Omusubi Gonbei

It’s such a nice cute shop/eatery in midtown. The location is super convenient. Only one street south of the Grand Central Terminal. I tried their nigiri for the first time. I got salmon, spicy tuna, shrimp, chashu, and mentaiko ones. The size was perfect. You can tell from the generic shapes that they are most likely hand made. Overall, it’s a little bland. Good thing was that they cook the rice perfectly, and after chewing slowly over and over, you can taste the naturally sweetness of the rice. They also put somewhat generous amount of stuffing inside. I also got a spicy fried chicken don and a box of sushi. The spicy fried chicken was indeed quite spicy. The flavor was nice. The chicken pieces were also nicely cooked. It was about average. The sushi was actually surprisingly nice. I got it because of the after 7pm sale. All sushi was 15% off. The box I got had salmon roes, salmon, tuna, some kind of white fish, cooked shrimp, and eel. It also came with tuna and salmon rolls. It was pretty delicious. It’s not only a takeout spot. There is a ramen restaurant hidden inside. It’s also like a bodega selling goods imported from Japan, including cosmetic products, fresh produce, drinks, and snacks. It’s such a cute shop. I’d like to come back and try their other items.

Amazing selection of delicious handmade Onigiri and a wide assortment of bento-style food items plus snacks, drinks, the freshest Japanese seafood selection and various Japanese supermarket items. 10/10 value for your money!

- Stopped by for a quick lunch. - Got the bento special (that had two pieces of kaarage chicken, handful of edamame, and sweet omelette), spicy tuna onigiri, and the spam musubi. - Everything totalled $11.54, which wasn't bad. - The food overall tasted great. The spicy tuna onigiri was really rice-heavy and barely had filling. - Overall good experience. I anticipate to stop by again to try the other onigiris.

Came early in the morning around 8 AM, and they weren’t fully stocked yet—but I grabbed the only vegan option I saw from the onigiri section, and it was a 10/10! Super fresh and flavorful. Can’t wait to come back when they’re fully stocked to try more.

Went here for the first time for lunch. I was very crowded but the staff managed to maintain the place moving in a fast and orderly manner. Had a bento box which was good. Will continue coming here to try other Japanese goodies.

I went here to get onigiri after craving it for around a week. The food I ate here was SO GOOD. First, the store isn’t too far of a walk from the Grand Central station when you go inside the store looks to be pretty small, and although it is small it’s bigger than when it first appears. The photo shows I ate while I went around in Manhattan. I got shrimp tempura, ume, eel, salmon, chashew pork (I’m unsure of the spelling), spam musubi I believe it’s called, and some more stuff. Almost everything I bought was under 5$ and came up to 34$. And I can stay without a doubt that the food is most definitely worth the money. The shrimp tempura was delicious. The ume I believe it is, wasn’t really my thing but that’s not the fault of the food. The staff were very nice and that store was very clean and well taken care of. Normally, I don’t write reviews for places I’ve gone, but this is how good at this spot is I had to write about it. One thing I want to really highlight is the takoyaki octopus balls, they were near the middle of the store I was curious so I got them. now, of course, this is up to personal taste for but for me these things literally had me yelling with how good they were and I’m not even joking. The texture was very nice. It was chewy. The sauce was good. The stuff that was on It was delicious. The inside had like a small piece of octopus in it. All around one of my favorite things for that store and will definitely be buying the next time I go. 10/10 this store is fantastic.

The store is small yet carries so many different things. I went with my friends on a picnic and we grabbed all the things we wanted to try. I saw this place on social media and the food looked tasty (it did not disappoint). The space was clean and the prices are reasonable. I’ll definitely be going back!

I go here to pick up essential groceries, but also occasionally to have a bowl of Ramen which is done really well, I mean, its better than most restaurants. Its better to pay a little extra for the bag and take the bowl and eat it nearby such as the Pershing Square Plaza. But they do have a place to sit and eat for about 4 people.

