Obento — Restaurant in Bristol

My daughter and I recently visited Obento, on Baldwin Street, a restaurant we've long admired for its authentic Japanese food. But, this time, we left with mixed feelings.

On the positive side, the food quality largely lived up to the restaurant's reputation. The fried shrimp was a standout—perfectly crispy and flavorful, although it leaned a bit too much on the salty side. The katsu chicken curry was enjoyable, offering the comforting flavors you'd expect from a good katsu dish. We were also served a generously portioned Seafood Chilli Soup with Udon noodles. It was undeniably authentic, but sadly lacked the depth of flavor we had hoped for. The freshness was there, but the taste felt a little flat.

The ambiance was decent—quiet, with a relaxed atmosphere. However, we were the only lunchtime customers, which left us wondering whether that was a sign of things not being quite right. Given Obento's long-standing history as a go-to spot for authentic Japanese cuisine in Bristol, we were expecting a bit more buzz during a lunchtime service.

One element that added to our confusion was the menu itself. While the restaurant is known for its focus on Japanese cuisine, there were several Chinese-style dishes on offer, which made the experience feel slightly muddled. We found ourselves questioning the identity of the restaurant—is it trying to cover too many bases?

Overall, while the food was mostly solid, the experience didn't entirely meet the high expectations we've come to associate with Obento. It wasn't a bad meal by any means, but a few small missteps—salty shrimp, underwhelming soup, and the mixed identity of the menu—left us with a sense of confusion. Still, we’d give it another try, hoping this visit was...

Don't go to this place. I have made the mistake in trusting some of the over-exaggerated Trip Advisor reviews, and decided to give this place a chance. BAD idea!

(1) STAFF IGNORES CUSTOMERS: While chatting with the her colleagues, the waitress has left me and another 2 people waiting for almost 10 minutes before taking the orders. The other 2 people found them so rude that they left! I wish I did the same!

(2) BAD FOOD: The sushi has a lot of rice. The seaweed is so old that it is no longer crunchy. I wonder how long has it been sitting in the kitchen! The cucumber was unprepared (sounds about right, since everyone in Obento speaks Mandarin, I bet they were not trained to make proper Japanese sushi!) Needless to say that the fish does not taste fresh.

(3) RUDE STAFF + CHINESE PRETENDING to be JAPANESE: All the waitresses and waiters are Chinese, it is not a Japanese restaurant! Don't expect the usual polite greetings. Their staff has No manners. They did not even bother to ask me if 'everything is OK?'

(4) 10% 'OPTIONAL' SERVICE CHARGE: the 10% service charge is automatically put on top of the bill. When I paid it by credit card, they didn't ask me if I would like to pay the service charge and entered the full amount! I have only realized it when I got back to my hotel. This shop is DISHONEST!

Given the horrible food and experience. I did not even finish my meal and left.

In short- DON'T GO...

We came here on Saturday at 9.40pm. As we walked in the first thing the barman did was turn his look to the clock on the wall. We were greet and walked over to a table. We ordered nigiris, makis, tempura prawn and seafood udon. Our udon dish was tasteless but even though we decided not to complain. At the end of the visit we asked for the bill and realised there was a 10% service charge included (not discretionary). My friend and I decided to leave a tip cash so we ask for a bill without SC. Our surprise was that the waiter attending us didn’t react on an appropriate way and responded that we were obliged by “the government” which isn’t true!! A different person came back to the table to take the payment and she was making us questions about what went wrong during our time in the restaurant and if there were any issues to address with the service. At this point she make me feel very embarrassed as she was raising her voice and having an attitude. After she took all the payment from both cards (without service charge) I wanted her to know that I wish to leave the tip according to my experience to which she replied with a sarcastic smile and walked away. Obviously at this point and after the disappointment we decided not to leave any tip. On our way to the door we say good bye and thanked the staff near us however they looked away. We...