This Omusubi Gonbei is located inside Mitsuwa's food court. After shopping at Mitsuwa, my husband and I decided to walk over to the food court, just to see what other food vendors are here (it makes me sad that this Mitsuwa was not here when I used to live in Cypress many years ago). After we walked right in front of Omusubi Gonbei, we both decided to get some onigiri. We were greeted by a smiling and friendly employee behind the counter when we approached this little eatery. We ended up purchasing: Spicy Tuna, $2.70 prior to tax- My husband decided to order this and really enjoyed it. I didn't have any because I am not much of a spicy eater. But my husband enjoyed it. Grilled Eel, $3.60 prior to tax- My husband and I split this one. I really liked the eel and also the sauce that was used on top of the eel. My husband also really liked this one. Fried Oyster, $3.60 prior to tax- I decided to order this one but it was topped with a spicy mayonnaise that I thought was a little too spicy for me (again, I am not a spicy eater). But the fried oyster itself was good. ---------------------------------- (Total= $10.67 after tax) Wait time for our items was pretty much non existent, since the girl helping us boxed up our items before I even had the chance to finish paying (I always struggle to pay via tap on the first try... I always seem to have the credit card somewhere else, instead of wherever the sensor is to pay for it...D'oh). This was a great snack for us since we had lunch 3 hours before (I had a light lunch of a tofu salad so the 1.5 onigiri that I had was perfect for me). I like that the onigiri was fresh and the filling. But there is a significant amount of rice and very little of the filling. But I still liked it regardless and would definitely come back to try the other flavors in the future. read more

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I definitely enjoyed the omusubi I have had from here if I compare it to the refrigerated ones available inside the Mitsuwa itself. But I must agree with other reviewers on certain aspects. The nori is very soft and chewy. It's not separated from the warm gohan itself. So if you're accustomed to onigiri with crisp nori, you will be disappointed. Depending on which kind of omusubi you're getting, I also agree that it may definitely feel like there's a lot more rice than the filling. I usually get the mentaiko, ebiten, and oyster musubis. I feel as though those are actually consistently good. The saltiness of the fillings really offsets the amount of rice included and makes it work. My other favorite flavors are takana and shiso. The two goes perfectly well with the karaage they sell separately. Another thing is that the rice itself is actually seasoned and not plain, which helps. Chashu and other fillings like eel has been a miss at this location. Same with their tuna and salmon offerings. I must admit I'm especially not a huge fan of their tuna offerings. It uses too much katsuobushi flavor in my opinion. I like mine more mayo forward. The service here can be a hit or a miss. It really depends on who is working there and what time/day of the week it is. Same goes with the availability of seatings. Parking is free but can be a hassle to find a close spot because of the proximity to the gym, superchargers, and other businesses. read more

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Omusubi Gonbei is amazing! I really love their fresh onigiri perfect and easy to enjoy, located right in the food court at Mitsuwa Marketplace. Great for eating on the spot, taking to go, or saving for lunch the next day. My favorites are Karaage Ball and Bomb. The filling is just right, the price is reasonable $3-$5 and everything is very fresh. These onigiri are much better than the ones sold inside Mitsuwa $2-$3 which are often cold, dry, and have very little filling that isn't even centered properly in the rice ball. The service here is also very good. Make sure to come earlier in the day so you don't miss out on your favorite flavors. read more

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These rice balls are huge. Rice to filling ratio may be a bit off, heavy on rice. I would definitely come back. I love fresh made onigiri . The staff odd so friendly and it's fun watching them make it. The Bomb one is a must try! read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Bomb filling - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

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First off, isn't the name misspelled? Shouldn't it be Omusubi and not Omubusi? Whatever. I've come here about 4-5x now and each time the rice balls have been good. The rice is slightly sticky with a nice chew to it and tends to hold up well as an onigiri. I think the filling in the onigiri is fair. Onigiri itself is not supposed to be overpacked with fillings. Whatever filling is used it is supposed to just enhance the rice itself. They range in price from $2.50 to $4.80 each. Service was quick, easy n friendly. If they were out a particular flavor then ask them and they may make new ones just for you. They also offer karaage chicken n miso soup. Located inside the new Mitsuwa market in the food court. The place is take-out only but they have shared tables and chairs area so grab yourself a seat there. read more

