Onigilly

I have a hard time saying no to onigiri. It’s a takeout location with some outdoor tables. It’s a nice place to sit during those rare, warm, sunny days.
At this location, I’ve tried the…
Teriyaki Chicken ($ 2.76) — roast chicken w/​teriyaki sauce: chicken is juicy
Miso Tuna Salad ($ 2.76) — cooked wild albacore w/​miso aioli
Snow Crab ($ 3.45) — crab w/​lemon aioli: so-​so with shredded crab
Salmon ($ 3.45) — grilled Scottish salmon w/​shio koji sauce: pretty salty
Wakame Set — seaweed salad w/​2 onigiri:
The seaweed salad is so-​so with some mixed greens. I’d stick to just getting the rice balls.
The onigiri is made with triangle molds for the rice and a good amount of filling. The price is a little higher than onigiri at an Asian convenience or grocery store. But these are rather large, and not to mention, warm.
If you pay with the Paypal app, there’s often some sort of deal, which makes these rice balls a steal. Sometimes there may be complications with this payment platform.
Onigilly makes for a good spot to get a snack. If you come for lunch, you’ll probably want to get about 3 onigiri for a meal. Also, I’ve found that the service here is pretty quick and friendly.

Pros:
— Cheap (~$ 3/​onigilly). It takes maybe $ 8 to get full here.
— Fast service. Even though there was a line, I was in and out within 10 minutes.
— Tasty food. Who doesn’t enjoy assorted meats/​veggies wrapped in rice and seaweed? I liked the onigilly so much, I purchased 3 right before I left the city so that I could eat them during the flight home.
Cons:
— They close at 4pm and are not open on Saturday/​Sunday

I tried the Wakame Salad Combo with Teriyaki Tofu and Unagi onigiri (about $ 9) and they were all delicious! And although it doesn’t look like you get a lot of food, it is very filling! People are always surprised when I tell them how much rice goes into making sushi or onigiri. This is because the rice is compacted and not, for example, fluffed when served on a plate, so its definitely more rice than it looks. Not to mention the portion size of the onigiri served here are larger than the ones you’ll get at a Japanese connivence store.
If you never tried onigiris before, I would definitely recommend getting a sweet-​savory combo (like the bbq, ginger-​honey, and the teriyaki ones. you can’t go wrong with those!). One of my friend tried the salmon one but didn’t like it because it was just salty.

I had been wanting to try this place for awhile and got the Miso Soup Set for $ 8.28, with a miso soup and choice of 2 onigilly. I chose a salmon and teriyaki chicken onigilly. The miso soup had a good amount of seaweed in it for a small to-​go cup. The onigilly had more heft than I expected for such small items, which was a pleasant surprise, but the meal still left me somewhat hungry after I finished. The onigilly wasn’t bad, but a little bland for my taste. I went at 2:30pm in the afternoon, thus pretty late in the day and during a holiday week. There were 2 or 3 people ahead of me and at least a 15 minute wait to get the food. I’d hate to see how long the wait would be during the lunch rush.

Great concept! Taking a traditional Japanese convenience food item and adding sushi ingredients such as unagi, baked salmon, and snow crab into rice triangles and wrapped in seaweed. They are both tasty and filling meals.
I would recommend the edamame set, which includes choice of (3) onigiri fillings with pickled turnip and boiled soy beans (edamame).

This will fill you up, no question about that. But, don’t expect high-​end sushi here. It’s fast, convenient, and tasty. But many of the offerings are cooked, so don’t expect that great raw sushi taste as I did with the tuna.
Because they’re made with a lot of warm cooked rice, these pyramids of sushi are usually warm when you get them.
A pretty good price for the amount of food you get, though.

When you want something like sushi, but more substantial and handheld. Great for when you’re modestly hungry. Lots of white rice though, so don’t be carb-​phobic.
Spicy Bacon: A bunch of firm, thick bacon lardons covered in a mildly spicy sauce. Quite rich so it paired well with the ball of rice.
Soboro: Ground beef in a savory soy-​based sauce. Pretty darn substantial.
Snow Crab: A bit of a letdown. Micro slivers of crab, no big chunks. A ton of mayo. Tasted a tad fishy-​er than crab normally is.
Miso Soup: Light and tasty. Good to clear the palate between bites of different rice balls.

Great place to stop by for a quick bite if you’re in the area.
It’s not a place I would say you should make a point of visiting as they don’t have really any seating options (beyond what’s outside by the hotel) and the menu is fairly limited. I ordered a trio of various rice balls and they were tasty and well made.
Long story short this is a perfect place if you’re looking for something to grab on the go. or need a simple, relatively light lunch for work.

If I worked around this area I probably would have Onigilly at least once a week. I mean, who can say no to Onigiri? It’s almost like eating sushi rolls, but without the hassle of chopsticks and sitting down. I can grab an Onigiri and eat it on the go.
They have quite a selection. I ended up getting classics (to me anyway), the snow crab, unagi, and salmon. All 3 were great and stuffed with fillings. Would definitely recommend trying at least once if you’re a fan already.

