The Best Bento Box in South Salt Lake: How Jaehan Park Turned His Meat Industry Expertise Into Mr. Rice Asian Bistro

There's something quietly radical happening inside the Chinatown Supermarket at 3390 South State Street. Past the aisles of imported noodles and the refrigerated cases of fresh seafood, tucked into a corner of Utah's largest Asian market, sits a counter where a tall Korean man named Jaehan Park is rewriting the rules about what fast-casual Asian food can be.

This is Mr. Rice Asian Bistro, and the bento boxes here don't arrive in grease-stained paper bags. They come in sleek, branded packaging that looks more like a gift than takeout—which is exactly what Park intended. As one customer put it: "I loved how they boxed things! The quality of rice, katsu, curry, and side dishes were excellent." This isn't just lunch. It's Park's quiet rebellion against an industry that, in his own words, doesn't treat its people well.

From Seoul to Salt Lake: The 20-Year Journey Behind Mr. Rice

Park's path to this grab-and-go counter inside the South Salt Lake Chinatown complex started with a dream he had back in Korea: make it in America. For two decades, he's thrived in the meat supply business, exporting premium U.S. beef and pork to Japan, Korea, and other Asian markets. That's 20 years of understanding cuts, quality, marbling—the kind of knowledge that separates decent teriyaki from something that makes you stop scrolling on your phone.

His first restaurant, Mr. Shabu at The Gateway, opened three years before Mr. Rice and survived the impossible: launching right as COVID hit. "We were struggling with that situation so much but we survived," Park told the South Salt Lake Journal in 2022. "We had a lot of help from the government, from the state, and also the customers."

But here's the thing that gets me—Park didn't open Mr. Rice just because Mr. Shabu succeeded. He opened it because of the foot traffic he saw streaming through Chinatown Supermarket every day. Families loading shopping carts with twenty-pound rice bags. Students grabbing bubble tea between classes. People who needed something real to eat, not just fast.

"I wanted to give a gift to the customers," Park said. "We have a lot of foot traffic in here, and I wanted to do a restaurant in which I can put more preparation in the food and packaging supplies to delight the customer."

The Japanese Curry and Katsu That Changed My Lunch Game

The menu at Mr. Rice Asian Bistro reads like Park's greatest hits from his meat industry days: tonkatsu plates with panko-breaded pork cutlets, salmon teriyaki bento boxes, grilled unagi that arrives perfectly glazed, and rice bowls built around proteins he personally sources. Everything's designed for takeout, which means the packaging isn't an afterthought—it's part of the experience.

The Japanese curry here deserves its own paragraph. Rich, slightly sweet, with that deep umami that comes from hours of proper preparation. One reviewer captured it perfectly: "Japanese food is exceptional in its physically and mentally healing qualities—and even though the moment may last only as long as the meal, the feeling will resonate in your memory indefinitely." That's not hyperbole when you're talking about curry that hits different on a cold Utah afternoon.

The King Katsu plate showcases Park's meat expertise. The breaded pork cutlet arrives crispy on the outside, impossibly tender inside, served with Korean-style cabbage salad, sweet corn, and those addictive Korean pickles that make you wish you'd ordered extra. The braised beef ribs earned praise as "the best braised beef ribs I've found in Utah," according to a customer who emphasized they "came surprisingly fresh and hot via DoorDash."

For bento box devotees, the Crispy & Juicy Pork Belly Bento Box and Salmon Teriyaki Bite Bento Box are the moves. The two-item bento boxes let you mix and match—maybe tonkatsu with teriyaki chicken, or grilled unagi with pork belly. One satisfied customer noted: "The flavor and quality of the items in the Bento Box—very good!" The rice bowls follow the same philosophy: quality proteins over perfectly prepared rice, finished with house-made sauces.

The portions make sense for Utah's family-oriented culture, and the prices won't make you wince. This is Korean-Japanese fusion done right—not the gimmicky kind that throws kimchi on a burger, but the thoughtful kind that respects both traditions. Korean-style pickles and cabbage salad meet Japanese curry and katsu preparation methods.

Inside Salt Lake's Chinatown: Where Community and Convenience Collide

You can't talk about Mr. Rice without talking about where it lives. The Salt Lake Chinatown complex spans 5.7 acres at 3390 South State Street, anchored by Andrew So's 30,000-square-foot Chinatown Supermarket. This is Utah's only real Asian cultural hub—complete with a traditional paifang gate, Lion Dance performances during Lunar New Year, and over 6,000 products you literally can't find anywhere else in the state.

