Cafe by Dokuwa: Hamburg’s bento boxes

I love bento boxes, but last time I went to Marktstraße, the Cafe by Dokuwa was already closed. Time to return and get one of those bento boxes for a lunch on the go.

Cafe by Dokuwa is a café of course, but it’s more known around the district for the bento boxes. Every day, two new boxes are made with fresh ingredients. One bento includes meat, the other not. The owners upload photos of the bento of the day on Instagram and take reservations for boxes.

And these boxes are limited by design. Once they’re gone, they’re gone for the day. If you don’t do Instagram, you can see the bento of the day in next to the window where you place your order. I ordered the vegan/vegetarian box snd paid 12 euro.

With my box, I set off to the next park. The bento was very tasty and included yellow rice, broccoli, tofu and more.

Bento boxes are still rare in Germany. In Japan, they are every where, especially at train stations. The Japanese call them the Eki ben: Eki (train station) and ben(to). It should be noted however, that the vast majority of bento contain either meat or fish.

Would I come back? Very likely. I hope that one day bento boxes will become as popular as as sushi and ramen. In Düsseldorf, you can buy them at various Jaapanese super markets.

Location + more info