Sushi Bento — Restaurant in Lake Wales

Literally had the worst experience in any restaurant I have ever been to. I am very understanding and forgiving, especially considering these hard times.

We ordered takeout from Sushi Bento Lake Wales. They had no one in store except employees. They had a few Togo orders and seemed busy. They quoted me 20 minutes. At 30 minutes I asked how much longer it would be. They said they were bagging it. I got my food at 40 minutes.

I went to check my order and was surprised to find a sauce that wasn’t properly capped and it was all over my hand, the Togo box, and the bag. They cleaned the Togo container, and I cleaned off my hands and the bag.

I got home to find that they put ginger in my order. (I love cooked ginger, but I can’t stand raw ginger, just not for me.) No one is perfect, mistakes happen. My whole bowl tasted of raw ginger so we decided to call back.

I called to get a replacement. Upon calling, they answered the phone (20 minutes before closing) saying “we’re not taking anymore orders”. Not “hello”. Not “Hi”. Just that they’re not taking orders...

We told them that our order was messed up. I was put on hold and told that I would be offered 20% off my next bowl. I told them I wanted a replacement. It was now 13 minutes before close. They told me I needed to be there by 9. I said I was further than that, they once again put me on hold. They finally told me that was fine to be after 9:00pm at 8:51.

Upon arriving, they handed me they bag and said “here it is”. No apology, no consideration for the wasted time and no care whatsoever, just mean looks. Five employees stood at the counter when we came in. It was pretty uncomfortable.

I told them that the hot portion of our order would now be ruined. The woman behind the cash register (who identified herself as the owner) said that she wasn’t told of any issues with any other food. I told her the other food was had no issues, but having to come back and rectify this food ruined the experience and that I preferred to eat all of my food at once. One employee was looking at me and rolling her eyes, so I said that was inappropriate. Another employee (her son) lashed out on me saying that she didn’t speak English and insulted me only then to remain quiet after he acknowledged saying a hurtful word to me. I asked the owner if she thought this was acceptable behavior and she said she “apologized on his behalf”. I still feel like this didn’t just happen. Feels like a bad dream.

I got the new food, but after receiving it and judging by their lack of customer service experience and unprofessional attitudes, I feel like they would be petty enough to do something to it. I didn’t eat anything from them.

It’s no secret that we eat out a lot. We have a lot of experiences in and out of Polk County. It wasn’t even our first time to this restaurant. Not even the second time! We have recommended this place in the past. This business doesn’t deserve my patronage anymore! I’m so upset by them. Just putting it out there for those that are expecting to be treating nicely. — at Sushi...

I got a poke bowl and it was decent but the raw salmon and raw tuna were so fishy that I almost couldn’t finish the other parts of the poke bowl and I especially did not eat the fish after a few attempts. The imitation crab was also extremely fishy. The cuts were also filled with fat lines and the color of the tuna was so dark it looked like it had gone bad already. This is my second time getting a poke bowl from sushi bento and, just like the first time, it was really bad and fishy. Also the service was horrible I stood at the counter for 10 minutes waiting for her as she poured herself a cup of soup to eat. And the thing that had me the most disturbed was that they had one lone large goldfish in a tank by itself with a handful of rocks and some clam shells. Most of the bottom was uncovered with the glass reflecting back up. He would look at us and as soon as you’d go closer he’d start swimming into the glass as if to say “please help me”. All in all it was a terrible experience and I will not be returning. And my biggest concern was the poor fish, I can’t imagine living my life confined and lonely in a horrid environment like that. Honestly if anyone knows if anything could be done to help him that would...

This place used to be a hidden gem but unfortunately has gone downhill while prices have risen. Cold sushi rolls are now being served at a room temperature 70-74 degrees, which is unsettling to me because I don’t know how long the fish has sat out for or how it’s being stored. On top of that, once per visit, something is either missing from my order or prepared incorrectly. Last week, all 3 of my Philly Rolls were missing the cream cheese. This week (today), I was missing a green salad. These issues may seem relatively minor, but the constant mistakes and inconvenience of having to ask for my items after the order was deemed “ready for pickup” or drive up there to have my order fixed has caused this establishment’s poor service and poor attention to detail to outweigh the overall value it once had. After getting sick yet again from eating there, I’m going to have to find another sushi restaurant because 74 degree sushi is simply UNACCEPTABLE. And yes, I show up early and 90% of the time, even have to wait well beyond the estimated 25 minutes for two 3 rolls combos in an empty restaurant with no other orders...