Park chose this location deliberately. It's not just about the built-in foot traffic (though 70-80 customers a day isn't bad for a counter inside a grocery store). It's about serving the community that already gathers here. Korean families buying galbi ingredients. Vietnamese students grabbing snacks between shifts. Japanese expats hunting for specific rice varieties. These are Park's people, and they were driving to Las Vegas or Los Angeles before Chinatown opened in 2014.

"We're not just only selling food, we're selling time and we're selling memories," Park said. It's the kind of statement that could sound cheesy, except you see it in how he packages every order. The shrink-wrapped containers that keep your fire dragon zesty pork piping hot for the drive home. The way everything's stacked nimbly in those chic bags. This is takeout designed by someone who understands that the meal starts the moment you leave the counter.

The location works for grab-and-go Asian food in Salt Lake City because Chinatown sits right off I-15 between downtown and the southern suburbs. Easy parking (a miracle in itself). Open seven days a week. Surrounded by bubble tea shops, Asian bakeries, and Meet Fresh dessert. You can knock out your grocery shopping at the supermarket, grab bento boxes from Mr. Rice, and still have time to swing by the Korean hair salon.

What the Customers Are Really Saying

Look, not every review is five stars—one customer had issues with a dry bento box delivery—but the consistent thread in the feedback is this: when Mr. Rice hits, it hits hard. One review on Roadtrippers put it simply: "There is an art to simplicity. Mr. Rice gives the grace of a seasoned street vendor that has an unwavering commitment to convenience and flavor."

That's what Park understood from day one. Fast-casual doesn't have to mean compromised. Affordable doesn't have to mean forgettable. You can respect the customer enough to put thought into every detail—from the Korean pickles that come with your tonkatsu to the way the rice is prepared—without charging fine-dining prices.

The restaurant serves comfort food with craft, Japanese curry with care. And yeah, sometimes the packaging is so good you almost don't want to open it.

Planning Your Visit to Mr. Rice Asian Bistro

Address: 3390 S State St, Suite 37, South Salt Lake, UT 84115 (inside Chinatown Supermarket)

Hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Friday-Saturday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Sunday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM

What to Order: Start with the King Katsu plate or any of the bento boxes. The Japanese curry is non-negotiable if you're a curry person. The braised beef ribs if you want to understand why Park's meat expertise matters. Rice bowls if you want something slightly lighter but still satisfying.

Insider Tips: This is strictly to-go—no dining room, just a counter. The best time to visit is right around 11:30 AM when everything's fresh from the kitchen but before the lunch rush hits. Park the place is packed on weekends when families come grocery shopping, so weekday lunches are your secret weapon. Order online for pickup if you're in a hurry.

Find Them: Website: mrriceasianbistro.com | Phone: (801) 939-0156

Why Mr. Rice Matters to Utah's Food Scene

Park's trajectory—from meat supplier to Mr. Shabu to Mr. Rice—represents something bigger than just restaurant expansion. It's about immigrants building businesses that serve their communities while educating the broader public. It's about taking 20 years of industry expertise and translating it into accessible, quality food. It's about treating the restaurant business with dignity, even when the industry doesn't always return the favor.

"At first, I started this business for my own interest," Park admitted. "The restaurant business is really tough physically and emotionally and we're not well treated in the industry. I want to produce more opportunity for my teammates and we want to spread more happiness with food for other people."

That's the real gift Park's giving Salt Lake—not just bento boxes in beautiful packaging, but a model for how fast-casual Asian bistros can operate with integrity. You can move fast without cutting corners. You can keep prices reasonable without sacrificing quality. You can build a business that treats both customers and employees like they matter.

Next time you're driving down State Street and see that red paifang gate marking Chinatown, pull in. Walk past the imported snacks and the live seafood tanks. Find the counter in the back corner where a tall Korean man is probably wrapping someone's lunch like it's a present.

That's where the best bento box in South Salt Lake is waiting. And yeah, it's worth the drive from anywhere in the valley.

Mr. Rice Asian Bistro is located inside Chinatown Supermarket at 3390 S State St, Suite 37, South Salt Lake, UT 84115. Follow them at mrriceasianbistro.com for menu updates and specials. Sister restaurant Mr. Shabu serves all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City.