Onigiri Onibe — Restaurant in Honolulu

Delicious! This new spot is right between Podmore and Alakea Steak on Alakea St. I saw a line of people outside one time walking in downtown, and today I decided to stop by to check it out! I can see this place being between 4-5 stars. Four because I feel like there is too much rice relative to the amount of ingredients, but at the same time, it's also reflected in the pricing. If they had put more stuff in the onigiri, then I could see an increase in price. (It doesn't seem to be one of those places where we go there for the best bang for the buck.) And because there's so much rice, some flavors are better than the others. Five because for some options, they would be really tasty, full of umami.

I got to try their salmon ikura, and the mentaiko egg. The ikura was fresh, and the salmon was well-marinated. The rice itself was fresh with a good texture, and being as an onigiri, not too hot to handle and not cold to wrap the nori around. But this is the onigiri that I would just rate a 4 because of the lack of sauce and the small amount of ingredients; I feel like I was eating mostly rice. On the other hand, the mentaiko egg is a must try! It's so creamy and savory. I'm not sure how they made that egg yolk, but it's cooked to perfection where it's thick and gooey! I would suggest getting any onigiri that has the egg in it! If egg is not your fav, consider getting one with mayo or mentaiko so the sauce can coat the rice and not make it too dry or plain to eat. I think that's how I'll go about my future orders.

Also got the tonjiru soup that had thin slices of pork, daikon, carrots, sweet potato and green onions in it. I was hoping I would get a lotus root that's shown in their menu photo but hopefully next time haha. The soup was seasoned well, and it's a good compliment to the onigiri.

The staff were very friendly. The lady at the cashier was sweet. One of the dudes who brought out my order to the counter where I was sitting at, brought me a plate and sorta showed me how to wrap it. Pleny to counter seating that could fit at least 10 people, but most people chose to do takeout for a weekday lunch. I also enjoyed the decor with gray textured wall, many red pots of rice in sight in front of wooden panels in a modern kitchen.

The line wasn't bad at all before noon and 15-20 mins past noon on a weekday. The order also came out in a timely manner.

This can easily become one of my regular...

I was surprised and happy that they had clam Miso soup special.. I would easily enjoy a second bowl. It was very good. Squid kimchee onigiri was tasty! I got the Pork Kakuni to take home and the Bakudan I think it is beef with special mayo. There is a smaller selection of prepared Onigiri and some bentos I will try next time. I want to try the beef and cheese as well. Come support a...

First time trying Onigiri and this place is delicious!! The broad array of options on their menu can support anyone's taste. The kind lady at the register was helpful. It felt like an authentic atmosphere. Parking is a bit difficult, however it is worth it. Definitely give this place a try if you're...