Bento Asian Kitchen Sushi - Gainesville

I decided to visit this restaurant on a whim after seeing their yuzu bubble tea. The service was quick, and I enjoyed the nice outdoor seating. However, I wouldn't order that drink again because it was too sweet and had a somewhat artificial taste. Despite this, I would definitely go back to try the food, especially since they have multiple locations in Gainesville.

I dropped in for an early dinner after the Gator game, hoping for something quick and relatively healthy. I decided to create my own poke bowl since it had a wide variety of fresh vegetable options. I went with teriyaki salmon, avocado, onions, diced mango, mushrooms, and kimchi, all served over rice. Overall, the meal was enjoyable, but the mango and salmon tasted a bit off, which impacted my experience. I will definitely come back next time I'm in town!

They do have some appealing specials like BOGO boba and $3 off teriyaki rice bowls on Tuesdays, plus occasional promotions through email that make the food feel worth it; otherwise, at full price, it just feels average. I even reached out to Bento on Instagram and Facebook to confirm if these specials were still available, so as to avoid tying up the phone lines during busy hours, but I didn’t receive a response. However, there's a sign in the restaurant on Newberry Road indicating that these promotions are still ongoing. Overall, we were quite disappointed. Update: An employee asked me to contact them via email, which I did on August 12, but I still haven't received a response.

The food is always delicious, and the service is exceptional! Patrick at the register was particularly attentive.

The food was delicious! Every time I'm in Gainesville, that's my go-to spot for a meal.