iZen’s Drunken Bento
212 W McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH, 45219
iZen’s Drunken Bento Menu
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Address :
212 W McMillan St
Cincinnati, OH, 45219 - Phone (513) 381-5905
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 1:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : No
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Sherry T.
Stick with the sushi, which is half the price of what is listed on the menu, and avoid the entrees and you'll walk about feeling satisfied from both a culinary and financial perspective. I had three rolls during my visit--avocado, tuna, and Philadelphia. The Philadelphia roll was outstanding, the avocado roll was very good, and the tuna roll was okay (tuna did not taste exceptionally fresh). Service was fast and friendly. I will return.
(4)Alexis M.
Great sushi and great prices!! My favorite sushi place to go to. My favorite rolls are the Sunday Morning, Crunch Munch, McMillian, and Spider Roll but they're all good. Only down side is that it's a small place so sometimes gets crowded but it's worth it!
(5)Coral W.
If you visit this restaurant, do try their Dolsot Bibimbop! I always get the marinated beef since marinated beef really goes well with Bibimbop. It is delicious, fulfilling, and reasonably priced (around $11). (If you go to a Korean restaurant in downtown or Hyde Park, you will have to pay $18 or so for a Bibimbop, which I think is insane) It also comes with three small Korean side dishes, including kimchi, fish paste and potato. But I am not really impressed with their sushi. Their half price sushi means smaller rolls and less fish. I love eating sushi with a lot of raw fish, so this place is not my #1 choice for sushi. But traditional Korean food like Bibimbop, this place is good!! For the the atmosphere and service of the restaurant. There is nothing really fancy about the decor or the atmosphere of the restaurant since it is located at the UC area. But it is comfortable and very layback. The restaurant is usually packed with young students on Friday nights. The servers are friendly and the service is good to me. This is why I like about this restaurant--you do not have to pay a lot of money to get delicious food and good services. :)
(4)Shamika K.
I went with a friend for lunch. It's a small place & doesn't look inviting when you walk in. However, our server was pleasant and attentive. Their sushi is always half off which is great because my lunch was less than $10! I always wonder though if it's always half priced, why not just make that the regular price?!? Just curious! Anyway, I ended up getting a shrimp tempura roll & Sunday Morning. The Sunday Morning was delicious and great! The shrimp tempura was just okay. For the price, I'd definitely go again, although parking in Clifton is a hit or miss. I drove around for 15 minutes before I found a spot. Plan accordingly!
(3)Chris L.
Asked about good sushi in Cincinnati/Clifton area and was recommended this place. When they said they had good sushi, they weren't kidding! The sushi seems to just melt in your mouth. I got the spicy tuna and yum yum roll. The "spice" is authentic but not overpowering. 1/2 price too!! Hard to find sushi this good at this price. I will be returning here sometime, as they have relatively cheap alcohol here and a nice atmosphere for eating and drinking if you choose. Highly recommend.
(5)Bianca D.
The sushi here is good and always half price! I really like that. However the place is so small, and the bathrooms are really janky. The owner/manager walks around asking about your nationality 0.o
(4)Todd F.
It's good food--the sushi punches above its weight. The Korean is the best in Cincinnati for the price. There is better Korean food in Cincy, but you pay a lot more for it. There's better Korean food in NYC or Chicago or LA, but they are obviously far away. When I need a real Korean fix for an affordable price, I go here.
(5)Alexa H.
Update: Went here for dinner by myself and the service was still very amazing. The staff was really nice and it was really enjoyable even by myself. Sushi was again amazing. Got the Caterpillar roll and Cucumber roll and they were beautiful. Even if you don't have a group, don't be discouraged from dining here yourself.
(5)Sydney D.
The food here is consistent and always wonderful. The service, well, that's another story. I'm not quite sure how stoned the servers were today? I can tell you this, when my soup and salad arrived, I asked for a ginger ale. I saw my server leave the building, go get a bag of Lays potato chips and come back. Same server cleared our salad and soup plates before the meal came and took all the silverware. She then asked me if I still wanted that ginger ale? I said no, knowing that I would only get that one ginger ale with no refills. Our food was delivered and my friend did not have silverware to eat. When I was finally able to get someone's attention, I asked for a fork for my friend. Nothing. Approximately nine minutes later, our server came by and I asked her for a fork. Which took her a couple of minutes to bring back. Granted, bibimbap is too hot to eat right away, but that's not really for the server to decide. I would suggest carry out if you can. Although Bibimbap is not the same without the crunchy rice on the bottom of the bowl.
(3)Momo S.
Delicious food, nice atmosphere. Will definitely eat there again
(4)Dale H.
Dined in for the first time here. We had taken carry-out before. With my daughter at UC and the half-off sushi prices, we had to try it! It was a Tuesday night about 7:30 and it was very busy, pretty much at 100% capacity. We were seated promptly once they cleared the table - at a place by the door. It was single digits outside, so it was still cold at the table :o( Once another table became vacant, the server was accommodating and moved us at our request. Much better! The service was very good! Our tea was replenished when low and our food came out in a timely manner. We all ordered sushi. I also ordered a bowl of tempura udon. The udon soup was piping hot (nice!). There were also some shrooms, fish cake, crab sticks (not a fan), and two large fried shrimp. They were NOT tempura but more like the harder/crispier ebi furai that we got in Japan in a bento box. Still ok but not what I was expecting. Overall, it did hit the spot on a cold night :o) Broth was nice also. The sushi was average. As other reviewers have mentioned, the raw fish seemed a bit on the warm side :o( and seemed to lack much flavor. But hey, it is a half-price sushi joint near UC where students generally are on a budget.
(3)Stephanie H.
I dined in the other day with a friend. Her volcano roll came out super burnt and brown/blackish burns on top. She had 2 pieces and said she couldn't eat it anymore. When the server came by and asked how everything was, my friend explained that her one sushi roll looked and tasted burnt and dried out and the server replied "oh okay" and walked away. She didn't offer a solution either to recook the item or comp the item, but instead returned to the table after we had cashed out and suggested to my friend that next time she might ask to order her roll undercooked so that it doesn't come out burned. How does that make sense?
(3)Raj T.
I went to DB today to try their always "half price" Sushi! In reality you are getting sushi only the size of your middle finger. I guess you can''t expect much more? Taste - sushi rice was dry and bland. What was inside was not good either. As the name implies, you have to be 'drunk' to like the sushi!? I plan to try their Korean food some other time since the kitchen was closed.
(2)Angela C.
I'm still trying to decide how I feel about iZen. I've only gotten take-out, though the hostess/servers have always been very nice. The wall covered with 2x4's is interesting and kind of fun with all those college student scribbles all over it. The food. Well, the sushi (at half price) is probably worth the price you pay. The rice is pretty hard- basically you're about a half step up from grocery store sushi. I suppose it can suffice as a late night option. I've tried the soon du bu and bi bim bap, which are pretty decent (and a little cheaper than some of the other Korean restaurants). I thought the ban chan, other than the kim chi and fish cakes, were a little weird- the bean sprouts had no flavor and I'm not sure what the other one was- tasted like slightly raw potato shreds (probably a radish?). A-OK pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it'll do in a pinch when I want a relatively cheap and healthier feeling meal in Clifton.
(3)Iggy O.
I have yet to have anything but a pleasant experience here. I've eaten in once and wish I had time to do that more. Love the mix of sushi and Korean bbq. I walked by this place a hundred times before trying it out and have been a pretty loyal customer since. Go to this place and try something new!
(5)Yolanda S.
Not bad. Their Stay With Me roll is really good. The waitress Sarah was nice, service good, but I'm not sure if there are free refills on sodas as I didn't receive one. The atmosphere ok, quaint. I noticed the floor needs work and it smelled kind of funny upon entering. Overall I would go back especially for carry out at half price. *UPDATE" I will NOT carry out sushi again! Nothing against Drunken Bento it's just not as good after the 15 mins it takes to get home.
(3)Danielle O.
I'm not a big oriental or sushi person but I LOVE the Sunday morning, shrimp tempura and yum yum rolls.. I visit at least once a month and the service is always excellent
(4)Suzanne R.
Yum. I wish I could eat here every day. Plus nice atmosphere and staff.
(5)Jiaolong L.
I've been here almost 2 years ago. At That time, chief is the manager 's wife. She is Korean and really good at cooking. However, now, they change the chief. All of their food are lost their taste. Rice isn't as good as before; Galbi is getting more and more small; and there are even real stones in seafood soup. This restaurant is really disappointing to me. It is the my favorite one before. :(
(1)Chris G.
We have eaten here often when we go to Clifton. Our boys love some of the unique rolls and we've started working our way through the Korean dishes. The bulgolki is our favorite so far. The majority of customers are college students and the wait staff is okay. Some are better than others. The sushi rolls are half-priced, but I don't know how long that will last.
(3)Emily L.
I tend to visit Drunken Bento to remedy my ultra craving for mouthwatering sushi. I've visited places where the sushi fish just doesn't look fresh, but Drunken Bento does a decent job of keepin' it fresh! It's not a bad place to order some sushi favorites: the tuna roll, the salmon cucumber, and what I like to call the "triple veggie": the asparagus/avocado/cucumber. Yeah! They are tasty, satisfying, and filling! The prices are decent for the quantity, freshness, and taste. The hostess is usually friendly and helpful, so that's an additional perk. The interior set-up looks like a half cafe, half bar style restaurant, so they definitely entertain some nightlife. It's located near U.C, so their customers tend to be students. Parking, however, can be an issue. There are meters nearby, but I would recommend getting a take-out if you want to enjoy your food without looking at your watch.
(4)Alex N.
I'm going to start off on a good note by saying our waitress was great and was making the best out of the situation. She was much applauded. Now the situation, the place was packed and every seat was taken. The restaurant could seat about 40 people. For all of those 40 people they only had two waitresses working. The kitchen was busy and could not keep up with the crowd. So bad that we actually received our food before our drinks. The waitress did keep coming back to us and told us that she did not forget but the kitchen needed to wash glasses since they ran out of clean ones. She tried her best and kept apologizing to us. To make matters worse it was very hot in the restaurant. It had to be over 85 degrees in the seating area. When the food came out it was awful ! The sushi rolls were soggy and half rolled. My spicy tuna roll only had tuna in 6 out of the 8. The other 2 had was just seaweed and sushi rice. To make matters worse all the raw fish was warm and soggy. I am guessing it had to do with the temperature in the restaurant. The issue with that is not only that is taste bad but it's dangerous! I will say that I am going to give it another try. I hope all of this is due to UC just starting and they were not ready. Even if that is what it turns out to be it is a poor excuse since they have been open since last school year.
(1)Jacob W.
Excellent half price sushi all the time and excellent customer service. In and out with in a half hour which is great if you're looking for a late night stop.
(5)Bob J.
Their grand opening prices have been in effect for what seems like years. I've never had a problem, and have always enjoyed their sushi. Worth a try.
(4)Sally Y.
The main downfall for me for this place is that I don't live close enough to walk to Bento every day. Sad. In terms of affordability, qualitfy of food, atmosphere, and fun, Bento is perfect! It's very casual, laid back, and very reasonably priced compared to other Korean food places in the area. Also...jalf price sushi all the time every day! Basically it makes you feel like you're getting an awesome deal...and for me, it works. My favorites are the Dolsot Bibimbap, and being Korean, that has to mean something. You can't go wrong with the spicy pork dish or the Kalbi. Enjoy!
(4)Katie F.
By being one of the only places open late in Clifton, I feel as if Drunken Bento is almost extorting me when I want some good, non-greasy food past 10pm. Every time I've eaten there, their sushi has been warm from sitting out all day, thinly sliced, and the rice hard as rocks. The reason that it is half-priced is because it is half the quality and quantity of almost any other sushi place in the city. Their service is almost worse than the food, the place is maybe only 10 yards across, yet it consistently takes our servers about 20 minutes just to get our drinks. If it's before 9pm, spend a little more money and go to Maki Express across the street, it's infinitely better on all accounts!
(1)Hulee X.
This is also one of my favorite Korean restaurant near UC. They have very traditional Korean food. Their sides are also good If you order an entry. The most traditional food is Bibimbap.
(5)Brian L.
iZen Bento is an interesting place. I think the food is surprisingly good, but the service is surprisingly terrible. It is a great place for cheap-ish college food that is good quality. This honestly is not the best Korean food you will ever have, nor is it super authentic. It is however a cheap and simple way to delay the LA/NY korean bbq splurges. I usually get the bulgogi bento box, which is a healthy heeping of delicious Korean marinated beef, a couple of fried sides, kim chi, and rice. You really can't go wrong with any part of that meal. Oh and did I mention they give you a miso soup or salad with each order too? Talk about a full meal. Another favorite is the bi-bim-bap. It is simple and fresh. Definitely a good lunch choice if you are looking for something clean. I used to come here for lunch on a work day, but my last few experiences have been pretty rough, so I have had to eliminate this from my lunch rotation. Last time I came here for lunch with a group of 5, it took about 45 mins to get our food, leaving about -15 mins to get back to work. The restaurant is pretty small, so even if it were full, I would have expected them to get the food to us a little quicker. I've experienced another time waiting an hour, so... there really is no recovering from that. I can't hold a grudge very well, especially against korean food, so I recommend you just order ahead of time and carry out. =)
(4)Ken S.
Great food, sake and staff. haven't had anything on the menu I haven't liked and staff are fun and chatty while not busy.
(5)Win K.
I like them a lot, especially because of their late night service hours. Their selection of rolls is limited, however. Only seaweed paper options. They need to add more variety. Last experience with Red Devil Roll was horrible (wasabi dressing on the roll seemed to be missing along with the sauces). My favorite rolls here are Sunday Morning (they make one of the best Sunday Mornings!!), Volcano, and Stay With Me (this one is droolingly delicious!). Their selection of desserts and beverages are limited as well. Be careful of shrimp tails in some of the rolls (ouch!). Other than that, this is one of the many sushi places in Cincinnati that has earned most of my and my friends' business. Kudos to Bento for the late night hours! I wish Bento's had some outdoor seating as well. The only thing I didn't like about them was recently when I returned and told them I'd become vegetarian and wanted to know which of their rolls were veggie-friendly, one of the servers said to me, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think Cincinnati is the place to be vegetarian." Well, I'm vegan now and have frequented several sushi places that cater to my requests. i still go here, but I don't think she should've been telling me what to eat and what not to eat. I've had pleasant experiences with all the other servers since then though! P.S.: Love the walls where you can create your own memories in pencil. :) And the wine bottle idea for ceiling lighting is awesome!
(4)Shama M.
Drunken Bento is my guilty pleasure. This sushi is CHEAP. The quality is okay. I try not to get any raw fish here as it never tastes very good. I would stick to the cooked, fried fish or the shimp or crab. My favorite is the 'stay with me' roll which has tempura lobster and is HUGE. It's great for late-night sushi or a quick carry-out.
(3)Mike G.
The food is just ok. Your typical run of the mill sushi place. The servers need to get their shit together , multiple times I saw the chefs put a plate of sushi on the bar to be taken to a table that sat there for 10+ minutes. Multiple times I even saw a server walk by , check the ticket to see if it is theirs , leave it and walk away because it wasn't. We went in to order carry out. Ordered two rolls two salads and a steamed dumpling. Our rolls were up in five minutes and we waited an additional 25 minutes for our salads and steamed dumplings. People sat next to us ten minutes after we ordered , ate, paid and left before our stuff came up. 30 minutes for Togo food that came out cold is insane. They will probably do alright though because they are open late and drunk college kids don know any better.
(2)Amy T.
