Bento Ya

One of the most authentic Japanese spots in LA and a true original at the iconic Grand Central Market. Yes, there will be a line. The cashier isn’t here to chat or charm—know what you want and move with purpose. Prices are reasonable for DTLA, but portions lean more snack than meal. I’d recommend grabbing three combos to comfortably feed two people. Sushi is made fresh to order and the tempura is divine.

Todd B

I had the beef and rice bowl. #1. It was surprisingly good. I would recommend it. My friend had the pork and rice bento and it was not quite as good. Its pretty quick, takes around 5 minutes to be ready if there is not much of a line.

Kat Demaline

One of the most authentic Japanese spots in LA and a true original at the iconic Grand Central Market. Yes, there will be a line. The cashier isn’t here to chat or charm—know what you want and move with purpose. Prices are reasonable for DTLA, but portions lean more snack than meal. I’d recommend grabbing three combos to comfortably feed two people. Sushi is made fresh to order and the tempura is divine.

Jenae Lien

Bento is a Japanese-style packed lunch with different assortments of meat and veggies in different compartments alongside rice. I was craving some Japanese curry and this place came through! Curry had large chunks of potatoes and carrots, and some nice pieces of dark meat chicken which totally hit the spot. They serve Ramen, Bento Boxes, curry, rolls and salad. All the rolls are hand made to order. It feels like it’s family owned and operated. It’s about $12-$18 per meal. You can get a large size fountain drink refill for half off it’s $2.75 price. For vegans and vegetarians they have a special menu with a good amount of options. Located down the central corridor of the Grand Central Market, in between the sushi spot and the fresh fruit stands.

Stephen Lee

Wow. A lot of haters! Sub-4s is offensive! A great spot for quick teriyaki. They prepare the food immediately and I thought the prices were okay. If you want a quick teriyaki fix, this is the spot!!

Bento Ya is a solid stop inside Grand Central Market when you want something quick, filling, and reasonably priced. We ordered the #4 Grilled Fresh Salmon Bento and the #14 Grilled Chicken Salad. The salmon bento was exactly what you want in a market spot like this—nicely grilled salmon, rice, and sides that felt fresh and satisfying without being heavy. The chicken salad was a good balance too: generous portion of grilled chicken, fresh greens, and a flavorful miso dressing that didn’t overpower everything. Service was fast, portions were fair for the price, and it’s an easy option when the market is busy and you don’t want to overthink it. Not fancy, but dependable and hits the spot. Would definitely come back when roaming Grand Central Market again.

Daveed Tuck

Bento Ya is a solid stop inside Grand Central Market when you want something quick, filling, and reasonably priced. We ordered the #4 Grilled Fresh Salmon Bento and the #14 Grilled Chicken Salad. The salmon bento was exactly what you want in a market spot like this—nicely grilled salmon, rice, and sides that felt fresh and satisfying without being heavy. The chicken salad was a good balance too: generous portion of grilled chicken, fresh greens, and a flavorful miso dressing that didn’t overpower everything. Service was fast, portions were fair for the price, and it’s an easy option when the market is busy and you don’t want to overthink it. Not fancy, but dependable and hits the spot. Would definitely come back when roaming Grand Central Market again.

Good quality/price ratio, healthy and tasty meal, would recommend!

Great prices and delicious fried chicken #22 per recommendation. Excellent choice!

Tried bunch of sushi’s and they were all surprisingly good and cheap. Their California roll was my personal favorite. Their takeout box is too fragile and hard fo carry

Visiting downtown LA, for lunch visited Grand Central Market on Broadway found Bento Ya, ordered the spicy seafood Ramen 😋 if in the area worth a visit.

Very quick service. The line was long when I arrived but moved very quickly. My food was ready by the time I paid, not always the case as there were people waiting for their food. They prefer cash but do accept card.

+5

Got a bento combo with salmon for lunch the other day. Food came quickly and was okay for the price. Not a bad option for a fast meal.

The salmon in my roll was overcooked, which is unfortunate. Pretty nice cafeteria though, especially on game nights. Go dodgers!

Quick and simple Japanese spot. Their menu is huge and there is a lot to choose from. While not the best chicken karaage i’ve had, my order was still very tasty and worth it. Can’t speak on the sushi/rest of menu but don’t think this place deserves 3 stars!

