Bento Cafe YVR plans a second shop in Kerrisdale, bringing teishoku to West 41st

Bento Cafe is a small Japanese café in Kitsilano known for its teishoku set meals, and it's coming to Kerrisdale. The café announced a second location at 2156 West 41st Ave. Here's what's been reported so far, and a quick guide to the two food styles the café is built around.

What has been announced

Daily Hive reported on September 28 that Bento Cafe YVR, whose first shop is at 1822 West 1st Ave., will open a second location on West 41st Ave. in Kerrisdale. According to Noms Magazine, the café shared the news on its Instagram on September 27.

Noms says the new shop takes over the unit that used to be Faubourg's Kerrisdale bakery. Faubourg didn't leave the area. Its website now lists it a few doors down at 2184 West 41st, Noms reports.

In the café's announcement, quoted by Noms, the Kerrisdale shop promises "Japanese Teishoku, chef-crafted sushi & bento, drinks, snacks and more." Noms also points out that the café hasn't said whether the Kerrisdale menu will match the Kitsilano one.

Is there an opening date?

Not yet, as far as public listings show. Daily Hive said no official date had been set and pointed readers to the café's Instagram for updates. Noms added that the café's Instagram bio still showed the Kerrisdale address as coming soon.

We couldn't open the café's Instagram page ourselves while writing this article. The newest listings we found still describe the shop as upcoming. Daily Hive's October round-up of anticipated openings says the Kerrisdale shop will open "soon," and Vancouver Foodster's openings page gives the timing as "Opening Fall." If you're planning a visit, check @bentocafeyvr first.

The Kitsilano original

The first Bento Cafe soft opened on June 27, 2025, in the former Kahve Cafe space on West 1st Avenue, according to Noms Magazine's opening report. That puts Kerrisdale about 15 months behind it. In the same report, Noms said it had learned the café is affiliated with SYU Japanese Restaurant near the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Daily Hive says the Kitsilano shop is rated 4.5 out of 5 on Google. It describes a seasonal, rotating menu where prices are usually around $27. The summer menu had two sets, a grilled salted mackerel set and an onigiri and ton jiru set, each $27. Adding a drink cost $3 more. The café has also served simpler dishes, such as a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl on its spring menu, Daily Hive notes.

Teishoku and yoshoku, briefly

If you're new to the term, here is how the café itself describes teishoku, as quoted by Daily Hive: a meal "typically featuring rice, soup, a side dish, and a main dish." In its 2025 report, Noms described Bento Cafe's sets as a main dish with rice or pasta, soup, chawanmushi, and sides such as pickles and salad.

The café also serves yoshoku. Daily Hive describes it as a Western-style cuisine that blends Western influences with Japanese ingredients. The café puts its own concept this way: "the harmony of traditional Teishoku and the cozy flavours of Yoshoku."

Our view: Japanese food in Canada is often seen as just sushi and ramen. A café built around teishoku gives local diners a look at a more everyday style of Japanese eating. For Japanese speakers living here, it's a style of meal that may feel familiar.

A change on West 41st

This news comes at a time of turnover on the same strip. ZUBU Ramen at 2129 West 41st Avenue closed in July. Noms Magazine reported on October 27 that it won't reopen, and that a Montreal soup dumpling chain has put up signs in the unit. ZUBU's Downtown Vancouver, Metrotown and Park Royal locations are still listed on its website, according to the same report.

Our view: one café can't replace a ramen bar, and the two serve very different meals. Still, Kerrisdale residents losing one Japanese option on West 41st could soon gain another nearby.

Until Kerrisdale opens, the teishoku sets are only at the Kitsilano shop at 1822 West 1st Avenue.

Have you tried Bento Cafe, or do you have a favourite teishoku spot in Metro Vancouver? Share tips and questions with other Japanese speakers on the DOJI community board, or sign up for DOJI to keep up with Japanese life across Canada.