Bad from start to finish. Server didn't smile when greeting my family of 4 at the door. Sat my two young daughters in a booth with bent sharp screws sticking out of bench every four feet through out the dirty black painted bench on wall. Miso, Ew. Sweet/spicy pork app, greasy and gross. ($10.50) sushi, never again. Spicy tuna is my go to and they served disgustingly fishy ground up spicy tuna salad in mushy rice. Greasy sushi? How does that happen? Not to mention it was half price sushi and my family spent $50 on this disgusting meal served to horrible hard techno, not including tip. If it would have been cheap I wouldn't have given a bad review but... I mean they charged me $1 for the lack of ginger they plated with my sushi in the first place. Ew,Ew,Ew. Bottom line.
(1)Jordan M.
Drunken Bento is the latest addition to Cincinnati's finest late-night sushi bars. Appropriately named, Drunken Bento is just a block from the University of Cincinnati and has proved to be a late-night haven for students out in the area. The staff is great, with some familiar faces from (the original) Dancing Wasabi whipping up some of the finest, and of course, half-price sushi rolls. Drunken Bento is open until 1am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, and it is definitely a huge recommendation for sushi lovers in the area looking to have one hell of a fourth meal.
(5)Steve L.
Good, quick service. Staffed with good looking waitresses, friendly and small but cozy feeling inside. It's on E.McMillan where it's pretty happening during the school year. Open til 3am on the weekends and I believe 1am during the week. The Big Baller is my favorite roll, Rainbow is at a close second. Only traditional saki on menu, but saki bombs are also available. In the end, if you're close and do not want to drive downtown to eat mediocre sushi at best, or Hyde Park, STOP IN!
(3)Liz G.
I love this place. I haven't been here at night, only at lunch.The service is great (last time our server remembered something I had gotten during a previous visit that was too spicy for me and reminded me!) and their sushi is, in my experience, very fresh. Reasonably priced too.
(4)Sanjeet G.
Decent Korean food near UC's campus Pros: 1. Pretty reasonably priced compared to the other korean restaurants in Cincy 2. Service staff is friendly 3. I enjoy their hot stone bowl's as well as their bulgogi Cons: 1. It's an interesting atmosphere, somewhere between casual and fancy, didn't work for me 2. While the service staff is friendly, service is definitely slow
(3)Cass K.
Love coming to this place. Too bad it's usually so crowded during dinner time that it's hard to get a seat. My favorite dish to order is there Sunday Morning it's rice, cream cheese & salmon fried in tempura batter and Topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo. Since the sushi is ALWAYS half priced I usually get a double order. Definitely recommend this place.
(5)Paige M.
I can't speak for the sushi here, because I came for the unique ice cream treat that my friend raved about. Walking in, iZen looked pretty trendy: a college-esque restaurant with Target decor. We were also the only customers during lunch time. My friend and I had the ice cream...except it isn't what I'd normally call ice cream. It was more like a rounded ball of shaved ice. It was tasteless aside from a hint of citrus or vanilla. You can choose different kinds of fruit to add to the "ice cream." The fruit provides the flavor, which is why the "ice cream" is neutral. I had mixed berries, my friend had peach. My berries were all frozen. I imagine it would taste much better if they were fresh. This review could have earned three stars if the price was right. Fresh fruit or frozen fruit, this small helping of "ice cream" was not worth $4.00.
(2)Ryan B.
The affordable bento options at this small Korean restaurant are perfect for lunch or dinner. My favorite sides were the gyoza and fried sweet potato. While the bulgogi wasn't as good as Tea n' Bowl across the street, it was still quite yummy. I will return to try more of the entrees.
(4)Pat F.
Ok, so this isn't the best Korean food I've ever had. But it's pretty good, cheap, the people are nice, the place is clean and well-decorated, and it's awesome to have an option near UC that doesn't involve burritos and may even involve vegetables depending on what you get. I'll be going back there again one of these days when I'm stuck on campus for a long time.
(4)Karen K.
Been there 4 times and will continue going back. I order the Bibimbap and enjoy "half" of myorder, then I take the rest home for a nice warmed-up left-over meal. I love the Mocha Cake, too.
(3)Jo P.
We weren't sure when we first arrived even though this restaurant had a really good review on Yelp. The decor is fine but still "evolving." We decided to venture in and we were very happy we did. We had bibimbap, dupbap, and gimbap. We were just there last night and I am craving the bibimbap already. This was excellent food for the price. The service is also great.
(4)J K.
I really like this place. While the food may not be top notch, it's good enough. Service is friendly, and they let me call ahead so that my food is ready by the time i make it over from east campus. Update: It seems that they have raised their prices about a dollar per entree and no longer include miso soup. On the other hand, it seems like they now offer stone bowl dishes.
(4)Justin R.
THE STORY: It was late. I was hungry. This place was open. Should have gone with the gyro joint. I ordered the beef bibimbap. My friend ordered a beef bento box. While we waited amongst what might win "most awkward seating arrangement of the year," another friend Yelped this place, and then the negativity began. I should have listened. While we waited, we fraternized with the flies in dining area. They didn't have much to say. The restaurant (I use the term loosely) is undergoing a renovation, but nothing seems like it's on track to make sense any time soon. And then we heard the first beep, the kind of beep that can only come from a microwave. I shuddered, and the three of us just groaned, as if we were about to see someone on rollerblades slip and fall. Nothing we could do about it at this point. The second and third beeps just made me angry. We took our food to go. Good thing the cook didn't have to see the looks on our faces. THE FOOD: The beef bibimbap cost a little under $8, and there were no complaints quantity-wise. It looked microwaved, which makes sense, because it was. So mission accomplished on that one. Even the sunny side up egg looked microwaved! The vegetables were clumped together and hard to mix, especially the spinach, which looked like it was just thawed. The miso soup was not bad. A little lacking in flavor, but nothing too terrible. THE VERDICT: I don't plan on going back. Not for a while anyway. And not until they at least silence the beep on the microwave. Ignorance is bliss.
(2)Celeste W.
Great environment! Excellent food! Service is okay. I personally enjoyed bento and Korean food there, but parking was quite a headache. Anyway, give it a try! You won't dissapponted!
(4)jennifer P.
I love Bento. For some reason I always forget that it is there. Every time I have gone in there we have been the only people there. Which is sad to see because they are so sweet and the food is great. Especially for the price. 7.99 for a dinner bento box. That is UNHEARD OF! I always get the Bulgogi which is thinly sliced beef. You get a large amount of meat plus the sides, which include a variety of selections. Along with white rice and Miso. I do not like Miso soup so I never eat it. My daughter had the chicken and I tried a bite it was also very tasty. I must remember to go here often.
(4)Kelly C.
I really, really wanted to like this restaurant. I love most of the things they might have served, but what I got was...lackluster, to say the least. The restaurant is dingy, and slightly off-putting, but the guys working there were incredibly friendly...I even kind of dont' want to write about how bad the food ws because I liked them so much, but as a service to the internet, here we go: I got the fish bento. yeah yeah, why'd you get that, I don't know, OK? It just felt right, but what I got were essentially fish nuggets with honey mustard on top. AND THEY WERE THE MOST DELECTABLE THING IN THE BENTO. plain white rice was a close second. the miso soup was seriously inedible, howdya do that? it's like salt and water, hard to F up. There were some fried, yet cold tiny dumlings, and a lone fried, yet cold (?) sweet potato slice. Some slimy cucumber salad with some bean sprouts. The kimchi was ok. My friend, a recent return from Korea, said the bibimbap was decent. So...what I'm saying here is avoid the bento at bento. A bit strange. A bit bad. Not going back.
(1)Jennifer F.
I ate at this delicious restaurant with my husband and my dish was a fabulous as when my mom makes it at home! I had bulgogi and the portion was perfect. The meat and sauce were absolutely delicious! My husband had a seafood dish (served Ina hot stone bowl) and he loved it as well. Both meals were served with three small sides (kimchi being one of them). The prices are SO reasonable. Definitely a place I will go back to again.
(5)Jimmy W.
There are only 3 selections on the menu. Although this is a small restaurant, the three selections that it has are made fairly well. The pork bento box that I ordered was marinated well and served pork cutlets, salad, miso soup, egg salad, fried dumplings and rice. My friend ordered Pipimbab and it was really sweet with a tasty aroma. The beef version she ordered taste like candy. What I did not like about the restaurant was the lack of selection and the décor of the restaurant. It looked like Izen Bento was still under construction. I also knew someone liked to play tennis that worked there because there was a big tennis bag in the back of the restaurant.
(3)Liz A.
alert, dedicated readers! next week is super awesome meal week here at GIMB. i have two very exciting dinners lined up and i can't wait to tell you all about them (assuming they are as good as i am pretty sure they will be). and what better way to lead up to a week of amazing dining than by writing about a really shitty meal? i really wanted to like izen. it's a cute little takeout sushi place that has popped up in what seems to be a little cluster of them on mcmillan just south of UC. it's brightly colored and serves sushi, korean food, and... frozen yogurt. ok, i know, that should have been my first warning sign. my second warning sign should have been that the sushi is premade. the guy behind the counter, who was very nice and friendly and answered all my questions, told us that it is made 3 times a day, i guess in answer to the skeptical look on my face. i inspected the sushi. it looked weird. it was shaped funny and had strange colors in it. it looked about as good as the sushi i made for the first time a few months ago (which did not look very good). warning sign #3: the sushi selection included a "steak and cheese roll." ok. i am sorry. not to be a sushi nazi, but STEAK AND CHEESE?!?! look. i am all for culinary creativity. i do not turn my nose up at fusion food. furthermore, i am not a food snob. i can equally appreciate a really good steak and a french fry dipped in a frostee. but god or nature or the flying spaghetti monster or whatever just did not intend for humans to eat certain things, and a steak and cheese sushi roll is one of them. the menu calls it "the best of both worlds." i don't know which worlds those are but it's definitely not any world i have been to. (note: i did not actually eat the sushi so for all i know it was really good... take my criticism with a grain of salt.) after being thoroughly frightened by the sushi selection, avani and i decided to go with a hot option. there were three choices: bibimbap, beef gyu don, and "cheese fried rice." can we say warning sign #4. oh wait, i forgot a hidden corner of the menu: omurice. sounds intriguing? maybe, until you realize that your flavor options for this cryptic dish include "cheese burger" and "italian sausage." yes readers, that would be warning sign #5. by this point, we should have run screaming, but the guy behind the counter was really nice and appeared to be the owner and living the american dream of opening up his own restaurant after graduating from UC with his degree in violin performance. and he was actually korean, so i thought maybe he would be good at making korean food. while we were in the middle of ordering (me: gyu don, avani: bibimbap), a drunkish sororityish girl who had been sitting at a table by the window came stumbling up to the counter, cut in front of us, and began moaning something unintelligible about needing some frozen yogurt. i don't know what college kids are on these days but i think you would have to be under the influence of some combination of controlled substances to order more food in this place after you had already eaten a meal there. and in case you're still counting, that was warning sign #6. after a few minutes of wandering the oddly sparsely furnished restaurant (there were like 3 tables and very few chairs, and lots of empty space), our food was ready. we noticed that there was this weird combination of styrofoam containers and actual plates and silverware. we also noticed that the portions seemed tiny. we sipped the miso soup, which comes with all the hot items. i was hungry. "well it's ok," i said. "are you kidding me?" said avani. "it tastes like nothing. it just isn't miso-y. it tastes like hot water." of course, she was right. we switched to our food. my gyu don was... odd. the flavor was pretty good but it was big hunks of beef, not shredded. also, it was really oily and the rice was drowning in sauce. avani's bibimbap was just straight up bland. the beef tasted like nothing. the vegetables tasted like nothing. even the sauce could do little to revive the meal. on top of that, she ate like 3 bites and then was left with nothing but rice. i was eating as fast as i could to try to get through my meal before she started scavenging. but then i got to this huge chunk of fat and gristle and i let her have the rest of mine. here is the worst part: we paid $20.13 total for this meal. and we did not even order drinks. just some rice, a little watered down miso soup, and a few crappy bites of bland food. we could have eaten like kings at cilantro (or king wok, or thai express, or chicago gyro, or chipotle...) for half that. "i can't wait to go home and eat some leftover pizza," said avani. i was mad because i wasn't going home just then and had to wait until 10 pm to eat again. "here is what we have learned from this meal," i said as we left. "never try anything new."
(1)Dan J.
iZen is a brand new restaurant in W. McMillan's restaurant district (I'm not sure if it can be called that but I don't care) and offers a very strange mix of foods for patrons. The window is plastered with these options: Burritos, Cheese Fried Rice, Sushi, Smoothies, Pancakes. I might be crazy but...those don't exactly go together. Nevertheless, I felt kind of sorry for the place because it didn't seem like business was necessarily booming just yet, so I took the dive and walked in. The man behind the counter enthusiastically explained to me their specialty; cheese fried rice. It's much more than it sounds, and I had a very eclectic mix of basil sauce (spaghetti sauce?), onions, corn, jalapenos, and a few other things on top of rice and under three types of cheese. It was melded together for four minutes in a prominent microwave that didn't exactly impress, but the employee stressed that they are very attuned to how busy students are. The meal itself actually tasted great. I was surprised how all the flavors actually went together great. A little pricey for what you get but I'll support iZen in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll try the pancakes next time.
(3)Brandon I.
The best korean food in cincy. And very cheap. Fantastic for lunch with call ahead ordering and free wifi!!! I can't say enough good things about it!! Adding more to the menu in March. I can't wait!
(5)Melissa S.
When we're craving sushi my husband and I like to come here since it's consistently good and it's in the neighborhood. The sushi menu has familiar favorites and is fresh and flavorful, and the service is always friendly. A couple of the more unique rolls we like are the American Psycho roll and Stay with Me roll. We branched out on a recent visit and tried an entree from the Korean part of the menu, bibimbap with beef - heaven in a hot stone bowl! My only other taste of bibimbap was in L.A. and it was so great to relive this culinary delight!
(4)Khiemo S.
Good sushi and good prices! I love the crunch munch! The simple sushi (Cali, philly etc) are smaller compared to ichiban and cloud 9. Pretty good Korean food too.
(3)Yuna D.
So this place has legit Korean food--it looks like a second generation Korean-American guy opened up a restaurant with recipes taken from his family. It seriously tastes like food I'd make back home with my mom, and I love that. I always get the dup bap here, which comes in the stone bowl with total throwback Korean side dishes. The kimchi here is made really well too. The only thing though is that with any stone pot dish, there should be enough pressed cooked rice on the bottom (like the part that gets super crunchy), but I've never really had that experience here, which kind of sucks. My boyfriend really likes the spicy tuna roll here--it's his favorite thing to get. The other rolls haven't been as appealing to either of us. Service is really up and down though; the servers never really take the time to talk unless it's to provide food or give you the check, but they're pretty speedy once you get your order in. I wanted to ask about the store's background because I'm not kidding when I say the food is really throwback, but like the server just walked away as soon as I asked about the owner. Weird. The second time I came here, no one gave us menus or took our drink order for like 10 minutes. When someone finally took our order, she admitted they were trying to figure out who's table it was. Dude. Pick up an extra table if you have to and switch midway or something--that's just poor customer service. Interior is pretty chill--a lot of visitors write things on the wall. Food is somewhat pricey-ish, but worth. tl;dr legit throwback Korean food with good side dishes, decent sushi. Service is spotty though.
(3)Jenny D.
This is the first place I tried Korean Food. Their Kimchi that comes with the Korean entrees tastes pretty good. I've had he Bulgogi, Hot Stone Bibimbap, Dukkboki, Salmon Skin Roll, Dolsot Bimbimpap and the fried ice cream. The chili pepper sauce and paste they use is deliciously spicy.
