Upgrade Your Lunch With These Affordable Bento Boxes Around DC

Blue Ocean

Excellent miso ramen, four pieces of pristine nigiri (including tuna, shrimp, and salmon), plus one sushi roll all figure into the noodle-centric—if blandly named—Lunch Box D, which goes for $17.50 and is one of several abundant bentos here.

Yunnan by Potomac Noodle House

At this southwestern Chinese restaurant, the weekday bento lets you pick six dishes for $25. Choose three small plates, a bao bun or dumplings, a rice-noodle bowl, and cheesecake custard. Options veer non­traditional, such as “Peking-ish” duck dumplings and burger bao with shiitake jam.

Rakuya and Raku

These reliable Japanese spots serve up generous bentos and donburi combos for around $20 or less. Our go-to: the sake-don rice bowl topped with raw and seared salmon and salmon roe, which comes with udon-noodle soup, shrimp tempura, and a side salad.

Sushi Yoshi

Beautifully fried shrimp and vegetable tempura and not-too-sweet salmon teriyaki are the stars of the $16.95 teriyaki bento at this snug sushi house. Or opt for California and spicy tuna rolls as the centerpiece. You also get flavorful miso soup and a small salad.

This article appears in the August 2023 issue of Washingtonian.