Mama Musubi

TLDR; yummy but pricey (Located in united kitchen) Got the rice sandos: Spicy kelp: a little sweet with a mild kick. I dont usually eat spicy and it was just a hint of spicey for me Yuzu salmon: i liked it but i felt lile it needed more yuzu flavor. I still enjoyed it but wish it had something more to it for is 9 or 9.50 pricetag. Really sad they didnt have any onigiri. Ive had them at the SP farmers market and always enjoyed them and reasonable price. These sandos, i felt were way overpriced. It was a 3-4"square cut diagonally for 8-9.50. It says its 2 pc but just cause they cut it in half. Also got the garlic edamame. It tasted smoky but i felt like it was missing salt because i didnt get much of a savory soy garlic flavor. I can understand things will be a bit more cause its pasadena, but i think the prices dont justify what you get. Not sure if its higher also because its in united kitchen and they have to upcharge for fees? I love mama musubi! Just not willing to pay almost $20 for 2 sandos that are small

EDIT: Disappointed that they no longer make riceballs (Onigiri). They’re replaced with fewer flavor selection of so called “musubi sando” (Onigirazu). Probably won’t return unless they serve what they used to make. Was surprised and excited to find a RICEBALL restaurant! They were everything I expect from good riceballs and so much more. Would definitely return for the unique fillings and flavors! I was slightly confused by the location at first though, it’s inside Kitchen United Mix which is this futuristic food court with only the order kiosks in the room. Attendants bring the food out to you, and there is no seating there so everything is for to-go. I got Kelp & Rayu, Mama Special, Spam & Tamago riceball combo and they were delish!

I first tried Mama Musubi at Smorgasburg, and when I saw they had a spot at Kitchen United I knew I had to check it out. You order at kiosks and your meal is called out in a sort of cafeteria setting - really cool way to try out different types of foods and great for when people are craving different things. I may be biased, but I’d recommend Mama Musubi over any of the other options there! Their food is so delicious and I often find myself craving it. I’ve had musubi/onigiri from other locations and they just can’t compare.

So good! The spicy tuna and yuzu salmon are seasoned well and the rice is cooked perfectly. Will be back again for the others!

Very tasty rice balls and great fillings. Wish they had more spots nearby.

Pricey but delicious. I appreciate them as a small business, they’ve grown tremendously and that line keeps getting longer. Good spot!

Musubi are pretty good but too pricy for what they are supposed to be. A snack on the go. Mushy raw spam no good. The Spam is not seared and it needs to be seared, fried browned… whatever way you want to call it. Sometimes the Spam is soaked in teriyaki after browning before assembling the musubi. Never the Less spam needs a hot searing so the flavor stands out more and the texture isn't mushy! The spicy tuna was good … a little small for the price. Hope you can make some improvements… Great customer service. Aloha 🌺

Wow! Amazing. I ordered the 3 rice ball combo. Rice was perfect, and the filling was flavorful and there was plenty of it (unlike some onigiri/musubi that skimp out on filling). Just wish there was a spicy cod roe or mentai on the menu for lunch! My friend got the spicy tuna bowl and she loved it so much that she was talking about it 30 minutes and about 10 conversations after she had finished eating, haha. Will definitely come back again, especially at this price point! I didn't even take photos because it was so good I couldn't wait to eat, lol

The first time experiencing Mama Musubi was at the Smorgasburg in LA, we were so impressed by the product we were determined to look for their brick and mortar and other food locations. Great new flavors in an old staple! BB

Was at the south Pasadena farmers market and decided to come here for food. Wait time was a little long but that was because there was a huge line to order. The line wasn't their fault, I would say it's a testament to how good the food is. I ordered 2 pork belly's and it was delicious. Good size on the rice balls as well. Great meal, would come again.