(5)Biggah K.
Great Sushi .Always half priced. I love their Miso soup as well. Great customer service . Always fast and prompt.
(4)Melissa S.
When we're craving sushi my husband and I like to come here since it's consistently good and it's in the neighborhood. The sushi menu has familiar favorites and is fresh and flavorful, and the service is always friendly. A couple of the more unique rolls we like are the American Psycho roll and Stay with Me roll. We branched out on a recent visit and tried an entree from the Korean part of the menu, bibimbap with beef - heaven in a hot stone bowl! My only other taste of bibimbap was in L.A. and it was so great to relive this culinary delight!
(4)Khiemo S.
Good sushi and good prices! I love the crunch munch! The simple sushi (Cali, philly etc) are smaller compared to ichiban and cloud 9. Pretty good Korean food too.
(3)Coral W.
If you visit this restaurant, do try their Dolsot Bibimbop! I always get the marinated beef since marinated beef really goes well with Bibimbop. It is delicious, fulfilling, and reasonably priced (around $11). (If you go to a Korean restaurant in downtown or Hyde Park, you will have to pay $18 or so for a Bibimbop, which I think is insane) It also comes with three small Korean side dishes, including kimchi, fish paste and potato. But I am not really impressed with their sushi. Their half price sushi means smaller rolls and less fish. I love eating sushi with a lot of raw fish, so this place is not my #1 choice for sushi. But traditional Korean food like Bibimbop, this place is good!! For the the atmosphere and service of the restaurant. There is nothing really fancy about the decor or the atmosphere of the restaurant since it is located at the UC area. But it is comfortable and very layback. The restaurant is usually packed with young students on Friday nights. The servers are friendly and the service is good to me. This is why I like about this restaurant--you do not have to pay a lot of money to get delicious food and good services. :)
(4)Shamika K.
I went with a friend for lunch. It's a small place & doesn't look inviting when you walk in. However, our server was pleasant and attentive. Their sushi is always half off which is great because my lunch was less than $10! I always wonder though if it's always half priced, why not just make that the regular price?!? Just curious! Anyway, I ended up getting a shrimp tempura roll & Sunday Morning. The Sunday Morning was delicious and great! The shrimp tempura was just okay. For the price, I'd definitely go again, although parking in Clifton is a hit or miss. I drove around for 15 minutes before I found a spot. Plan accordingly!
(3)Sydney D.
The food here is consistent and always wonderful. The service, well, that's another story. I'm not quite sure how stoned the servers were today? I can tell you this, when my soup and salad arrived, I asked for a ginger ale. I saw my server leave the building, go get a bag of Lays potato chips and come back. Same server cleared our salad and soup plates before the meal came and took all the silverware. She then asked me if I still wanted that ginger ale? I said no, knowing that I would only get that one ginger ale with no refills. Our food was delivered and my friend did not have silverware to eat. When I was finally able to get someone's attention, I asked for a fork for my friend. Nothing. Approximately nine minutes later, our server came by and I asked her for a fork. Which took her a couple of minutes to bring back. Granted, bibimbap is too hot to eat right away, but that's not really for the server to decide. I would suggest carry out if you can. Although Bibimbap is not the same without the crunchy rice on the bottom of the bowl.
(3)Tsyria T.
When I'm craving sushi, I head to Drunken Bento. It's cheap (always half price), within walking distance from me, and it fills my craving. The sushi is okay. This isn't a place you should go out of your way to eat at if you're not from around the area. The Korean food here is pretty decent. The restaurant is small, and shaped like a huge hallway. Reminds me of some ramen places! I actually enjoy the atmosphere. They also have some TV's in there where they show news and sports, and blocks on the side of the wall where people have signed their names and messages. It's not fancy or date night material, but if you're out with friends, this is a good late night food spot!
(3)Peggy S.
Quality sushi in a great atmosphere. No wonder it's busy on evenings! This is my favorite sushi place in the area. I met the owner when he opened it originally when it was more of a Korean than sushi place. I haven't had the Korean food yet. The sushi though is good quality for the price. All of the times I've been here, I have never heard someone leaving with negative comments. In fact, I often hear people saying great things while leaving. My go-to combination is a futomaki roll (includes egg and a crab stick with lots of vegetables) and the volcano roll (a baked roll with lots of spicy mayo in top). White tuna is also a good choice on the nigiri menu. Our waitress tonight was also super friendly and made our slight wait enjoyable. The back area by the bathrooms is divey, but the front eating area is nice. The owner put up a wall of reused 2x4s he collected from construction sites. He told me how he didn't originally intend for people to write on them but it became a thing and he said he liked having people leave their mark! One day I'll try the Korean dishes... if I'm ever not craving the sushi :-P
(4)Tejas D.
Whether you want to have a meal in solitude or with a few friends, it's the perfect place!
(5)Sandra F.
My husband and I was in the Clifton area and was craving sushi. A fellow yelper mentioned this restaurant. She mentioned that the price is cheap and the food is good. 1/2 price sushi everyday?! You can't beat that! IZen's Drunken Bento is located across the street from Mac's pizza. When we walked in, we were seated right away. What stood out was the wood blocked graffitti on the wall. Loved it! Place is very small and intimate. Loved the sushi bar, but I didn't like the dust on the lighting fixtures and on decor. We were waited on right away and the server was very friendly. She was quick on taking our order. The night was pretty steady with dine ins and carry outs. My husband and I started off with the Vegetarian Gyoza (fried) for $3.95. Then proceeded with our sushi order since it was half off. -AAC Roll $2.50 -Asparagus Roll $3.00 -Cucumber Roll $2.00 -Vegetable Roll $2.75 -Extra ginger $1.00 For each roll you get 8 pieces and we requested all sushi to be wrap inside and out (rice out-seawood in). We received the sushi right away. They were pretty quick. I always say you get what you pay for. I was a bit disappointed with the sushi. The rice tasted old and funny (my husband agreed). The service was excellent. Server was refilling our waters, always checked up on us, and brought the bill out right away. Bill was only $16.23. You cannot beat the price, but the quality of the sushi was not great. Sorry IZen's Drunken Bento, not returning.
(3)Chris L.
Asked about good sushi in Cincinnati/Clifton area and was recommended this place. When they said they had good sushi, they weren't kidding! The sushi seems to just melt in your mouth. I got the spicy tuna and yum yum roll. The "spice" is authentic but not overpowering. 1/2 price too!! Hard to find sushi this good at this price. I will be returning here sometime, as they have relatively cheap alcohol here and a nice atmosphere for eating and drinking if you choose. Highly recommend.
(5)Bianca D.
The sushi here is good and always half price! I really like that. However the place is so small, and the bathrooms are really janky. The owner/manager walks around asking about your nationality 0.o
(4)Sherry T.
Stick with the sushi, which is half the price of what is listed on the menu, and avoid the entrees and you'll walk about feeling satisfied from both a culinary and financial perspective. I had three rolls during my visit--avocado, tuna, and Philadelphia. The Philadelphia roll was outstanding, the avocado roll was very good, and the tuna roll was okay (tuna did not taste exceptionally fresh). Service was fast and friendly. I will return.
(4)Alexis M.
Great sushi and great prices!! My favorite sushi place to go to. My favorite rolls are the Sunday Morning, Crunch Munch, McMillian, and Spider Roll but they're all good. Only down side is that it's a small place so sometimes gets crowded but it's worth it!
(5)Bryson M.
Not the greatest sushi ever... but the other options make up for it. Good miso soup and bibimbob. .. good for quick, late night sushi... I like it! You should give it a try at least! Open late!!!!!! Check it out... free water refills too!
(4)Yuna D.
So this place has legit Korean food--it looks like a second generation Korean-American guy opened up a restaurant with recipes taken from his family. It seriously tastes like food I'd make back home with my mom, and I love that. I always get the dup bap here, which comes in the stone bowl with total throwback Korean side dishes. The kimchi here is made really well too. The only thing though is that with any stone pot dish, there should be enough pressed cooked rice on the bottom (like the part that gets super crunchy), but I've never really had that experience here, which kind of sucks. My boyfriend really likes the spicy tuna roll here--it's his favorite thing to get. The other rolls haven't been as appealing to either of us. Service is really up and down though; the servers never really take the time to talk unless it's to provide food or give you the check, but they're pretty speedy once you get your order in. I wanted to ask about the store's background because I'm not kidding when I say the food is really throwback, but like the server just walked away as soon as I asked about the owner. Weird. The second time I came here, no one gave us menus or took our drink order for like 10 minutes. When someone finally took our order, she admitted they were trying to figure out who's table it was. Dude. Pick up an extra table if you have to and switch midway or something--that's just poor customer service. Interior is pretty chill--a lot of visitors write things on the wall. Food is somewhat pricey-ish, but worth. tl;dr legit throwback Korean food with good side dishes, decent sushi. Service is spotty though.
(3)Jenny D.
This is the first place I tried Korean Food. Their Kimchi that comes with the Korean entrees tastes pretty good. I've had he Bulgogi, Hot Stone Bibimbap, Dukkboki, Salmon Skin Roll, Dolsot Bimbimpap and the fried ice cream. The chili pepper sauce and paste they use is deliciously spicy.
(5)Biggah K.
Great Sushi .Always half priced. I love their Miso soup as well. Great customer service . Always fast and prompt.
(4)Kennie G.
You know what? This place is divey, a little dingy, and small, but if you're looking for late night sushi that is actually tasty and fresh, this is the spot to watch. My friends and I came in after a night on the town and we were seated almost right away. Our seats were right in the way of the draft whenever someone would open the door (it was a cold night) but that's really the only complaint I have about it. The sushi was good (and half price!) and they will let you "create your own roll" which is pretty cool. I look forward to going back some time.
(4)Alexa H.
Update: Went here for dinner by myself and the service was still very amazing. The staff was really nice and it was really enjoyable even by myself. Sushi was again amazing. Got the Caterpillar roll and Cucumber roll and they were beautiful. Even if you don't have a group, don't be discouraged from dining here yourself.
(5)Iggy O.
I have yet to have anything but a pleasant experience here. I've eaten in once and wish I had time to do that more. Love the mix of sushi and Korean bbq. I walked by this place a hundred times before trying it out and have been a pretty loyal customer since. Go to this place and try something new!
(5)Jess H.
This sure isn't what I expected, by any means. I mean that in a most positive way! I am not familiar with the area around UC. My boyfriend and I were walking around, trying to sift through the 10+ Asian restaurants all located within blocks from each other. Overwhelming choices. This place, along with a few other places, offers 50% sushi. ...all day, every day. Even until 2am. This naturally caused me to become skeptical. We stepped inside, and it's quite a small space. About ten people can sit on the right side, and then the left side of the restaurant is lined with 2top tables. When presented with the menus (which had very nice looking covers) I asked what the 50% applied to. ...ALL of the sushi. Even the nigiri/sashimi. The rolls seemed to be marked up more than what I was used to...we ordered a Dragon roll (14.50) and 2 Futo Maki rolls. (12.00 ea). I mean...after the discount, the price was quite nice. And the sushi was VERY good. I'd have to say this is one of the best places I've eaten. Still, a few things bothered me. The cleanliness of the restaurant...there was dust everywhere. Especially towards the back, by the restrooms. Second, our waitress was an average server, but not quite warm and friendly. She did her job, but a bit more of an engaging approach would change the atmosphere completely. Lastly, there did not seem to be any consistent uniform there...our waitress was wearing a black tank top. That's strange, in the food industry...especially serving sushi. Still, the sushi was delicious enough to earn four stars on its own. With some fair improvements, this place could excel 5 stars.
(4)Edward D.
As the name suggests, one should probably only consider ordering at this "sushi" joint during inebriated circumstances. I dropped by Drunken Bento on a Thursday night and ordered a few roles of sushi (Cant go too wrong with Sushi right? If all else fails, atleast the spicy mayo and some fried tempura should cover up any shortcomings?) I learned my lesson the hard way after few key observations (of many): the rolls were warm when served, tuna felt chewy when bit, and the spicy mayo oddly tasted a bit sour. I thoroughly regret succumbing to my cravings for cheap sushi and will not recommend this spot from my initial experiences.
(1)Katie D.
Not the best Korean but excellent for the price! Bulgolgi and other traditional Korean dishes run for only about $10 here, whereas other places they are generally more like $18. Can't beat that! I highly recommend going at lunch when they have bento boxes. It is a lot of food for only $10 or so. Always order the large, paying the 50 cents extra is totally worth it for how much more food you get. It even includes a miso soup or a salad! They also have half price sushi all of the time, which I know people love, but I have only experienced the Korean. If you do not order the bento box or it is dinner time, I highly recommend the kimchi chike. It is a soup with kimchi, tofu, and a few other things. Very tasty, complex flavor! Just think about how good kimchi is, and now imagine how much better it could be served hot in a soup! Miso soup makes for a good appetizer too. I recommend to go with a group of 4 or less. The restaurant is long and narrow, and doesn't seem that it be able to accommodate large groups easily.
(4)Becky D.
The real charm of this place is the Korean menu, though the sushi is the best value around! The Sushi: I actually like their rolls better than many other sushi places around town, and Drunken Bento is able to offer them at half the price. Take with a grain of salt: I'm not a connoisseur. But I sure do like their shrimp tempura. The KOREAN Stuff: When you open the menu, turn past the sushi, and give some serious consideration to the Bibimbap. This is a very typical Korean dish served in a stone bowl so hot it crisps the rice on the bottom. It is well done here, with good vegetables, and a lovely assortment of sides, including a dab of kimchi. Other Korean menu items also impress, so don't hesitate to explore. The Atmosphere: Drafty if you sit near the door. It is a small space with small tables so you will be dining close to your neighbors. But it has character! I find it a really relaxing place to eat. There are televisions, but they are silent and won't disrupt your meal. The Service: Always fast and friendly. I've never been the least bit disappointed. Parking: Pay to park in a nearby garage, or drive once around the block and tuck yourself into a metered spot along McMillan or Calhoun after hours for free. Traffic is often heavy in the area, but also usually tolerant of all the parallel parking. The Hours: I used to always wonder why there were no places other than bars open late around UC; such a big campus, surely there were students looking for pleasant late-night hang outs? Drunken Bento was one of the first pioneers of the area's late night cuisine a few years ago. It isn't a bar and doesn't feel like one, but it is open late!
(5)Jessie T.
To keep it simple, I've been a frequent customer here for a few years now and am a avid sushi eater.. this place has never disappointed me and their sushi always satisfies my sushi cravings and at a reasonable price. It has a great atmosphere, too. And if you're not into sushi, they've got a decent selection of Korean and Japanese items that are also great. It is smaller inside, but they can usually get you seated fairly quickly. They're also open until at least 2am, so if you're nearby abd hungry on a late night, stop in and try it!
(4)Erin K.
Since Dancing Wasabi closed, Drunken Bento has been our go-to for sushi in Cincinnati. Their sushi menu is similar to everything we've been missing, and they have other great options like their ramen soup. We've never had trouble getting in on weekend nights, and it's great that their sushi is 50% off all day, every day until 2AM. Our service has been great, and we will be back!
(5)Gregory A.
Love love love . Best sushi in clifton and probably the cinci area. Friendly customer service and a awesome owner .
(5)Todd F.
It's good food--the sushi punches above its weight. The Korean is the best in Cincinnati for the price. There is better Korean food in Cincy, but you pay a lot more for it. There's better Korean food in NYC or Chicago or LA, but they are obviously far away. When I need a real Korean fix for an affordable price, I go here.
(5)Tsyria T.
