Best musubi on the island!!! My favorites are the karaage chicken and salmon. The rice quality is really good and the proportion of meat to rice is pretty generous compared to other musubi shops on the island. My boyfriend and I usually get a box because we can't just pick a few lol. I would recommend going earlier in the morning for the most variety. There's always parking in front of the store and never really a line, so it's truly grab and go. Highly recommend Mai Musubi! read more

Mai Musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Mai Musubi is located in a small plaza near the Kaka'ako Park! There is a decent amount of parking in the plaza. ***What I ordered ~ **Mentaiko Mayo (10/10) ~ This was so good. Creamy, crunchy, and savory. Everything meshed SO well together. This was also made to order, so the mentaiko with the hot rice was the perfect pairing. **Tamagoyaki (8/10) ~ It's exactly what you think it will taste like. I personally liked this because the tamago was sweet instead of savory. It was also really fluffy as well. **Tuna Mayo (10/10) ~ Savory, creamy, and flavorful. Honestly, the tuna mayo tastes so well. It was a perfect ratio of tuna and mayo. It also goes really well with the hot rice and crispy nori. Overall, Would I come again? Yes! Prices are reasonable and the onigiri's come out really fast for made to order. read more

See all

I used to visit the Liliha location, and now I'm so glad there's one in Kakaako near my place! The convenience is great, and I absolutely love their musubis here--they're always fresh and delicious. read more

See all

Good place to come if you need a quick and cheap snack to grab on the go. I came last month to grab a quick breakfast before kayaking. Ordered the Tuna Mayo and Unagi Tamago Musubis. Both tasted just okay for the price. It's pretty filling and will get you going for the rest of the morning. Nothing too special though, it just gets the job done if you need a quick bite. They have many Musubi options which is nice too. Overall 6.4/10 would come again! read more

See all

Consistently delicious musubi with easy parking--perfect for grab-and-go! Mai Musubi moved from their University location (across from Puck's Alley) to their new spot in Kaka'ako, and it's a fantastic upgrade. Parking is super convenient--there are about 3 or 4 stalls right in front of the shop labeled for their use only. I've visited multiple times and have always been able to find a spot. The musubis are reasonably priced, ranging from $2.50 to $3.50, and the portion sizes are just right. My 3-year-old daughter loves the salmon and plain shrimp tempura musubi--they're flavorful and easy for little hands to enjoy. My personal favorite is the crunchy ume musubi. It's not overly salty, but has a nice savory ume flavor that hits the spot. The rice is consistently cooked to perfection--not too hard, not too mushy. Everything is made and sitting out on the tables, so there's really no waiting unless you order a matcha latte, which they make fresh after you order. They also carry a small selection of Japanese snacks, and I've even seen rice for sale on occasion. The bentos are solid too--you can order a variety online, or grab one in person if they have extras ready. It's definitely a great spot to swing by before heading to the beach or park. Fresh, tasty, and super convenient! read more

See all

I have found my musibi spot! As you may already know, musubi love in Hawaii is real. As a snack, a meal, or a quick bite...musubi fit perfectly into Hawaii Life! We actually found this place on accident. We were dropping our car off for repair and saw the open sign. At first we thought it was a mistake because it was so early in the morning...but we pulled up to check it out. Mai Musubi was actually open! Not only is it spacious on the inside (for a musubi place), but very cute! There is even a separate dining room. At lunchtime they also serve curry! Yay! They have a very nice selection of musubi, and at reasonable prices. We tried a bunch if different kinds... Unagi and Egg Chicken karaage Spam and egg Salmon and konbu They were all good, but my favorites were the unagi and egg and the spam and egg. Unagi is always my favorite flavor for everything, but this was done right. The unagi was soft and flavorful. The spam and egg was the best spam and egg musubi ever....and I have had a few. The spam was marinated perfectly....making the musubi perfectly balanced and delicious. We also tried the lychee soda and the yuzu soda...and were not disappointed. What a great mix of bubbles and sweetness! The service is very good here. They were quick to help and happy to answer any questions. I will be back to try the curry (after 11am)! read more

Quaint spot that opened where Karen's kitchen used to be. They have Japanese rice and a few snacks to purchase along with premade bentos and musubis. Made to order starts at 11:45 some things were sold out by this time tho, I'm looking at you unagi Their service is what you'd expect if a Japanese establishment. Super friendly and helpful. The bentos and musubis are well crafted. They also have a small dining area to sit and enjoy your food. read more