#10 Mods: - Pork / +Teriyaki Chicken Salmon: My little piece of salmon had an excellent taste & IMO cooked very well or just how I like it? Who knows, sometimes I think my taste is universal ;p !! Tempura: I believe the tempura should be less greasy? I enjoyed the veggie tempura, I had it before and *the breading/panko, it was very dry/crunchy. Egg Roll: Yes, yes, smol crunchyboi had majestic crunch. Rice: It's rice, it's a rice cooker. I love rice though, especially when I want to eat 2000 of something. Chimken: Wasn't dry, some teriyaki is so dry & overcoated this was delicately coated & chicken was a juicyy bby. The way the food sparkled & glistened in the sunlight made it seem like I got a much more expensive meal than 12.99. Overall, I enjoyed the meal, hek yes. I even remembered to say itadakimasu before I ate because someday I will know more Nihongo!! Tired of needing subtitles on everything!! So, num-num or not? : This definitely some num-nums! P.s- Coming back for some Tako-Yaki!!! Yes plz!!

You get what you pay for. Prices are to good to be true, at the time of this review the #7 Ramen was $12 so you get a $12 Ramen if that makes sense, not bad but it's not a good Ramen place. If you are hungry It will fill you up, we tried a bento box that looked nothing like their pictures, rice was plain and chicken was ok, we also got a California Sushi roll some way lacking on flavor and little bit warm. Slightly disappointed but not to the point to hating on it.Good place for a quick bite just don't for lunch/dinner.

Not too bad for a simple Japanese bento box place. It is located on Grand Central Market, so expect a line on the weekend. The service was quick (10 mins) but the bigger challenge is to find a seat in this crowded place. I ordered the deluxe bento ($15.99) which comes with grilled beef, salmon, tempura shrimp and veggies, and tofu salad. Good portion and the taste is the average bento box taste. Overall good choice if you are hungry!

It was my first time eating at Grand Central downtown. I picked the place with the longest line. I wasn't disappointed. The cost to portion was pretty good. The food was enjoyable (I especially enjoyed the variety in the Deluxe Bento box). If you want to get a feel for the hustle and bustle of a downtown lunch, then this may be the place for you.

The Mog Champ sends his regards. For affordable and quick Japanese food with a big bento selection, it's a decent place in the market! Ordered the grilled teriyaki chicken and the pork katsu, filling enough for a meal! Thanks for dinner Bento Ya! Mogliest Regards, Your Mog Champ

Love their spicy seafood ramen #9 (favorite). Super quick service. I have tried one of the beef bento boxes #1, was too salty for me, but the rice was delicious. Ramen #8 was good. Tried the takoyaki, I did not liked. The shrimp tempura was good. I will recommend what I have tried.

They have a vegetarian & vegan menu. That’s cool. I had the spicy tofu and veg soup with rice. It was okay. Will try something else next time.

Jie Gong

Not too bad for a simple Japanese bento box place. It is located on Grand Central Market, so expect a line on the weekend. The service was quick (10 mins) but the bigger challenge is to find a seat in this crowded place. I ordered the deluxe bento ($15.99) which comes with grilled beef, salmon, tempura shrimp and veggies, and tofu salad. Good portion and the taste is the average bento box taste. Overall good choice if you are hungry!

The Mog Champ

The Mog Champ sends his regards. For affordable and quick Japanese food with a big bento selection, it's a decent place in the market! Ordered the grilled teriyaki chicken and the pork katsu, filling enough for a meal! Thanks for dinner Bento Ya! Mogliest Regards, Your Mog Champ

Michael Christian

It was my first time eating at Grand Central downtown. I picked the place with the longest line. I wasn't disappointed. The cost to portion was pretty good. The food was enjoyable (I especially enjoyed the variety in the Deluxe Bento box). If you want to get a feel for the hustle and bustle of a downtown lunch, then this may be the place for you.

maria corona

They have a vegetarian & vegan menu. That’s cool. I had the spicy tofu and veg soup with rice. It was okay. Will try something else next time.

La Luna

Love their spicy seafood ramen #9 (favorite). Super quick service. I have tried one of the beef bento boxes #1, was too salty for me, but the rice was delicious. Ramen #8 was good. Tried the takoyaki, I did not liked. The shrimp tempura was good. I will recommend what I have tried.

Not the fastest place around but a solid choice if you're craving a bento box. Since the prices are great, go for the $11 Deluxe bento box (number 11) which gives you 2 proteins: salmon and beef (I switched to chicken) plus vegetable tempura, tofu salad, and a mini egg roll. There is no sign that tells you where to order so be sure either grab someone's attention or stand near the cash register at the far right end of the counter.

I always get Teriyaki Combo cos it comes with a lot of stuff including rice, beef, salmon, mix veggies, dumplings and shrimp tempura. The best piece is salmon teriyaki, so tasty and perfectly cooked. Expect to wait at least 20 minutes for the food to be ready. I need to take off two stars because the guy is so stingy giving napkins and sauce + soda machine is so gross.

It is just soso but not awful. Plain rice,little salad and good chicken. Unless you want to amazing food. It is not so bad.

