Comments on: Number 1 Bento

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:42:19 +0000

I finally tried this place. The Bi Bim Bap was amazing! I wish I knew of another Korean place downtown that served Bi Bim Bap, so I could have a basis of comparison. But it was delicious. A big range of flavors and textures in one dish. Go early, though: this place can get crowded, and they don’t call out names/numbers, making it difficult when several people are waiting on the same type of food.

By: Skip H.

Skip H. — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:37:07 +0000

Had the Spicy Chicken. Great meal, fresh rice, chicken just right, great bottles of sauce to kick it up a bit more. Steady stream of people who seemed to be regulars.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:14:44 +0000

This is a hidden treasure in Portland. I had two meals there with my family in August 2009. We had bi bim bap, potstickers and galbi. All were excellent and served in generous portions.

By: Seoul Brother #1

Seoul Brother #1 — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:24:36 +0000

Gal-Bi!!! great food, and this endorsement coming from a Korean straight outta LA!!! i no likey the chicken.

wish they had seafood pajeon.

wish there was a Chi Gae cart!

By: mike

mike — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:54:25 +0000

Not sure what’s happened here, but i had a Be Bim Bop at this place for the umpteenth time, and it was terrible. Completely different than past experiences.

Dry rice. Stale-ish veggies. I don’t know why they’re using chicken instead of beef in the BBB.

I’ll give it at least one more try b/c I love this place, but I hope this is not a trend.

By: bella

bella — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:13:55 +0000

It was a rainy and cold day today. I was up for some grub. I knew i could count on #1 Bento to fill my tummy with some yummy food. I couldn’t decide between the ramen, curry, or the choices between the meat items… So i decided to get the ramen and chicken/beef combo. It hit the spot once again and it was indeed a Grrrrrrreat combo. thanks #1 bento for the awesome service and the quality food.

By: 30 Carts in 30 Days - A Recap | Food Carts Portland

30 Carts in 30 Days - A Recap | Food Carts Portland — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:15:23 +0000

[...] #1 Bento Korean BBQ (SW 9th and Alder) Brunch Box (SW 5th and Oak) Bubba Bernies (SE 12th and Hawthorne) Choza’s Taste of Peru (SW 9th and Alder) Eurodish (Polish) (SW 9th and Alder) Francisco’s (SW 3rd and Stark) Garden State (sellwood) Grilled Cheese Grill (NE 10th and Alberta) Huongs Vietnamese (SW 9th and Alder) Jean’s Hot Dog/Square (Pioneer Square) Just Thai (SE 3rd and Stark) Kiko’s Taqueria (Sellwood) La Jarochita (SW 5th and Oak) Lady Thai (SE 3rd and Stark) No Fish Go Fish (SW 5th and Yamhill) Original Chopollos (SW 4th and Hall) Perierra creperie (SE 12th and Hawthorne) Phillies (SW 5th and Oak) Po’ Town Vittles (SW Moody and Abernathy) Potato Champion (SE 12th and Hawthorne) Rick’s Wild Seafood (SE 3rd and Ash) Rip City Grill (SW Moody and Abernathy) Savor Soup House (SW 9th and Alder) Shelly’s Garden/Honkin Huge Burritos (Pioneer Square) Smokin’ Pig (SW 5th and Oak) Spoons on 5th (SW 5th and Oak) Spud Locker (NE 27th and Alberta) Tito’s Burritos (SE 3rd and Washington) Vietnamese Banh Mi (SW 4th and Hall) Whiffies (SE 12th and Hawthorne) [...]

By: Cuisine Bonne Femme

Cuisine Bonne Femme — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:47:13 +0000

Glad you liked Number 1 Bento, Alex. It’s defiantly in my top ten cart meal rotations.

I too loved that yellow cart with the dancing corn on the side.

By: alex

alex — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:36:58 +0000

I got the bulkoki and it was so dank! oh lordy. I can’t believe I ate the whole thang … I am going back every chance I get.

also, I’m really upset that they changed their cart from the one with the corn on the side. bammer.

By: mike

mike — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:19:24 +0000

Yummy stuff here. Not quite the upscale delight that Be Won is (hands down the best Korean in the PDX Metro), but this place is much more affordable than Be Won.

I’m a sucker for Bi Bim Bap — to the point that it’s virtually the only thing I eat on a Korean menu. That’s not to say I don’t like other Korean dishes, but I never seem to want one more than a good, hearty BBB. That’s exactly what you get here — lots of fresh veggies, a smattering of beef, a pile of rice and the perfectly cooked over-easy egg to slosh around the overall mix.

The side of Kim Chee is always on fire.

The super nice lady who runs it gave me a free sample of Chap Chai one day, and it was very good.

I can’t speak to anything else on the menu.

I don’t work anywhere near this cart, but I do drive to downtown and pay for a friggin’ parking spot upwards of once a week just go get my fill of Bap.

Now, if someone will explain why there’s not a Korean spot anywhere on the east side . . . except for Toji, which is fine, but nothing to write home about.