had the fried cutlet bento box, also the Miso soup, ohhh so good full if flavour. We would definitely recommend this place, try it, please, you won't be disappointed!!!!
I came to Taiwan Bento with a friend and we both got the beef noodle soup and shared the popcorn chicken. They gave a generous amount of popcorn chicken and the beef noodle soup had good flavor and tender meat. The food was very comforting for a cold day. I would be curious to go back and try a bento box or the fantuan. I am excited to have found one of the few good Taiwanese restaurants in the Bay Area! Only complaint is that they aren't open on the weekends which is when I'd usually be able to go :(
Suzy N.
We love trying new places, and so after one of our runs by Lake Merritt, we popped in for some dinner. We had read the heartfelt story on their yelp and felt the need to come by. Taiwanese food is something that brings me back to my childhood! We ordered: - Mama's roasted chicken bento - 5/5 stars Really yummy, and the chicken was flavorful. We thought this was a well rounded bento box, with great flavors. Not too overwhelming and just right if you wanted a quick bento for a meal! Didn't make us feel to heavy after too, which is what we look for in good food. - Salty choppy bones - 4/5 stars The Nostalgia! It's been years since I've had these, and although these were not bad, I remembered them to be a bit more meaty and flavorful. I think these could be a bit better, a bit more seasoning, and a bit more meat for a chew factor. - Zha Jiang Mían - 2/5 stars I am so sad this one just wasn't it for me. For starters, they shoved it into such a small container. I had trouble mixing it. Once I did mix it, the noodles were not as soft and chewy as the fresh noodles I typically get from other stores. The seasoning wasn't there. It was bland with chili oil. Really sad about this, since it's one of my favorites growing up. The customer service 5/5 stars. The guy taking our order was patient and even gave us recommendations. We also thoroughly enjoyed the interior of this place. Not so much the parking, but it isn't terrible on a weekday! Overall, we'll be coming back again to try their beef noodle soup and drinks. We think this place has great potential, just wish some of their items had more flavor. :)
Jeremy C.
This was my second time visiting Taiwan Bento. Everything was delicious: the fried popcorn chicken, the braised pork noodles, and the pork bun. The pork in the steamed bun just melted in my mouth. The noodles tasted so fresh! And the breading they used for the popcorn chicken was really tasty! Looking forward to returning for a third visit.
Alan G.
Located in uptown Oakland off Broadway along with several other local restaurants, Taiwan Bento seems to have weathered the impact of COVID-19 reasonably well, and want them to do well as they are largely supported by local businesses for lunch and early dinner hours. Toward that end, the positives first: - The filled egg pancake roll with beef was fresh, blended different savory and herb flavors and symbolic of street foods - The boiled pork and shrimp dumplings had a velvety texture and were paired with a spicy soy dipping sauce that was great with a side of rice - The menu is varied in choice with entrees and sides - Their service is generally friendly The less positives include: - The prices are high for many of the street foods they offer. Of course this isn't Taiwan or other parts of Asia where items can be cheap, but for Oakland, they have some pretty high price points - I like salty foods but a number of their dishes are very salty and overwhelms the other flavors - Their online ordering system can be buggy and they seem to struggle during busier times getting all of the food out on time despite what looked like a full crew Overall, with a few adjustments, they could go from good to great.
Alyssa W
Very legit. Order online so you don’t have to wait!
Update 7/20/22: Had to get lunch here one last time before they close at the end of the month ? Got the pork chop bento and popcorn chicken, which were as good as I remember from the times I went weekly pre-covid.They make consistently great-tasting bentos. The space seems a little small at first, but they do have a seating area upstairs as well.
Sold on the Fried chicken bao and mala noodles and it’s what keeps me coming back! Noodles have a kick but so good. I’d skip on the pork belly bao but to each their own.
Taiwan Bento has been my favorite weekday takeout treat throughout this pandemic!!! Everything I've tried is so delicious and amazing and I always recommend them to friends! Standouts are their fantuan (only available on Fridays and it's what makes me look forward to Fridays!), their bento boxes (I loooooove the roasted chicken and fried pork chop! The braised pork sauce on the rice, the tea egg, and the pickled veggies take it to the next level), the popcorn chicken (I simply can't resist eating a few pieces on my drive back home bc the smell is soooo deliciously intoxicating), and their mala noodles (I love the combination of chewiness from the noodles with crunch from the peanuts and cucumber!). You just can't go wrong with anything on their menu!!!! Street parking may be a little bit tricky to find but trust me it's worth it!!!!!!!!!
Taiwanese food will always have a place in my heart as my favorite comfort food & Taiwan Bento did not disappoint. So glad I found this place! The bento plates are awesome. I've tried the Fried Pork Chop one & the Hella Belly (pork belly) one - both are super delicious and hit the spot. The pork chop is fried well and had a good light coating that isn't overly bread-like. The pork belly is my favorite though. It's flavorful and has the melt-in-your-mouth satisfying quality of a great braised meat. The cuts of meat for the pork belly were high quality with a good distribution of the layers of fat so you never get a bite of pure fat. I also got their brown sugar boba milk tea, but it was just alright. It leans more on the side of a strong tea taste, so those who prefer milkier drinks may be disappointed. The boba in it was a bit stale and had an uneven texture (soft outside with a hard center), but that might just be because I ordered 30 minutes before closing. Sweetness is on the lower side even when ordering without ice, which is the way I prefer it. Can't wait to come back & try more!
pork belly bao .... sooo tasty!!!!