When I'm craving sushi, I head to Drunken Bento. It's cheap (always half price), within walking distance from me, and it fills my craving. The sushi is okay. This isn't a place you should go out of your way to eat at if you're not from around the area. The Korean food here is pretty decent. The restaurant is small, and shaped like a huge hallway. Reminds me of some ramen places! I actually enjoy the atmosphere. They also have some TV's in there where they show news and sports, and blocks on the side of the wall where people have signed their names and messages. It's not fancy or date night material, but if you're out with friends, this is a good late night food spot!
(3)Peggy S.
Quality sushi in a great atmosphere. No wonder it's busy on evenings! This is my favorite sushi place in the area. I met the owner when he opened it originally when it was more of a Korean than sushi place. I haven't had the Korean food yet. The sushi though is good quality for the price. All of the times I've been here, I have never heard someone leaving with negative comments. In fact, I often hear people saying great things while leaving. My go-to combination is a futomaki roll (includes egg and a crab stick with lots of vegetables) and the volcano roll (a baked roll with lots of spicy mayo in top). White tuna is also a good choice on the nigiri menu. Our waitress tonight was also super friendly and made our slight wait enjoyable. The back area by the bathrooms is divey, but the front eating area is nice. The owner put up a wall of reused 2x4s he collected from construction sites. He told me how he didn't originally intend for people to write on them but it became a thing and he said he liked having people leave their mark! One day I'll try the Korean dishes... if I'm ever not craving the sushi :-P
(4)Tejas D.
Whether you want to have a meal in solitude or with a few friends, it's the perfect place!
(5)Sandra F.
My husband and I was in the Clifton area and was craving sushi. A fellow yelper mentioned this restaurant. She mentioned that the price is cheap and the food is good. 1/2 price sushi everyday?! You can't beat that! IZen's Drunken Bento is located across the street from Mac's pizza. When we walked in, we were seated right away. What stood out was the wood blocked graffitti on the wall. Loved it! Place is very small and intimate. Loved the sushi bar, but I didn't like the dust on the lighting fixtures and on decor. We were waited on right away and the server was very friendly. She was quick on taking our order. The night was pretty steady with dine ins and carry outs. My husband and I started off with the Vegetarian Gyoza (fried) for $3.95. Then proceeded with our sushi order since it was half off. -AAC Roll $2.50 -Asparagus Roll $3.00 -Cucumber Roll $2.00 -Vegetable Roll $2.75 -Extra ginger $1.00 For each roll you get 8 pieces and we requested all sushi to be wrap inside and out (rice out-seawood in). We received the sushi right away. They were pretty quick. I always say you get what you pay for. I was a bit disappointed with the sushi. The rice tasted old and funny (my husband agreed). The service was excellent. Server was refilling our waters, always checked up on us, and brought the bill out right away. Bill was only $16.23. You cannot beat the price, but the quality of the sushi was not great. Sorry IZen's Drunken Bento, not returning.
(3)Kennie G.
You know what? This place is divey, a little dingy, and small, but if you're looking for late night sushi that is actually tasty and fresh, this is the spot to watch. My friends and I came in after a night on the town and we were seated almost right away. Our seats were right in the way of the draft whenever someone would open the door (it was a cold night) but that's really the only complaint I have about it. The sushi was good (and half price!) and they will let you "create your own roll" which is pretty cool. I look forward to going back some time.
(4)Jess H.
This sure isn't what I expected, by any means. I mean that in a most positive way! I am not familiar with the area around UC. My boyfriend and I were walking around, trying to sift through the 10+ Asian restaurants all located within blocks from each other. Overwhelming choices. This place, along with a few other places, offers 50% sushi. ...all day, every day. Even until 2am. This naturally caused me to become skeptical. We stepped inside, and it's quite a small space. About ten people can sit on the right side, and then the left side of the restaurant is lined with 2top tables. When presented with the menus (which had very nice looking covers) I asked what the 50% applied to. ...ALL of the sushi. Even the nigiri/sashimi. The rolls seemed to be marked up more than what I was used to...we ordered a Dragon roll (14.50) and 2 Futo Maki rolls. (12.00 ea). I mean...after the discount, the price was quite nice. And the sushi was VERY good. I'd have to say this is one of the best places I've eaten. Still, a few things bothered me. The cleanliness of the restaurant...there was dust everywhere. Especially towards the back, by the restrooms. Second, our waitress was an average server, but not quite warm and friendly. She did her job, but a bit more of an engaging approach would change the atmosphere completely. Lastly, there did not seem to be any consistent uniform there...our waitress was wearing a black tank top. That's strange, in the food industry...especially serving sushi. Still, the sushi was delicious enough to earn four stars on its own. With some fair improvements, this place could excel 5 stars.
(4)Edward D.
As the name suggests, one should probably only consider ordering at this "sushi" joint during inebriated circumstances. I dropped by Drunken Bento on a Thursday night and ordered a few roles of sushi (Cant go too wrong with Sushi right? If all else fails, atleast the spicy mayo and some fried tempura should cover up any shortcomings?) I learned my lesson the hard way after few key observations (of many): the rolls were warm when served, tuna felt chewy when bit, and the spicy mayo oddly tasted a bit sour. I thoroughly regret succumbing to my cravings for cheap sushi and will not recommend this spot from my initial experiences.
(1)Jessie T.
To keep it simple, I've been a frequent customer here for a few years now and am a avid sushi eater.. this place has never disappointed me and their sushi always satisfies my sushi cravings and at a reasonable price. It has a great atmosphere, too. And if you're not into sushi, they've got a decent selection of Korean and Japanese items that are also great. It is smaller inside, but they can usually get you seated fairly quickly. They're also open until at least 2am, so if you're nearby abd hungry on a late night, stop in and try it!
(4)Erin K.
Since Dancing Wasabi closed, Drunken Bento has been our go-to for sushi in Cincinnati. Their sushi menu is similar to everything we've been missing, and they have other great options like their ramen soup. We've never had trouble getting in on weekend nights, and it's great that their sushi is 50% off all day, every day until 2AM. Our service has been great, and we will be back!
(5)Katie D.
Not the best Korean but excellent for the price! Bulgolgi and other traditional Korean dishes run for only about $10 here, whereas other places they are generally more like $18. Can't beat that! I highly recommend going at lunch when they have bento boxes. It is a lot of food for only $10 or so. Always order the large, paying the 50 cents extra is totally worth it for how much more food you get. It even includes a miso soup or a salad! They also have half price sushi all of the time, which I know people love, but I have only experienced the Korean. If you do not order the bento box or it is dinner time, I highly recommend the kimchi chike. It is a soup with kimchi, tofu, and a few other things. Very tasty, complex flavor! Just think about how good kimchi is, and now imagine how much better it could be served hot in a soup! Miso soup makes for a good appetizer too. I recommend to go with a group of 4 or less. The restaurant is long and narrow, and doesn't seem that it be able to accommodate large groups easily.
(4)Bryson M.
Not the greatest sushi ever... but the other options make up for it. Good miso soup and bibimbob. .. good for quick, late night sushi... I like it! You should give it a try at least! Open late!!!!!! Check it out... free water refills too!
(4)Becky D.
The real charm of this place is the Korean menu, though the sushi is the best value around! The Sushi: I actually like their rolls better than many other sushi places around town, and Drunken Bento is able to offer them at half the price. Take with a grain of salt: I'm not a connoisseur. But I sure do like their shrimp tempura. The KOREAN Stuff: When you open the menu, turn past the sushi, and give some serious consideration to the Bibimbap. This is a very typical Korean dish served in a stone bowl so hot it crisps the rice on the bottom. It is well done here, with good vegetables, and a lovely assortment of sides, including a dab of kimchi. Other Korean menu items also impress, so don't hesitate to explore. The Atmosphere: Drafty if you sit near the door. It is a small space with small tables so you will be dining close to your neighbors. But it has character! I find it a really relaxing place to eat. There are televisions, but they are silent and won't disrupt your meal. The Service: Always fast and friendly. I've never been the least bit disappointed. Parking: Pay to park in a nearby garage, or drive once around the block and tuck yourself into a metered spot along McMillan or Calhoun after hours for free. Traffic is often heavy in the area, but also usually tolerant of all the parallel parking. The Hours: I used to always wonder why there were no places other than bars open late around UC; such a big campus, surely there were students looking for pleasant late-night hang outs? Drunken Bento was one of the first pioneers of the area's late night cuisine a few years ago. It isn't a bar and doesn't feel like one, but it is open late!
(5)Corinne H.
I'm re-reviewing for two reasons, to balance out some negative/mediocre reviews, and also because since my last review, Eliot and I have become seasoned regulars whom the wait staff and owner know by face and name. A few disclaimers: this is a college hangout/drinking/late-night-sushi-after-sorority-Ârecruitment spot, not a family establishment. If you bring your kids, you will spend your dinner covering their ears (note: frat bros) and explaining what all of the phrases scrawled on the 2x4s along the wall mean. Secondly, Eliot and I are both VERY high tippers (resultant of both of our serving experience), and when you frequent any locale with good tips they remember you and give you excellent service every time. Regardless, the staff all seem like wonderful people that would be talkative and pleasant even if they hadn't the slightest idea of your tipping standards. Lastly, the two of us have tried a few items for the first time recently: the stone bowl bibimbap, and the fried ice cream dessert. Both were delicious. It was Eliot's first time having fried ice cream and now he talks about getting it on almost a daily basis. (It's become a new obsession of sorts, you could say.) One tip if you order the stone bowl bibimbap: when you mix it, don't scrape the bottom of the bowl. That way the rice on the bottom gets nice and crispy while you eat the rest! The owner is always smiling and very friendly, and always says hi and checks on us when we come in. We love it here, and no doubt we'll be back for more nigiri sushi and fried ice cream soon!
(5)Ben H.
I loved the food espically the ginger sauce salad. I ordered the chicken lunch special platter and it was huge it also came with a side order of salad or soup i picked the salad. it only cost like $8.00 and it was well worth it. the chicken was fried, it also had a fried sweet potato ring, rice, and some other stuff that was really good. however service wasn't the best because the waitress would come after 40 mins to check up on you even proabably never until you call her over. i mean she was nice she just took for ever to come over. all in all the food wasnt bad!
(4)David K.
The Korean food is quite nice but the sushi is... passing. Get the Douk Boki instead. It hurts so good.
(4)Gregory A.
Love love love . Best sushi in clifton and probably the cinci area. Friendly customer service and a awesome owner .
(5)Dale H.
Dined in for the first time here. We had taken carry-out before. With my daughter at UC and the half-off sushi prices, we had to try it! It was a Tuesday night about 7:30 and it was very busy, pretty much at 100% capacity. We were seated promptly once they cleared the table - at a place by the door. It was single digits outside, so it was still cold at the table :o( Once another table became vacant, the server was accommodating and moved us at our request. Much better! The service was very good! Our tea was replenished when low and our food came out in a timely manner. We all ordered sushi. I also ordered a bowl of tempura udon. The udon soup was piping hot (nice!). There were also some shrooms, fish cake, crab sticks (not a fan), and two large fried shrimp. They were NOT tempura but more like the harder/crispier ebi furai that we got in Japan in a bento box. Still ok but not what I was expecting. Overall, it did hit the spot on a cold night :o) Broth was nice also. The sushi was average. As other reviewers have mentioned, the raw fish seemed a bit on the warm side :o( and seemed to lack much flavor. But hey, it is a half-price sushi joint near UC where students generally are on a budget.
(3)Stephanie H.
I dined in the other day with a friend. Her volcano roll came out super burnt and brown/blackish burns on top. She had 2 pieces and said she couldn't eat it anymore. When the server came by and asked how everything was, my friend explained that her one sushi roll looked and tasted burnt and dried out and the server replied "oh okay" and walked away. She didn't offer a solution either to recook the item or comp the item, but instead returned to the table after we had cashed out and suggested to my friend that next time she might ask to order her roll undercooked so that it doesn't come out burned. How does that make sense?
(3)Raj T.
I went to DB today to try their always "half price" Sushi! In reality you are getting sushi only the size of your middle finger. I guess you can''t expect much more? Taste - sushi rice was dry and bland. What was inside was not good either. As the name implies, you have to be 'drunk' to like the sushi!? I plan to try their Korean food some other time since the kitchen was closed.
(2)Angela C.
I'm still trying to decide how I feel about iZen. I've only gotten take-out, though the hostess/servers have always been very nice. The wall covered with 2x4's is interesting and kind of fun with all those college student scribbles all over it. The food. Well, the sushi (at half price) is probably worth the price you pay. The rice is pretty hard- basically you're about a half step up from grocery store sushi. I suppose it can suffice as a late night option. I've tried the soon du bu and bi bim bap, which are pretty decent (and a little cheaper than some of the other Korean restaurants). I thought the ban chan, other than the kim chi and fish cakes, were a little weird- the bean sprouts had no flavor and I'm not sure what the other one was- tasted like slightly raw potato shreds (probably a radish?). A-OK pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it'll do in a pinch when I want a relatively cheap and healthier feeling meal in Clifton.
(3)Yolanda S.
Not bad. Their Stay With Me roll is really good. The waitress Sarah was nice, service good, but I'm not sure if there are free refills on sodas as I didn't receive one. The atmosphere ok, quaint. I noticed the floor needs work and it smelled kind of funny upon entering. Overall I would go back especially for carry out at half price. *UPDATE" I will NOT carry out sushi again! Nothing against Drunken Bento it's just not as good after the 15 mins it takes to get home.
(3)Danielle O.
I'm not a big oriental or sushi person but I LOVE the Sunday morning, shrimp tempura and yum yum rolls.. I visit at least once a month and the service is always excellent
(4)Suzanne R.
Yum. I wish I could eat here every day. Plus nice atmosphere and staff.
(5)Jiaolong L.
I've been here almost 2 years ago. At That time, chief is the manager 's wife. She is Korean and really good at cooking. However, now, they change the chief. All of their food are lost their taste. Rice isn't as good as before; Galbi is getting more and more small; and there are even real stones in seafood soup. This restaurant is really disappointing to me. It is the my favorite one before. :(
(1)Chris G.
We have eaten here often when we go to Clifton. Our boys love some of the unique rolls and we've started working our way through the Korean dishes. The bulgolki is our favorite so far. The majority of customers are college students and the wait staff is okay. Some are better than others. The sushi rolls are half-priced, but I don't know how long that will last.
(3)Emily L.
I tend to visit Drunken Bento to remedy my ultra craving for mouthwatering sushi. I've visited places where the sushi fish just doesn't look fresh, but Drunken Bento does a decent job of keepin' it fresh! It's not a bad place to order some sushi favorites: the tuna roll, the salmon cucumber, and what I like to call the "triple veggie": the asparagus/avocado/cucumber. Yeah! They are tasty, satisfying, and filling! The prices are decent for the quantity, freshness, and taste. The hostess is usually friendly and helpful, so that's an additional perk. The interior set-up looks like a half cafe, half bar style restaurant, so they definitely entertain some nightlife. It's located near U.C, so their customers tend to be students. Parking, however, can be an issue. There are meters nearby, but I would recommend getting a take-out if you want to enjoy your food without looking at your watch.
(4)Corinne H.