I got a musubi from Omusubi Gonbei 3 days in a row during my trip to NYC. I just happened to stumble upon the Katagiri Japanese Market while exiting Grand Central Station and had to come in! The musubis are the first vendor to the left as soon as you enter. During the day, you can make your selection and they'll place it in a container for you. Later in the day, all of the musubis are individually wrapped for you to grab and go. Now, iykyk that rice really makes the difference. Sure, anyone can make a musubi, but these ones are special. Rice quality was spectacular as were the ingredients. I enjoyed the mentaiko, kombu, shiso and spam and egg. All were so good and the perfect snack to grab before hopping on a flight! During the lunch hour, this place can get really busy. To pay, the line wraps around the interior of the store, but it moves so fast, so don't be scared off by it.

Good value takeout onigiri and musubi counter in a Japanese grocery store Everything I tried had nice rice texture (not too hard and is still soft) and some onigiris were seasoned too with sweet / savory sauce - meat was pretty good quality too tasted fresh, perfect as a yummy snack or takeout meal! I personally like when the seaweed is softer in the onigiri because it's easier to eat, which is the case here because the seaweed is already wrapped and everything is wrapped again in plastic wrap Spam musubi was solid - I like that it comes with egg too! I prefer the onigiris over musubi though, grilled eel has nice sweet glaze over it and was my fav!

Great spot within the Mitsuwa Marketplace for rice balls! They have every rice ball flavor and combination that you can think of and, more importantly, at a VERY reasonable price - about $3-$4 a rice ball! The lone exception to that price scale is the Bomb rice ball, which is as you guessed is an all-encompassing rice ball with salmon, tuna and kombu. All of their rice balls are neatly and clearly displayed in their display case and the prices of each are clearly marked. Overall, their rice balls are fantastic. They're delicious, compact and you can get a full meal without breaking the bank here.

This place was inside the Katagiri Japanese market (left hand side when you enter) which has lots of food and snack options! They also had a fresh sushi bar. But back to Omusubi Gonbei - I loved their selection of onigiri and felt like I was back in Japan. I got the tuna mayo onigiri and it was very tasty. They had tons of options including cooked salmon and it was hard for me to only choose one, but we had plans to eat lunch somewhere else so this was just a snack. The onigiri was warm and the rice was soft. I think I paid about $2 for it and it was well worth the price as it was quite heavy. We also got our favorite Meiji chocolate covered almonds and matcha chocolate covered macadamia nuts from the market. Great experience!

Great spot to stop in for a snack especially for a long train ride! It's great that they have both their onigiri and a small grocery store so you can pick up a variety of things at the same time. I visited with my family a couple years ago and we picked up some onigiri and snacks before taking the train upstate to visit my uncle. I liked it so much that I did the same thing on a later visit by myself to stock up before taking another train trip. The karaage onigiri is probably my fave but the eel and salmon ones are good too.

Located in a Japanese supermarket. They had tons of onigiri options. The spam masubi was listed as a best seller but I definitely thought the mentaiko was better. For an affordable and fast meal, I would highly recommend. I plan to go back!

Reasonably priced Onigiris for the midtown area! There are many different flavors and they range from $3-6. Service is quick. The store is usually pretty packed during lunchtime but they try to get the lines moving quickly.

Quick onigiri spot inside a grocery store. Card only despite very affordable prices. I got the spicy tuna for $2.60 + tax, so good price. They pre wrap so you can just grab and checkout within a minute or less. The onigiri itself is okay - the spicy tuna is just cooked tuna with spicy sauce so it's a bit different from what I expected, and the seaweed is quite soggy from it sitting a while, but you have to choose between efficiency and quality I guess.

I knew these prices must've been too good to be true. Came by during my work day for a snack to tide me over and ended up with shrimp tempura and chashu onigiri. I kid you not -- there was one single morsel of pork on top and the entire inside of the onigiri was just rice. I felt a little scammed LOL. But I guess this is how they keep their rice balls at just about $3? Quite misleading.

Pretty good, to be outside of Japan Pretty good flavor, pretty traditional looking large Variety of food

Wanted to try after reading the great reviews and it dis not disappoints!!! The onigiris are top!!! Full of flavor, sticky and really good in fill (not just rice!) the rice was also flavorful since it got some of the filling sauce. There are plenty of different options to choose from. Definitely a great bite. It is also a japanese grocery store, ramen joint and offers other cooked/un cooked food readt to go (bowls, sushi)

Located inside katagiri grocery, Omusubi Gonbei is a great place to grab a rice ball. I had gone to Hanamizuki Cafe a week before to try their spam musubi and was not impressed, so wanted to try this place to scratch the itch. Came at 12:45 PM on a Sunday and it was busy but the line moved fast. I tried: + Spicy tuna + Spam with egg + shrimp tempura + grilled eel 5 stars for the spam alone. Grilled eel was the next best bite. Also liked the spicy tuna!

