The title N-benzyl-phthalimide derivative, C16H13NO3, consists of two planar moieties, viz. the phthalimide system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.007 Å) and the phenyl ring, which make a dihedral angle of 84.7 (6)°. The meth-oxy group is almost coplanar with the phathalimide ring, as shown by the C-C-O-C torsion angle of -171.5 (2)°. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are self-assembled via non-classical C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a tape motif along [110].