On my usual walk around Fidi, I wandered in and tried a single one — the salmon — one day on a lark. It was delicious and I headed back the next day and ordered up three.
The snow crab was tasty, while the chicken teriyaki was dry, which was a shame since it looked pretty good and moist in the pictures from other Unilocalers. Thankfully the toroko was better than the other two selections. Lastly, the soft shrimp had a very light kick to it.
The albacore tuna was pretty much like a tuna sandwich filling, albeit a really good one.
The rice was sticky, and the nori wrapped around it made for a delicious flavor pairing.

Onigilly is my lunch fallback whenever I want something relatively filling, tasty, and clean. Get three if you’re on the hungrier side (8 – 10 dollars) and two (6 – 8 dollars) for a still fairly portioned lunch. Spicy shrimp, takana (salted pickled mustard greens — delicious), and snow crab (creamy and dressed with an aioli, reminiscent of a giant California roll) are some of my favorites. Although, I’ve yet to try any meat-​filled ones, so I can’t speak on the entire menu.
I wouldn’t really recommend making your order into a set or adding a side, both the wakame salad and miso soup, especially the miso soup, are on the bland side and not really worth their price points.
Lastly, I’ve never had an issue with the filling-​to-​rice ratio being off. It’s always seemed just right to me.

I love love love Onigilly! I just tried out their onigiris during lunch time. Even though the line seemed long, it wasn’t too long of a wait to order and get food. The person up front is friendly to the customers, too, which makes this place more awesome.
I chose to order the Miso Set with Unagi & Snow Crab onigiris with miso soup. It was all delicious! I love the freshness from all of the components of the onigiri and the miso had the right amount of flavor (thank goodness it wasn’t too salty). The Soboro onigiri was delicious and flavorful, too, according to my friend.
There are a few tables outside where you can sit and enjoy your lunch, too.
Overall, I definitely recommend coming here for lunch to-​go. I will love to come back here to try out their other onigiris and for the dessert, too.

09.28.15 etc.
The cashier is beyond energetic and friendly. It catches me off-​guard and then I forget what to order. Which is usually the miso soup set with the tuna salad and snow crab.
Perfect for a quick, light lunch at $ 8.35.

Onigilly Express was just okay, albeit a bit disappointing after reading all the rave reviews. The rolls were simply chunks of rice wrapped in seaweed, and not seasoned very well. I ordered the Miso combo which came with miso soup and my choice of 2 rolls. Going with the salmon and bacon, I had slightly high expectations for the two specials to blow me away. The miso soup was just bland and rather viscous. The rolls were underwhelming and not at all worth the $ 12 I paid for them. Salmon was very dry, and the bacon tasted oddly sweet and burnt. I wasn’t impressed and threw away half of each roll I ordered. Perhaps I ordered the wrong ones; perhaps it was an off day for them. Either way, I don’t think I’ll come back considering the plethora of other lunch options in the Embarcadero.
Plenty of garage and metered street parking in the area. Good luck grabbing an outdoor table to sit at after you get your food; it’s packed here at lunchtime.

Pretty unique opportunity to get the triangle shaped rice wraps quickly. There is a line here but it goes relatively quickly. While waiting you can view the menus posted on the windows or the big screen to get yourself familiar.
I liked the Edamame set which gives you 3 wraps, edamame, and daikon pickled raddish. Depending on which 3 wraps you choose, this can range in the $ 8-​$ 10 range. It will be filling because you will get a lot of rice.
I tried the unagi eel, spicy shrimp, and the takana veggie roll. I thought all were tasty and different. You are going to get a little more rice than you want compared to the filling. The seaweed paper is nice and crispy but the rice is a bit squishy. This will probably be a like/​dislike depending on the person.
Most of the seafood/​meat items to choose from are cooked. I thought the unagi and sauce were tasty, the spicy shrimp a little more on the mayo side, and the takana veggie was interesting, not normally my first choice as I’m a big carnivore but it was not terrible.
The service was friendly and the line moves quick. It’s fun to try this out but I probably won’t crave it often. I can see this being a nice/​quick lunch and you will want to make sure you’re in the mood for rice.

mmm… as a carb junky, who wouldn’t like a rice ball with seaweed and fillings?
Pretty bomb. The service is very friendly and relatively fast. Only real gripe I have about this place is that lately, whenever I get any onigiri, the rice was over cooked making it smooshie. Also, the seaweed was pretty old cause it was hard to eat. I mean… I love it that it comes out piping hot and they’ve got unagi back, but, I’ve lost my love and craving for this place.

