I remember coming back from Japan a few years ago and being surprised at how hard it was to find onigiri in Sydney. The rice balls that are so ubiquitous over there were seemingly non-existent over here.

Thankfully, onigiri have taken off in Sydney since then, especially during the past couple years. Multiple stores have now opened up with the primary focus of serving fresh onigiri.

Onigiri’s rice to fame kicked off around the same time as the local debut of Strong Zero as Minus 196. Whether or not that is a coincidence, I think it’s fair to say that many Australians who have been to Japan have welcomed both developments with open arms.

For this post, I figured I’d do a kind of onigiri crawl of the Sydney CBD and surrounds. Hopefully these quick reviews give you an idea of what’s currently available. I’ve mainly focused on places that are fast, offer takeaway and are fairly easy to access if you work, live or eat near the city.

Mogu Mogu – Onigiri Community

• Address: 454 Cleveland St, Surry Hills
• Google rating: 5/5

Mogu Mogu in Surry Hills is the first place on my list and also the newest, having only opened in May. They have a nice display of onigiri as you walk in, with each individually wrapped in branded packaging.

I planned to get a tuna mayo onigiri at each place since that seems like one of the classics. However, that idea fell apart immediately. At around 1pm, Mogu Mogu was out of tuna mayo and also a few other flavours. Instead, I go for miso salmon.

The onigiri here appear to be refrigerated, but I’m not too fussy on temperature. The rice is really well cooked and has just the right texture, while the nori is lacking crunch. The salmon filling is good overall, although there isn’t much miso flavour. The size is average, so one or two for a snack or more for a meal. At $4.90 each, they are a little bit pricy, but that’s classic Sydney, right?

Score: 3.5/5

Otogo

• Address: 56-58 Bay St, Ultimo
• Google rating: 4.2/5

Next is a spot that I have been to a few times before. Otogo opened up last year with a focus on affordable onigiri and other Japanese food. Inside, there are a couple self serve kiosks where you can look over the menu and order.

I decide to get miso salmon again, which shows as ‘popular’ on the kiosk. You have a choice between standard and double filling. I get both to do a comparison. The onigiri are put together fresh to order and I’ve never had to wait long.

Both of my onigiri are still warm The nori is pretty soft, not bad though. The texture of the rice is great and the miso comes across in the tasty salmon filling. Otago’s onigiri do feel larger than most and I think the ratio of rice to filling is just a bit off. Standard is slightly too little, but double is too much. If only there was a Goldilocks option! The standard onigiri is only $3.30 though, which is pretty amazing in this economy, while double is $4.50. For a meal, one of their $10 combos with two standard onigiri, karaage and a drink is a great option.

Score: 4/5

Yorimichi

• Address: 75 Stanley St, Darlinghurst
• Google rating: 4.8/5

The first two places on this list are set up well for grab-and-go onigiri. Our next location is more of an eat-in type of place but does offer takeaway. Yorimichi also opened in 2023 and focuses on rice bowls, ramen and other Japanese dishes.

As there’s no salmon onigiri on the menu, I order both the ume-konbu (salted seaweed and pickled plum) and karaage. I wait for around ten minutes before I’m handed the two almost hot onigiri.

Unfortunately, these are pretty disappointing. The soggy nori stuck to the Glad wrap when unwrapping. The rice is almost mushy and appears overcooked, although I’m no expert. The karaage is delicious but there is only a small amount of it. Meanwhile, the ume-konbu is quite good with contrasting flavours. These seem more intended as a side to a main like ramen rather than a nice snack or quick meal on their own. They’re also the most expensive onigiri I tried, with the karaage clocking in at $8 and the ume-konbu at $7.

Score: 2.5/5

Conveni8 Japanese Asian Grocery

• Address: 303 Pitt St, Sydney
• Google rating: 4.4/5

This next onigiri destination isn’t a cafe or restaurant, but instead a Japanese convenience store. Located near Woolworths Town Hall, Conveni8 is a great spot to find stuff from Japan that other stores don’t have. I can’t find when they first opened. However, it seems like they’ve been around for quite a while.

Conveni8 was actually one of the few search results when I originally tried to find onigiri in Sydney years ago. They seem to have a selection of homemade onigiri available each morning. I have only ever had it a couple times because they typically sell out early. This time, I arrive at 9am and manage to get two of the last onigiri on the counter. One is spicy pickled vegetable, and the other I didn’t see a label for but also seems pickled.

They only have a small bit of nori in the style I remember seeing on shows like Pokemon as a kid (which tried to pass them off as jelly-filled donuts). They’re also smaller than the other onigiri. But you can tell these are authentic and they’re simply delicious. The rice is basically perfect and there’s an ideal amount of filling. The spicy pickled vegetable onigiri has a slight kick to it and is my favourite. Both are top notch though and, at $2.50 each, are probably the best you’ll find outside Japan.

Score: 4.5/10

Kood Tea Cafe & Korean Kitchen

• Address: 414 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills
• Google rating: 5/5

The final location on this list didn’t come up when I was searching for onigiri places. Instead I just happened to walk past their display of onigiri wrapped like you find in Japanese convenience stores in a way that keeps the nori separate from the rice.

While it gets a bit busy at lunch time, you can right head in and grab the onigiri you want then pay at the counter. I pick the teriyaki Wagyu beef and avocado along with the teriyaki salmon avocado.

I unwrap the beef onigiri and of course the nori is nice and crunchy. The rice is great and the filling is tasty. It seems more like the beef that you get with bibimbap rather than teriyaki, which would make sense since it’s a Korean place, but I’m not complaining. The salmon does have more of a teriyaki taste and the small bit of avocado which makes it basically like a classic sushi roll. These are standard onigiri size, so a couple makes a great snack.

Score: 4/5

More onigiri in Sydney

These are just five places that are currently serving onigiri in Sydney, and I definitely plan to try out more in the future. Feel free to share a recommendation if you have one!