May 31, 2026 | Santa Monica | After arriving back from Catalina Island, friends, and I stopped at Sunny Blue for dinner! My Bento Box included two rice balls of my choice, and I selected the edamame & Japanese pickles as my two sides! Spicy Salmon Omusubi | Delicious, filling, includes chili seasoning, & lightly spicy! I can handle the heat, so it depends on your spice tolerance! The rice ball is also topped with furikake seasoning & sesame seeds! Tuna Mayo Omusubi | Delicious, filling, includes albacore tuna, sliced cucumbers, chili seasoning & red onions! I opted for the spicy mayo, though you have another choice of wasabi sauce! Mainopoly Event | While at the event, I tried the Salmon Omusubi, which was quite memorable & ended up being one of my favorite dishes! Inside | Standing room only! You order food to go inside at the counter! Since it's a narrow space, people tend to wait outside or near the door! Customer Service | Friendly & helpful with the menu! Overall | Yes, please! Food is delicious here & I'm looking forward to returning and exploring more of the menu! read more

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No dine-in space, so enjoying the omusubi fresh meant eating at the pathway right in front of the store while people-watching on Main Street. Everything's made fresh to order but the waiting time was relatively decent. They did serve plenty of choices including for vegetarian options. We got their Spicy Salmon and Sunny Blue Curry. The first one was bit more tomato-ey flavor to my palate than spicy. The rice was perfectly cooked and moist coated in crunchy nori wrap. The salmon was pretty generous as well. I would recommend the latter more though as the curry flavor was so bold and delectable, well elevating the tender chicken. read more

Sunny Blue - Spicy Salmon and Sunny Blue Omusubi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

A great grab and go place. Small interior, no dining inside, and not really any tables outside either. I took my omusubis to Ocean View Park to picnic. Decent amount of vegetarian/vegan options. My partner and I got the eggplant chili (2x), miso mushroom, and the pickled wasabi and pickled konbu. They smells amazing when fresh. The struggle is you want to eat it immediately before the seaweed goes soggy but need to find a place to eat. These were $4.50 or $4.75 each. Pretty good sized with plenty of filling. A great snack or lunch if you eat multiple. read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

My daughter and I have never had Omusubi or Onigiri so this was a culinary adventure for us. We both really liked the decor. Unfortunately there was no seating so we ate in our car. The staff were very friendly and helpful. My kid had the Miso beef and the Tokyo tori (chicken) omusubi. I had the Hijiki Shiitake and the Miso Mushroom omusubi. She loved both of hers, with extra love for the Miso Beef. I thought that my Hijiki Shiitake needed spicy mayo or something to bring it together, but BABYYYYYY the Miso Mushroom omusubi was delicious. I kept making the "mmm mmm" sound because it was that good. Our meals came with miso soup which was a tad salty. We also ordered a hot tea and an oolong mango boba juice tea which we enjoyed. You can select from green, oolong, and barley for the boba options. read more

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I came here a couple years ago and was so excited to come back again and introduce it to a friend who hasn't been able to experience a lot of different foods. Came in and the service was not friendly or helpful. My friend had a question regarding the menu and asked for clarification on one of the ingredients he never heard of and the employees didn't answer his question and just stared at us. We both felt uncomfortable until someone finally decided to give us a very vague answer. Besides that though, the food was yummy and still enjoyed the miso beef and ebi mayo! I just wish there was a little bit more filling. read more

This place was not it. As a first timer, I was a little overwhelmed with the menu and all the options, so I opted to get the first two omusubi recommended. I think it was a curry chicken and the miso beef. The to go packaging was... interesting. It tells you to pull here and then pull the sides and I think it was supposed to end up looking like a cute stuffed triangle but it all came apart. After the first unwrap we thought we'd get the next one right but all four times were horrible. The actual food itself was dry and lacked flavor. There was nothing special about it. It was mostly rice anyway. I don't remember being asked if we wanted sauces or hot sauce, I think that could have redeemed the food a bit. For drinks, I got a mango fruit with green tea and a matcha, they were ok. I was disappointed because it seemed promising with all the people waiting and they even have a sticker on their window claiming that it was a neighborhood favorite or whatever but I wouldn't come back. To top it off, and I hate being THAT person, but our stomachs were hurting shortly after eating this. read more

