Banzai Bento

Takeout lunch from Waipio, Oahu, Hawaii...Every time I leave the parking lot of Costco in Waipio, I see the sign for "Fast & Ono Bentos".One day, I made it a point to follow the arrows!The signs to Banzai Bento are very helpful! I found the free parking lot next door and walked down the sidewalk and ramp to the entrance. I entered the door to the cozy shop where all types of bentos are ready to grab and go.Just take your selection to the friendly cashier and you're on your way!This truly is an efficient system and the food was really tasty! I got the Deluxe Bento which is like a famous "pac" from another establishment. It had takuan, spam, teri beef, fish, and Garlic Chicken (instead of fried chicken - LOL)! However, this Bento was MUCH better than the competitor's version because: 1. the teri beef was NOT rubbery. It was delicious and tender! 2. the fish was moist and fresh - NOT those frozen filets! If you want tartar sauce instead of spicy shoyu sauce, just ask for it!3. the garlic chicken was flavorful and BONELESS! It's less messy, compared with fried chicken... and it tastes WAY BETTER, too!!!So, my friends, I HIGHLY recommend Banzai Bento for your next meal! Service is efficient and helpful! The nice cashier asked about Cony and Brown... hee hee! She's very observant!Oh - and get furikake on da rice, brah! Woot woot! Bonus, yeah?!?!

I have seen several people walking with their bento to the Costco parking lot. I thought it was because it would be hard to find street parking nearby. But there actually is parking in front (one space) and additional parking on the side of the building. And depending on the time you go it could be easy Peary finding a space. The counter people are friendly and helpful. They didn't have the one I wanted and they said if I waited 10 minutes they would cook one up for me. Service with a capital S. The food was fresh. Tasty. And it was a nice size portion. Next time I go to Costco I will stop by.

I had seen photos posted on Yelp. Loved that is was a short drive away. We purchased two bentos, one was a deluxe but both had half a hot dog, a mando, rice and chicken plus a few edamame. The deluxe added some Teri meatballs.Hubs also picked up a 3 pack inari( cone) sushi.My honest opinion? Would I buy from there again? I think I'd stick with a popular competitor at Pearl Kai for bentos and cone sushi from a take out next to Cvs Longs in Pearl City.

Quick and delicious variety of bento boxes to choose from. Small place, very much of grab and go-- literally in and out within 5 mins. Taste is fresh compared to store market bentos along with supporting local!

Solid local bento. Not the 7-Eleven kind where everything taste the same and is overcooked and rubbery but rather homemade marinade and everything inside cooked correctly.The "Banzai Pack", their answer to the subpar zip pack. Oops, did I just write that? Tasty garlic chicken, flavorful teri beef, well fried battered fish, Crispy fried Spam and a bought in deep fried gyoza. What's not to like? The "Bombucha Fry Saimin Bento", winnah. Same solid teri beef, garlic chicken deep fried mandoo and requisite red hotdog all on a bed of some of the best fried saimin on the island. Just the right amount of shoyu, black pepper, crispy spam and kamaboko and most importantly, cooked noodles (not starchy). The flavor begs the question, was this stir fried with bacon fat?Not excessively large. Prices in line. $16 and $14 respectively. Other combos available ranging from $11 - $14. Breakfast bentos also available before 9am.Grab and go.Located one block makai of Costco, at the corner across Hopaco, at the bottom of a mildly sloped driveway (you won't see any sign on the building when driving by).A quick option if in the area and wanting something other than Costco food court.

Bentos range from $10 up. Gotta come early for best selection. Once they're sold out, they're closed.