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Located inside the new Mitsua marketplace in the city of Cypress, this food stall offers premade and fresh onigiri and musubi's. They sell similar onigiri's inside the matrket, however these are fresh and not refrigerated. I bought a few to try like the Tuna Mayo, Eel, Shrimp Tempura, Oysters, and Konbu (seaweed). As they were fresh making the rice nice and soft and sticky, the onigiri's lacked flavor. No seasoning or sauce to bring out some flavor. The prices here were slightly higher compared to inside the grocery store and the seaweed was soggy and could not hold a crunch. The ones in the grocery store, the nori is wrapped separately so it's fresh and crispy. I think next time I'll buy one from here and one from the grocery store and do a side by side comparison. read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Top left clockwise is Eel, Shrimp Tempura, Oyster, Tuna Mayo, and my son ate the Konbu before i could take the picture. - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Whether it's a few for on-the-go or a whole assortment for a explorative meal, rice balls make the perfect bite-sized eats. The famed Omusubi Gonbei has come to OC! They're located within the food court at the new Mitsuwa in Cypress. They're fast, efficient, and boast a wide variety of rice balls. Fish, meats, veggies, brown vs. white rice - they've got it all covered! I went with the Curry & Edamame, Takana (Pickled Mustard Greens), and Spicy Chicken. Not a single miss. My personal favorite had to be the Curry & Edamame. A really pleasant change if you're in the mood for a flavor-packed rice ball. One minor note, I wish the filling-to-rice ratio was a bit more balanced, but other than that, no complaints! Be sure to grab a handheld snack here before you peruse around the new market. read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Curry & Edamame, Takana (Pickled Mustard Greens) - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

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I was thinking of what I wanted for a quick bite to eat while running errands, and immediately pivoted to this place. The rice balls were fresh and the filling was enough to get you by. Cheap and definitely gets you satisfied read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Tuna Mayo Chashu Pork - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

1. The musubis and Karaage chicken were good! I really like the chicken! 2. The spot has fun casual vibes! It is part of a food court! 3. The staff was friendly and timely with my order! It was ready in about 5 mins! 4. There are only indoor seatings! Seating can get crowded depending on time and day! 5. Parking lot is huge! Spots are single-lined! Note: There is a restroom available for customers! Photo: Musubi and Karaage read more

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Never coming back for this Musubi. Don't waste your money and time. Taste bad. Chewy rice with very fishyyy taste not fresh tuna taste. read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Over-priced. Taste only chewy rice and smell of tuna. - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Perfect for an on-the-go snack or meal, these omusubi are priced right for trying a few at a time. So far I've had: Grilled Eel: Really good. That eel sauce always hits the spot. Kombu: Tasty and holds up well for eating later. Shiso: Wasn't my favorite. Chashu Pork: Tasty! Fried Oyster: Needed a little something extra. Shrimp Tempura: Can't go wrong with shrimp tempura. Eat this one while fresh. If you can't eat them all in one go, keep them refrigerated for a day or so and then heat for about 30 seconds in a microwave (probably less time if you have a higher powered microwave). read more

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Not too busy place and they get your order right away. Very casual stall in a newly opened Mitsuwa. Their variety of flavors drew me in, but the onigiri itself did not hit the spot. I tried the fried oyster onigiri, and it did not seem very fresh but rather room temp. The fried oyster had zero crispiness and the rice itself seemed like it had been sitting out for a while. Their karage chicken was okay not very memorable. While it's fairly priced, I wouldn't recommend this Omusubi Gonbei unless you plan to reheat the food yourself. read more

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Can't go wrong with omusubi inside Mitsuwa! Solid option without the wait. They have a wide variety of options! We had the salmon, tuna, bomb, and CMT. Parking was okay, didn't have too much trouble on a weeknight. Tables are limited, most likely because it's a new Mitsuwa. Would definitely stop by again. read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

I asked if I can order 9 onigiris, but have 3 small containers instead of 1 large one. Employee stated, "You're way of ordering is confusing." Anyways, I recommend to order the salmon onigiri because I feel like it has the most filling, (in comparison to the chashu onigiri) I have ordered chashu onigiri several times, and there is like 2 pieces of chashu in there. The chashu weren't even in the center either... just scattered somewhere within the rice ball. read more

