Lei Musubi

I AM A FAN OF LEI MUSUBI! I have visited Hawaii a few times, and musubis are an easy, on the go snack for a day trip to the beach or a hike. This is where I was first introduced to this snack. But coming back to the mainland, these snacks are hard to find. That is until I came across Lei Musubi's instagram page. The page instantly caught my eye with its vibrant microgreens and edible flowers. The presentation, artistry, and craftsmanship just shows the care and value Vivien shows when creating her musubis. Now that was just a treat for the eyes, and what prompted me to go checkout a pop up. She usually announces her markets and pop ups on her instagram story, so you know where she'll be that week! She usually features new flavors at her pop up, however, my favorite is the OG. How can you go wrong with sauteed kimchi within a crispy rice ball, in between two caramelized spams, wrapped in nori? Tell me your mouth isn't watering right now! If you have a sweettooth like me, top off your meal with a butter mochi treat! My favorite is the ube flavor! :) Also, shoutout to the girl boss, Vivien! If it's your first musubi, she will help you out! Go and do yourself a favor and checkout Lei Musubi! You won't regret it!

Love to see Lei Musubi at the Monroe St. Saturday Farmers market. Flavorful rice balls are delicious for a walking breakfast/brunch. The ube butter mochi is a favorite treat, too! (Picture also shows a pumpkin butter mochi option they had around Thanksgiving)

Looking for a quick snack while walking through the area when the OG caught my eye. Was hot, crispy and delicious.

I absolutely love Lei Musubi!! I never miss them at our Saturday market. The OG is absolutely delicious, but every time I branch out to try new specialty flavors I’m always super impressed. You can’t skip the ube butter mochi!

Their food Is delicious. It’s perfectly savory, sweet, salty, with a sourness that helps balance it out from the filling of the OG. The people are also so nice. They’re polite and friendly even when super busy. I love this place and tell my friends about it.

I came here around 3:15PM for a Yelp event when they had their shop at an outdoor market in Georgetown. I asked for recommendations of what to get and therefore got the OG and ube butter mochi. I waited about 5-10 minutes and walked around to see some of the other vendors of which there weren't too many but was still interesting. I was handed my box of food, and both items were delicious! The musubi was crispy on the outside and hot on the inside, perfect for a cold-ish day. I really liked the balance of the spam with the rice to the kimchi, really delicious and flavorful. The ube mochi was a delight as well, would've loved more of it! It was chewy and very ube-y, very tasty! I saw the prices though and I’m pretty sure I would not be willing to pay for these items as they seem extremely overpriced.

BEST THING EVER!!!! Absolutely delicious!! Literally the most delicious food I’ve ever consumed. Must try if you're at the Monroe Street Farmer’s Market. I hope to see this family business grow and get these otherworldly creations into the bellies of every hungry Washingtonian!! Eat and you shall be rewarded.

Soooo delicious!!!!! Lei Musubi NEVER disappoints! I just had some again and knew I NEEDED to write a review ASAP. 10 stars!!! And their butter mochi are absolutely amazing too *chefs kiss* If you haven’t tried a musubi yet, GO FOR IT!! You will not be disappointed!! P.S. I LOVE the vegan Musubi!!

Tried them out just now in falls church. Best musubi I have tried so far. Thick, crunchy outside, soft mushy inside rice ball with a surprise inside, kimchi. Two pieces of spam outside and covered by furikake and wrapped with sea weed. Really good!! The PBC collab, musubi with the fried chicken on top. Hopefully it turns into a regular item if it is not. To me, it tasted even better than the spam one.

Absolutely love these little treasures!!! Always hits the spot. And the owner is so sweet!!

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SHOP. The best rice balls in the DMV area!! Such delicious flavors and beautiful presentation. I love this food almost as much as I love the owner. Hehe! She's so amazing and such a kind soul. Love going to the popups and seeing the different flavors of the day. I have traveled as long as an hour to pick up my order. Follow Lei Musubi on IG as well! Follow their popup events and you will not be disappointed I promise!!

Lei Musubi is one of my favorite stands at the Brookland Farmers Market! They're delicious every time and I love their twist on the Hawaiian musubi / Japanese onigiri! I recommend going as early as you can because they tend to sell out of some things pretty early.

