Manpuku Bento

This hidden gem in Chinatown is known to many to works in the area. Excellent bento take out place. Reasonably priced,highly recommend the fried fish bento box and the fried chicken bento box. There is also daily specials that the place make. Pastas are great too! They do Get very busy during lunch time so they don't always pick up their phone. If you order at the restaurant then prepare to wait as they need to freshly make a lot of the food.
Must try!

Nice spot for a takeout meal under $15. Portions are very reasonable. Tempura is nice and tasty over a bed of rice. I got the nori box and really liked the egg, croquette and prawn tempura. Comes with miso soup. There is no room to eat so truly take out to go.

It pains me to see this place take such a steep dive from those first few years as my favourite eatery in Chinatown. I don't give 5-star reviews to anything that's not top-tier quality, game-changing, and a highest possible recommendation, and Manpuku met those criteria for me when their servings were so generous and fairly priced, they needed rubber banads just to keep the lid covering the food that still poked out from their take-out containers. Instead of miso soup, their appetizer was tonjiru (think miso soup with thick slabs of bacon and mixed vegetables - substantial enough to almost be the meal).

In 2024, the containers are smaller and maybe 2/3 full and prices are up substantially. Predictable miso is served instead of tonjiru, with smaller servings. Lunch for 2 with 2 canned soft drinks came to $45 today when the same order would have been under $25 until just a few years ago. Staff come and go, and while I can't fault the service today, they just seem to be worked harder and don'f offer the familiar chatter where you get to know each other a bit when you're a regular there. Some of these things may be beyond their control, but I simply won't be able to treat myself to their takeout except maybe some special occasions. It was really good while it lasted.

I ordered a karaage udon bento here on a quiet Thursday afternoon. Be warned that parking can be tight here, and there is no indoor seating, so you have to take your food to go.

The food itself was super yummy. I had not had karaage chicken before, and this place really set the bar. The fried chicken was excellently cooked and was a large portion size even though I got the combo. The udon was a nice treat as well, which included seaweed, tempura bits, and egg. Overall, I'd recommend this place to anyone in the area looking for some delicious Japanese food to go.

Tasty Japanese food with good portion and price.

The curry here is very good, the beef and carrots are surprisingly tender.

Chinatown has a fair share of tasty Chinese food available street to street but who knew tucked along one of those streets is Manpuku! They serve Japanese bento boxes to go and they are made to order. We ordered the Beef Curry w/ Karaage + Syake Bento. The beef curry was my favourite! It's nice and thick with little pieces of beef and gives off that homey feeling! You can choose to include add ons too that range from karaage, tonkatsu, fry ebi, croquette and more to your beef curry. All the menu items are reasonably price. This is an easy new favourite for take out when I'm the area!

I came across this place randomly since a lot of stores and restaurants are closed on a Monday / boarded up in Chinatown? I got Karaage Bento (#1). It was a good portion of rice and fried chicken. Except it needs sauce! For the chicken, plain rice (not vinegar) and plain cabbage. Miso soup was a good touch. Also, there's nowhere to sit. It was a bit suss in this neighborhood.

Ordered through UberEats!
I got udon +aji fry combo (17.95 on ubereats )

At first i thought the portion was a bit small for the price . However i have no complaint at all for the taste. Actually i even think they did it well compared to other Japanese restaurants here.

The udon was nice. What i liked about it is probably they use home made ten-kasu (crunchy crumbs you get from leftover tempura batter ). That made the udon taste well. The sauce is good and authentic.

The Aji fry was also fried well! It was not oily. I wish there were more fries though:)


Overall i thought it was pretty filling and great taste. Then later on i found out the Mini +udon combo was actually 13 at the actual store. UberEats just charged extra! If that's the case the portion of the food was reasonable for the price. So i would recommend taking out or delivery from website if you live nearby.

As a regular patron on Main Street between 33rd and Chinatown due to all the amazing local establishments, I had recently discovered a cute little bistro called Manpuku @ 288 East Pender St. in the historic Chinatown district of Vancouver.

It really stuck out to me because of the unique appearance of their front entrance. It reminded me of when I visited Tokyo back in 2008 so I decided to give it a try.

Pictured:

Beef Curry Rice sz. small (soup included)

"It's spicy just the way I like it. The Curry is very thick and little sweet. It has an amazing beef taste in the curry as well."

Mabo Don sz. small (soup included)

Pricing:

For 3 beef curries and 1 mabo don, it only costed me a total sum of $25.00 Canadian. That's absolutely incredible considering the generous portions, taste and authenticity.

My Favourites:

- Beef Curry Rice Bowl
- Nashville Style Chicken Karaage on Rice Bento

"The Nashville Style is extra spicy and I find it to be perfect. The spicy kick and crunchiness is super delicious!!!.

Overall, if you're seeking to taste some REAL Japanese food without spending an absurd amount...

@manpuku.ca #japanesefood #vancouverfoodie

Manpuku always has a huge line up, and for good reason. They are super good value and the food reminds me of supermarket bentos in Japan.

I ordered the Mix Fry Bento which included chicken karaage, tonkatsu and fried hoki (fish). On top of a bed of rice with some cabbage. I recommend adding the tonkatsu sauce and salad dressing into your bento before you leave their place.

Service is self sever, and they have a standing bar area where you can enjoy your food (before Covid). But honestly during lunch time there's a really big line up that I don't think you'd enjoy eating at the bar.

You get a number once you order and pay, and they call out your order when it's ready. I think it's very efficient.

Their food is very solid, and feels home made. I would definitely go back again if I'm in the area, but I won't necessarily drive all the way to visit the restaurant.

Great place for quick Japanese takeout! We got the Tonkatsu bento and the karage bento to go and it was prepared quite quickly. There was more than enough Tonkatsu and karage and we were so impressed with the flavour. Highly recommended and we will definitely be back!