Mai Musubi - Potato croquet bento - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is so cute. I heard about it from social media and finally got to visit. Interior is very bright and clean - as expected of a Japanese shop. The musubi and bento were placed neatly in the front but I noticed they were almost wiped out. Glad I was able to swipe a few musubi and a bento before everything was gone. In addition, they also had Japanese snacks, candies, and drinks for sale on the side. I was also surprised to see that they just opened a dine-in area recently. I was able to take my bento and musubis to the tables and eat it there. Had quite a bit of room. Definitely coming back here - it was a cute place and it reminded me of Japanese homemade cooking that I love so much. read more

See all

The food is absolutely delicious, great presentation and very tasty. The order process requires some advanced planning but it go much much better. Staff seem friendlier also! A must try ! read more

Brother-in-law Craig T wrote a Yelp review of Mai Musubi. They are located in the spot which was Karen's Kitchen once occupied. Parking was a snap today. They have a few stalls reserved right in front. The lady that helped us and our answered our questions, was very friendly. we ended up a few musubis and a bento. The bento was pre-made. We were told that after 11am, you can order on line and pick a bento from their list and it would be made fresh. I had the Prmade bento A. This includes, Two musubis, Karaage Chicken, and croquette and assorted vegetables. The bento box was delicious Enjoy read more

See all

Excellent bentos and musubis! This is a go to spot for sure. Their fish is perfectly cooked I would highly recommend the salmon!!!

This place is so cute! They have different types of musubis and there are so many good choices. It was hard to choose because everything looked good especially that butterfish bento. I ended up getting an unagi tamago musubi and a spicy mayo shrimp tempura and those were both great! My partner got a mini curry donburi bowl that was pretty good too and like 4 musubis. Atmosphere - They welcome you as you come in like they do in Japan. Also I thought it was just a to go place but they do have seating on the left hand side when you walk in. It can probably seat 15 people? Service - Service was good! The cashier was so nice and friendly! Cost - For the musubis, the range is $2.75 - $3.75 from the ones I saw. The bentos' average cost were around $10 - $12. They had drinks in a fridge as well. Parking - They have 3 spots right in front of their place and if it's full then you can do street metered parking. Location - There are stores right next to it, this is in Kakaako on Cooke St. I would come here again because I want to get the butterfish bento and try more of the musubis! read more

See all

Today was in the area to check out Mai Musubi. Plus the other night I seen it on Cheap East's . I'm in the wrong business for a small Musubi for $3 Wow. I must say it is very good with the Japan rice they use it rally makes a difference compared to 7-11 Musubi or other gas stations places. Service was very friendly although this place you need to go early because they sell out fast . I was there at 9:30am and no bentos left and very limited on their Musubi as you can see in my video. Hours from 7am - 2:00pm unless they sell out they don't make more . Their located on Queen Street they took over the old Karen's kitchen spot . Support local read more

See all

Got to try this for breakfast and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love chicken karaage and this chicken karaage musubi was so delicious. I liked the mayo with it as well and it helped to make to super creamy. I definitely think it's worth the price as you can get full off of one and feel satisfied. I'll be back to try others! read more

Mai Musubi - Chicken karaage musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Mai Musubi has a special place in my heart. Mai is a perfect addition to the Kaka'ako area, since it's somewhere quick and easy to grab a small bite of quality musubis and Japanese bentos. It's a place kamaaina and locals can still enjoy in Kaka'ako. I heart their spicy tuna mayo musubis and butter fish bentos. Don't get me wrong, their other bentos and musubis are great as well but those are just my favorites from here. Everything is delicious and good down to each grain of rice. Service is always friendly and quick. They have 3 reserved parking in front or a lot on the side you can park. Hours are from 7am-1pm so best to go early to have the best options. It's a clean moderate size space with a dining area where you can enjoy your goodies. read more