I had the bento (number 10) thinking that a place called Bento Ya would have a good bento box but mannn I mean the effort was there but there was NO FLAVOR, everything was cooked nice, tempura crispy, just BLAND, so if you go to Bento Ya, don’t get a Bento box.. On the other hand, my friend ordered ramen and said it was good

Curry udon was okay-- served hot and had really good texture but I wish the spice was a little stronger and more complex. The venue itself is a lot of fun!

I was craving ramen and that was the only place in Grand Central Market that had it (beside the Robin Hood vegan ramen which according to my friend was delicious). I got spicy seafood ramen and couldn’t be more disappointed. 20 minute wait for the food to come out in a fast food joint isn’t something I’m looking for. The food was freshly made but lacked salt and any flavor at all. The shrimp was deep fried for some reason and the soggy breading came apart in the hot soup. Very plain broth. The employees were very nice and seem to be working hard, the operation is just disorganized and poorly managed. First and last time trying this place.

Got the beef Ramen. The beef was really good, but the broth for the noodles lacked some flavor. The portion size was nice for the price and definitely had better ramen in my life but just for a quick one-hitter not too bad 7.3.

Bento Ya is a decent Japanese food place. I went in expecting authentic and good looking food, but what I got was a fast food. Then I had remembered where I was at. The food images looked misleading and I didn't get what was on the photo. Just in a to-go container. I got the #2 Chicken Teriyaki bento. Some of the meat contained fat, which I don't like as much, but is tasty. The rice is good and it also came with a lettuce salad, also good. And I also got some chicken and vegetable dumplings...which were frozen. Bummer. Would I come back here? Probably not. But I wouldn't tell people to not come here. Just try it out for yourself. Side Note: If they could have a "Order Here" sign for the new customers and not feel lost, that would be great.

Its just okay, but definitely don't order the sushi.

The service was mediocre at best—whoever was taking orders looked completely exhausted and disinterested, which definitely set the tone. The food itself was just okay. Portions were on the small side, and what I got didn’t look anything like the photos on the menu board. The salad was oddly warm and had a stale taste, which was disappointing. Nothing was particularly flavorful or memorable—just very average overall. Not terrible, but certainly didn’t live up to any expectations. There are better options in the market.

The food was serviceable. Nothing special but certainly enjoyable for what it is. I ordered the number 11 for $17 bento special and a medium soda for $3.25. Which comes out to $20.25. The bill came out to $28.33 after tax, tip, and credit card fee. They didn’t ask me for the tip amount so I assume they just tipped themselves 22%+.

They serve Japanese meals inside of the market, but the portions feel too small for the price, leaving some diners unsatisfied + it is hard to find a table to sit down and eat. While the food is tasty, the value might not match expectations.

Food come out kind of slow. The taste is ok but nothing wow

Chester

The service was mediocre at best—whoever was taking orders looked completely exhausted and disinterested, which definitely set the tone. The food itself was just okay. Portions were on the small side, and what I got didn’t look anything like the photos on the menu board. The salad was oddly warm and had a stale taste, which was disappointing. Nothing was particularly flavorful or memorable—just very average overall. Not terrible, but certainly didn’t live up to any expectations. There are better options in the market.

Matthew Wong

The food was serviceable. Nothing special but certainly enjoyable for what it is. I ordered the number 11 for $17 bento special and a medium soda for $3.25. Which comes out to $20.25. The bill came out to $28.33 after tax, tip, and credit card fee. They didn’t ask me for the tip amount so I assume they just tipped themselves 22%+.

Carlo R. Carranza

They serve Japanese meals inside of the market, but the portions feel too small for the price, leaving some diners unsatisfied + it is hard to find a table to sit down and eat. While the food is tasty, the value might not match expectations.

Mediocre at best is the best way to describe it. The portions were small. The beef was unseasoned. The sauce was very light meaning you Could barely taste anything really. The salad was just sweet nothing special. There’s GOTTA be better options in that entire market.

Bento Ya is a Japanese food stand in GCM; they offer different kinds of Bento Japanese rice meals and appetizers. I was on a mission to try this vendor but after reading mixed reviews I just decided to get a Chicken Karaage appetizer. And it was very modest fried chicken bits; nothing resembles Karaage style whatsoever. Staff were elderly Chinese, barely spoke English but competent. Overall, I had a decent food experience. And this is the kind of food vendor I'd recommend to my foes.

B

Mediocre at best is the best way to describe it. The portions were small. The beef was unseasoned. The sauce was very light meaning you Could barely taste anything really. The salad was just sweet nothing special. There’s GOTTA be better options in that entire market.