Finally got to try Lei Musubi while they were at Union market. I've tried several times to catch them at other locations. And was not disappointed when I finally got to try them!!! I tried one of each, including the chicken, curry, rice, ball, the vegetarian, rice ball, and the OG rice ball . I am by no means a vegetarian, but I have to say the vegetarian rice ball was my favorite. It was perfectly crispy and the sauce on top made it my favorite. The OG spam musubi was beyond my expectations. I had never tried spam and really loved. It's smoky flavor. I did share the three rice balls with my boyfriend, and it was definitely not enough food. I would say I could eat three of them by myself. And if I ever get a chance to try them again, I will. The service was quick and pleasant. Because they were in Union Hall for the month I was able to purchase their food at my convenience when it wasn't too packed in the area

Had this for the first time and it was definitely something to remember. The team is super nice and knowledgeable about the craft. After the first bite, I already knew this was going to be something special. Had the OG and it was delicious! Go and check them out! They are great people!

I've eaten Lei Musubi frequently over the years, usually at the Brookland Farmers Market. The musubis are delicious. The OG musubi consists of a rice ball filled with kimchi, with furikake seasoning, marinated spam, wrapped in seaweed and drizzled with special sauce. I've also really enjoyed the elote flavor that they sometimes offer in the summer. On top of all this, the owner (who also tales orders and cooks all the food) is super friendly and warm. She's always happy to talk about the product and explain Lei Musubi's origins. Overall, if you're at a farmers market or event and you see a Lei Musubi stand, do yourself a favor and get some musubis. I no longer live in Brookland, but I go out of my way to make it to the Brookland Farmers Market still to get musubis.

Lei Musubi is everything I love and more about cuisine and the beautiful souls crafting the food we eat. Each iteration of Musubi is as innovative as it is delicious and I'm absolutely OBSESSED. I love this family run operation and I wish them all the best that life brings.

I've been wanting to try Lei Musubi since i found them on Instagram and was so excited to get the invitation to the elite event! the stand was in a cute little farmers market. I got 2 orders of the OG (stick rice, smoked kimchi, hawaiian caramelized spam, house made furikake, green tea sea salted nori, unagi drizzle, and microgreens) and ube and pandan butter mochi. All of the food was sooo good. The vendor was also sooo nice and i loved watching them assemble the food. Lots of details go into the food that make a different. Would love to order from them again!

**Wanted to include my review from the last Yelp Elite event.** . . So my kitchen smells AMAZING *sniff* and my tummy is pleased.. As a Musibi rookie, I was nervous, because knew nothing about this food before the event. I'm impressed. So many delicious flavors in each bite. Some familiar (sesame oil, spam, barbacoa) and others not so much (furikake, smoked kimchi). In my haste, I added the "secret sauce" prior to the sesame oil. It worked out. wasn't expecting the rice balls to be so hearty, so two (0.G. and Barbara) was a good amount for sharing. The kits include everything you need to make musubi. The directions are simple to follow, making the process quick and easy. Today was fun and delicious. I hope this is the first of MANY virtual events! *xing fingers* __ IG: @f.hux I #yelp and I know things. Keep reading... https://linktr.ee/f.hux #foodieHUX #yelpelite #yelpeatsdc #yelpdc

Lei Masubi is a delightful eatery that serves delicious Spam dishes. The use of Spam in their menu adds a unique and flavorful twist to their offerings. The ambience of the restaurant is pleasant, providing a comfortable and welcoming setting for diners. The service at Lei Masubi is commendable, with attentive staff members who ensure a positive dining experience. Whether you're a Spam enthusiast or simply curious to try something new, Lei Masubi is a great place to satisfy your cravings.

Not strong ube flavor in the butter mochi, but it was cheap ($2 a piece) and the texture was fun. I have to be honest: despite Googling it multiple times, I still don't know what pandan is, but I liked that flavor a little more than the ube one.