Surprised by the low rating. This is my family's go-to when we want a delicious, low-cost lunch filler or bite to go. The rice balls are all made fresh on-site and they all taste great. They have a good selection of flavors and won't break the wallet by any means. read more

Concept of this place reminds me of Hawaii and their musubi cafes. They have a great variety of rice balls all reasonably priced. Service is great and if there is a line, it moves pretty fast. I have had like several different flavors here, spam, karaage and chashu pork to name a few. I find the nori there soggy and chewy which is a bit off putting with rice balls in my opinion. I also found that there is a balance problem here with alot of rice but very little filling. The excessive rice causes the rice ball to end up rather bland since there is the soggy nori, rice and just a bit of meat per bite. Price makes sense but not a place I will crave or really eat on purpose. read more

No meat in the masubi. Not worth it. Took a big bite from the top and it was ALL RICE. Thankfully the one ounce of meat was only 3.80. read more

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Very disappointed! We got the spicy tuna and spicy bomb. The worker told us those were good and that it had a good amount of filling inside. However, we were eating it and noticed it was mostly rice. We paid over $8 for 2. 98% rice 2% filling. We ended up buying more of the ones from Mitsuwa. They were on sale for $1. Could've bought 8 for the price of two. NOT WORTH IT!!! Food court is better at the Costa Mesa location. read more

I've been wanting to check this spot ever since my brother showed me photos from his visit at the new Mitsuwa in Cypress. They have a lot of options of omusubi and onigiri and if I had the appetite to try one of each in one sitting, I would. They also sell karaage too, and it's pretty decent. The filling to rice ratio in my opinion could be better. Overall, it's a good spot for a snack! Hope management at Mitsuwa can work together with the food court restaurants to control the fly problem though. read more

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Agree with those who thought the rolls had way too much rice versus filling. For the prices, I was hoping for a bit more filling. The salmon was the only one that had sufficient filling. Service was fine, order & cashier gets the rolls that are continuously made by several workers behind the counter. Just have to worry whether they are sold quick enough to make sure no food poisoning happens. Pretty noisy but also plenty of seating. Parking is shared with a busy gym so peak times may be a bit longer to find a spot. read more

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The Food: Tons of tasty omusubi and onigiri treats! So many options to choose from! My kids were in awe! :) The Service: Friendly and efficient, which is good as the line was consistently out the door the entire time we were there. Everyone in Cypress is happy to have a proper Japanese store and eatery here. ;) The ambiance: Clean and new, a good amount of seating in single, dual, and quad seating options. Again, this is good as the place is packed to the gills. One tragic thing is that this place is next to the race track, so the fly situation is kinda wild; hopefully something can be done about that going forward, but do not let this discourage you, the omusubi are tasty and can be eaten on the go! read more

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Located inside Mitsuwa Cypress' food court, Omusubi Gonbei is a great place to pick up some quick musubis with different flavors. The spam musubi was a highlight. There is usually a line during the day but it moves along. read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Counter - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

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This place was okay. I was excited to try it when it first opened. My first impression when taking a bite of it was that there was a LOT of rice than the actual filling. I wish there were an even amount of rice and filling because it just felt like I was eating rice and seaweed. Not worth the money. The reviews were right about the rice and meat ratio. This place would be great if they fixed that ratio. Would I come back? Maybe not at the moment until they fix it. The service was nice, but they really need to fix their onigiris. read more

Delicious rice balls. Tried them all and our favorite is still "the bomb" as it is flavorful and hefty. Staff have always been kind and best of all quick with their service. The line can get long but it moves quickly. There are tables that often get filled but there is a side area where you can also sit and eat your food. It is a great and busting ambiance. read more

Once upon a time, this Faerie Queen discovered this little gem by happy, happenstance. We ordered the tempera, spicy tuna, spicy chicken, plum, and spam. Healthy, quick, delicious, and filling for low prices. I wish there were more of these franchises around! Check it out! You can also order ahead and have it ready. I recommend this as there is quite a queue (fast moving, though!) at this popular spot. The end. read more