See all

I've been wanting to go to Mai Musubi since they opened on Cooke Street and I finally was able to take a visit! I spent the last couple weeks trying places around town to enjoy my last bits of working in town. There are a few parking stalls right in the front of the store. But coming out of those stalls onto the main road is really hard because cars keep coming and it's hard to see while backing out of the stall. When you walk in, there's not a whole lot going on. There's musubi's on the middle and front table. And on the side table there were a couple bento choices. I got the butterfish bento for my coworker & I. And a mentaiko musubi to try. The butterfish bento was good. But the musubi had waaay too much mayo. Prices are about the same as any other bento place. The workers were very nice and friendly. There seems to be more bento options if you order online but need to place it a day in advance. Or at least it seemed that way when I looked online. If I get a chance to go back, I'll try to plan better so that I can order online and go with someone when picking it up. read more

Mai Musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Mai Musubi sits on Cooke Street in Kaka'ako, tucked into a no-frills, open space with tables of neatly packaged musubi on one side and a small seating area off to the left. This is a grab-and-go place through and through -- you walk in, scan the rows, pick your musubi, and you're out. At just under ten bucks for three, the value is undeniable I went with the spam + tamago, spicy tuna, and salmon. The first thing I noticed was the topping-to-rice ratio -- finally, someone who doesn't bury the good stuff under a mountain of rice. Every bite felt balanced, with just enough rice to support the flavor without diluting it. The toppings themselves? Solid. Good quality spam, fresh-tasting fish, and seasoning that was spot-on. Still, nothing quite pushed it into the "wow" category. It's like everything was 80% of the way there One thing I didn't love -- the musubi were cold / room temperature. I was there at 10 a.m., and they were clearly made earlier in the morning. Not stale, just... not warm. You can imagine how much better these would be warm, or even made to order. Close to five stars for me, but I'm calling it a four this time read more

Mai Musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I was not allowed to eat inside the restaurant 30 minutes before closing. The chairs were on top of the tables. I ate outside on the curb.

Nice little musubi stop! They offer a variety of triangular musubi, all prepackaged and displayed for easy selection. Just grab a tray and load it up with whichever musubis catch your eye. Prices range from $2.50 to $3.00. There's clear signage indicating the different fillings. There's also a table with bentos priced between $10 and $15--some include the smaller musubis. I opted for bento set C, which came with two musubis, white fish katsu, tofu fish nugget, tamago yaki, tsukemono, and vegetable kinpira. I liked being able to try the variety of foods in the bento while indulging in the yummy musubis. The musubi fillings vary by bento, so check each tray to find the fillings you like. I also got a matcha latte. It wasn't my favorite, as it wasn't sweetened, and I prefer a little sugar in my drinks. However, if you enjoy the raw, earthy taste of matcha without added sweetness, it might be perfect for you. It's a grab-and-go shop with no indoor seating. The shop was nicely decorated with some Halloween decorations. They also have fridges stocked with Japanese drinks and a small section of snacks. Service was great--very friendly, and the workers thank customers with a bright 'arigato gozaimasu!' read more

See all

My friend recommended me to try their bentos and Musubi since they made all the food with Japanese rice. Parking was limited but you can always find street parking around the area. Interior was very simple. You can see all the musubi at one time. They have lots of musubi selection to choose. I picked the Unagi, Spam and Salmon Konbu. Spam musubi always is my favorite. They serves "order to make" bentos from 9am. I ordered the Chicken Karaage Bento ($12) and Tonkatsu Curry ($12). Their Chicken Karaage was a bomb. The chicken was very juicy and fresh. The Tonkatsu curry was delicious too, not overcooked at all and Japanese curry always tastes good. I also got their Apple Soda and Melon Soda which were delicious as well. I'll go back to try their other selection of the musubi. read more

See all

My husband said he wanted to try this musubi place for lunch. Thanks to my brother Craig who went there couple of weeks back and took pics and yelp them. So we got there a little after 9:30 am and there parking right in front of their restaurant. I took the shrimp tempura musubi and rhe salmon wakamae musubi. Both of them was good. My husband took bento set A. Came with karage chicken, croquette, pickled cucumber, slice egg omelet and pickled lotus root. Everything was tasty. The cashier said after 11am you can order online and choose your musubi in the bento set. If it's before 11am then whatever is in the bento is what you get. They have 2 bento A and B sets. Will be back again. The rice for the musubi is from Japan. Today they have lots of musubi because they close on Mondays. Ao the counter was full. read more

See all

Terrible bad service at the kakaako location. The owner or whoever that man is has a ugly attitude. Not worth going. You can find better food else where. And be careful for parking cause they will pretend to work for the tow yard and they will put yellow stickers on your car window if you "park too long" read more