4.5 One of my favorite spots to pick up a quick snack or low key meal. They're located at the front section of Katagiri Japanese grocery directly to the left once you walk in, it's a simple counter with a couple dozen options for rice balls. They have placards denoting what's what and prices, and also a separate single page doc with all the options. The fillings range from traditional vegetarian options like ume (Japanese pickled plum), shiso leaf (perilla leaf which tastes like light mint), marinated seaweed, kakiage (fried tempura), takana (pickled mustard greens), to seafood like spicy salmon, grilled eel, shrimp tempura, fried oysters, to meat like chashu pork and spam. Price range between $2.50 and $4.80 each, very reasonably priced and a good value for the neighborhood. You can pick up at the counter and pay directly at the Katagiri registers. Flavor-wise these are all tasty, the quality is pretty good, rice cooked properly and generous amounts of filling. They don't do the separate wrapper for the seaweed so it's not as dry/crispy as some may like, though I think this allows them to make these onigiri larger than most other takeout onigiri spots in the city.

This is a small onigiri stall inside of a Japanese market. It's a little hard to find so we went into the building lobby of the address and asked the front desk for directions. It gets pretty packed during lunch but the line moves quickly. I had the char sui pork and salmon which were both so good! Portions are big too. The rice is really soft and the salmon tasted really flavorful (even though I'm sure it's just canned salmon). Great spot if you're in a pinch and want something filling and fairly affordable!

Omusubi Gonbei is small counter inside Katagiri Japanese Grocery, which serves onigiri (Japanese rice balls). I stopped by with my mom last week, because we wanted a quick meal on the go while we were out and about in the neighborhood. Stop at the counter, grab a few onigiri (they have tons of flavors) and then get in line. At lunch time (we visited on a Friday), the line wraps around and through the store, but it moved fast. I enjoyed the two I tried, and my mom (who is vegan) enjoyed hers (a Japanese curry onigiri). This is a great place for a lunch on the go; we took ours to some seating nearby and enjoyed an affordable, quick, simple, and healthy lunch!

Good pricing for the onigiris esp in NYC where everything is usually expensive. A great snack to take to the airport. The spicy tuna and the spam were both really good. The ratio of the ingredients to the rice was perfect. It's made fresh too.

Newly work in the area, went out during the lunch rush The store was packed with a huge line, but it went super quick. They have a ton of authentic Asian cuisine. Super tasty awesome portions totally worth the price which isn't high at all.

Just a a 5 minute walk away from Grand Central station. we came in from the airport and was looking for a quick food to grab and this caught our attention. A japanese grocery store that offers omusubis and even ramen. the sweet lady gave me her Recommendations, I went w/her recommendation and had the 'bomb' and it was really good. Would come back when I'm in New York!

It gets SOOOO crowded during lunch time. But the food is reasonably priced and delicious. Prepare to wait in a line that wraps around the entire store for ~5 mins. It's fun to look at all the products while you wait though. The grocery store has a good selection of reasonably priced goods and many prepared meals.

I had no idea that Omusubi Gonbei would be inside this incredible mini Japanese mart! On top of all of OG's options, there are so many other foods that are ready-to-eat and a marketplace to boot. From my one visit it looks like a great place to pop in, grab a snack or small meal, and pop back out. But there is a small counter where hi can quickly enjoy the food you purchased. During peak hours, the checkout line can almost reach the back of the store but it goes by fast and it's well worth the visit! I tried an assortment of Omusubi and each was very affordable. Even a few pieces totaled to be cheaper than any fast food meal, and way tastier. Everything is clearly labeled and priced. If I'm ever on this side of the city again I'll definitely be back for more.

they have two fresh food vendors --musubi/onigiri in the front left as soon as u come in and another counter on the right side behind the registers. They also have the grocery store part in the back. I sometimes pick up snacks but really i just come in for the musubis/onigiri. I've always come in the morning while the musubis are still warm and they've always been very good. they're always quick and there's never been a line when I've went. I've never had any dried or crunchy rice and they've always seemed fresh. they're my fav to pick up before a trip or for lunch.