They make the best pork belly baos I've ever tried. Every time I visit Oakland, I have to get an order.I also recommend their fried pork chop bento, OMG so delicious
Love it but the portion is small. I stopped going there for this reason. Give 5 stars just to support this biz.
I ordered the popcorn chicken through Seamless and I was very impressed by the spices they'd added, along with the portion size. I don't usually get spicy popcorn chicken but this spice mix they added was SO good. I am from Taiwan so I've had quite a bit popcorn chicken in my lifetime. This is up there. I just wish they weren't only open on weekdays before 7pm, otherwise I would order from here more.
Ordered takeout here for lunch during a weekday. The online ordering system was very easy to navigate. This is a classic taiwanese cafe that offers dishes like taiwanese sausage, braised pork, popcorn chicken, and beef noodle soup. Each meal was about $14. I opted for the taiwanese sausage bento with came with rice, braised pork sauce, a half tea egg, edamame, and veggies (I got steamed but they also have pickled veggies as an option). The taiwanese sausage was delicious. You could taste the quality of the sausage and it was not overly salty like other sausages. The pork sauce that came over the rice was delicious and if I go back, I'll definitely order extra pork sauce. Although the price was quite high for a taiwanese cafe, the quality and amount of food you get definitely makes it worth it. Parking seems to be scarce but it's no problem since this is a takeout only place at the moment. Overall, I'd definitely come back here whenever I'm craving classic taiwanese food!
What a delicious meal that was & it was made fresh to order, outstanding . We had the fried cutlet bento box, also the Miso soup, ohhh so good full if flavour. We would definitely recommend this place, try it, please, you won't be disappointed!!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
I came to Taiwan Bento with a friend and we both got the beef noodle soup and shared the popcorn chicken. They gave a generous amount of popcorn chicken and the beef noodle soup had good flavor and tender meat. The food was very comforting for a cold day. I would be curious to go back and try a bento box or the fantuan. I am excited to have found one of the few good Taiwanese restaurants in the Bay Area! Only complaint is that they aren't open on the weekends which is when I'd usually be able to go :(
We love trying new places, and so after one of our runs by Lake Merritt, we popped in for some dinner. We had read the heartfelt story on their yelp and felt the need to come by. Taiwanese food is something that brings me back to my childhood! We ordered: - Mama's roasted chicken bento - 5/5 stars Really yummy, and the chicken was flavorful. We thought this was a well rounded bento box, with great flavors. Not too overwhelming and just right if you wanted a quick bento for a meal! Didn't make us feel to heavy after too, which is what we look for in good food. - Salty choppy bones - 4/5 stars The Nostalgia! It's been years since I've had these, and although these were not bad, I remembered them to be a bit more meaty and flavorful. I think these could be a bit better, a bit more seasoning, and a bit more meat for a chew factor. - Zha Jiang Mían - 2/5 stars I am so sad this one just wasn't it for me. For starters, they shoved it into such a small container. I had trouble mixing it. Once I did mix it, the noodles were not as soft and chewy as the fresh noodles I typically get from other stores. The seasoning wasn't there. It was bland with chili oil. Really sad about this, since it's one of my favorites growing up. The customer service 5/5 stars. The guy taking our order was patient and even gave us recommendations. We also thoroughly enjoyed the interior of this place. Not so much the parking, but it isn't terrible on a weekday! Overall, we'll be coming back again to try their beef noodle soup and drinks. We think this place has great potential, just wish some of their items had more flavor. :)
This was my second time visiting Taiwan Bento. Everything was delicious: the fried popcorn chicken, the braised pork noodles, and the pork bun. The pork in the steamed bun just melted in my mouth. The noodles tasted so fresh! And the breading they used for the popcorn chicken was really tasty! Looking forward to returning for a third visit.
Located in uptown Oakland off Broadway along with several other local restaurants, Taiwan Bento seems to have weathered the impact of COVID-19 reasonably well, and want them to do well as they are largely supported by local businesses for lunch and early dinner hours. Toward that end, the positives first: - The filled egg pancake roll with beef was fresh, blended different savory and herb flavors and symbolic of street foods - The boiled pork and shrimp dumplings had a velvety texture and were paired with a spicy soy dipping sauce that was great with a side of rice - The menu is varied in choice with entrees and sides - Their service is generally friendly The less positives include: - The prices are high for many of the street foods they offer. Of course this isn't Taiwan or other parts of Asia where items can be cheap, but for Oakland, they have some pretty high price points - I like salty foods but a number of their dishes are very salty and overwhelms the other flavors - Their online ordering system can be buggy and they seem to struggle during busier times getting all of the food out on time despite what looked like a full crew Overall, with a few adjustments, they could go from good to great.
Very legit. Order online so you don’t have to wait!