"Musubi's" are just ok and slightly overpriced. The name can be deceiving because their musubi look more like onigiri. I got the OG and Spicy Tuna. The OG had good flavor and the spam was crispy. The spicy tuna was dry and could use more sauce or come with extra sauce to dip on the side. The musubi also have a bit too much rice for my liking. We also tried the Pandan cake. I would recommend adding more coconut flavor or young coconut pieces to really get that pandan flavor.

Lei Musubi [LM]. (3.5 stars). Let me just start off by saying this: SPAM MUSUBI WAS "MADE IN HAWAII" BUT IT IS NOT AUTHENTIC HAWAIIAN (ETHNIC) FOOD. It's what we call "Local Kine Grindz"!! Even though "Hawaii" always votes 7-11 as the place to get the best spam Musubi in Hawaii, I disagree. A lot of the "old school" okazuya are much better!! I get tired of the marketing about Hawai'i and HAWAIIAN FOOD, especially the farther away from Hawaii I am!! I have lived in Hawaii for 75% of my life and I just left Hawaii to move to DC for a job so I can humbly say I do know Hawaii cuisine. Having said that, full disclosure, I tried LM for the first time during a recent YEE. However, I purchased the entire menu x3 so I'm basing my review on everything I BOUGHT. (The YEE gift was one Musubi of your choice and one butter mochi of your choice.) LM currently does not have a brick and mortar that I'm aware of and they are vendors at Volta Park Farmer's Market and Monroe Street Farmer's Market. I have only been to the Volta Park location. This location is very difficult to get to because it is Georgetown area where parking is horrendous and the Volta Rec Park has NO parking!! The farmer's market is in the fenced in area and quite small from other markets I've frequented. I'll be the first to admit, I'm the only one in my entire family who does not care for rice very much (strange Asian) or spam!! I grew up for my formidable years in Worcester MA where the homemade Italian food I got to eat was second to none! So when I saw the YEE offered, I was excited to RSVP and see if I could get in! Luckily, I did! LM offers 3 types of Musubi. The OG, OG Vegan, and Jamaican Jerk. The OG is the most popular since it has spam and kimchi. OG Vegan has kimchi. Jamaican Jerk has marinated jerk chicken with a little heat from the scotch bonnet!! If I was in the neighborhood or was offered these Musubi again, I would gladly get some, but for me personally, the drizzling of unagi sauce is quite overwhelming and not needed. Makes the Musubi look pretty but not my personal favorite. Sweeeeeeeet! Ugh. So the reason why this rice and spam hater would eat these again? Simple. It's not like the norm. Spam Musubi in Hawaii is typically spam and rice wrapped in a nori "belt". Some may add furikake. Some may add a scrambled egg or marinate their spam in shoyu and sugar. Ugh. LM does theirs a little different. A Korean interpretation. They grill their rice ball and spam on a flat top!! This gives a nice grilled and slightly crispy texture which makes the spam palatable to me! Spam usually reminds me of congealed canned dog food... They also brush on sesame oil which adds that beautiful nuttiness that makes my heart swoon!! The micro greens add a "luxury" touch but in my opinion, it doesn't do much for the Musubi. Even for the OG Vegan. LM also offers Ube and Pandan butter mochi! I would recommend these but you have to eat them immediately! Otherwise they become crumbly and pasty. That's just the nature of these mochi. Nothing against LM's preparation. Dare I say that this is the best Musubi I've had in a long while... even though it's not a typical Musubi?! Next time, I would just ask for NO unagi sauce. I tried each item and then the BF inhaled all of them and commented that they were "good". I wish LM the best and I have to give the staff a shout out for being so friendly and humble!! Great job!!

Absolutely love them! They come to the Monroe street market most Saturdays and when they don't, I'm super sad. Always delicious and flavorful, I always regret not getting more than one. Looking forward to next week!