I'm re-reviewing for two reasons, to balance out some negative/mediocre reviews, and also because since my last review, Eliot and I have become seasoned regulars whom the wait staff and owner know by face and name. A few disclaimers: this is a college hangout/drinking/late-night-sushi-after-sorority-Ârecruitment spot, not a family establishment. If you bring your kids, you will spend your dinner covering their ears (note: frat bros) and explaining what all of the phrases scrawled on the 2x4s along the wall mean. Secondly, Eliot and I are both VERY high tippers (resultant of both of our serving experience), and when you frequent any locale with good tips they remember you and give you excellent service every time. Regardless, the staff all seem like wonderful people that would be talkative and pleasant even if they hadn't the slightest idea of your tipping standards. Lastly, the two of us have tried a few items for the first time recently: the stone bowl bibimbap, and the fried ice cream dessert. Both were delicious. It was Eliot's first time having fried ice cream and now he talks about getting it on almost a daily basis. (It's become a new obsession of sorts, you could say.) One tip if you order the stone bowl bibimbap: when you mix it, don't scrape the bottom of the bowl. That way the rice on the bottom gets nice and crispy while you eat the rest! The owner is always smiling and very friendly, and always says hi and checks on us when we come in. We love it here, and no doubt we'll be back for more nigiri sushi and fried ice cream soon!
(5)Alex N.
I'm going to start off on a good note by saying our waitress was great and was making the best out of the situation. She was much applauded. Now the situation, the place was packed and every seat was taken. The restaurant could seat about 40 people. For all of those 40 people they only had two waitresses working. The kitchen was busy and could not keep up with the crowd. So bad that we actually received our food before our drinks. The waitress did keep coming back to us and told us that she did not forget but the kitchen needed to wash glasses since they ran out of clean ones. She tried her best and kept apologizing to us. To make matters worse it was very hot in the restaurant. It had to be over 85 degrees in the seating area. When the food came out it was awful ! The sushi rolls were soggy and half rolled. My spicy tuna roll only had tuna in 6 out of the 8. The other 2 had was just seaweed and sushi rice. To make matters worse all the raw fish was warm and soggy. I am guessing it had to do with the temperature in the restaurant. The issue with that is not only that is taste bad but it's dangerous! I will say that I am going to give it another try. I hope all of this is due to UC just starting and they were not ready. Even if that is what it turns out to be it is a poor excuse since they have been open since last school year.
(1)Sally Y.
The main downfall for me for this place is that I don't live close enough to walk to Bento every day. Sad. In terms of affordability, qualitfy of food, atmosphere, and fun, Bento is perfect! It's very casual, laid back, and very reasonably priced compared to other Korean food places in the area. Also...jalf price sushi all the time every day! Basically it makes you feel like you're getting an awesome deal...and for me, it works. My favorites are the Dolsot Bibimbap, and being Korean, that has to mean something. You can't go wrong with the spicy pork dish or the Kalbi. Enjoy!
(4)Bob J.
Their grand opening prices have been in effect for what seems like years. I've never had a problem, and have always enjoyed their sushi. Worth a try.
(4)Jacob W.
Excellent half price sushi all the time and excellent customer service. In and out with in a half hour which is great if you're looking for a late night stop.
(5)Katie F.
By being one of the only places open late in Clifton, I feel as if Drunken Bento is almost extorting me when I want some good, non-greasy food past 10pm. Every time I've eaten there, their sushi has been warm from sitting out all day, thinly sliced, and the rice hard as rocks. The reason that it is half-priced is because it is half the quality and quantity of almost any other sushi place in the city. Their service is almost worse than the food, the place is maybe only 10 yards across, yet it consistently takes our servers about 20 minutes just to get our drinks. If it's before 9pm, spend a little more money and go to Maki Express across the street, it's infinitely better on all accounts!
(1)Hulee X.
This is also one of my favorite Korean restaurant near UC. They have very traditional Korean food. Their sides are also good If you order an entry. The most traditional food is Bibimbap.
(5)Brian L.
iZen Bento is an interesting place. I think the food is surprisingly good, but the service is surprisingly terrible. It is a great place for cheap-ish college food that is good quality. This honestly is not the best Korean food you will ever have, nor is it super authentic. It is however a cheap and simple way to delay the LA/NY korean bbq splurges. I usually get the bulgogi bento box, which is a healthy heeping of delicious Korean marinated beef, a couple of fried sides, kim chi, and rice. You really can't go wrong with any part of that meal. Oh and did I mention they give you a miso soup or salad with each order too? Talk about a full meal. Another favorite is the bi-bim-bap. It is simple and fresh. Definitely a good lunch choice if you are looking for something clean. I used to come here for lunch on a work day, but my last few experiences have been pretty rough, so I have had to eliminate this from my lunch rotation. Last time I came here for lunch with a group of 5, it took about 45 mins to get our food, leaving about -15 mins to get back to work. The restaurant is pretty small, so even if it were full, I would have expected them to get the food to us a little quicker. I've experienced another time waiting an hour, so... there really is no recovering from that. I can't hold a grudge very well, especially against korean food, so I recommend you just order ahead of time and carry out. =)
(4)Ken S.
Great food, sake and staff. haven't had anything on the menu I haven't liked and staff are fun and chatty while not busy.
(5)Momo S.
Delicious food, nice atmosphere. Will definitely eat there again
(4)Jennifer F.
I ate at this delicious restaurant with my husband and my dish was a fabulous as when my mom makes it at home! I had bulgogi and the portion was perfect. The meat and sauce were absolutely delicious! My husband had a seafood dish (served Ina hot stone bowl) and he loved it as well. Both meals were served with three small sides (kimchi being one of them). The prices are SO reasonable. Definitely a place I will go back to again.
(5)Win K.
I like them a lot, especially because of their late night service hours. Their selection of rolls is limited, however. Only seaweed paper options. They need to add more variety. Last experience with Red Devil Roll was horrible (wasabi dressing on the roll seemed to be missing along with the sauces). My favorite rolls here are Sunday Morning (they make one of the best Sunday Mornings!!), Volcano, and Stay With Me (this one is droolingly delicious!). Their selection of desserts and beverages are limited as well. Be careful of shrimp tails in some of the rolls (ouch!). Other than that, this is one of the many sushi places in Cincinnati that has earned most of my and my friends' business. Kudos to Bento for the late night hours! I wish Bento's had some outdoor seating as well. The only thing I didn't like about them was recently when I returned and told them I'd become vegetarian and wanted to know which of their rolls were veggie-friendly, one of the servers said to me, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think Cincinnati is the place to be vegetarian." Well, I'm vegan now and have frequented several sushi places that cater to my requests. i still go here, but I don't think she should've been telling me what to eat and what not to eat. I've had pleasant experiences with all the other servers since then though! P.S.: Love the walls where you can create your own memories in pencil. :) And the wine bottle idea for ceiling lighting is awesome!
(4)Shama M.
Drunken Bento is my guilty pleasure. This sushi is CHEAP. The quality is okay. I try not to get any raw fish here as it never tastes very good. I would stick to the cooked, fried fish or the shimp or crab. My favorite is the 'stay with me' roll which has tempura lobster and is HUGE. It's great for late-night sushi or a quick carry-out.
(3)Ben H.
I loved the food espically the ginger sauce salad. I ordered the chicken lunch special platter and it was huge it also came with a side order of salad or soup i picked the salad. it only cost like $8.00 and it was well worth it. the chicken was fried, it also had a fried sweet potato ring, rice, and some other stuff that was really good. however service wasn't the best because the waitress would come after 40 mins to check up on you even proabably never until you call her over. i mean she was nice she just took for ever to come over. all in all the food wasnt bad!
(4)David K.
The Korean food is quite nice but the sushi is... passing. Get the Douk Boki instead. It hurts so good.
(4)Mike G.
The food is just ok. Your typical run of the mill sushi place. The servers need to get their shit together , multiple times I saw the chefs put a plate of sushi on the bar to be taken to a table that sat there for 10+ minutes. Multiple times I even saw a server walk by , check the ticket to see if it is theirs , leave it and walk away because it wasn't. We went in to order carry out. Ordered two rolls two salads and a steamed dumpling. Our rolls were up in five minutes and we waited an additional 25 minutes for our salads and steamed dumplings. People sat next to us ten minutes after we ordered , ate, paid and left before our stuff came up. 30 minutes for Togo food that came out cold is insane. They will probably do alright though because they are open late and drunk college kids don know any better.
(2)Amy T.
Bad from start to finish. Server didn't smile when greeting my family of 4 at the door. Sat my two young daughters in a booth with bent sharp screws sticking out of bench every four feet through out the dirty black painted bench on wall. Miso, Ew. Sweet/spicy pork app, greasy and gross. ($10.50) sushi, never again. Spicy tuna is my go to and they served disgustingly fishy ground up spicy tuna salad in mushy rice. Greasy sushi? How does that happen? Not to mention it was half price sushi and my family spent $50 on this disgusting meal served to horrible hard techno, not including tip. If it would have been cheap I wouldn't have given a bad review but... I mean they charged me $1 for the lack of ginger they plated with my sushi in the first place. Ew,Ew,Ew. Bottom line.
(1)Jordan M.
Drunken Bento is the latest addition to Cincinnati's finest late-night sushi bars. Appropriately named, Drunken Bento is just a block from the University of Cincinnati and has proved to be a late-night haven for students out in the area. The staff is great, with some familiar faces from (the original) Dancing Wasabi whipping up some of the finest, and of course, half-price sushi rolls. Drunken Bento is open until 1am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, and it is definitely a huge recommendation for sushi lovers in the area looking to have one hell of a fourth meal.
(5)Steve L.
Good, quick service. Staffed with good looking waitresses, friendly and small but cozy feeling inside. It's on E.McMillan where it's pretty happening during the school year. Open til 3am on the weekends and I believe 1am during the week. The Big Baller is my favorite roll, Rainbow is at a close second. Only traditional saki on menu, but saki bombs are also available. In the end, if you're close and do not want to drive downtown to eat mediocre sushi at best, or Hyde Park, STOP IN!
(3)Liz G.
I love this place. I haven't been here at night, only at lunch.The service is great (last time our server remembered something I had gotten during a previous visit that was too spicy for me and reminded me!) and their sushi is, in my experience, very fresh. Reasonably priced too.
(4)Sanjeet G.
Decent Korean food near UC's campus Pros: 1. Pretty reasonably priced compared to the other korean restaurants in Cincy 2. Service staff is friendly 3. I enjoy their hot stone bowl's as well as their bulgogi Cons: 1. It's an interesting atmosphere, somewhere between casual and fancy, didn't work for me 2. While the service staff is friendly, service is definitely slow
(3)Cass K.
Love coming to this place. Too bad it's usually so crowded during dinner time that it's hard to get a seat. My favorite dish to order is there Sunday Morning it's rice, cream cheese & salmon fried in tempura batter and Topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo. Since the sushi is ALWAYS half priced I usually get a double order. Definitely recommend this place.
(5)Paige M.
I can't speak for the sushi here, because I came for the unique ice cream treat that my friend raved about. Walking in, iZen looked pretty trendy: a college-esque restaurant with Target decor. We were also the only customers during lunch time. My friend and I had the ice cream...except it isn't what I'd normally call ice cream. It was more like a rounded ball of shaved ice. It was tasteless aside from a hint of citrus or vanilla. You can choose different kinds of fruit to add to the "ice cream." The fruit provides the flavor, which is why the "ice cream" is neutral. I had mixed berries, my friend had peach. My berries were all frozen. I imagine it would taste much better if they were fresh. This review could have earned three stars if the price was right. Fresh fruit or frozen fruit, this small helping of "ice cream" was not worth $4.00.
(2)Ryan B.
The affordable bento options at this small Korean restaurant are perfect for lunch or dinner. My favorite sides were the gyoza and fried sweet potato. While the bulgogi wasn't as good as Tea n' Bowl across the street, it was still quite yummy. I will return to try more of the entrees.
(4)Pat F.
Ok, so this isn't the best Korean food I've ever had. But it's pretty good, cheap, the people are nice, the place is clean and well-decorated, and it's awesome to have an option near UC that doesn't involve burritos and may even involve vegetables depending on what you get. I'll be going back there again one of these days when I'm stuck on campus for a long time.
(4)Karen K.
Been there 4 times and will continue going back. I order the Bibimbap and enjoy "half" of myorder, then I take the rest home for a nice warmed-up left-over meal. I love the Mocha Cake, too.
(3)Jo P.
We weren't sure when we first arrived even though this restaurant had a really good review on Yelp. The decor is fine but still "evolving." We decided to venture in and we were very happy we did. We had bibimbap, dupbap, and gimbap. We were just there last night and I am craving the bibimbap already. This was excellent food for the price. The service is also great.
(4)J K.
I really like this place. While the food may not be top notch, it's good enough. Service is friendly, and they let me call ahead so that my food is ready by the time i make it over from east campus. Update: It seems that they have raised their prices about a dollar per entree and no longer include miso soup. On the other hand, it seems like they now offer stone bowl dishes.
(4)Justin R.
THE STORY: It was late. I was hungry. This place was open. Should have gone with the gyro joint. I ordered the beef bibimbap. My friend ordered a beef bento box. While we waited amongst what might win "most awkward seating arrangement of the year," another friend Yelped this place, and then the negativity began. I should have listened. While we waited, we fraternized with the flies in dining area. They didn't have much to say. The restaurant (I use the term loosely) is undergoing a renovation, but nothing seems like it's on track to make sense any time soon. And then we heard the first beep, the kind of beep that can only come from a microwave. I shuddered, and the three of us just groaned, as if we were about to see someone on rollerblades slip and fall. Nothing we could do about it at this point. The second and third beeps just made me angry. We took our food to go. Good thing the cook didn't have to see the looks on our faces. THE FOOD: The beef bibimbap cost a little under $8, and there were no complaints quantity-wise. It looked microwaved, which makes sense, because it was. So mission accomplished on that one. Even the sunny side up egg looked microwaved! The vegetables were clumped together and hard to mix, especially the spinach, which looked like it was just thawed. The miso soup was not bad. A little lacking in flavor, but nothing too terrible. THE VERDICT: I don't plan on going back. Not for a while anyway. And not until they at least silence the beep on the microwave. Ignorance is bliss.
(2)Celeste W.
Great environment! Excellent food! Service is okay. I personally enjoyed bento and Korean food there, but parking was quite a headache. Anyway, give it a try! You won't dissapponted!
(4)jennifer P.
I love Bento. For some reason I always forget that it is there. Every time I have gone in there we have been the only people there. Which is sad to see because they are so sweet and the food is great. Especially for the price. 7.99 for a dinner bento box. That is UNHEARD OF! I always get the Bulgogi which is thinly sliced beef. You get a large amount of meat plus the sides, which include a variety of selections. Along with white rice and Miso. I do not like Miso soup so I never eat it. My daughter had the chicken and I tried a bite it was also very tasty. I must remember to go here often.
(4)Kelly C.
I really, really wanted to like this restaurant. I love most of the things they might have served, but what I got was...lackluster, to say the least. The restaurant is dingy, and slightly off-putting, but the guys working there were incredibly friendly...I even kind of dont' want to write about how bad the food ws because I liked them so much, but as a service to the internet, here we go: I got the fish bento. yeah yeah, why'd you get that, I don't know, OK? It just felt right, but what I got were essentially fish nuggets with honey mustard on top. AND THEY WERE THE MOST DELECTABLE THING IN THE BENTO. plain white rice was a close second. the miso soup was seriously inedible, howdya do that? it's like salt and water, hard to F up. There were some fried, yet cold tiny dumlings, and a lone fried, yet cold (?) sweet potato slice. Some slimy cucumber salad with some bean sprouts. The kimchi was ok. My friend, a recent return from Korea, said the bibimbap was decent. So...what I'm saying here is avoid the bento at bento. A bit strange. A bit bad. Not going back.
(1)Jimmy W.
There are only 3 selections on the menu. Although this is a small restaurant, the three selections that it has are made fairly well. The pork bento box that I ordered was marinated well and served pork cutlets, salad, miso soup, egg salad, fried dumplings and rice. My friend ordered Pipimbab and it was really sweet with a tasty aroma. The beef version she ordered taste like candy. What I did not like about the restaurant was the lack of selection and the décor of the restaurant. It looked like Izen Bento was still under construction. I also knew someone liked to play tennis that worked there because there was a big tennis bag in the back of the restaurant.
