Bento Cafe

Restaurants, Japanese Camden Town
5 Love It
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Its position beside Camden’s Jazz Café makes Bento popular with smoky bohemians filling up before a show, but you’ll find all walks of life packing the place out nightly. The interior is decorated with bamboo shoots, lanterns and vintage Japanese weapons, and there’s something decidedly Zen-like about the layout of dark wood tables. Sushi is hand-rolled behind a central counter – a Kyoto starter platter tasted fresh, although was a little prone to falling apart – and mains are artfully presented: the seafood grill was an elaborate bundle of scallops, seared prawns and squid held together by a banana leaf and a stem of pickled ginger. Pork and prawn dumplings were golden brown, grease free and packed with piping hot, powerfully flavoured meat.

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Venue name: Bento Cafe
Contact:
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Address: 9 Parkway
London
NW1 7PG
Opening hours: Meals served noon-10.30pm Mon-Thur, Sun; noon-11pm Fri, Sat.
Transport: Tube: Camden Town tube
Price: Main courses £4.90-£13. Set lunch £5.90 bento box.
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Average User Rating

4.8 / 5

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LiveReviews|5
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Tastemaker

The fact that this cafe has been on Parkway, holding it's own against a wide range of other choices in the neighbourhood, for over ten years, is testament to it's consistently great menu and reasonable prices. I must have been here at least 10-15 times over the past years and haven't had a bad meal. 


The great thing about Bento is the fact that you can go for entirely different foods, depending on your mood and budget. There is quality sushi - traditional and westernised - and delicious sides such as golden tofu and 'future shock' (worth ordering just for the name). If you want a quick and cheaper bite to eat you can order a curry plate, bowl of soup or a filling Bento box. I believe they also do some great lunch deals as well.


As a pescatarian, this is the perfect place to eat with a wide range of fish and veggie dishes, but there's also plenty of meat and if you're strictly vegan, you'd also manage pretty well here with much to fill you up. This is a place I return to often - a great pre-cinema destination for the Camden Odeon and is also well suited for twosomes and groups, with a range of tables to serve all purposes.

"title"


This is my favourite restaurant in Camden - it's where I go when I need to feel better and it always works. I'm huge fan of the tofu steam bento box - a perfectly balanced meal by itself.


It was just amazing from the share plate with make sushi until the last plum


Amazing quality food. The ribs, rolls and sushi boat was very good and for a reasonable price.


As a lunch venue this has to rate as one of the best places I've been to in my 6 months at Camden. The Set Menu represents tremedous value for money and will fill up all but the most hearty eater. The menu is also changed fairly regularly, though the core menu doesn't change. May favourites include the Pork Belly Set (now off the menu sadly) Seafood Curry Set and the new Spicy Chicken Katsu Set which is hot enough to sing the lips, but not hot enough to mask the excellent flavours.

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