Authentic spot with some classics - the bentos are obviously the stars but the appetizers are also quite good. I was a fan of the seaweed and daikon. Not mind blowing enough to go out of my way for, but definitely a solid choice if you're in the area.

Small shop with about four tables with 1 on 1 seating lined across. You walk in and order on a kiosk machine. We had a few questions and the server at the counter was super nice and friendly. He was very patient and helped us figure out what we wanted. My friend ordered the popcorn chicken which was some of the most flavorful fried chicken I have tasted. Whatever spices they used after frying the chicken were top tier and I certainly want to know what it is. I ordered the scallion chicken and I personally loved it. It certainly is not tailored to everyone's flavor profile. The scallion tasted similar to a pickled cabbage and can be on the sour end. So I would stay away if that is not your cup of tea. It was filling for one person I would say, but I had plenty of room for dessert. For the bigger bellies I can see you still being hungry after ordering one bento box. They took about 15 mins to come out (so it's not as quite grab and go as dollar dumplings etc etc) but still decently fast. There are plastic utensils at the front counter that are self serve with napkins. Overall will come again for a nice quick and cheap meal. I really enjoyed my food and look forward to trying the other bento boxes when I get the chance.

The railroad bento box is my to go dish. Really cannot find it anywhere else. Service is great. Limited seats inside.

Solid place for popcorn chicken, so far my favorite in the city. There's only 10 pieces but they are quite big. Seasoned heavily. Some pieces have more than others and therefore are saltier. Perfectly crispy. I liked that they poked holes on the lid for to-go orders to attempt to keep the chicken crispy. Juicy chicken. Just wanted basil to be fried with the chicken.

Food 9/10 Solid and simple popcorn chicken bento, perfect for a fast lunch. They really fill up the bowl with a lot of chicken and rice, so you won't feel hungry after this meal. Atmosphere 6/10 Quite bare bones interior, with two rectangular tables and then some high chairs for solo diners. Service 6/10 Super fast with getting the food out, you pay at the counter and get a bento to go.

I've stumbled upon Taiwan Bear House and it's a cute little shop located in Chinatown with a few tables inside. I order the popcorn chicken because it's the perfect spot to grab something and hang out with a friend. The popcorn chicken pieces are bigger than most places however, they're crispy on the outside and juicy in the inside. They have a very unique taste to them and are extremely tasty.

Really enjoyed the bento. - fried chicken was very delicious - good cabbage; wish it were more pickled, but still great - moist rice; not dry - sausages were delicious and filling Fast pick-up and great meal. Will try other items soon.

Stopped by around 1h30 pm for lunch on a rainy, rainy day - there was only one other person eating there (who I later realised was one of the employees). I ordered the railroad pork chop bento (懷舊鐵路便當). While I was waiting for the food, I noticed the big box of cardboard boxes in the corner, which - if my experience eating Taiwanese cuisine means anything - was definitely a green flag. It's overall a clean interior with not many seats; I'm not sure how busy it gets, but maybe most people order takeaway. My food came out in a classic round box - uncovered since I wanted to dine-in. It smelled SO good - a mix of the quintessential Taiwanese flavours of pork chop, minced pork sauce over rice, and the stir-fried 高麗 Taiwanese cabbage. The pork chop was really yummy, although it was less crispy than I expected. The meat was juicy and tender but a bit lacking small relative to the amount of rice/veggies. I love Taiwanese cabbage so much, and it's actually surprisingly difficult to find in restaurants in NYC, even Taiwanese places (well, at least well-/traditionally-cooked Taiwanese cabbage). There was so much cabbage and it was SO delicious - I wolfed down each and every leaf. Tasted just like it was from the corner 自助餐 places I'd go to in Taiwan. Rice came in a good portion size, and overall I think this was the perfect size for one person to eat. Although, I will just quote the NYT here as an aside: "At Taiwan Bear House, each bento costs less than $10 and is fuel for a day. (In Taiwan, it would be less than $3.)" Well, it came out to around $14 today, and last I checked, it was slightly over $3 in Taipei now. Jokes aside, though, I'm well aware that NYC is NYC and the costs are just different; and for bento like this in America, I'm happy to pay this "premium" lol. I'd love to come by to try some of the other bentos and sides; if the pork chop rice was this good, I'm sure everything must be super yummy, too! A few more visits and it might have become my favourite TW place in NYC :)