(3)Liz A.
alert, dedicated readers! next week is super awesome meal week here at GIMB. i have two very exciting dinners lined up and i can't wait to tell you all about them (assuming they are as good as i am pretty sure they will be). and what better way to lead up to a week of amazing dining than by writing about a really shitty meal? i really wanted to like izen. it's a cute little takeout sushi place that has popped up in what seems to be a little cluster of them on mcmillan just south of UC. it's brightly colored and serves sushi, korean food, and... frozen yogurt. ok, i know, that should have been my first warning sign. my second warning sign should have been that the sushi is premade. the guy behind the counter, who was very nice and friendly and answered all my questions, told us that it is made 3 times a day, i guess in answer to the skeptical look on my face. i inspected the sushi. it looked weird. it was shaped funny and had strange colors in it. it looked about as good as the sushi i made for the first time a few months ago (which did not look very good). warning sign #3: the sushi selection included a "steak and cheese roll." ok. i am sorry. not to be a sushi nazi, but STEAK AND CHEESE?!?! look. i am all for culinary creativity. i do not turn my nose up at fusion food. furthermore, i am not a food snob. i can equally appreciate a really good steak and a french fry dipped in a frostee. but god or nature or the flying spaghetti monster or whatever just did not intend for humans to eat certain things, and a steak and cheese sushi roll is one of them. the menu calls it "the best of both worlds." i don't know which worlds those are but it's definitely not any world i have been to. (note: i did not actually eat the sushi so for all i know it was really good... take my criticism with a grain of salt.) after being thoroughly frightened by the sushi selection, avani and i decided to go with a hot option. there were three choices: bibimbap, beef gyu don, and "cheese fried rice." can we say warning sign #4. oh wait, i forgot a hidden corner of the menu: omurice. sounds intriguing? maybe, until you realize that your flavor options for this cryptic dish include "cheese burger" and "italian sausage." yes readers, that would be warning sign #5. by this point, we should have run screaming, but the guy behind the counter was really nice and appeared to be the owner and living the american dream of opening up his own restaurant after graduating from UC with his degree in violin performance. and he was actually korean, so i thought maybe he would be good at making korean food. while we were in the middle of ordering (me: gyu don, avani: bibimbap), a drunkish sororityish girl who had been sitting at a table by the window came stumbling up to the counter, cut in front of us, and began moaning something unintelligible about needing some frozen yogurt. i don't know what college kids are on these days but i think you would have to be under the influence of some combination of controlled substances to order more food in this place after you had already eaten a meal there. and in case you're still counting, that was warning sign #6. after a few minutes of wandering the oddly sparsely furnished restaurant (there were like 3 tables and very few chairs, and lots of empty space), our food was ready. we noticed that there was this weird combination of styrofoam containers and actual plates and silverware. we also noticed that the portions seemed tiny. we sipped the miso soup, which comes with all the hot items. i was hungry. "well it's ok," i said. "are you kidding me?" said avani. "it tastes like nothing. it just isn't miso-y. it tastes like hot water." of course, she was right. we switched to our food. my gyu don was... odd. the flavor was pretty good but it was big hunks of beef, not shredded. also, it was really oily and the rice was drowning in sauce. avani's bibimbap was just straight up bland. the beef tasted like nothing. the vegetables tasted like nothing. even the sauce could do little to revive the meal. on top of that, she ate like 3 bites and then was left with nothing but rice. i was eating as fast as i could to try to get through my meal before she started scavenging. but then i got to this huge chunk of fat and gristle and i let her have the rest of mine. here is the worst part: we paid $20.13 total for this meal. and we did not even order drinks. just some rice, a little watered down miso soup, and a few crappy bites of bland food. we could have eaten like kings at cilantro (or king wok, or thai express, or chicago gyro, or chipotle...) for half that. "i can't wait to go home and eat some leftover pizza," said avani. i was mad because i wasn't going home just then and had to wait until 10 pm to eat again. "here is what we have learned from this meal," i said as we left. "never try anything new."
(1)Dan J.
iZen is a brand new restaurant in W. McMillan's restaurant district (I'm not sure if it can be called that but I don't care) and offers a very strange mix of foods for patrons. The window is plastered with these options: Burritos, Cheese Fried Rice, Sushi, Smoothies, Pancakes. I might be crazy but...those don't exactly go together. Nevertheless, I felt kind of sorry for the place because it didn't seem like business was necessarily booming just yet, so I took the dive and walked in. The man behind the counter enthusiastically explained to me their specialty; cheese fried rice. It's much more than it sounds, and I had a very eclectic mix of basil sauce (spaghetti sauce?), onions, corn, jalapenos, and a few other things on top of rice and under three types of cheese. It was melded together for four minutes in a prominent microwave that didn't exactly impress, but the employee stressed that they are very attuned to how busy students are. The meal itself actually tasted great. I was surprised how all the flavors actually went together great. A little pricey for what you get but I'll support iZen in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll try the pancakes next time.
(3)Brandon I.
The best korean food in cincy. And very cheap. Fantastic for lunch with call ahead ordering and free wifi!!! I can't say enough good things about it!! Adding more to the menu in March. I can't wait!
(5)Bryson M.
Not the greatest sushi ever... but the other options make up for it. Good miso soup and bibimbob. .. good for quick, late night sushi... I like it! You should give it a try at least! Open late!!!!!! Check it out... free water refills too!
(4)Yuna D.
So this place has legit Korean food--it looks like a second generation Korean-American guy opened up a restaurant with recipes taken from his family. It seriously tastes like food I'd make back home with my mom, and I love that. I always get the dup bap here, which comes in the stone bowl with total throwback Korean side dishes. The kimchi here is made really well too. The only thing though is that with any stone pot dish, there should be enough pressed cooked rice on the bottom (like the part that gets super crunchy), but I've never really had that experience here, which kind of sucks. My boyfriend really likes the spicy tuna roll here--it's his favorite thing to get. The other rolls haven't been as appealing to either of us. Service is really up and down though; the servers never really take the time to talk unless it's to provide food or give you the check, but they're pretty speedy once you get your order in. I wanted to ask about the store's background because I'm not kidding when I say the food is really throwback, but like the server just walked away as soon as I asked about the owner. Weird. The second time I came here, no one gave us menus or took our drink order for like 10 minutes. When someone finally took our order, she admitted they were trying to figure out who's table it was. Dude. Pick up an extra table if you have to and switch midway or something--that's just poor customer service. Interior is pretty chill--a lot of visitors write things on the wall. Food is somewhat pricey-ish, but worth. tl;dr legit throwback Korean food with good side dishes, decent sushi. Service is spotty though.
(3)Jenny D.
This is the first place I tried Korean Food. Their Kimchi that comes with the Korean entrees tastes pretty good. I've had he Bulgogi, Hot Stone Bibimbap, Dukkboki, Salmon Skin Roll, Dolsot Bimbimpap and the fried ice cream. The chili pepper sauce and paste they use is deliciously spicy.
(5)Biggah K.
Great Sushi .Always half priced. I love their Miso soup as well. Great customer service . Always fast and prompt.
(4)Kennie G.
You know what? This place is divey, a little dingy, and small, but if you're looking for late night sushi that is actually tasty and fresh, this is the spot to watch. My friends and I came in after a night on the town and we were seated almost right away. Our seats were right in the way of the draft whenever someone would open the door (it was a cold night) but that's really the only complaint I have about it. The sushi was good (and half price!) and they will let you "create your own roll" which is pretty cool. I look forward to going back some time.
(4)Melissa S.
When we're craving sushi my husband and I like to come here since it's consistently good and it's in the neighborhood. The sushi menu has familiar favorites and is fresh and flavorful, and the service is always friendly. A couple of the more unique rolls we like are the American Psycho roll and Stay with Me roll. We branched out on a recent visit and tried an entree from the Korean part of the menu, bibimbap with beef - heaven in a hot stone bowl! My only other taste of bibimbap was in L.A. and it was so great to relive this culinary delight!
(4)Jess H.
This sure isn't what I expected, by any means. I mean that in a most positive way! I am not familiar with the area around UC. My boyfriend and I were walking around, trying to sift through the 10+ Asian restaurants all located within blocks from each other. Overwhelming choices. This place, along with a few other places, offers 50% sushi. ...all day, every day. Even until 2am. This naturally caused me to become skeptical. We stepped inside, and it's quite a small space. About ten people can sit on the right side, and then the left side of the restaurant is lined with 2top tables. When presented with the menus (which had very nice looking covers) I asked what the 50% applied to. ...ALL of the sushi. Even the nigiri/sashimi. The rolls seemed to be marked up more than what I was used to...we ordered a Dragon roll (14.50) and 2 Futo Maki rolls. (12.00 ea). I mean...after the discount, the price was quite nice. And the sushi was VERY good. I'd have to say this is one of the best places I've eaten. Still, a few things bothered me. The cleanliness of the restaurant...there was dust everywhere. Especially towards the back, by the restrooms. Second, our waitress was an average server, but not quite warm and friendly. She did her job, but a bit more of an engaging approach would change the atmosphere completely. Lastly, there did not seem to be any consistent uniform there...our waitress was wearing a black tank top. That's strange, in the food industry...especially serving sushi. Still, the sushi was delicious enough to earn four stars on its own. With some fair improvements, this place could excel 5 stars.
(4)Edward D.
As the name suggests, one should probably only consider ordering at this "sushi" joint during inebriated circumstances. I dropped by Drunken Bento on a Thursday night and ordered a few roles of sushi (Cant go too wrong with Sushi right? If all else fails, atleast the spicy mayo and some fried tempura should cover up any shortcomings?) I learned my lesson the hard way after few key observations (of many): the rolls were warm when served, tuna felt chewy when bit, and the spicy mayo oddly tasted a bit sour. I thoroughly regret succumbing to my cravings for cheap sushi and will not recommend this spot from my initial experiences.
(1)Katie D.
Not the best Korean but excellent for the price! Bulgolgi and other traditional Korean dishes run for only about $10 here, whereas other places they are generally more like $18. Can't beat that! I highly recommend going at lunch when they have bento boxes. It is a lot of food for only $10 or so. Always order the large, paying the 50 cents extra is totally worth it for how much more food you get. It even includes a miso soup or a salad! They also have half price sushi all of the time, which I know people love, but I have only experienced the Korean. If you do not order the bento box or it is dinner time, I highly recommend the kimchi chike. It is a soup with kimchi, tofu, and a few other things. Very tasty, complex flavor! Just think about how good kimchi is, and now imagine how much better it could be served hot in a soup! Miso soup makes for a good appetizer too. I recommend to go with a group of 4 or less. The restaurant is long and narrow, and doesn't seem that it be able to accommodate large groups easily.
(4)Becky D.
The real charm of this place is the Korean menu, though the sushi is the best value around! The Sushi: I actually like their rolls better than many other sushi places around town, and Drunken Bento is able to offer them at half the price. Take with a grain of salt: I'm not a connoisseur. But I sure do like their shrimp tempura. The KOREAN Stuff: When you open the menu, turn past the sushi, and give some serious consideration to the Bibimbap. This is a very typical Korean dish served in a stone bowl so hot it crisps the rice on the bottom. It is well done here, with good vegetables, and a lovely assortment of sides, including a dab of kimchi. Other Korean menu items also impress, so don't hesitate to explore. The Atmosphere: Drafty if you sit near the door. It is a small space with small tables so you will be dining close to your neighbors. But it has character! I find it a really relaxing place to eat. There are televisions, but they are silent and won't disrupt your meal. The Service: Always fast and friendly. I've never been the least bit disappointed. Parking: Pay to park in a nearby garage, or drive once around the block and tuck yourself into a metered spot along McMillan or Calhoun after hours for free. Traffic is often heavy in the area, but also usually tolerant of all the parallel parking. The Hours: I used to always wonder why there were no places other than bars open late around UC; such a big campus, surely there were students looking for pleasant late-night hang outs? Drunken Bento was one of the first pioneers of the area's late night cuisine a few years ago. It isn't a bar and doesn't feel like one, but it is open late!
(5)Jessie T.
To keep it simple, I've been a frequent customer here for a few years now and am a avid sushi eater.. this place has never disappointed me and their sushi always satisfies my sushi cravings and at a reasonable price. It has a great atmosphere, too. And if you're not into sushi, they've got a decent selection of Korean and Japanese items that are also great. It is smaller inside, but they can usually get you seated fairly quickly. They're also open until at least 2am, so if you're nearby abd hungry on a late night, stop in and try it!
(4)Erin K.
Since Dancing Wasabi closed, Drunken Bento has been our go-to for sushi in Cincinnati. Their sushi menu is similar to everything we've been missing, and they have other great options like their ramen soup. We've never had trouble getting in on weekend nights, and it's great that their sushi is 50% off all day, every day until 2AM. Our service has been great, and we will be back!
(5)Gregory A.
Love love love . Best sushi in clifton and probably the cinci area. Friendly customer service and a awesome owner .
(5)Todd F.
It's good food--the sushi punches above its weight. The Korean is the best in Cincinnati for the price. There is better Korean food in Cincy, but you pay a lot more for it. There's better Korean food in NYC or Chicago or LA, but they are obviously far away. When I need a real Korean fix for an affordable price, I go here.
(5)Alexa H.
Update: Went here for dinner by myself and the service was still very amazing. The staff was really nice and it was really enjoyable even by myself. Sushi was again amazing. Got the Caterpillar roll and Cucumber roll and they were beautiful. Even if you don't have a group, don't be discouraged from dining here yourself.
(5)Iggy O.
I have yet to have anything but a pleasant experience here. I've eaten in once and wish I had time to do that more. Love the mix of sushi and Korean bbq. I walked by this place a hundred times before trying it out and have been a pretty loyal customer since. Go to this place and try something new!
(5)Emily L.
I tend to visit Drunken Bento to remedy my ultra craving for mouthwatering sushi. I've visited places where the sushi fish just doesn't look fresh, but Drunken Bento does a decent job of keepin' it fresh! It's not a bad place to order some sushi favorites: the tuna roll, the salmon cucumber, and what I like to call the "triple veggie": the asparagus/avocado/cucumber. Yeah! They are tasty, satisfying, and filling! The prices are decent for the quantity, freshness, and taste. The hostess is usually friendly and helpful, so that's an additional perk. The interior set-up looks like a half cafe, half bar style restaurant, so they definitely entertain some nightlife. It's located near U.C, so their customers tend to be students. Parking, however, can be an issue. There are meters nearby, but I would recommend getting a take-out if you want to enjoy your food without looking at your watch.
(4)Corinne H.
I'm re-reviewing for two reasons, to balance out some negative/mediocre reviews, and also because since my last review, Eliot and I have become seasoned regulars whom the wait staff and owner know by face and name. A few disclaimers: this is a college hangout/drinking/late-night-sushi-after-sorority-Ârecruitment spot, not a family establishment. If you bring your kids, you will spend your dinner covering their ears (note: frat bros) and explaining what all of the phrases scrawled on the 2x4s along the wall mean. Secondly, Eliot and I are both VERY high tippers (resultant of both of our serving experience), and when you frequent any locale with good tips they remember you and give you excellent service every time. Regardless, the staff all seem like wonderful people that would be talkative and pleasant even if they hadn't the slightest idea of your tipping standards. Lastly, the two of us have tried a few items for the first time recently: the stone bowl bibimbap, and the fried ice cream dessert. Both were delicious. It was Eliot's first time having fried ice cream and now he talks about getting it on almost a daily basis. (It's become a new obsession of sorts, you could say.) One tip if you order the stone bowl bibimbap: when you mix it, don't scrape the bottom of the bowl. That way the rice on the bottom gets nice and crispy while you eat the rest! The owner is always smiling and very friendly, and always says hi and checks on us when we come in. We love it here, and no doubt we'll be back for more nigiri sushi and fried ice cream soon!