I've read some reviews about the nori being soggy. It is, but I find it nostalgic- it reminds me of when my parents used to pack onigiri for lunch for me when I was little. Not saying that crunchy onigiri isn't good because I enjoy that too. I think both versions are good! I really like the karaage onigiri. The umeboshi one is good too! The customer service has always been good when I've been there. The staff have always been friendly and the service is quick. This is a great spot if you're in a rush a need a quick snack that will hold you over for a few hours. read more

Inside the wrapped omu is just rice and a few cuts of meat... all carbs - just good for people from the fitness center to satisfy the hunger. The most expensive has hardly anything inside... read more

Having come back from a trip to Japan just two months prior, my husband and I were so excited to see that there was an onigiri shop in the newly opened Mitsuwa! The thing we appreciate about Japan is that there are so many restaurants in Japan that focus on one thing and they do it right. To start off, this is the only Omubusi Gonbei in the West Coast of USA. They have two locations in the East Coast and two locations in Paris, France. Can you believe that they opened up a location in Cypress of all places?! Their prices at first can be shocking to those that don't appreciate the art of onigiri making. Honestly, I think their prices are fair, and are the same price as the pre-made onigiri inside the Mitsuwa grocery store, but it's obviously fresher than the pre-made ones inside the grocery store. People bitching about it being more expensive than the ones inside the grocery store are funny. The only reason the ones inside the Mitsuwa grocery store are $1 are because they're running a sale due to overstock. My husband and I have enjoyed every single onigiri we've gotten from this shop. We've already had at least 10 onigiri over the span of like 4 visits. We now like to pick up 2 onigiri for bringing to work for an easy lunch the next day. I've gotten compliments from coworkers when they saw me bust out an onigiri from here. The amount of filling inside the onigiri is the same as what you'd expect from an onigiri business in this economy. It's enough filling in every bite to be like, yum! The rice in the onigiri is really good. It's soft, has enough hold, has some flavor. The seaweed is fresh. It's just SO FRESH. We usually get the tuna mayo, spicy tuna mayo, mentaiko, salmon, and the Bomb. The Bomb onigiri is a mix of like salmon, tuna, and bonito flakes. All are heavy hitters for us! Maybe people complaining about their onigiri bought the obscure filling ones that are honestly kinda weird and untraditional fillings that the restaurant hasn't perfected yet. Keep in mind the restaurant just opened in November 1, 2025. They're still figuring it all out, which makes sense. But even then, their traditional filling onigiri are really good. This is coming from a couple that frequents Tokyo Central every few weeks to nosh on pre-made onigiri and hand rolls. We like the onigiri here. So if you like onigiri, go for this place! Service is quick, they pack em up nice, and the prices are reasonable. If you don't like rice, don't get onigiri in the first place. Haha! read more

Overpriced but very mid taste. Also, look at the rice to meat ratio... are you serious?! read more

Omusubi Gonbei - Rice to salmon ratio ‍ - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Ordered a quick snack from the musubi place inside the new Mitsuwa in Cypress. The service was good and friendly. The musubi's had very little filling inside and 95% rice with very little flavor. read more

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Service was quick but my unaginchoice had a ton of rice and a sliver of eel. You're basically paying for rice which is why it's not very expensive at all read more

Totally addicted to these musubis! Number one go to is the tuna/mayo but spam is also great. They use a quality (probably from Japan) rice that's perfectly cooked. Soft and not sticky. Conveniently located near Costco & Trader Joe's so my car automatically drives into Mitsuwa by itself! Lots of choices. Highly recommended :-) read more

I used to line up for 30 minutes whenever Omusubi Gonbei had a pop-up at Mitsuwa in SoCal -- totally worth it every time. But now we finally have our own permanent spot! The rice balls taste just like the ones I had in Japan and at their East Coast locations. Compared to Nijiya's basic and premium onigiri (Torrance), these are a bit smaller, but honestly that's perfect -- the rice, filling, and nori are in just the right ratio. The rice is what really makes Omusubi Gonbei special -- soft, flavorful, and just right. And the nori? Crispy and balanced, not the overpowering kind you get from those prepackaged ones elsewhere. So happy they're finally here in SoCal! read more

The food was bad and old and tasted extremely fishy. Not fresh at all. U guys need to work on quality control. Worker had an attitude.

Was excited to try but disappointed. It was just okay. It's 90% rice. Would recommend just getting the market one