I asked specifically if they had gluten free options. The guy pointed to the vegan/vegetarian menu. I asked if they had anything with fish that was gluten free, and he said salmon was. Ordered 3 salmon rolls, gluten free. They came smothered on sauce that wasn't gluten free, and came with packets of regular soy sauce. Basic food knowledge should be a requirement, right?🤷🏽

Horrible and extremely overpriced food for what it is. It’s hard to mess up vegan miso ramen and a tofu salad but they managed it. The miso ramen was 3 out of 10, but the tofu salad was -30. The most miserable salad I’ve ever had. I wish I read the reviews before ordering anything. Please, avoid!

Ordered the #9 Spicy Seafood Ramen and ended up with a throat pain. Food was oily and unhygienic. Try and avoid at all cost. Probably the worst Japanese restaurant I've ever eaten in my life.

I keep trying to like this place. Their pictures look good and there's rarely a line. I never have enough time to wait for the better restaurants. I need to slap myself next time I consider buying food here. Today, my udon curry was so cold, it was still gel. It looked nothing like their picture. Luckily, after mixing it, the warmth from the bottom melted the gel on top. I was starving after spending all day in court and I had a few minutes to get back. The insides of my veggies were still cold. I took a few bites and discarded the rest. Yuck!

Can’t say for other dishes but definitely don’t get teriyaki chicken. Cheap salad straight from the bag Skin heavy thigh chunks ( tough to chew) Store bought teriyaki sauce Even the rice is somehow flavorless.

Prefer NotToSay

I keep trying to like this place. Their pictures look good and there's rarely a line. I never have enough time to wait for the better restaurants. I need to slap myself next time I consider buying food here. Today, my udon curry was so cold, it was still gel. It looked nothing like their picture. Luckily, after mixing it, the warmth from the bottom melted the gel on top. I was starving after spending all day in court and I had a few minutes to get back. The insides of my veggies were still cold. I took a few bites and discarded the rest. Yuck!

justin yoon

Can’t say for other dishes but definitely don’t get teriyaki chicken. Cheap salad straight from the bag Skin heavy thigh chunks ( tough to chew) Store bought teriyaki sauce Even the rice is somehow flavorless.

Ordered a salmon avocado roll and regret getting sushi here. It’s the worst sushi I’ve ever had. The salmon was crumbled like tuna grinds and so little ove it. The rolls were cut very sloppy and all rice. The man servicing was very unwelcoming and still asking for a tip. I stood there for a few mins, he made eye contact and looked away. There were no other customers and that should have been my sign that their sushi isn’t great. Also the water given for my son tasted like it was mixed with other fountain drinks and needing a filter change.

Paid $30 included a bottle soda. The cook was chopping raw chicken with no hair covering and no gloves. He had his grubby palms all up in the chicken. The person taking the order appeared to rather be at his own execution than his own restaurant. The chicken curry was served cold. There was 2 pieces of chicken and had ligaments and fat that should've been cut off. You can find better chicken and rice meal at yoshinoya. The salad didn't look edible. Old lettuce and the dressing was watery. Surprisingly I'm not running to toilet... at least not yet. How this restaurant is allowed in this iconic food mall is a mystery.

If you have a child under 10 please be careful! Chicken so dry it’s a legitimate choking hazard. If I was a rabbit I would’ve loved the salad. It was 5 pieces of lettuce and a slice of tomato.

Bessi Nieva

Ordered a salmon avocado roll and regret getting sushi here. It’s the worst sushi I’ve ever had. The salmon was crumbled like tuna grinds and so little ove it. The rolls were cut very sloppy and all rice. The man servicing was very unwelcoming and still asking for a tip. I stood there for a few mins, he made eye contact and looked away. There were no other customers and that should have been my sign that their sushi isn’t great. Also the water given for my son tasted like it was mixed with other fountain drinks and needing a filter change.

Sang Kim

Paid $30 included a bottle soda. The cook was chopping raw chicken with no hair covering and no gloves. He had his grubby palms all up in the chicken. The person taking the order appeared to rather be at his own execution than his own restaurant. The chicken curry was served cold. There was 2 pieces of chicken and had ligaments and fat that should've been cut off. You can find better chicken and rice meal at yoshinoya. The salad didn't look edible. Old lettuce and the dressing was watery. Surprisingly I'm not running to toilet... at least not yet. How this restaurant is allowed in this iconic food mall is a mystery.

Olie S.

I asked specifically if they had gluten free options. The guy pointed to the vegan/vegetarian menu. I asked if they had anything with fish that was gluten free, and he said salmon was. Ordered 3 salmon rolls, gluten free. They came smothered on sauce that wasn't gluten free, and came with packets of regular soy sauce. Basic food knowledge should be a requirement, right?🤷🏽

Mariya Dell

Horrible and extremely overpriced food for what it is. It’s hard to mess up vegan miso ramen and a tofu salad but they managed it. The miso ramen was 3 out of 10, but the tofu salad was -30. The most miserable salad I’ve ever had. I wish I read the reviews before ordering anything. Please, avoid!