(5)Alex N.
I'm going to start off on a good note by saying our waitress was great and was making the best out of the situation. She was much applauded. Now the situation, the place was packed and every seat was taken. The restaurant could seat about 40 people. For all of those 40 people they only had two waitresses working. The kitchen was busy and could not keep up with the crowd. So bad that we actually received our food before our drinks. The waitress did keep coming back to us and told us that she did not forget but the kitchen needed to wash glasses since they ran out of clean ones. She tried her best and kept apologizing to us. To make matters worse it was very hot in the restaurant. It had to be over 85 degrees in the seating area. When the food came out it was awful ! The sushi rolls were soggy and half rolled. My spicy tuna roll only had tuna in 6 out of the 8. The other 2 had was just seaweed and sushi rice. To make matters worse all the raw fish was warm and soggy. I am guessing it had to do with the temperature in the restaurant. The issue with that is not only that is taste bad but it's dangerous! I will say that I am going to give it another try. I hope all of this is due to UC just starting and they were not ready. Even if that is what it turns out to be it is a poor excuse since they have been open since last school year.
(1)Jacob W.
Excellent half price sushi all the time and excellent customer service. In and out with in a half hour which is great if you're looking for a late night stop.
(5)Bob J.
Their grand opening prices have been in effect for what seems like years. I've never had a problem, and have always enjoyed their sushi. Worth a try.
(4)Sally Y.
The main downfall for me for this place is that I don't live close enough to walk to Bento every day. Sad. In terms of affordability, qualitfy of food, atmosphere, and fun, Bento is perfect! It's very casual, laid back, and very reasonably priced compared to other Korean food places in the area. Also...jalf price sushi all the time every day! Basically it makes you feel like you're getting an awesome deal...and for me, it works. My favorites are the Dolsot Bibimbap, and being Korean, that has to mean something. You can't go wrong with the spicy pork dish or the Kalbi. Enjoy!
(4)Katie F.
By being one of the only places open late in Clifton, I feel as if Drunken Bento is almost extorting me when I want some good, non-greasy food past 10pm. Every time I've eaten there, their sushi has been warm from sitting out all day, thinly sliced, and the rice hard as rocks. The reason that it is half-priced is because it is half the quality and quantity of almost any other sushi place in the city. Their service is almost worse than the food, the place is maybe only 10 yards across, yet it consistently takes our servers about 20 minutes just to get our drinks. If it's before 9pm, spend a little more money and go to Maki Express across the street, it's infinitely better on all accounts!
(1)Hulee X.
This is also one of my favorite Korean restaurant near UC. They have very traditional Korean food. Their sides are also good If you order an entry. The most traditional food is Bibimbap.
(5)Brian L.
iZen Bento is an interesting place. I think the food is surprisingly good, but the service is surprisingly terrible. It is a great place for cheap-ish college food that is good quality. This honestly is not the best Korean food you will ever have, nor is it super authentic. It is however a cheap and simple way to delay the LA/NY korean bbq splurges. I usually get the bulgogi bento box, which is a healthy heeping of delicious Korean marinated beef, a couple of fried sides, kim chi, and rice. You really can't go wrong with any part of that meal. Oh and did I mention they give you a miso soup or salad with each order too? Talk about a full meal. Another favorite is the bi-bim-bap. It is simple and fresh. Definitely a good lunch choice if you are looking for something clean. I used to come here for lunch on a work day, but my last few experiences have been pretty rough, so I have had to eliminate this from my lunch rotation. Last time I came here for lunch with a group of 5, it took about 45 mins to get our food, leaving about -15 mins to get back to work. The restaurant is pretty small, so even if it were full, I would have expected them to get the food to us a little quicker. I've experienced another time waiting an hour, so... there really is no recovering from that. I can't hold a grudge very well, especially against korean food, so I recommend you just order ahead of time and carry out. =)
(4)Ken S.
Great food, sake and staff. haven't had anything on the menu I haven't liked and staff are fun and chatty while not busy.
(5)Dan J.
iZen is a brand new restaurant in W. McMillan's restaurant district (I'm not sure if it can be called that but I don't care) and offers a very strange mix of foods for patrons. The window is plastered with these options: Burritos, Cheese Fried Rice, Sushi, Smoothies, Pancakes. I might be crazy but...those don't exactly go together. Nevertheless, I felt kind of sorry for the place because it didn't seem like business was necessarily booming just yet, so I took the dive and walked in. The man behind the counter enthusiastically explained to me their specialty; cheese fried rice. It's much more than it sounds, and I had a very eclectic mix of basil sauce (spaghetti sauce?), onions, corn, jalapenos, and a few other things on top of rice and under three types of cheese. It was melded together for four minutes in a prominent microwave that didn't exactly impress, but the employee stressed that they are very attuned to how busy students are. The meal itself actually tasted great. I was surprised how all the flavors actually went together great. A little pricey for what you get but I'll support iZen in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll try the pancakes next time.
(3)Brandon I.
The best korean food in cincy. And very cheap. Fantastic for lunch with call ahead ordering and free wifi!!! I can't say enough good things about it!! Adding more to the menu in March. I can't wait!
(5)Mike G.
The food is just ok. Your typical run of the mill sushi place. The servers need to get their shit together , multiple times I saw the chefs put a plate of sushi on the bar to be taken to a table that sat there for 10+ minutes. Multiple times I even saw a server walk by , check the ticket to see if it is theirs , leave it and walk away because it wasn't. We went in to order carry out. Ordered two rolls two salads and a steamed dumpling. Our rolls were up in five minutes and we waited an additional 25 minutes for our salads and steamed dumplings. People sat next to us ten minutes after we ordered , ate, paid and left before our stuff came up. 30 minutes for Togo food that came out cold is insane. They will probably do alright though because they are open late and drunk college kids don know any better.
(2)Amy T.
Bad from start to finish. Server didn't smile when greeting my family of 4 at the door. Sat my two young daughters in a booth with bent sharp screws sticking out of bench every four feet through out the dirty black painted bench on wall. Miso, Ew. Sweet/spicy pork app, greasy and gross. ($10.50) sushi, never again. Spicy tuna is my go to and they served disgustingly fishy ground up spicy tuna salad in mushy rice. Greasy sushi? How does that happen? Not to mention it was half price sushi and my family spent $50 on this disgusting meal served to horrible hard techno, not including tip. If it would have been cheap I wouldn't have given a bad review but... I mean they charged me $1 for the lack of ginger they plated with my sushi in the first place. Ew,Ew,Ew. Bottom line.
(1)Jordan M.
Drunken Bento is the latest addition to Cincinnati's finest late-night sushi bars. Appropriately named, Drunken Bento is just a block from the University of Cincinnati and has proved to be a late-night haven for students out in the area. The staff is great, with some familiar faces from (the original) Dancing Wasabi whipping up some of the finest, and of course, half-price sushi rolls. Drunken Bento is open until 1am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, and it is definitely a huge recommendation for sushi lovers in the area looking to have one hell of a fourth meal.
(5)Steve L.
Good, quick service. Staffed with good looking waitresses, friendly and small but cozy feeling inside. It's on E.McMillan where it's pretty happening during the school year. Open til 3am on the weekends and I believe 1am during the week. The Big Baller is my favorite roll, Rainbow is at a close second. Only traditional saki on menu, but saki bombs are also available. In the end, if you're close and do not want to drive downtown to eat mediocre sushi at best, or Hyde Park, STOP IN!
(3)Sanjeet G.
Decent Korean food near UC's campus Pros: 1. Pretty reasonably priced compared to the other korean restaurants in Cincy 2. Service staff is friendly 3. I enjoy their hot stone bowl's as well as their bulgogi Cons: 1. It's an interesting atmosphere, somewhere between casual and fancy, didn't work for me 2. While the service staff is friendly, service is definitely slow
(3)Paige M.
I can't speak for the sushi here, because I came for the unique ice cream treat that my friend raved about. Walking in, iZen looked pretty trendy: a college-esque restaurant with Target decor. We were also the only customers during lunch time. My friend and I had the ice cream...except it isn't what I'd normally call ice cream. It was more like a rounded ball of shaved ice. It was tasteless aside from a hint of citrus or vanilla. You can choose different kinds of fruit to add to the "ice cream." The fruit provides the flavor, which is why the "ice cream" is neutral. I had mixed berries, my friend had peach. My berries were all frozen. I imagine it would taste much better if they were fresh. This review could have earned three stars if the price was right. Fresh fruit or frozen fruit, this small helping of "ice cream" was not worth $4.00.
(2)Win K.
I like them a lot, especially because of their late night service hours. Their selection of rolls is limited, however. Only seaweed paper options. They need to add more variety. Last experience with Red Devil Roll was horrible (wasabi dressing on the roll seemed to be missing along with the sauces). My favorite rolls here are Sunday Morning (they make one of the best Sunday Mornings!!), Volcano, and Stay With Me (this one is droolingly delicious!). Their selection of desserts and beverages are limited as well. Be careful of shrimp tails in some of the rolls (ouch!). Other than that, this is one of the many sushi places in Cincinnati that has earned most of my and my friends' business. Kudos to Bento for the late night hours! I wish Bento's had some outdoor seating as well. The only thing I didn't like about them was recently when I returned and told them I'd become vegetarian and wanted to know which of their rolls were veggie-friendly, one of the servers said to me, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think Cincinnati is the place to be vegetarian." Well, I'm vegan now and have frequented several sushi places that cater to my requests. i still go here, but I don't think she should've been telling me what to eat and what not to eat. I've had pleasant experiences with all the other servers since then though! P.S.: Love the walls where you can create your own memories in pencil. :) And the wine bottle idea for ceiling lighting is awesome!
(4)Shama M.
Drunken Bento is my guilty pleasure. This sushi is CHEAP. The quality is okay. I try not to get any raw fish here as it never tastes very good. I would stick to the cooked, fried fish or the shimp or crab. My favorite is the 'stay with me' roll which has tempura lobster and is HUGE. It's great for late-night sushi or a quick carry-out.
(3)Ben H.
I loved the food espically the ginger sauce salad. I ordered the chicken lunch special platter and it was huge it also came with a side order of salad or soup i picked the salad. it only cost like $8.00 and it was well worth it. the chicken was fried, it also had a fried sweet potato ring, rice, and some other stuff that was really good. however service wasn't the best because the waitress would come after 40 mins to check up on you even proabably never until you call her over. i mean she was nice she just took for ever to come over. all in all the food wasnt bad!
(4)David K.
The Korean food is quite nice but the sushi is... passing. Get the Douk Boki instead. It hurts so good.
(4)Liz G.
I love this place. I haven't been here at night, only at lunch.The service is great (last time our server remembered something I had gotten during a previous visit that was too spicy for me and reminded me!) and their sushi is, in my experience, very fresh. Reasonably priced too.
(4)Khiemo S.
Good sushi and good prices! I love the crunch munch! The simple sushi (Cali, philly etc) are smaller compared to ichiban and cloud 9. Pretty good Korean food too.
(3)Coral W.
If you visit this restaurant, do try their Dolsot Bibimbop! I always get the marinated beef since marinated beef really goes well with Bibimbop. It is delicious, fulfilling, and reasonably priced (around $11). (If you go to a Korean restaurant in downtown or Hyde Park, you will have to pay $18 or so for a Bibimbop, which I think is insane) It also comes with three small Korean side dishes, including kimchi, fish paste and potato. But I am not really impressed with their sushi. Their half price sushi means smaller rolls and less fish. I love eating sushi with a lot of raw fish, so this place is not my #1 choice for sushi. But traditional Korean food like Bibimbop, this place is good!! For the the atmosphere and service of the restaurant. There is nothing really fancy about the decor or the atmosphere of the restaurant since it is located at the UC area. But it is comfortable and very layback. The restaurant is usually packed with young students on Friday nights. The servers are friendly and the service is good to me. This is why I like about this restaurant--you do not have to pay a lot of money to get delicious food and good services. :)
(4)Shamika K.
I went with a friend for lunch. It's a small place & doesn't look inviting when you walk in. However, our server was pleasant and attentive. Their sushi is always half off which is great because my lunch was less than $10! I always wonder though if it's always half priced, why not just make that the regular price?!? Just curious! Anyway, I ended up getting a shrimp tempura roll & Sunday Morning. The Sunday Morning was delicious and great! The shrimp tempura was just okay. For the price, I'd definitely go again, although parking in Clifton is a hit or miss. I drove around for 15 minutes before I found a spot. Plan accordingly!
(3)Sydney D.
The food here is consistent and always wonderful. The service, well, that's another story. I'm not quite sure how stoned the servers were today? I can tell you this, when my soup and salad arrived, I asked for a ginger ale. I saw my server leave the building, go get a bag of Lays potato chips and come back. Same server cleared our salad and soup plates before the meal came and took all the silverware. She then asked me if I still wanted that ginger ale? I said no, knowing that I would only get that one ginger ale with no refills. Our food was delivered and my friend did not have silverware to eat. When I was finally able to get someone's attention, I asked for a fork for my friend. Nothing. Approximately nine minutes later, our server came by and I asked her for a fork. Which took her a couple of minutes to bring back. Granted, bibimbap is too hot to eat right away, but that's not really for the server to decide. I would suggest carry out if you can. Although Bibimbap is not the same without the crunchy rice on the bottom of the bowl.
(3)Tsyria T.
When I'm craving sushi, I head to Drunken Bento. It's cheap (always half price), within walking distance from me, and it fills my craving. The sushi is okay. This isn't a place you should go out of your way to eat at if you're not from around the area. The Korean food here is pretty decent. The restaurant is small, and shaped like a huge hallway. Reminds me of some ramen places! I actually enjoy the atmosphere. They also have some TV's in there where they show news and sports, and blocks on the side of the wall where people have signed their names and messages. It's not fancy or date night material, but if you're out with friends, this is a good late night food spot!
(3)Peggy S.
Quality sushi in a great atmosphere. No wonder it's busy on evenings! This is my favorite sushi place in the area. I met the owner when he opened it originally when it was more of a Korean than sushi place. I haven't had the Korean food yet. The sushi though is good quality for the price. All of the times I've been here, I have never heard someone leaving with negative comments. In fact, I often hear people saying great things while leaving. My go-to combination is a futomaki roll (includes egg and a crab stick with lots of vegetables) and the volcano roll (a baked roll with lots of spicy mayo in top). White tuna is also a good choice on the nigiri menu. Our waitress tonight was also super friendly and made our slight wait enjoyable. The back area by the bathrooms is divey, but the front eating area is nice. The owner put up a wall of reused 2x4s he collected from construction sites. He told me how he didn't originally intend for people to write on them but it became a thing and he said he liked having people leave their mark! One day I'll try the Korean dishes... if I'm ever not craving the sushi :-P
(4)Tejas D.
Whether you want to have a meal in solitude or with a few friends, it's the perfect place!
(5)Dale H.
