July 18, 2023 – By Kate Gray
A new restaurant comes to the Woodmoor shopping center
Bento Express, which opened in the Woodmoor shopping center in June 2023, has garnered a lot of buzz in the local community. The Japanese restaurant is “known for its variety of tastes and high-quality fresh ingredients.” Largely positive reviews and good service, along with curiosity from surrounding neighbors, drives the business.
Residents Reactions
“I’ve been going down to the shopping center for months,” Woodmoor resident Charles Bell said. “I saw the signs that kept saying ‘coming soon, coming soon’ and finally it opened, so we went over there.”
Josh Rovner had also been waiting to try the restaurant. “I happened to be running an errand in the shopping center about a month ago and I saw it was open, so I went in and got a few things so we could test drive it.”
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“We were really happy with it,” said Bell. “We love Japanese food and I was looking for a place that was somewhat affordable and relatively quick.”
While intrigue and newness drew customers in, for many, the food kept them coming back.
“We really liked it the first time,” agreed returning customer Nina Patel. “I got the poke bowl and it was delicious. My boyfriend got the teriyaki and he really enjoyed it.”
Watch the Residents Reactions Video
Group Catering
The restaurant’s business has already expanded beyond individual orders – the Rovners ordered from Bento Express for their son’s birthday party at the end of June. 11-year-old Max gave the noodles and vegetables high reviews, as well as the sushi, which his brother Desmond claims is some of the best sushi he’s ever had.
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“The ordering process was super simple and it turns out that we were their first ever party order,” Josh said. “They were incredibly kind and they made the whole thing very easy.”
Come Check it Out
While summer can be a difficult season to open a new restaurant, employees and customers alike hope for more business during the school year when teenagers often go to the shopping center after school or extracurriculars.
“I want to see it succeed because we want to keep having those restaurants opening up in the neighborhood, so I would definitely recommend it,” Bell said.
Hours of Operation
Bento Express is open for dine-in, takeout and delivery from 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday, and 11am to 9pm on Sunday.
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