This was so delicious! I am from the West coast where Msubi is very popular so it was nice to have some here. I can't wait till they have a store front :)

I LOVE LEI MUSUBI! These are not just any rice balls, but a kicked-up version of gourmet Hawaiian versions (please don't confuse this with the traditional Japanese onigiri!)! Owned by Vivien, you can usually find Lei Musubi's ready-made musubis at local farmers markets in the DC area - currently, they are offering DIY kits, and a specific set of instructions are included with each order. Their menu and their online ordering system gets released every Wednesday, so be sure to be up-to-date in terms of the seasonal and the different kinds that are offered! Paying and setting up a pick-up point is super easy, as it's from their stand at the farmers markets where they'll be available. My favorite is THE OG - this is a sticky rice ball (more like a triangle), stuffed with smoked kimchi (which is perfectly well-fermented and on point!), dressed in housemade furikake and unagi drizzle, sandwiched between Hawaiian caramelized Spam, and topped with an encasing of green tea sea-salted nori and a sprinkling of microgreens. It's a mouthful, but I couldn't eat it fast enough - I literally inhaled it, and it's a pretty generous size! I absolutely loved the sticky rice that's lightly toasted with sesame oil, the sticky rice that is the right consistency of sticky-ness, the yummy spicy sauteed kimchi, the crispy pan-fried Spam, and their houseblend of the furikake. I could, honestly, eat like 20 of these (thinking with my stomach), but they're actually decent in size, so 3 is probably my tops! Their menu rotates every so often, so I'm interested in trying out all of them, such as the Mandu! Support this small local business - you won't be disappointed! +delicious musubis! +DIY kits available! +ordering form goes live every Wednesdays +pick-up at local farmers markets

I went to the Volta farmers market where they have stand. The person you speak with is very nice and very helpful. I wasn't sure which one to get when it came to Ube or pandan and she recommended ube. After I placed my order I was informed that it would be 10 minutes. I went with the Jamaican jerk only cuz the OG has spam and I can't do spam. It is crunchy and the Jamaican jerk has a nice kick to it! Love it!!! Oh I should clarify the crunchy is just a little bit from the cooking on one side of it like it was given 30 seconds more than the other sides, if that makes sense. Otherwise it is soft when biting into it. It was very delicious and if it wasn't for the fact that I stopped here in the middle of my errands I would have bought a few more! The ube was a soft pillowy cake like with a hint of sweetness which I'm really into right now. Definitely recommend this place!!!

Love their version of hot fried (sticky rice) musubi! I wanted to try all 3 flavors but they were out of the Crazy-Mexi-Elote one. Got the OG and OG Vegan which all were delicious. The ingredients go really well altogether, and the hot crunchiness is just addicting... Would definitely come back! There is no set store, they do pop ups every weekend. Info can be found on their site or social media pages.

Okay musubi; $7 is really too much for what it is. The pandan butter mochi is fantastic, and at $2, still tolerable. In Hawaii, where it was amazing, the musubis were at most $2-4, and much tastier. Cool concept of the new flavors like crab, but would probably only return if the prices were more reasonable.

This is one of my favorite foods now. The East was definitely missing something like this and I'm so happy it was brought over here!! The unique flavors thought my the owner, the presentation, the LOCAL ingredients, and the attention to each musubi served is fantastic. Also saw that someone gave 3 stars because they were upset that it was priced more than usual. Well as someone who has sold a good product in the past, I understand the time/effort put into the product that most customers don't actually see so I would like to respectfully disagree These musubi's are delicious and made with ingredients supporting local farms/businesses. Thank you Lei Musubi for bringing such a treat to the DC area!!

You can find Lei Musubi at various farmers markets throughout the DC region. If you haven't tried musubi before, they are crunchy Hawaiian-style rice balls stuffed with delicious fillings and wrapped with nori (seaweed). traditionally they are eaten with spam! Lei Musubi always has vegan offerings in addition to their delicious traditional musubi--and sometimes they have other fun flavor combos as well. You can also buy butter mochi from them in various flavors as well--from traditional ube flavor to things as inventive as pumpkin pie flavor. Reader, these musubi are delicious. The flavor is on point and the rice has a delightful crunch. The vegan version is on point. Show up early to be sure to try out all they have to offer--they inevitably sell out. Sometimes they take a few minutes to make (as each one is made to order), so order when you arrive and then go shopping and pick it up at the end.