Really nice, quick, affordable lunch spot. I got three onigiris (kelp, oyster and egg) and chicken karaage, and they came out to $15.20. The food was tasty, I'd definitely be back. There is no seating other than a little bit of standing room/standing ledges by the ramen spot behind the cashiers. The spot is in a cute little Japanese market that sells other goodies, worth checking out even if just for the market.

Ordered some onigiris for breakfast. We went to the one inside the Katagiri Japanese grocery store. It was quick and delicious.

If you love a classic rice ball with various fillings to start your morning, as an afternoon snack, or late night bite, this is the spot for you. I already have one location that I go to for rice balls but this is going to be my second spot to get rice balls. The reason for it is because it's made on the spot (I usually come in the morning when it is being made) and they offer a variety of fillings with no frills, your classic rice balls. My personal favorite is the Karaage Ball because they are generous with the fried chicken filling and you can't go wrong with a fried chicken rice ball. This is technically a supermarket or mini mart with indoor seatings. So it's quite lively with shoppers and people eating in this one space which adds to the experience. The rice ball section is the first thing you'll see when entering and the lady who took my order was kind and packed my order neatly. This is a bit of tucked away/hole in the wall kind of spot since it is nearby Grand Central Station. Highly recommend finding it and trying it out for yourself while in the area or leaving Grand Central Station

This place has some of my favorite omusubis. They are tasty, filling, and very reasonably priced. My favorite one is the scallop. I also love the spam musubi. It's great for a snack or a light meat. It's also conveniently located next to the train station

I first had Omusubi Gonbei in Mitsuwa Market in Fort Lee. When I randomly found out they had a closer location in midtown I was so happy. I literally took the LIRR here twice this year to get a bunch of spam musubi's and other rice balls for my family and I. The location is close to the trains and LIRR, the variety of rice balls and Japanese products in the market section was plenty even though it's a small store. Can't say that the workers were friendly but I got what I wanted and I'm happy.

I'm so glad this is available as an affordable option in the area. Food in this area can get pretty pricey. Thankfully the selection here is all priced well. If you go before the lunch rush, there's a big selection of flavors. My favorite are the nitamago and shrimp tempura. I like to pair my selection with miso soup to complete my meal. The rest of the grocery has different cooked foods, ramen and Sushi. I find the other selection is a bit expensive and not really worth it. Just stick to the musubis and onigiris and you'll be happy!

Stopped by here for lunch and so glad I did! Soooo many options and great price. Flavors were so good there was a lot of filling.

The first onigiri / rice ball I've had in NYC was at Osumubi Gonbei, and boy did I start off strong. Pros: quick and easy grab and go counter with many options to choose from, prime location just a block away from Grand Central, and starts from $2.20 per ball up to less than $5. Don't get me wrong-it's still a rice ball at the end of the day, but prob of the better ones you can get.

Every meal at this restaurant leaves me satisfied. You can't experience better care elsewhere. Omusubi Gonbei benefits from its easy-to-find location. They clearly prioritize quality. This place has made my favorites list.

Great variety of omusubi and Japanese snacks! Will def stop by again whenever I'm in the area

I walked from 57th street to Gonbei and since it was about 20 min walk... I only did it cause I had the time and it was my day off! Omusubi Gonbei is inside a Japanese mart and when you step in, on your left you'll see Gonbei. The staff are busy consistently making the riceballs and you see it too! They also be frying the shrimp tempura and more. I was a little overwhelmed and first thought it...GET EVERYTHING! haha but of course I did...NOT. I just got 6. I got the spicy tuna with brown rice, the salmon with brown rice, regular spicy tuna, a tamago one (where there's a whole soy sauce egg in it) and two shrimp tempura balls. They are not all for me...obviously but most of them are. For 6 rice balls it totals up to about $17 something. Which is actually very cheap as nowadays, one rice ball can go for about $4-5 and they aren't even that good. You can tell the riceballs here are different, just based off the rice and quality. And charging less is amazing! Let's go one by one on the rice balls. For the brown rice tuna - it was pretty good but I find it has a lot of rice when compared to the filling. This applies to the salmon brown rice as well, although the salmon for me was a bit salty. The shrimp tempura are decent and isn't your usual super battered shrimp. The shrimp is on the smaller size but all good. My favorite one is the tamago one, there isn't too much rice as the rice literally was just wrapped around the boiled egg, which I appreciate. The egg is not overcooked, in it that it's a little jammy, which is my preferred way of eating a boiled egg. The egg is also soy sauced so there is deff flavor and not just plain egg and rice. I would get this again!!! While it seem like there's something I picked on for each of the rice ball, it's just my thing but overall I still enjoyed my riceballs. I would come again as the riceballs are all handmade with love and the prices are great. PLUS they have so many different kids you can choose from. I will come again to try the others and like I said, the riceballs here seems very old school compared to all the ones out there now.