My first time being here & I got the mentaiko & spicy salmon and it was sooo good! Everyone in there is also so nice & friendly! read more

Sunny Blue - mentaiko & spicy salmon - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Nice place, delicious food, a little bit crowded but still cozy. It took less than 10 minutes to prepare 6 omusibi

Second time coming to Sunny Blue and was just as good as the first time. I now have my order dialed in so I know what I'm getting every time (Spicy Tuna, Chicken Tori, Miso Beef) and I tried the A5 Wagyu today. The Wagyu was a little expensive ($11) but was worth the try for today. Highly recommend to anyone in the area and will be back as often as possible! read more

Sunny Blue - A5 Wagyu - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Wow these fresh omusubi are delicious! Served either warm on tray or wrapped to-go in a way that keeps the seaweed crisp. Great snack and affordable around $5-6 each 5/5 Miso Beef was so flavorful and well filled. Balanced umami, saltiness, hint of sweet. A popular option that I would totally get again 4/5 Ginger Pork Curry was a light curry flavor and nice to have later in the evening. Not as flavorful as the beef Tried a bit of the chili eggplant (also stellar flavors here) and a wasabi one (very spice forward). Amazing quick bite or made to order to-go snack! Note no seating inside but a section of parklet to stand outside read more

Sunny Blue - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Yummy omusubis/Japanese rice balls in the Santa Monica area. These are great for a light lunch or snack. I visited this small store for an earlier lunch on a Saturday. It was decently busy, but the staff prepared the rice balls quickly, so my friend and I got ours shortly after ordering. I got three rice balls: Ebi Mayo, Miso Beef, and Tuna Maya. All of them were tasty. The Ebi Mayo one had shrimp and it was kind of tangy which I was not expecting, but still very good. I can't point out a favorite one as I liked all of them equally. Also loved the furikake or mayo toppings on them. If you're eating them on the spot, you have to eat them quickly before the crispy seaweed gets too soggy from the rice. These 3 rice balls were decently filling for me and came out to about $15 for all of them. Would recommended as a solid Japanese rice ball spot in the area. read more

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First timer but will be back! The Ebi Mayo was my favorite out of the ones I tried! I don't remember exactly what my friend got, one chicken and the mushroom however she loved both of them! read more

Sunny Blue - Left: Ebi Mayo and Tuna Mayo - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

We usually take to go! Super easy and quick. Always have stock of our favorites! I'm Santa Monica and great picnic or beach snack! Good grab and go place for a quick lunch too. Small shop and their menu design is fun! Wooden boards just like in Japan hahaha. When we take home or eat the next day, sometimes we separate the rice and nori and microwave the rice for 15-20 seconds. The instructions for how to open the onigiri for the perfect crispy rice is clear and intuitive! (To most lol not my mom) It is so smart to design the packaging this way as you keep the nori fresh and crispy and not soggy from the rice and sauce. Then when you eat you wrap it. Just like the convenience stores in Japan. Can you tell I miss Japan lol First time trying the sides. Potato salad is sooooo good with the sweet apple pieces. Pickled burdock goes perfect with all the onigiri! Must get these sides read more

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It's all street parking and it can get tough to find a spot. Inside is small and no indoor or outdoor seating. I got the Spicy Salmon and Tuna Mayo. Both were so good. It was packed with flavor and the perfect snack! Recommendation(s): - Spicy Salmon - Tuna Mayo Service: 5/5 Tip(s): - Street parking only - No indoor or outdoor seating read more