Mai Musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went to eat at Karen's Kitchen and found that Mai Musubi took their spot, so I thought I'll give ot a try. I ordered the Tonkatsu Bento and also bought a Salmon Konbu musubi. The musubi was salted perfectly and had a nice piece of Salmon with Konbu. The rice was a better grade than many other places. The Tonkatsu Bento was only $13 and had just enough food. The Tonkatsu was cooked perfectly with no taste on oil. It was served with the same rice that they make the musubi with. Little koko and Japanese egg compliment the Bento. I would definitely go back and try other things. read more

See all

Cute little musubi shop in the Kakaako area which took over the old location of Karen's Kitchen. There a few designated parking stalls in front but always an abundance of parking stalls available before the neighboring businesses open, if you go before work. They open at 7am and closed on Sundays and Mondays. There are some bento available but more musubis in the morning. Prices varies but other than plain, the musubi can run from $3-$4 range. There are some bottled drinks available including some matcha latte to order. If you need a bag, paper brown bags for a small fee for your purchases. Cute sized musubi's, so may need to eat at least two or more. I do like the crunchy ume &, salmon wakame musubis. Chicken karaage was okay. There a spam musubi but I preferred the spam to be plain or with not too much sauce on the spam. There are many options with or without egg, natto musubi to unagi musubi. The Japanese rice makes it even better. You can get your musubi til 1pm. You can even pre-order your musubi and bentos! I'm glad there's a musubi place near my work place! read more

See all

Amazing selection of what we in Hawaii call Musubi but others might call Onigiri. Lots of bentos this morning too. I was worried about entering my first time but there was a steady stream of people walking in. Everyone was picking up a variety of Musubi filling up the trays they have available to help you collect your treasure trove of riceballs. A little pricy at $3.00 a pop but very tasty. You pay cash in the traditional Japanese way; by placing your cash in a little tray. Cute! read more

Mai Musubi - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Musubi was for $3.50 what a steal! If you're looking for something fast, affordable, and tasty this place is perfect. I ordered 2 salmon konbu musubi and it came out in like 5 minuts read more

Musubi heaven is how I would describe this place. It moved from king st to cook st. The best one for me is the konbu or the shrimptempura. They can make it custom when they runout. Excellent rice which is Japanese sushi rice it makes a difference. Bentos and other custom orders available. read more

Mai Musubi - Konbu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Just went to pickup miso butter fish bentos. Was really ONO and found the salmon musubi really generous and tasty. I really enjoyed it

Mai Musubi is growing in popularity and it's here to stay. I was excited for a musubi shop to open up just down the street since the others are a drive away and often sell out quickly. Mai offers a range of musubi and bentos to grab and go. It's not unusual to see Uncles and Aunties on their speakerphone taking orders from their family. The rice is on the firm side and reminds me of the hinohikari variety from my other favorite musubi shop in town that closed. The filling is on the sweeter side than what I've recently had in Japan. Very satisfying as a meal replacement or meal supplement. Catering an event? Mai beautifully wraps its bentos for larger orders in furoshiki (not to be mistaken with fundoshi). And there's more! The matcha soy latte was refreshing. You can get ready to order made drinks or Japanese bottled drinks from the fridge. Parking is available in a small private lot off Cooke Street. There are also paid metered stalls a block away in case the lot fills up. Look for the banner visible from the sidewalk to find your way to Mai Musubi. read more

See all

First visit here. Picked up a variety of musubis for my plane ride. Nice display with signage to inform you of the available musubis. This place was rocking in the early morning hours. School kids and more were here on this blustery and cold morning. The spicy tuna, une, and salmon caught my eye. All were delicious and the tuna had a kick to it. Interestingly, I did not see any multigrain type musubis. I'll be back to try a few other musubis. The rice was perfect and the salmon was yummy. I was so caught up in selecting my musubis that I forgot to take any pictures! read more

I never thought I could cheat on my okazuya place but I think I have to now! This places musubis for starters the spam and tomago one I got was almost like a onigiri and was amazing clean and most definitely seasoned. I also got a karaage bento and it was amazing just like the ones my grandma used to pack for me on boys day. This place for the price is perfect for your work lunch and especially for a light morning snack. Sorry olazuya you may have lost me for a bit to here. read more