Dined in for the first time here. We had taken carry-out before. With my daughter at UC and the half-off sushi prices, we had to try it! It was a Tuesday night about 7:30 and it was very busy, pretty much at 100% capacity. We were seated promptly once they cleared the table - at a place by the door. It was single digits outside, so it was still cold at the table :o( Once another table became vacant, the server was accommodating and moved us at our request. Much better! The service was very good! Our tea was replenished when low and our food came out in a timely manner. We all ordered sushi. I also ordered a bowl of tempura udon. The udon soup was piping hot (nice!). There were also some shrooms, fish cake, crab sticks (not a fan), and two large fried shrimp. They were NOT tempura but more like the harder/crispier ebi furai that we got in Japan in a bento box. Still ok but not what I was expecting. Overall, it did hit the spot on a cold night :o) Broth was nice also. The sushi was average. As other reviewers have mentioned, the raw fish seemed a bit on the warm side :o( and seemed to lack much flavor. But hey, it is a half-price sushi joint near UC where students generally are on a budget.
(3)Stephanie H.
I dined in the other day with a friend. Her volcano roll came out super burnt and brown/blackish burns on top. She had 2 pieces and said she couldn't eat it anymore. When the server came by and asked how everything was, my friend explained that her one sushi roll looked and tasted burnt and dried out and the server replied "oh okay" and walked away. She didn't offer a solution either to recook the item or comp the item, but instead returned to the table after we had cashed out and suggested to my friend that next time she might ask to order her roll undercooked so that it doesn't come out burned. How does that make sense?
(3)Raj T.
I went to DB today to try their always "half price" Sushi! In reality you are getting sushi only the size of your middle finger. I guess you can''t expect much more? Taste - sushi rice was dry and bland. What was inside was not good either. As the name implies, you have to be 'drunk' to like the sushi!? I plan to try their Korean food some other time since the kitchen was closed.
(2)Angela C.
I'm still trying to decide how I feel about iZen. I've only gotten take-out, though the hostess/servers have always been very nice. The wall covered with 2x4's is interesting and kind of fun with all those college student scribbles all over it. The food. Well, the sushi (at half price) is probably worth the price you pay. The rice is pretty hard- basically you're about a half step up from grocery store sushi. I suppose it can suffice as a late night option. I've tried the soon du bu and bi bim bap, which are pretty decent (and a little cheaper than some of the other Korean restaurants). I thought the ban chan, other than the kim chi and fish cakes, were a little weird- the bean sprouts had no flavor and I'm not sure what the other one was- tasted like slightly raw potato shreds (probably a radish?). A-OK pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it'll do in a pinch when I want a relatively cheap and healthier feeling meal in Clifton.
(3)Yolanda S.
Not bad. Their Stay With Me roll is really good. The waitress Sarah was nice, service good, but I'm not sure if there are free refills on sodas as I didn't receive one. The atmosphere ok, quaint. I noticed the floor needs work and it smelled kind of funny upon entering. Overall I would go back especially for carry out at half price. *UPDATE" I will NOT carry out sushi again! Nothing against Drunken Bento it's just not as good after the 15 mins it takes to get home.
(3)Danielle O.
I'm not a big oriental or sushi person but I LOVE the Sunday morning, shrimp tempura and yum yum rolls.. I visit at least once a month and the service is always excellent
(4)Suzanne R.
Yum. I wish I could eat here every day. Plus nice atmosphere and staff.
(5)Jiaolong L.
I've been here almost 2 years ago. At That time, chief is the manager 's wife. She is Korean and really good at cooking. However, now, they change the chief. All of their food are lost their taste. Rice isn't as good as before; Galbi is getting more and more small; and there are even real stones in seafood soup. This restaurant is really disappointing to me. It is the my favorite one before. :(
(1)Chris G.
We have eaten here often when we go to Clifton. Our boys love some of the unique rolls and we've started working our way through the Korean dishes. The bulgolki is our favorite so far. The majority of customers are college students and the wait staff is okay. Some are better than others. The sushi rolls are half-priced, but I don't know how long that will last.
(3)Sandra F.
My husband and I was in the Clifton area and was craving sushi. A fellow yelper mentioned this restaurant. She mentioned that the price is cheap and the food is good. 1/2 price sushi everyday?! You can't beat that! IZen's Drunken Bento is located across the street from Mac's pizza. When we walked in, we were seated right away. What stood out was the wood blocked graffitti on the wall. Loved it! Place is very small and intimate. Loved the sushi bar, but I didn't like the dust on the lighting fixtures and on decor. We were waited on right away and the server was very friendly. She was quick on taking our order. The night was pretty steady with dine ins and carry outs. My husband and I started off with the Vegetarian Gyoza (fried) for $3.95. Then proceeded with our sushi order since it was half off. -AAC Roll $2.50 -Asparagus Roll $3.00 -Cucumber Roll $2.00 -Vegetable Roll $2.75 -Extra ginger $1.00 For each roll you get 8 pieces and we requested all sushi to be wrap inside and out (rice out-seawood in). We received the sushi right away. They were pretty quick. I always say you get what you pay for. I was a bit disappointed with the sushi. The rice tasted old and funny (my husband agreed). The service was excellent. Server was refilling our waters, always checked up on us, and brought the bill out right away. Bill was only $16.23. You cannot beat the price, but the quality of the sushi was not great. Sorry IZen's Drunken Bento, not returning.
(3)Chris L.
Asked about good sushi in Cincinnati/Clifton area and was recommended this place. When they said they had good sushi, they weren't kidding! The sushi seems to just melt in your mouth. I got the spicy tuna and yum yum roll. The "spice" is authentic but not overpowering. 1/2 price too!! Hard to find sushi this good at this price. I will be returning here sometime, as they have relatively cheap alcohol here and a nice atmosphere for eating and drinking if you choose. Highly recommend.
(5)Bianca D.
The sushi here is good and always half price! I really like that. However the place is so small, and the bathrooms are really janky. The owner/manager walks around asking about your nationality 0.o
(4)Sherry T.
Stick with the sushi, which is half the price of what is listed on the menu, and avoid the entrees and you'll walk about feeling satisfied from both a culinary and financial perspective. I had three rolls during my visit--avocado, tuna, and Philadelphia. The Philadelphia roll was outstanding, the avocado roll was very good, and the tuna roll was okay (tuna did not taste exceptionally fresh). Service was fast and friendly. I will return.
(4)Alexis M.
Great sushi and great prices!! My favorite sushi place to go to. My favorite rolls are the Sunday Morning, Crunch Munch, McMillian, and Spider Roll but they're all good. Only down side is that it's a small place so sometimes gets crowded but it's worth it!
(5)Ryan B.
The affordable bento options at this small Korean restaurant are perfect for lunch or dinner. My favorite sides were the gyoza and fried sweet potato. While the bulgogi wasn't as good as Tea n' Bowl across the street, it was still quite yummy. I will return to try more of the entrees.
(4)Pat F.
Ok, so this isn't the best Korean food I've ever had. But it's pretty good, cheap, the people are nice, the place is clean and well-decorated, and it's awesome to have an option near UC that doesn't involve burritos and may even involve vegetables depending on what you get. I'll be going back there again one of these days when I'm stuck on campus for a long time.
(4)Cass K.
Love coming to this place. Too bad it's usually so crowded during dinner time that it's hard to get a seat. My favorite dish to order is there Sunday Morning it's rice, cream cheese & salmon fried in tempura batter and Topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo. Since the sushi is ALWAYS half priced I usually get a double order. Definitely recommend this place.
(5)Justin R.
THE STORY: It was late. I was hungry. This place was open. Should have gone with the gyro joint. I ordered the beef bibimbap. My friend ordered a beef bento box. While we waited amongst what might win "most awkward seating arrangement of the year," another friend Yelped this place, and then the negativity began. I should have listened. While we waited, we fraternized with the flies in dining area. They didn't have much to say. The restaurant (I use the term loosely) is undergoing a renovation, but nothing seems like it's on track to make sense any time soon. And then we heard the first beep, the kind of beep that can only come from a microwave. I shuddered, and the three of us just groaned, as if we were about to see someone on rollerblades slip and fall. Nothing we could do about it at this point. The second and third beeps just made me angry. We took our food to go. Good thing the cook didn't have to see the looks on our faces. THE FOOD: The beef bibimbap cost a little under $8, and there were no complaints quantity-wise. It looked microwaved, which makes sense, because it was. So mission accomplished on that one. Even the sunny side up egg looked microwaved! The vegetables were clumped together and hard to mix, especially the spinach, which looked like it was just thawed. The miso soup was not bad. A little lacking in flavor, but nothing too terrible. THE VERDICT: I don't plan on going back. Not for a while anyway. And not until they at least silence the beep on the microwave. Ignorance is bliss.
(2)Celeste W.
Great environment! Excellent food! Service is okay. I personally enjoyed bento and Korean food there, but parking was quite a headache. Anyway, give it a try! You won't dissapponted!
(4)jennifer P.
I love Bento. For some reason I always forget that it is there. Every time I have gone in there we have been the only people there. Which is sad to see because they are so sweet and the food is great. Especially for the price. 7.99 for a dinner bento box. That is UNHEARD OF! I always get the Bulgogi which is thinly sliced beef. You get a large amount of meat plus the sides, which include a variety of selections. Along with white rice and Miso. I do not like Miso soup so I never eat it. My daughter had the chicken and I tried a bite it was also very tasty. I must remember to go here often.
(4)Kelly C.
I really, really wanted to like this restaurant. I love most of the things they might have served, but what I got was...lackluster, to say the least. The restaurant is dingy, and slightly off-putting, but the guys working there were incredibly friendly...I even kind of dont' want to write about how bad the food ws because I liked them so much, but as a service to the internet, here we go: I got the fish bento. yeah yeah, why'd you get that, I don't know, OK? It just felt right, but what I got were essentially fish nuggets with honey mustard on top. AND THEY WERE THE MOST DELECTABLE THING IN THE BENTO. plain white rice was a close second. the miso soup was seriously inedible, howdya do that? it's like salt and water, hard to F up. There were some fried, yet cold tiny dumlings, and a lone fried, yet cold (?) sweet potato slice. Some slimy cucumber salad with some bean sprouts. The kimchi was ok. My friend, a recent return from Korea, said the bibimbap was decent. So...what I'm saying here is avoid the bento at bento. A bit strange. A bit bad. Not going back.
(1)Karen K.
Been there 4 times and will continue going back. I order the Bibimbap and enjoy "half" of myorder, then I take the rest home for a nice warmed-up left-over meal. I love the Mocha Cake, too.
(3)Jo P.
We weren't sure when we first arrived even though this restaurant had a really good review on Yelp. The decor is fine but still "evolving." We decided to venture in and we were very happy we did. We had bibimbap, dupbap, and gimbap. We were just there last night and I am craving the bibimbap already. This was excellent food for the price. The service is also great.
(4)J K.
I really like this place. While the food may not be top notch, it's good enough. Service is friendly, and they let me call ahead so that my food is ready by the time i make it over from east campus. Update: It seems that they have raised their prices about a dollar per entree and no longer include miso soup. On the other hand, it seems like they now offer stone bowl dishes.
(4)Momo S.
Delicious food, nice atmosphere. Will definitely eat there again
(4)Jennifer F.
I ate at this delicious restaurant with my husband and my dish was a fabulous as when my mom makes it at home! I had bulgogi and the portion was perfect. The meat and sauce were absolutely delicious! My husband had a seafood dish (served Ina hot stone bowl) and he loved it as well. Both meals were served with three small sides (kimchi being one of them). The prices are SO reasonable. Definitely a place I will go back to again.
(5)Jimmy W.
There are only 3 selections on the menu. Although this is a small restaurant, the three selections that it has are made fairly well. The pork bento box that I ordered was marinated well and served pork cutlets, salad, miso soup, egg salad, fried dumplings and rice. My friend ordered Pipimbab and it was really sweet with a tasty aroma. The beef version she ordered taste like candy. What I did not like about the restaurant was the lack of selection and the décor of the restaurant. It looked like Izen Bento was still under construction. I also knew someone liked to play tennis that worked there because there was a big tennis bag in the back of the restaurant.
(3)Liz A.
alert, dedicated readers! next week is super awesome meal week here at GIMB. i have two very exciting dinners lined up and i can't wait to tell you all about them (assuming they are as good as i am pretty sure they will be). and what better way to lead up to a week of amazing dining than by writing about a really shitty meal? i really wanted to like izen. it's a cute little takeout sushi place that has popped up in what seems to be a little cluster of them on mcmillan just south of UC. it's brightly colored and serves sushi, korean food, and... frozen yogurt. ok, i know, that should have been my first warning sign. my second warning sign should have been that the sushi is premade. the guy behind the counter, who was very nice and friendly and answered all my questions, told us that it is made 3 times a day, i guess in answer to the skeptical look on my face. i inspected the sushi. it looked weird. it was shaped funny and had strange colors in it. it looked about as good as the sushi i made for the first time a few months ago (which did not look very good). warning sign #3: the sushi selection included a "steak and cheese roll." ok. i am sorry. not to be a sushi nazi, but STEAK AND CHEESE?!?! look. i am all for culinary creativity. i do not turn my nose up at fusion food. furthermore, i am not a food snob. i can equally appreciate a really good steak and a french fry dipped in a frostee. but god or nature or the flying spaghetti monster or whatever just did not intend for humans to eat certain things, and a steak and cheese sushi roll is one of them. the menu calls it "the best of both worlds." i don't know which worlds those are but it's definitely not any world i have been to. (note: i did not actually eat the sushi so for all i know it was really good... take my criticism with a grain of salt.) after being thoroughly frightened by the sushi selection, avani and i decided to go with a hot option. there were three choices: bibimbap, beef gyu don, and "cheese fried rice." can we say warning sign #4. oh wait, i forgot a hidden corner of the menu: omurice. sounds intriguing? maybe, until you realize that your flavor options for this cryptic dish include "cheese burger" and "italian sausage." yes readers, that would be warning sign #5. by this point, we should have run screaming, but the guy behind the counter was really nice and appeared to be the owner and living the american dream of opening up his own restaurant after graduating from UC with his degree in violin performance. and he was actually korean, so i thought maybe he would be good at making korean food. while we were in the middle of ordering (me: gyu don, avani: bibimbap), a drunkish sororityish girl who had been sitting at a table by the window came stumbling up to the counter, cut in front of us, and began moaning something unintelligible about needing some frozen yogurt. i don't know what college kids are on these days but i think you would have to be under the influence of some combination of controlled substances to order more food in this place after you had already eaten a meal there. and in case you're still counting, that was warning sign #6. after a few minutes of wandering the oddly sparsely furnished restaurant (there were like 3 tables and very few chairs, and lots of empty space), our food was ready. we noticed that there was this weird combination of styrofoam containers and actual plates and silverware. we also noticed that the portions seemed tiny. we sipped the miso soup, which comes with all the hot items. i was hungry. "well it's ok," i said. "are you kidding me?" said avani. "it tastes like nothing. it just isn't miso-y. it tastes like hot water." of course, she was right. we switched to our food. my gyu don was... odd. the flavor was pretty good but it was big hunks of beef, not shredded. also, it was really oily and the rice was drowning in sauce. avani's bibimbap was just straight up bland. the beef tasted like nothing. the vegetables tasted like nothing. even the sauce could do little to revive the meal. on top of that, she ate like 3 bites and then was left with nothing but rice. i was eating as fast as i could to try to get through my meal before she started scavenging. but then i got to this huge chunk of fat and gristle and i let her have the rest of mine. here is the worst part: we paid $20.13 total for this meal. and we did not even order drinks. just some rice, a little watered down miso soup, and a few crappy bites of bland food. we could have eaten like kings at cilantro (or king wok, or thai express, or chicago gyro, or chipotle...) for half that. "i can't wait to go home and eat some leftover pizza," said avani. i was mad because i wasn't going home just then and had to wait until 10 pm to eat again. "here is what we have learned from this meal," i said as we left. "never try anything new."
(1)