Locals recently noticed the closure of Ichicoro Imoto at Tampa Heights’ Armature Works, but they won’t have to wait long for a new concept to move into the food hall stall.
A rep for Bento Asian Kitchen (stylized “BENTO”) told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that they expect the concept’s second Tampa location to be open in “another 2-3 weeks.”
Bento’s menu includes coconut curry tofu, spicy Sichuan chicken, shrimp pad thai and Mongolian steak, and a press release says that the Armature Works location—at 1910 N Ola Ave.—“will also offer a bites menu for those who want to snack on a variety of shareables.” It will be open seven days a week and also over delivery through Uber Eats and Doordash.
“We’ve been eyeing Armature Works for a while now.” Johnny Tung, Bento co-founder, wrote in a release.
The Florida-based concept’s first Tampa location opened near the University of South Florida last summer at 5103 E Fowler Ave. Bento has additional locations in downtown St. Petersburg and Sarasota along with brick-and-mortar locations in Orlando, Jacksonville, South Florida, and Gainesville plus virtual kitchens in Atlanta and Houston.
Bento’s arrival comes at a time of rapid change at the food hall. In recent months several concepts have both left—including Ichicoro’s Imoto concept along with Union by Commune+Co. and Kuba Cocina—and moved in or announced plans to open (Muchachas, Bake ‘n Babes, Buddy Brew).
Follow @eatatbento on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
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This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2021.