Well Bento
April 21st, 2008 Posted by 
Laci in Plate Lunch, Reviews
Tucked away into a corner on Beretania near Puck’s Alley is a tiny (takeout only) eatery called Well Bento. They specialize in vegan/vegetarian macrobiotic cooking and have a loyal following of customers.
Well Bento was founded in 1997 by Chef Harris Brazina and was bought out in 2005 by loyal customer Kristine Brown and her husband. Kristine Brown is a certified nutritionist, and her husband, Todd Brown, is a top chef and has even won an Iron Chef competition locally. At the Well Bento, they pride themselves in “making everything from scratch daily, using the highest quality ingredients available; no bad fats, no eggs or diary, no cans, no box, no preservatives, additives or flavor enhancers”. You may ask yourself: Does the food taste any good?
The answer is: YES.
I was in the mood for something quick and healthy, so I decided to make a takeout order at Well Bento. It’s really easy – all you have to do is pick up the phone, tell them your order, and it’s ready in 10 minutes. Parking is easy, simple, and right out front.
I decided to order their grilled chicken (Western BBQ style), special of the day (King salmon), and a side of grilled tofu (tamari style). They usually offer desserts, but didn’t have any on the day that I went.
Grilled Chicken, Western BBQ Style
The menu only offers about a dozen items. The grilled chicken, like most of the other dishes, comes in three different varieties: Louisiana style with homemade Cajun seasonings, Western BBQ style, and Tamari style with homemade tamari Ginger Sauce. Every time I go to Well Bento, I always get my chicken “Louie style”, as the regular customers call it. However, I wanted to try something different. So I decided to go with the Western BBQ style, and I was glad that I did. The sauce was my favorite part! It had just the right balance of sweet and tangy.
King Salmon, “Louie Style”
The other entrée, the King salmon, was very good as well. It was prepared “Louie style”, coated in their Louisiana blackening spice. This dish is on the spicy side, so be sure to have some water on hand!
Macaroni Salad
Coleslaw
All of the “plate lunches” include healthy (dairy-free and egg-free) macaroni salad & coleslaw, tahini gravy over Lundberg brown rice, accompanied with broccoli, carrots, gobo (Burdock root), and potatoes. You may be thinking, “How can you have a mac salad without mayonnaise?” Well, this is a “dry” mac salad, but still flavorful nonetheless. I am not a fan of brown rice, and only eat it with Well Bento’s tahini gravy! It’s made from vegetables and hulled sesame paste daily. And what makes Lundberg brown rice different is that it’s grown in California without pesticides or fertilizers.
Grilled Tofu w/ Tamari Ginger Sauce
Lastly, I had a side order of grilled tofu with the tamari Ginger Sauce. I have to say, this sauce was not my favorite of the three. It was definitely the least flavorful compared to the spicy Louisiana sauce and tangy Western BBQ sauce. However, the tofu tasted really fresh and was nicely grilled.
Final thoughts: If you would like a healthy alternative for a plate lunch, try Well Bento. For a quick bite at a reasonable price, you can’t go wrong!
| Service: |   |
Above Average |
| Food: | |
Above Average |
| Overall Value: | |
Above Average |
*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments.
Well Bento
2570 S. Beretania (East West building) Ste 204 Honolulu, HI 96826.
Phone: 808.941.5261
Open Everyday
10:30 am – 9:00 pm
Tags: Hawaii Food, Hawaii Food Review, Well Bento, Well Bento review, Harris Brazina, Kristine Brown
Other Popular Reviews:
I love food that is fast… but can never find something healthy, after a day at the beach I will need to stop by Well Bento and try the BBQ Chicken..!
Aloha For the reviews..
Hi Laci! FYI I find you a very welcome addition to locokinegrindz
Thank you for trying out this place. It’s always good to learn about places that serve healthier options that taste good! I really want to try the chicken and tofu here.
Hated this place. I do not recommend it. Poor customer service and subpar food. I ordered from this place only because the person my office was celebrating picked it. When I called in to make the order, Todd Brown was extremely rude. I few of the fish items I initially ordered apparently hadn’t been shipped to their restaurant yet and so he tells me, “You know what, I’m really busy right now. Just go to the website it has everything there.” Is that how an owner of a restaurant speaks to his customers?
Later I called back and placed my orders. He told me it’ll be ready in 30 minutes. I arrived 30 minutes later but still had to wait 20 minutes. Grant it, he was very busy and even had to turn away a customer (telling them he might be able to take their order in an hour), but still come on! 20 minutes extra wait? If you’re short-staffed, get some damn help rather than making your customers wait so long.
I was already in a rush since the food should have gotten to the office 10 minutes earlier so I just paid for the item and left. Again, I repeat, the food was just subpar…nothing great, nothing spectacular, nothing that will blow you away.
Later that night, I checked my bill and found that I was overcharged almost $18. I called them the next day and the owner made me feel like I was an annoyance. He had me come down to show him the receipt, which I did. For all the trouble they caused me, they were only going to credit me the difference. No way! I told them I hope I’m getting a little more compensation for all the trouble they caused me. What does the owner say? He can give me a free meal the next time I order. Please, I wouldn’t eat here ever again even if it were a free meal for an entire year. I finally got him to credit me on one of the meals I paid and that was the end. Not even a sorry came out of his mouth.
The Well Bento is BAD, don’t waste your time and money! I would have given this zero stars but unfortunately I have to rate it with at least one star.
Just wanted to say that I personally have never had a bad experience here, but every restaurant has their bad days (or in this case, an extremely busy day). I definitely agree, however, that it is very wrong for any customer to be treated badly this way. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
The “Louie” chicken plate and I go back, way back. Back to like 2001. That is when the original owner from NYC was sweating balls in the kitchen. Not the current owners, who after some initial dissapointing visits, figured out what they were doing.
I like things that others know little about. Note the reference above about how I have been going there for years. So I must admit that when Well Bento was added to the Room Service in Paradise menu a couple of years ago I was a little turned off. Oh well, it is still a great place to eat.
Well Bento tip #1: Call in your order about 15 minutes prior to arriving. That way your food will be waiting and you won’t on the second story balcony overlooking Kinkos.