Sunny Blue - Spicy Salmon and Tuna Mayo - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Sunny Blue is within walking distance from the beach with nearby paths taking you to Ocean Front Walk. There's meter parking lots behind Main Street. No indoor dining which is unfortunate as their Dine-in Omusubi needs to be eaten within 20 minutes. For the food: Sunny Blue specializes in Handcrafted Omusubi. I chose Dine-in Option, which makes for pretty Instagram pics, but difficult to eat. The seaweed is too thin to support the filing. Grab chopsticks to eat the fallen innards. Should be using thicker hand roll style seaweed. The rice to filling ratio is off - way too much rice. Even with same filing amount I'd prefer less rice for more balanced flavor. Take-out Option seems to be convenient store style Onigiri and I think it would've been better. The lychee green tea was quite nice. read more

Sunny Blue - Tuna Mayo, Sunny Blue Curry, Miso Beef - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Visited Sunny Blue in Venice on a Friday and tried the veggie omusubi with hijiki (vegan and gluten-free)--it was absolutely delicious. The spicy mayo added just the right kick without overpowering the flavor. The shop itself is quite small, but the staff were very friendly and welcoming, which made the experience feel personal. I appreciated seeing one of the workers wearing gloves while preparing the food--it's a small detail, but it really matters. That said, I did notice another staff member who moved from working the register directly to handling food with bare hands. He should have washed his hands thoroughly prior to returning to help make the food. Overall, I really enjoyed my visit and would definitely come back, but I hope management takes note and ensures consistent food handling practices across the team. read more

Sunny Blue - Hijiki (vegan - gluten free) - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Just a quick update... Visited on Mother's Day for the second time. The first time we ordered to go. This time we ordered to eat right away. I had no idea there was a difference. I thought to go was good, I had no idea what I was missing out on. When you order to go, they are individually wrapped in plastic. The seaweed appears to be tougher in texture than when you order to eat it right away. My daughter ordered 10 of them for the two of us. She ordered all of the vegetarian ones plus a few extras. It was way too much food, but it's always nice to have these as leftovers to take home. We ate them while standing on the sidewalk in front of the little eatery. The rice fluffy, lightly sticky and of the perfect consistency. They were absolutely delicious! Our favorites were the Eggplant Chili Miso, the Miso Mushroom and the Lucky Cat. read more

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The food is always delicious the service is great as well. Definitely recommend this place they even have vegan and gluten free options.

100000/10 place! Their food is so fresh and melts in your mouth. I love the tuna mayo and miso beef the most. You can't go wrong with any of them though. Also the milk tea boba is to die for! I recommend getting it with your friends or taking it to go to eat on the beach. read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Been a while Sunny Blue! But I never ever forgot you!! Came early evening mid-week and there was no line. As soon as we gave our orders though, a line formed. The shop is tiny and there is no indoor eating space. There is no outdoor dining space either. Hahaha But that didn't stop us from loitering in front on the sidewalk so we could eat our food immediately after we got them. WAGYU - Very good piece of meat. My first bite was seasoned. The rest were not. Everyone else seemed to have enjoyed their choices: Kara Tuna Omusubi Albacore tuna with diced cucumbers & onions with spicy mayo sauce Miso Beef Omusubi Spicy Salmon Omusubi Cured salmon with chili seasoning Miso Beef Omusubi The single worker was not fazed when our group of 5 came and he had to answer a bunch of questions. There was no line to get in, no line to order, and it didn't take long before we got our food order. Public parking is available in a lot 2 blocks northeast, along with the street metered parking. read more

My onigiri fell apart once it was handed it to me. It wasn't made well. I waited over ten minutes for one onigiri. I got the miso beef and it tasted like the beef bowl from Yoshinoya which I didn't mind but then it wasn't that special. All in all, a disappointing experience. read more

Sunny Blue - Miso beef onigiri - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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This spot is usually pretty poppin' (and for good freaking reason)! I've been a few times and have yet to have something I didn't love. So far, the omusubis I've tried are the miso beef, spicy salmon, mentaiko, miso mushroom, Kara tuna, and sunny blue curry! I've also had their curry udon and all have been so tasty and filling order times depend on how packed it is, but they're pretty efficient regardless so you aren't waiting too long :) There isn't seating inside, but they had a lot of outdoor space to stand around and enjoy! read more