A nice japanese convenient store known for its onigiris. They are well priced ($2~4) for their size and made fresh daily.

Great spot to go for lunch break and quick meal. I got there around noon and the line was fairly long, however the cashiers move efficiently. I've had the eel bowl and chicken curry bowl from here; both were tasty. Beware, the chicken curry bowl has a piece of fried potato that although tasty fooled me into believing it was fried chicken before taking a bite. I really like this place. Although it gives me a grocery store vibe, you'll be guaranteed to get good portions for a great price. Tip: Be sure to come before 12 to escape the busy bustling lunch rush.

The food here impresses without trying too hard. Omusubi Gonbei is too good for ordinary praise. Everything that I have tried has been pretty flavorful. Their personnel exceed industry standards. I really liked my experience here and plan to visit again!

Stumbled this little onigiri place inside Katagiri, a cute Japanese market/grocery shop and picked up some onigiri for the road! The nitamago was my favorite. Its so simple yet something about the soy sauce combined with the semi-runny egg yolk and rice wrapped in seafood was super tasty and comforting. I think the ratio of ingredients to rice was perfect for this one. The grilled eel was also a good one cause it featured a good chunk of fish with a nice teriyaki sauce. The fried oyster was also solid; it was still a little crispy on the outside with a nice spicy mayo sauce. I understand these are rice balls but would still prefer a higher ingredient to rice ratio. Service was quick and you pay at the market's cashier. Prices are reasonable. Definitely a good option for a quick on-the-go snack/meal!

What a delightful surprise!! This little market might be easily missed if you're not looking, but it shouldn't be missed. Their omusubi counter offers a great assortment - I had the grilled eel and the shiso, both of which were amazing - and I snagged a spam and cheese musubi for later. All for less than $10! I had to make a second trip to the register after finding their sushi fridge and candy section. Anytime I can find Pocky sticks is a win!!

Omusubi Gonbei is located inside Katagiri grocery and is right next to the entrance. There were many options to choose from like spam, spam and egg, ume, salmon, karage, unagi, vegetable, seaweed, and many more. I went with my favorite classics and got a spam and egg as well as an Ume. The spam was perfect, salty, the egg was sweet and not too thick. The Ume was sour and delightful next to the rice. Both were purchased for lunch, but I ended up saving the Ume and ate that for dinner. Total was under $7 for both after tax.

*** 4.5 stars *** Located inside Katagiri Market (the entrance is on 41st), there is perhaps the largest selection of rice balls that I have ever seen. I came specifically for the spam musubi, but also picked up an eel rice ball (and wanted to get about 5 others!). For under $8, this was the perfect quick little meal. I have been on the hunt for the best spam musubi in the city and have to say, so far this has been the best. Not too salty as some tend to be, and the perfect amount of balancing sweetness. I don't usually prefer musubis that have egg but in this case I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I will definitely be back to try some others!

Sweet lady working the front of the house. They have lots of omousubis available. I picked the salmon and the spicy tuna. My tot loved the salmon one and at a lot more than I expected. The spicy tuna was great as well. The rice was warm and puffy. If you can, ask for the non-saran wrapped ones because the rice is not squished. It is much better. Will definitely be getting take out from here again!

Stopped in here for some onigiri based on the stellar reviews. I am not sure what I'm missing, this was horrible. First off, all of the onigiri is left out, not made fresh whatsoever. Room temperature fish is...interesting. I picked the shrimp tempura and the spicy tuna. The shrimp tempura was a mushy mess. 80% rice and a small little soggy shrimp tempura slice. The spicy tuna was the worst though. It's not reaaaally spicy tuna. It's canned tuna with spicy mayo, major letdown. 1 star for price, $3.50 for two onigiri. You get what you pay for, I suppose.