I never heard of this place until it was featured on Cheap Eats by Guy Hagi. The bentos looked good but what caught my attention was the Smoked Marlin Dip. I've been looking around a long time for this dip. A place I bought it from closed, another place has it when they can get the smoked fish and a supermarket sells it but it wasn't that good.I wanted to pick up the Banzai Pack that includes Garlic Chicken, Beef Bulgogi, Fish Jun, Spam, Fried Mandoo, Furikake Rice and Takuan for $16 but they were out. I ended up picking the Lunch Bento that included the Garlic Chicken, Fried Mandoo, 1/2 a Hot Dog, Furikake Rice and Edamame for $11. I had to pick up my Smoked Marlin Dip $10 for 1/2# that's located in the refrigerator. Next to it, they were also selling 1# Smoked Marlin Sticks for $10...yay! Had to buy this too!The garlic chicken in the bento had a lot of flavor. I loved the dip! There's a bite to it and was really good...just what I was looking for. I will definitely be back for this! As for the Marlin sticks, it was tasty but a little dry...I still liked it.The people there were really nice and helpful with the questions I had. This place is located one block past Costco Waipio's gas station going down Moaniani Street. It's at the right corner of Uke'e and Moaniani. They have only 2 parking spaces out front with a sign saying "2 MINUTE PARKING" guessing it's because all the bentos are grab and go along with the refrigerated items so you're out of there in no time. They accept credit cards but won't charge tax for cash payments.

Support local! This is a small locally run shop near Costco Waipio serving freshly made bentos. Bentos are a mixture of rice and a variety of meats!This was our first time here and there were so many bentos out. They took the time to explain what was in each bento and the price points. Here's what we ended up getting:1. Banzai Pack: literally had a little bit of everything. Garlic chicken, bulgogi, fried fish, spam, gyoza, and takuwan. This was a huge bento. At $16, that's not a bad deal!2. Bombucha Fried Saimin: this had a very generous portion of fried noodles with garlic chicken, hot dog, gyoza, and a little bit of bulgogi. This was again, a huge bento. However, the noodles were very dry. It needed some sauce or something. I wouldn't get this again. 3. Smoked Marlin Dip: this is guava smoked so it was a good combo of sweet, spicy, and Smokey. I really liked this. It was a bit too sweet for my hubby's taste but it's so good with some crackers. If you love guava smoked flavor, you'll love this!Overall, great on the go option if you're in the Waipio area with friendly service! We'll be back!

I finally got a chance to visit after driving by this shop in Waipio so many times. It's street parking unless you want to take a short walk from the Costco. They open early and have a good choice of breakfast and lunch bentos. Price is $8-$16 per bento. Food was tasty and filling. Good variety of meats and sides. Staff were super friendly and service was great. I'll definitely come back for those quick food pick ups.

Was off to Waipio since it was my day off to get get my Lee's Breakfast fix but was heartbroken to see that they were closed a little after 9 this morning so I had to retool in the Costco Parking Lot and see what other Breakfast options there were nearby. And I just remembered there was a Bento Shop nearby and I was always curious to give it a try and this was the opportunity for me to give Banzai Bento a try and let's just say I didn't leave here disappointed.They are located just behind Costco Gas Station at the corner right across Kaiser Permanente. Parking can be a bit of a struggle but they have a parking space you can pull up into to grab a Bento and go as well.Banzai Bento is a very small place and there is no dive in at all. But I love the fact that they have lots of Bento's right at your disposal and the pickings are a plenty especially if you go early. Love the selection of Bento's here at Banzai Bento and I would say they are reasonably priced with prices ranging from $8 to $16. They even have other items like Smoked Marlin Dip and Bbq Marinades abd even Mochi. I also heard from a customer that their Cone Sushi's are super good when available. But what I really like about this place is the Aunty who was running the front. She was very nice and explained what type of Bentos were available. She was really sweet and customer service over the top.Those type of qualities make me wanna be a repeat customer and support their business. That shows you that they take great pride in what they serve.I had the Banzai Pack which came with Garlic Chicken,Bulgogi,Mandoo,Spam and Fish Jun on a Bee of Rice with Choke Furikake which I like. Itvmay look a little small for some of you but i was definitely satisfied. What really stood out for me on this Bento was the Fish Jun. To me it looked more like Fish Tempura but the Batter on the Fish Jin was light and flakey and the Fish very mild in flavor. I was shocked how delicious it was. For the $16 price tag it may sound steep in price but I think the price is fair for what you get.Overall I was very impressed and I am definitely coming back here to Banzai Bento. Good to know I have a Bento place I can go to especially on this side of the island. I only hope that they would open on the weekends as well but then again they are in an industrial area so I totally get it.So if you guys stay shopping at Costco Waipio and you guys grab one Bento for the road come check Banzai Bento out -- at Waipio.