I AM A FAN OF LEI MUSUBI! I have visited Hawaii a few times, and musubis are an easy, on the go snack for a day trip to the beach or a hike. This is where I was first introduced to this snack. But coming back to the mainland, these snacks are hard to find. That is until I came across Lei Musubi's instagram page. The page instantly caught my eye with its vibrant microgreens and edible flowers. The presentation, artistry, and craftsmanship just shows the care and value Vivien shows when creating her musubis. Now that was just a treat for the eyes, and what prompted me to go checkout a pop up. She usually announces her markets and pop ups on her instagram story, so you know where she'll be that week! She usually features new flavors at her pop up, however, my favorite is the OG. How can you go wrong with sautéed kimchi within a crispy rice ball, in between two caramelized spams, wrapped in nori? Tell me your mouth isn't watering right now! If you have a sweet-tooth like me, top off your meal with a butter mochi treat! My favorite is the ube flavor! :) Also, shoutout to Vivien, the girl boss of Lei Musubi. If it's your first time trying a musubi, she will help you out! Go and do yourself a favor and checkout Lei Musubi! You won't regret it!

This place has a stall in union market and I happened to pass by their first day. It was BOMB DOT COM! I loved every bite (I had the OG) and I will be back for more flavors!

Best musubi I've ever had. They may even rival the spam musubi in Hawaii. Yeah I said it! What sets Lei Musubi apart from other spots that make Spam Musubi? They fry their rice balls on a pan to make each side super crispy. They also stuff the rice balls with Kim Chi. The Spam is marinated with a caramelized soy sauce flavor. The rice ball is then lathered with unagi sauce and covered in furikake seasoning. Add Spam with some seaweed to tie together and finish with some greens or a flower and voila! The most amazing Spam Musubi you'll ever have. Much love to Vivien & Luke for taking a Hawaiian classic and turning it into something I'd crave any day of the week!

Just grabbed a garlicky shrimp musubi at the Park View Farmer's Market and I cannot believe how good (and filling!) it was. I've never had one before, but I think this is my new favorite thing! The rice was perfectly crunchy, shrimp was fresh and cooked perfectly, old bay aioli was excellent. The only thing I might change is having a bit more aioli to go around. I can't wait to try another one soon and I am so excited this place is in DC!

LOVE! 10/10 If you like deliciousness and fun, get you some 'subis STAT. These rice balls pack the perfect amount of flavor and I love how the owner always comes up with different and creative flavors each time I hit up a market. You can never go wrong with The OG though ((chefs kiss ))! Worth every penny!

Got the DIY kits, which is a great idea for eating safely at home! Just order every Wednesday online to pick up at the farmers market at the Arts Walk on Saturdays. I got both the OG and the Gyeran Bap. BOTH WERE DELICIOUS. I loved the SPAM of the OG, but the pickled shoyu egg yolk on the Gyeran Bap was amazing. Overall, fun experience, but it definitely is messy and hard to build it perfectly yourself.

The Food: I love the musubis from Lei Musubi. You can never go wrong with the OG, which is the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and crunchy. They even have a vegan version of the OG. I've had the musubis from the stand at smorgasborg in Navy Yard and their musubi kit, which is picked up at Tastemakers in Brookland. When I picked up my meal kit it was missing some ingredients, however they quickly fixed the problem and even gave me a free musubi! The Service: They are quick and very friendly. I've never had a problem with the service and they are very knowledgable with their ingredients and food.

Vivien is a genius. I love getting the DIT Kits during the pandemic for safe and simply delicious musubis at home. I did the OG, which comes with spam and kimchi inside. Everything is well packaged, marked and the directions are clear and fun!!

Tried their sticky rice ball. My wife and I loved it. Delicious!!! Really great and unique. I recommend it.

If you have not tried Lei Musubi, you are missing out! The OG is my absolute favorite. You can taste the quality of the ingredients and know each musubi is made with love! I can't wait for the owner to do a pop up in NYC, where I can get some more!

Soooo delicious!!!!! Lei Musubis NEVER disappoint! I just had some again and knew I NEEDED to write a review ASAP. 10 stars!!! And their butter mochi are absolutely amazing too *chefs kiss* If you haven't tried a musubi yet, GO FOR IT!! You will not be disappointed!! P.S. I LOVE the vegan Musubi!!

This is one of the tastiest meals I have ever had and it gets better every time. I seriously recommend this place.