I came for a snack during lunch on a weekday and it was fairly easy to find, located btw Park Ave & Lexington Ave. Once you step into the grocery store, you will see rows of oniguti on the counter to your left. I tried the spicy tuna and salmon. I loved the spicy tuna and the rice was amazing. I'm normally picky with my rice but this was the perfect soft texture and moist without being too mushy. I am definitely coming back just for the spicy tuna. Salmon was disappointing because I had read good reviews but it was just pretty basic. However, I will say there was more filling in the salmon than spicy tuna. But I ate the salmon riceball for the rice, not the salmon. The lady at the counter was very nice. She saw me staring at all the options and asked if I needed any help. I felt a little rushed at the cashier (different lady) but I have no complaints about the quick service.

4.5 stars. Quick, filling, tasty. There is a large variety of premade onigiri here and they are all for a fair price. It's located in a small japanese market where there are many fresh fish bowls. If you're looking for a quick grab and go meal, this place is a good spot.

Came post book club and wanted a small, quick, and affordable snack. I stumbled upon this Japanese grocery store whilst looking for onigiris in the area. Upon entering, there's a plethora of packaged items from onigiris, to sushi, to hot foods. There's even a ramen counter inside the store to feed your noodle soup cravings, and a fresh fish station in the back! I decided to go with safe options - Spicy Tuna ($2.40) and Salmon ($2.70) onigiris, as this was my first time here. One thing to note is that the fish is cooked in the rice ball, which I was completely fine with. However, the fish was pretty salty to me - perhaps it was too much salt or seasoning on it. With the plain, white rice, I just couldn't get past the really salty tuna/salmon. I think it would've been a nice touch if there was furikake sprinkled into the rice as well. For the price I paid, I'm not too upset and I'd give this place another try - perhaps would try something else. Overall, decent spot with tons of options!

Superb restaurant. The staff balanced quickness, efficiency, kindness and skill. The spices are perfect. Prices make sense and people are friendly. The pricing is reasonable, menu choices are simple, and the food delivers. I couldn't imagine better execution.

Stopped at Omusubi when I saw that they have onigiri. Grabbed two and asked what I bought after I paid. The cashier got a kick out of it that I didn't even know what I paid for. One was seaweed (delicious) and the other had pickles , radish I believe and it was spicy. I am glad, I was adventurous. I was glad I took the extra step to visit this establishment.

What a wonderful spot! We found this as we were walking around the city. The Chashu pork and Karaage chicken onigiri were both delicious. The market also has a ton of snacks and drinks to choose from as well! It was quite busy on a Friday night but service was quick.

I've been in the mood for onigiri lately, and Omusubi Gonbei is so close to my close, and yet I haven't heard of this place before. The store is actually on 41st street, despite its Lexington Avenue address, tucked inside Katagiri. Most onigiri are made fresh, and they usually fly off the shelves. As for this visit, I went crazy with 5 onigiri including The Bomb, Spicy Tuna, Shrimp, Oyster and Salmon. Each onigiri is plentiful and tasty especially The Bomb. It can really give you a food coma. I'm looking forward to trying other fillings!

First time visiting this location. Small Japanese market with three venders inside and assortment of Japanese goods. It's very crowded during lunch time so plan evening or morning visit. I shuffled through an intense lunch crowd to get onigiri items but ended up with a few snacks as well. There's an onigiri, sushi, and soup station in the rear of market. Sushi is offered among other ready to eat items. I opted for salmon and oyster onigiri. Decent rice balls but the rice was too mushy. The oyster was my favorite. Snacks picked up were red bean paste, Japanese Belgium waffle, and matcha pocky. The red bean paste is great on a hot day. Mildly sweet but watch out for the powder on them. The waffle was basic but petite. The lines move fast but can get confusing with lunch workers fumbling between the fridge and line. Avoid this location if you don't work in the area. There's limited seating behind cashier by the soup vendor but all purchases are made at cashier in middle of market. Lastly, it's very affordable here for a light lunch or dinner.