Kpop-ing in the area and had bumped into this hidden gem this hole in the wall definitely did NOT DISAPPOINT **ORDERED: ~Miso Beef 9/10 Tender and juicy with the comforting taste of miso ~Sunny Blue Curry 9/10 Out of all 3, this one surprised me the most with how much curry flavor there was mixed with the chicken (Disclaiming: I LOVE CURRY so I may be biased) ~Spicy Salmon 7/10 honestly I feel like this was just a normal onigiri and not much going on but regardless it was still better than the ones you'd get at a Japanese supermarket **VIBE: It was a tiny shop with no seating at all but it was very cozy with a warm and comforting atmosphere **PEOPLE: Cashier was friendly, courteous and extremely helpful in terms of recommendations! **OVERALL: I would definitely come again .. if I were in the area as it is really far long drive (esp with traffic) parking wise is a bit hard as well due to street and paid parking read more

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Love me some Sunny Blue! Perfect beach time snack. They serve omusubi, which is Japanese rice balls served in nori. They have different options on the menu as well as seasonal items too. They offer meat, seafood and veggie options for their omusubi. My favorite are the tokyo tori (chicken with sweet and sour sauce) and the spicy salmon. So yummy! Just wish they put a little bit more meat/seafood, instead of so much rice. Other than that, it's still a tasty snack and perfect if you're looking for something to take to the beach. Friendly and quick service with a chill to-go only ambiance. Usually in and out in about 10-15 minutes. Street parking and a couple blocks over from the ocean. There's also plenty of cute shops next door that you can explore. read more

Sunny Blue - spicy salmon, tokyo tori, and tuna mayo - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

A local gem for our ocean park community. Easy pick up and go coming from the beach. All the flavors are a win.

I love the onigiris here!! Reminded me of Japan, except it is pricier, but that is to be expected in the states hahaha My top three were the ginger pork, eggplant miso, and spicy salmon! Very flavorful and perfect rice to stuffing ratio. Parking can be a bit tricky, but service is fast and it's a nice Togo option if you want to pick up some food and eat by the beach :-) read more

Craving satisfied! Great place to grab a quick bite to eat!! I thoroughly enjoyed this quick spot to grab a bite to eat. We came around 5pm on a Saturday evening. There was a long line, however, they were quick to get the orders out & very attentive. There's not much seating around the restaurant. Now for the food! Curry chicken 10/10: customer favorite! Great flavor! Mayo tuna 6/10: tuna was a bit dry Eggplant chili 6/10: honestly, was not a fan of the chili they used, it tasted like "guachugan" Korean chili paste & I am not a fan of it I will definitely visit again & try their different flavors! read more

Sunny Blue - Tuna & mayo, eggplant chili, chicken curry, & spicy salmon - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Was passing by and decided to try. It was a Saturday evening, the place was pretty busy. I ordered things I know from other Japanese places - Miso soup, whatever rice thing with beef and with chicken curry. I got miso soup really quick but it was barely warm and very salty so I threw the half of it into the trash. After like 15 mins - because they forgot about my order - I finally got my two rice small balls with fillings. It was like 80% of rice mixed with 20% of the protein - not a balanced ration. Rice was bland, the amount of protein was not enough at all and the taste was not memorable at all. One and done and will never come back read more

Sunny Blue - Rice with beef and rice with chicken curry - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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You gotta get the miso mushroom, that's my favorite. Stuffed in the rice, stuffed in awesome seaweed and well seasoned on top. I like the salmon next. I've tried to plum with shito leaf, different, tart and if I came here more often, I might get it more often. Followed by other mushroom and peas dish. Order and step outside, post covid, no eating at the bar and post-post-covid, they got rid of their outdoor eating space, which got taken by the seafood spot next door. read more

