Closing Eagle restaurant was ‘sad,’ but local chain to open new Boise store in May

Zen Bento sells meals that promote a healthy lifestyle, and that’s a good thing.

Owner Rene Iwamasa likes to stay on her toes.

Serving teriyaki rice bowls in downtown Boise since 1996, the small chain has been nimble elsewhere for the past two years. Zen Bento was forced from its State Street location in early 2018 after the building was demolished by the Ada County Highway District. Iwamasa soon opened a new store at 2454 S. Apple St. in Boise.

Last October, Zen Bento closed at 342 E. State St. in Eagle for business reasons. Iwamasa decided to sell the property, which is now under contract. Shuttering a restaurant? “It’s always sad,” Iwamasa admits, especially “after 15 wonderful years in the Eagle community.”

But her strategy in 2020 is to embrace Boise, she says.

Iwamasa plans to open a new store as soon as May at 2340 N. Bogus Basin Road. Targeting residents from the North End and Highlands neighborhoods, Zen Bento will share a newly renovated building with Reed Cycle.

Zen Bento’s number of locations will rebound to three again — all in Idaho’s capital city.

“We’re not even really thinking about Meridian or Nampa at this point,” Iwamasa says. “There’s enough growth in Boise to kind of bring everything in a little bit closer to home and make it a little more manageable.”

That being said? “We’d love to see a couple more stores down the road in the Boise area.”

Iwamasa has toyed with the idea of another Zen Bento on the other end of downtown, opposite the popular lunch spot at 1000 W. Main St. Or maybe a spot on the Boise Bench?

For now, there’s no structured plan, she adds. It’s enough preparing the Bogus Basin Road store for eager customers. Summer recreation enthusiasts should appreciate Zen Bento’s menu of hand-trimmed meats and vegetables, housemade sauces, and steamed — rather than fried — foods.

After that? Iwamasa might actually relax for a moment, she says.

Zen Bento, after all, loosely translates to “peace in a lunchbox.”

“Every year, I say I’m just going to take a break for one or two years,” she insists, chuckling. “And something happens to change it up! So the idea is to take a little break and enjoy the ride a little bit.”

Online: zenbento.com.

This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.