Bento Box Sushi Bar

Bento Box Sushi Bar, located in The Forum Shopping Center on Military Cutoff near Wrightsville Beach, is recognized as Wilmington’s premier sushi restaurant. Although The Bento Box Sushi Bar & Asian Kitchen is frequently recognized as the best sushi restaurant, it’s also tops for authentic Asian food from Thailand to Tokyo all prepared with locally sourced all-natural or organic ingredients when available. The Bento Box sake bar boasts one of the largest sake selections in Wilmington and is the first sake bar in the Carolinas to have premium cold sake on draft.

Sit at the Bento Box Sushi Bar to watch the masters at work. Consider the signature Delicious Roll, made with either spicy tuna or salmon twirled with avocado, seaweed salad, wasabi tobikko, sesame seeds and crisp tempura crumbles. Two Bento Box signature hot sauces come on the side. The Totally Tuna suits those watching their carbs. Tuna, avocado, wasabi tobikko and sesame soy are wrapped in a thin cucumber sheet, all served with ponzu sauce. The Killer Carrot roll has asparagus, scallions, avocado and shredded carrot with spicy kolchijan, the production drizzled with chili oil. Choose numerous rice less and vegetarian rolls. Gluten-free soy sauce is available. Any roll is delicious, but better yet, ask owner/chef Lee Grossman to prepare something “Omakase” meaning “Chef’s choice” in Japanese..

You will want to try all the different Asian street foods available on the menu! Pork belly lettuce wraps are crispy mother lodes. There’s pork belly lo mein, too. Fork-tender Wagyu boneless short ribs are braised with shiitake and ginger and served over wasabi mashed potatoes, all crowned with ginger demi-glace and a wave of tempura-fried fresh kale. Vietnamese ginger beef is a beef tenderloin and vegetable stir-fry in ginger sauce. Pickled sweet red onions and crispy potato straws crown the mix. Banzai chicken is stuffed with sweet potato, asparagus and cheddar cheese and then wrapped in a spring roll, flash fried and served with teriyaki dipping sauce. Oh-so-crispy Japanese fried chicken, marinated in sake, ginger and soy sauce and dusted with potato starch, is gluten-free, as are many items on the menu. Oftentimes, diners choose several dishes and share them to enjoy all the many flavors.

Save room for a chocolate potsticker. Each deep-fried wonton package holds a warm, melty, handmade, Belgian dark chocolate truffle. A delicious caramel dipping sauce comes on the side. You may order just one truffle, but why would you?

The dining room’s cool gray and chrome tones lend an exciting urban feel. Hear the trickle of stone waterfalls and, sometimes, live music on the large patio, perfect for warm evenings.

The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Chef closes on Sunday so he and the staff can have quality family time.

For more information visit www.bentoboxsushi.com