My friend recommended me this place, so I decided to try it. I got the miso beef and sunny blue curry. I liked the miso beef more. They were pretty tasty, but more of a snack. 2 of them came out to $12, but I wasn't full. There was no where to sit and eat, so I just ate it standing at the bus stop. read more

Sunny Blue - miso beef and sunny blue curry - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I love this place! The service is so quick and the omusubi is delish. So many fun flavors to choose from. Can grab and take to go or eat fresh- but no indoor seating. Very filling, I usually get 2 and am stuffed after. read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

11/10 The pork ginger curry and the Tokyo tori are my favorites so far. Soooooo so so so good, served warm ... flavor is insanely good. I've gone like 5-6x since I discovered it a month ago and I think about it daily. Hope this helps lol read more

Today, my friends and I went on a little journey to Santa Monica and decided to give Sunny Blue a try!! me and onigiri are like this I LOVEE onigiri I've been craving it for a few weeks now, so I was so glad we got the chance to stop by. The Sunny Blue in Santa monica is located in a cute little area with lots of restraunts and spots to hang around! I would recommend ordering to go because it gets pretty busy, especially during the evening. The interior of the restraunt was so cute, I didn't get a pic of the menu, but for each onigiri they had a little graphic drawn on the side, it was literally the most adorable thing ever:((. My friends and I took our order to go to eat at the beach. While the onigiris were not bad, I was a little disappointed because I had definitely had better before. The rice was a bit too mushy, and for one of my onigiris, I barely had any filling, which was literally so sad. Also, I had ordered a kitsune udon and for the price it was not exactly worth it. I paid $8 and the portion was TINY and it just tasted like udon with miso soup. Perhaps maybe the onigiri and the udon didn't hit as hard because I didn't eat it right away when it was warm, but either way it was still disappointing:(( 3 onigiris is a good amount for a meal! read more

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So good!! A good size for a good price & they're so delicious! Can't wait to come back and try more! read more

Sunny Blue - Kara Tuna & Miso Mushroom - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

love coming here! it's quick, simple, and so delicious. i like how you have easy access from the outside area to sunny blue. all the servers are so kind there!!! please stop in if you want heaven read more

Great spot for some omusubi! We ordered the miso beef and spicy salmon which were delicious! They have tons of options which is great. Service was very quick and kind. If you do not know what to get, simply ask for their recommendations. No indoor seating. Will definitely be back to try their other flavors! read more

Sunny Blue - Miso beef and spicy salmon - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I love this place, I definitely recommend getting the sunny blue curry or the Tokyo tori. I personally get 2 of each ever time I eat here. Only bad thing is that there is no seating anywhere even outside the store. The restaurant next to them is always empty and doesn't allow any sunny blues customers to eat on their empty outdoor seating Also only get your food ready to eat and not to go because they make it fresh that way. If you ask them to make it to go, they make you assemble the omusibi yourself with seaweed that isn't as fresh. If you really need the food to go. I recommend asking them to make the food ready to eat but put it in a bag read more

Sunny Blue - Sunny blue curry and Tokyo tori - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

unhealthy place smell bad I had to cancel because of bad smell bad service they dump rice back in box where it's been cooked read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Love this place! My husband and I took a day trip to Santa Monica pier and walked to Sunny Blue for lunch. We tried four omusubi- Japanese spicy caviar, curry chicken, spicy salmon, and Kara tuna. I also got a lychee tea and my husband and kimchi. Staff was really nice and answered any questions we had. The omusubi was ready quickly also and you can see them making it fresh behind the counter. They were delicious-- soft warm rice with the perfect touch of filling, a tiny crunch in the bite from the seaweed, and they don't skimp on the filling! I think my fav was the curry chicken. It's a very small place with nowhere to sit. It'd be nice if they had a few tables/chairs outside but we just kind of ate on the curb. I wish sunny blue wasn't all the way across the country from me! read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Love this place, great prices and the chicken rice ball is my fave!! Also any of the iced teas with boba are also rlly good. read more

Sunny Blue - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California