Among the many new renovations happening this year in the UCF area, Bento Cafe will join the list of convenient restaurants for students.
The cafe will make way to the UCF area, with the latest location opening at The Plaza on University.
“The Plaza was chosen because it’s new construction, it’s a perfect time [and] location where they have student housing and it’s in front of the campus so it’s perfect for students,” said Ariane Hernandez, media director for Bento Cafe.
The exact location opening date cannot be disclosed, but the restaurant will look to open by the new year. Having started off in Gainesville, Bento, Hernandez said, was very popular because it was where a lot of the student traffic occurred. “Moving to a location where we know the demographic is one of the reasons we wanted to move to UCF, as well,” she said.
The new cafe will join two other Orlando locations, which are in the Downtown Orlando and Sand Lake areas. “The food is just fantastic and the atmosphere is so welcoming and modern,” UCF senior elementary education major Courtney Ray said. “My favorite thing on the menu is the spicy cream chicken.”
“I’m from Gainesville and there are two there; it’s definitely one of my favorite places,” Ray said. “I seriously can’t wait for the Plaza one to open. I’ve driven to the downtown location a few times.”
Founded in 2002 in Gainesville by UF alumni Jimmy Tung, Johnny Tung and David Yu, Bento Cafe offers a creative Asian-inspired mixture of dishes on its menu, from stir-fry to fire-grilled items, using the finest Asian spices and the freshest meats, the website states. “The concept is [that] it’s cooked-to-order and prepared in minutes. Students would order whatever dish from the menu, cook it up and it will be made right away, under seven minutes,” Hernandez said. “Time is essential for college students who are in a rush.”