This is that hidden onigiri shop you've been looking for. A variety of onigiri from spam and tamago to salmon. They also have bentos perfect to pickup for lunch. Recommend going early as they tend to run out. My favorites are the: Spicy shrimp tempura, a single butterflied whole shrimp tempura with a spicy creamy mayo. The perfect balance of creamy, spicy and crunchy. Unagi, don't normally get this anywhere else, but its a generous portion of unagi with just enough sauce to balance with the rice. I just wish the onigiri was wrapped with the nori separately, much like the konbini in Japan. So when you unwrap it, the nori is still fresh and its a crisp texture. read more

Not sure if it's the same owners as when they were at their original spot on Liliha but it's certainly gone downhill. Maybe it's the rice but the musubis aren't as good (rice isn't as fluffy). They must be in a hurry to close because when I went there at about 12:40 they were vacuuming. And when I got my curry rice they said I couldn't eat in even though it wasn't 1 pm yet. Definitely not the nice customer service when the husband and wife were running it. read more

Mai Musubi is a great option for a quick lunch or breakfast. They're open early in the morning to swing by before class or work! I've tried a couple of their Musubis and most were pretty good. My favorite musubis are the Konbu, Salmon Konbu, and Ume Crunch. I wouldn't recommend the Salmon Mentaiko because for some reason the roe had a bitter after taste. My only recommendation for improvement on their Musubi is that I wish the Nori was separately wrapped so that it would still be crunchy when I'm ready to eat. The Set B was also a little disappointing. While the shrimp fry and crab croquette was beautifully fried and delicious, the food portions were lacking. The sides were also very scarce and two Musubi doesn't substitute a bed of rice. I probably won't get one of their sets again, but instead, opt for one of their bentos. I'd come back to Mai Musubi but just for the select musubis, and out of convenience since it's so close to UH Manoa. read more

Mai Musubi - Set B: Two Musubi of Choice + Shrimp Fry & Crab Cream Croquette - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Best in town! You can really see the difference when you taste their food. Great quality for the price. read more

Mai Musubi - Breakfast Bento Karaage, Teri Spam , sausage and eggs - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Going early is a must as there usually is a bunch of people grabbing musubis for their office or friends. They have a great selection of Musubis and breakfast bentos. parking can sometime get a bit full but well worth finding one. The taste is great and prices are reasonable. read more

They moved to Cooke st and are still soft opening. So they don't have (place your order) set bentos yet, just prepackaged bentos and Musubis (rice balls). They open early at 7am (until sold out). I got miso butter fish bento for $14.95. The bento was delicious. Good luck in this new location! read more

See all

We picked up musubi (onigiri) on the way to the airport, they were all delicious with a good ratio of rice and filling and large assortment. We did not get a chance to try the bento combinations on this visit, but will try next time. I highly recommend this place for a quick snack, the musubi tastes better than what I ate in the Waikiki area and better priced. read more

Mai Musubi - Assortment of onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I bookmarked this place before my trip and was very glad I made it, twice! I loved the onigiri/musubi and bento options. You can order 45 minutes in advance for pick up what you want or come grab and go whatever they have available. Great options if you want to take these to the beach for lunch or snacks. They have their own parking lot!!! This is huge for me when it comes to Honolulu restaurants. Note, you cannot wait inside the restaurant if you arrive early for your pickup. You will be asked to wait in the car and they bring it out to you. read more

See all

Here's my "MusuBae"!! They just put the oh Mai in everything they serve and I just love this new location which is right across Pucks Alley that right next to Beer Lab with so much parking just steps away. This simple shop puts all it's focus on what it does Musubi and there was 20 types from Ume, tamagoyaki, unagi to chicken karaage, even at the early morning I was there to grab some for my work besties they had a bunch of bentos all ready to go which is great if you have a flight or early morning outing to have that option. What's fun is that they do cater to certain events like the upcoming Valentine's Day making a special heart shaped musubi out of our beloved Spam...sure seems simple but it brought so much smiles from my besties as they were looking at them and a simple Spam musubi, I did get a variety though I told them to pick any one the heart just instantly capture theirs. The simplest thought can change things into positivity and if you follow them on Instagram @maimusubi you can see how they make it one day at a time. Thank you! read more

See all