Monbento MB Square Bento Box

Bento-style lunchboxes are compartmentalized containers inspired by the Japanese bento, a single‑serving, portable, boxed meal that, according to some sources, dates back to the 12th century. In Japan, traditional bento boxes commonly contained rice, pickled vegetables, and fish or meat, but today they often include a wide variety of foods—sometimes shaped and arranged to resemble cartoon characters, flowers, animals, or other objects.

But no matter the composition of your meal, a multicompartment, fairly compact container can be convenient. To find out which bento-style lunchbox is best, we selected six widely available models ranging in size, priced from $14.99 to $40.99. Four had individual containers that stacked vertically; three of these were held together with an elastic band, while one had latches. The other two models were essentially large containers with dividers inside and either a simple lift-off lid or latches that snapped shut. We included lunchboxes made of both metal and plastic, and because we wanted a product that anyone could use, we excluded those designed specifically for kids.

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