While traditionally used by schoolchildren in Japan, bento lunch boxes have become increasingly popular among adults — whether it’s for portion control or easy meal prep. Check out these tasty options.

$5 Bento Box

$5 Bento Box has various locations around Oahu. The bento selection varies daily, but you can find an assortment of choices like beef stew, shoyu chicken, pork adobo, and hamburger steak and gravy.

Visit bentoboxhi.com.

Mitsu-Ken Okazu and Catering

When you’re craving a wide variety of bentos, check out Mitsu-Ken Okazu and Catering (2300 N. King St.). The biz offers bento options like chow fun, fried saimin and more.

The most popular choice is the Mitsu-Ken Bento, which includes garlic chicken, teri beef, hot dog, egg omelet, and rice with furikake and ginger.

Call 808-848-5573.

Higoto Japanese Eatery

Located in Kaimuki, Higoto Japanese Eatery (3221 Waialae Ave. Ste. A4) is known for its wide variety of bentos. Choose from popular options like miso butterfish, fish lovers, yakitori chicken and half-pound beef hamburger steak bento.

“‘Higoto’ means ‘step by step every day’ in Japanese,” explains Mayumi Kurokawa, who runs the business with her husband, Nobu. “We opened in May 2020. My family ran a traditional Japanese restaurant, which is why we wanted locals to be able to easily enjoy authentic Japanese food through Higoto. We chose this name because we want our customers to grow to love our business little by little, every day.”

Call 808-892-1199 or follow the business on Instagram (@higoto_japanese_eatery).

Mitsuba Delicatessen

Mitsuba Delicatessen (1218 N. School St.) is known for its breakfast plates and okazuya selection — and, the spot is open from 2 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays.

If you’re looking for something iconic, get the regular bento, which comprises rice, noodles, hot dog, luncheon meat and chicken (choice of garlic, fried or shoyu chicken).

The mini bento is also popular, and features musubi, noodles, hot dog and chicken.

Be sure to also check out the okazu items like fish cake, hash, cone sushi, nori maki and more.

Call 808-841-3864.

U-Kitchen

With locations currently in Kalihi and Waikiki, U-Kitchen originated as a tenant in the former Shirokiya. At that time, the business was called Usagiya and sold udon, soba and Japanese bentos. Once Shirokiya closed, U-Kitchen opened its bento shop in Kalihi in July 2021. The Waikiki location opened last April.

The biz features a variety of plate lunches like garlic chicken, hamburger steak and pork kakuni. Its sukiyaki bento — with sliced beef, Chinese cabbage, tofu, carrots, shirataki noodles, shiitake mushrooms and egg — is one of the most popular dishes.

Visit ukitchenhawaii.com.

Miyakonjo Bento and Catering

Miyakonjo Bento and Catering (1763 Hoe St.) started in 2019 in its Shirokiya location in Ala Moana Center, but closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, the biz opened a shop at its current Kalihi Kai location and features bentos, musubi, chicken nanban plates and more.

Choose from bentos like grilled furikake mayo salmon, mochiko chicken, oyster katsu, spicy pork and chicken nanban. The latter is the business’s signature dish and features boneless chicken thighs coated in crispy egg batter, then fried and soaked in a shoyubased sweet and sour nanban sauce.

The biz also offers custom bentos for birthday parties and catering for funerals and special events.

Call 808-636-4340 or visit miyakonjo-bento-catering.square.site.

Sugoi Bento & Catering

Located in City Square Shopping Center (1286 Kalani St. Ste. B106), Sugoi Bento & Catering is known for its plate lunch and breakfast dishes. Popular selections include pork chops and mushrooms plate, tonkatsu bento and yakisoba plate with teri beef.

“‘Sugoi’ translates to ‘awesome’ or ‘wow’ (in Japanese), and that’s exactly what I wanted our customers to say when they ate our food,” says business owner Zack Lee.

The garlic chicken bento is Sugoi’s signature dish. For catering, customers can choose the build-your-ownbento option with a choice of bento size, entrée and sides.

Sugoi doesn’t use MSG and its oil doesn’t contain trans fat.

Call 808-841-7984 or visit sugoihawaii.com.

Nana Ai Katsu

The most popular bento at local business Nana Ai Katsu (3585 Waialae Ave.) is the 100% Kurobuta Kasane tonkatsu bento. The bento is literally named for its contents; the business owners wanted customers to know that the dish features high-quality meat. It also encompasses a different way of doing katsu, in that the meat is sliced and layered in house (Kasane translates to “layered”).

Sometimes bentos are included in the eatery’s specials. Keep your eyes peeled for the Uzumaki shiso roll bento (Kurobuta pork belly rolled with shiso leaves), ume-shiso tonkatsu bento that fea tures ume and shiso in between pork layers, and the papa-size tonkatsu bento. The latter features 50% more meat than the regular-sized bento.

Call 808-772-0146 or visit nanaaikatsu.com.

Teruya’s Andagi

Teruya’s Andagi (1104 Pensacola St.) was first established in 1987. This family-owned and -operated business was a vendor in the former Shirokiya, making andagi and Taiko-yaki (drum-shaped pancakes with various fillings like Okinawa sweet potato, azuki and custard).

The biz is now known for its bentos.

Popular choices include large roll bento — comprising shrimp tempura roll, garlic chicken roll, chicken karaage, mini sausages, vegetable croquettes, eggplant and stir-fried long beans — and veggie bento. The latter features stir-fry long bean, kimpira hash, kimpira gobo, kabocha, hijiki seaweed, sekihan rice, tofu patty and a mini andagi.

Call 808-389-1714 or visit teruyasandagi.com.

Str‘Eats of Aloha

Str‘Eats of Aloha (111 Sand Island Access Road) is known for its loaded plate lunches at reasonable prices. Even its Str‘Eats bento features a generous portion of furikake rice, Spam, Redondo hot dog, teri beef, hoki, breaded shrimp and charsiu fried noodles.

Call 808-784-0051 or follow the biz on Instagram (@streats_of_aloha).