For fast food on the go, this is as close to gourmet you can get. Onigilly pieces are marketed as traditional Japanese fast food. It is a great alternative to traditional lunch options. Fresh food coupled with friendly customer service, makes it a natural addition to my lunch rotation spots. It is a walk up venue, and if you choose to sit and eat, the Embarcadero building offers plenty of outdoor seating on a nice day.
Onigilly pronounced [Oh-​KNEE-​Ghee-​Lee] is not to be mistaken for sushi… everything is cooked except for their raw kale roll on their current menu. Onigilly pieces are also referred to rice balls, though the rice is formed in a triangular shape. It’s large enough treat you can use your hands, while chopsticks or forks are optional. Prices are very reasonable, ranging from approximately $ 2.50−4.00 each. If you want a full meal, three pieces are plenty, but for a good size snack/​light meal I’d order two. The pieces are decent sized portions, about the size of a palm. They use brown pressed rice that appears to be white, stuffed with a savory meat, veggie, or seafood filling and wrapped in seaweed. The rice to filling ratio is pretty good. Additionally, Japanese ice tea options are available to wash down the Onigilly pieces, and offer sides and meal options.
I probably should have ordered only two pieces, but I was salivating after I read «bacon» as one of the meat choices. I also ordered the albacore and salmon. My favorite was the salmon. This seemed to be the most tender, meaty, and flavorful. I was a little more disappointed in the albacore, where it resembled more of a tuna sandwich filling, as I pictured to be an albacore filet. The aioli in the tuna tasted like regular mayo. It wasn’t bad, but I just expected it to have more of an Asian flavor profile. As for the bacon my only complaint is that I wish they didn’t mince the pieces so small, and have larger crispier pieces to bite into. Overall, I had a happy experience at Onigilly and hope to be back soon to try other options.

The best part of working in FiDi is the sheer number of food spots in the immediate area, one of which is a unique brick and mortar stand in the Embarcadero area specializing in onigiri.
I ordered the snow crab and miso tuna onigiri with a wakame side salad. The ratio of rice to filling was just right, with the snow crab and tuna being just savory enough as to not overpower each rice ball. The seaweed salad was refreshing and helped complement the seafood flavors.
It is on the pricey side though ($ 10 – 11 for my order), and while the onigiri were pretty big, 2 pieces and a small salad is definitely not enough to make a full meal.

This place should really put EXPRESS in all capital letters, because service is super freaking quick. Like by the time I handed the cashier my credit card, the chef was handing my food to me. WHAT! That’s insane.
I like to order the box that comes with three onigiri, edamame, and pickles. For about $ 10 that’s more than enough food for me. Then I again I don’t eat much. The first time I came here, I ordered the ume, unagi, and spicy bacon onigiri. My favorite is the unagi and I also liked the ume. Personally I think the spicy bacon flavor is overrated. There’s just something unnatural and Americanized about it… or maybe I’m just overly picky about my Japanese food.
This is not the freshest Japanese food but you know the saying… things can only be two of three: GOOD, FAST, CHEAP. Onigilly Express is fast and cheap, and on a normal day eating lunch by Embarcadero, that’s good enough for me.

Good for something quick and simple, but I wasn’t particularly impressed.
Each onigiri ranges from $ 2.76 to $ 3.45, which is pretty pricey, and I didn’t find them particularly filling. 2 pieces might make for a decent snack, but I think I’d need at least 3 or 4 for an actual lunch. The menu has variety of onigiri fillings (veggie, meat, seafood) and some sides. They have meal sets as well, which vary in price depending on the onigiri you pick, but the sets aren’t much of a discount.
The onigiri are decent but not really noteworthy. The seaweed holds everything together nicely, so nothing falls apart while you’re eating. I would’ve preferred more filling simply because I like protein much more than carbs, but the filling to rice ratio was reasonable.
TIP: They accept the PayPal app here, which offers discounts sometimes! I got $ 3 off my order and honestly would probably only come back again with another discount.
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–UNAGI ($ 3.22) — ⁴⁄₅
[with sweet BBQ sauce]
Pretty standard unagi flavors but I liked that the sauce wasn’t too sweet. Unagi is soft
–SNOW CRAB ($ 3.45) — ³⁄₅
[with lemon aioli]
Not bad but I don’t think I’d get this again. The crab is super soft, but the flavor didn’t really stand out to me and the aioli was too creamy for my liking. I thought a «lemon» aioli might taste lighter and more refreshing, but I couldn’t taste anything lemon. I think some acidity would’ve helped with the richness of the mayo.

OMG THIS WAS SO GOOD AND I AM SO GLAD MY FRIEND INTRODUCED THIS PLACE TO ME. Yes it needed to be in caps.
I ordered the onigilly set for 3 rice balls. 1 spicy bacon for the boyfriend and 1 snow crab and 1 fresh eel. It came with edamame which I shared with my boyfriend and I gave the pickles to my friend who take with me. She really liked them! $ 10 for all of it.
Snow crab was good and it wasn’t too sweet or salty. The fresh eel does have sweet sauce on it which makes it sweeter.
This place is easy to find and a street away from the muni/​bart. It also didn’t take that long for the food to be ready. =] yay!