Last time, I wrote about my favorite"Onigiri Bongo"「おにぎり ぼんご」We have introduced"Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku" 「おにぎり 浅草宿六」, "Onigiri and Tonjiru Yamataro" 「おにぎり・とん汁　山太郎」, "Musubi-ya" 「むすびや」,"Risaku 「利さく」Adding these four places, we would like to present the top 5 onigiri shops in Tokyo that are worth waiting in long lines for.

The deliciousness of "Onigiri Bongo" is not just in its taste. You'll understand its greatness when you go there.

➡️"Onigiri Bongo" is not only delicious! It has a great happy aura! Click here to read

Tokyo's oldest onigiri restaurant, "Asakusa Yadoroku"
Elegant and top-quality rice

"Asakusa Yadoroku" is a store that is as highly acclaimed as "Onigiri Bongo". It was founded in 29, six years before "Bongo". It is the oldest in Tokyo.

Given the current intense inbound tourism situation, the customer base is probably about 15% foreigners, as it is located in Asakusa. This time, I thought I could enter without waiting, but when I finished eating and went outside, a group of foreigners was waiting.

The onigiri is elegant and feels like the highest quality of onigiri. White rice determines most of the flavor of the onigiri, but the koshihikari rice is cooked to perfection. It's firm and has good grains. It's not just sweet, it's full of flavor and aroma. Then, you gently squeeze it into a ball. The salt is natural, and the Edomae seaweed and ingredients are all carefully selected.

However, onigiri is the ultimate food that depends on the ingredients. It's just rice, ingredients, seaweed, and salt. Among them, the rice and ingredients will determine about 95% of whether it tastes good or not.

This time, I tried the top three most popular dishes. 1st place was salmon, 2nd place was cod roe, and 3rd place was kelp. The owner never serves all three together. Even though it must be a hassle, he serves them two or one at a time on a colander, watching the pace at which the customers eat. When the apprentices are busy, the owner himself brings them to the table. Wow, he wants customers to eat the rice balls in the best possible condition. I was amazed by his spirit. So, although it may be due to the impact of COVID-19, there are limits to what can be done, so he does not dare to fill the seats to capacity.

The salmon, cod roe and kelp are all amazing. The salmon and cod roe taste exactly how I wanted them to taste, and they didn't deviate even 1% from that. I was impressed.

The trinity of the sweet, savory, and fragrant white rice, the savory and salty ingredients, and the aroma of the sea from the crunchy seaweed is, I repeat, top-notch.

The "Kombu" is filled with thick kombu and shiitake mushrooms that have soaked into the rice in the center, and along with the "Sake" and "Tarako" it is a simple yet classic onigiri. The sweet and spicy flavor is irresistible.

The amount of toppings is also well thought out. There is never a lack of toppings compared to the rice. The ratio of the two is always the same when you eat it.

The foreign couple next to me ordered "Ami". What a deal! The owner recommended it, so I ordered it as well. However, I'm not a big fan of "Ami", which is a type of shrimp simmered in soy sauce. I should have ordered "Shirasu" instead (lol).

It's not just about going out to eat rice balls.
Go and be happy!

Well, compared to "Bongo," setting aside the quality of the onigiri, I think there's a lot we can learn from "Bongo" in terms of how the store operates. That's because I think that a freshly made onigiri shop is not just about the taste, but also a place where people go to be happy. You could say that's true for all food, but I think it's especially true for onigiri.

The owner of the restaurant was talking to the proprietress of "Bongo", Yumiko Ukon, on YouTube, and she said, "Why don't you come and visit us once?" and she was right. I think it's a good idea to go and see for yourself how happy people can be with onigiri.

While talking with Ukon-san, the owner learned about the existence of toppings (a combination of two ingredients) for the first time, but I think it's better to imitate good things. After all, two-item toppings are definitely delicious. It must be difficult to maintain the current level, but I hope they will aim for a different level.

Yes, the pickled radish is delicious, and the miso soup is made with red miso soup, which is unusual. It has a rich flavor and is also delicious. The food is perfect. Well, the owner is fighting alone and doing his best. The only remaining challenge is to improve the brightness of the entire restaurant (laughs).

"Onigiri and Tonjiru Yamataro"
Following the teachings of my master, I am full of happiness

The owner of this restaurant trained at "Bongo." So, while some of the onigiri are similar, they also have their own unique style. Some of the ingredients are different, and they seem to like spicy food quite a bit. First of all, the biggest difference is that they serve tonjiru (pork soup).

The owner of the restaurant said that he wanted to eat rice balls and pork soup at the end of his life, so he decided to make the restaurant one that serves both. After making this decision, he began training at Bongo for six months.

Ukon, the proprietress of Bongo, tells people who come to train at her restaurant, "We don't teach techniques; that is something unique to each person. What we teach is the heart."

The owner of "Yamataro" adheres to this rule faithfully, and the shop is filled with an undeniable happy aura. The owner is bright, cheerful, and charming. He is also very kind to the part-time staff (which vary depending on the day). That's why young women flock to this shop. Because they can leave feeling truly happy.

Because the master is a "Bongo", the rice is cooked perfectly, and the salt and seaweed are also good. The ratio of white rice to toppings is also kept at 23:XNUMX. There are XNUMX types of toppings listed on the menu, but you can customize them as you like. This is the same as "Bongo".

The ingredients that are not in "Bongo" are the three spicy ones: Drug Egg, Spicy Ahipoki, and Yangnyeom Chicken, all of which are Korean-inspired. There are also three original ones: Sukiyaki, Nori Butter, and Unakuri (eel and cream cheese!). Eel and cream cheese is a great combination (although I don't really feel like ordering it).

Guarded by a female proprietress who trained at Bongo
Bongo-style flavor and happiness

In my opinion, spicy foods don't go well with onigiri. They are too spicy and overpower the taste of the rice and seaweed. So I don't recommend the above three spicy foods.

Instead, the ingredients I find delicious on their own are shirasu, salmon, tuna mayonnaise, raw cod roe, and salmon roe. In particular, the raw cod roe and salmon roe are amazing and mesmerizing. In this respect, they are quite close to the taste of Bongo.

The two-item platter I would recommend is the "minced meat + egg yolk" inherited from "Bongo," which is a sure thing. "Mentaiko mayonnaise cream cheese" is also available at "Bongo," but I think it's too much. It seems that many women like it, but cream cheese is too heavy in the first place, so I don't think it's very suitable for onigiri. Also, Yamataro's spicy mentaiko is quite spicy, which is different from the mild taste of "Bongo."

Finally, there is pork miso soup, but it is a little shallow in flavor. When it is done, I turn off the heat. I think it will taste better if you keep heating it over low heat, even if the ingredients are half melted.

By the way, you can make a reservation at night and it turns into a place where you can enjoy hand rolls, snacks, and alcohol. This should be fun too.

"Musubi-ya" is run by four women.
Be sensitive and happy

The restaurant is located at the bottom of Kagurazaka, just up the alley and turn right. On weekdays, customers come in nonstop, both for eat-in and take-out. Even with four people running the place, it's a total mess. There are two people who can make the sushi.

The four women are so focused and yet so harmonious, it's quite appealing. The shop itself and the staff have a bright and cheerful atmosphere. This shop is filled with a happy aura.

I like how everyone in the queue looks happy.
Rice balls made with carefully selected rice, salt, and seaweed

The rice used is a "luxury blend of first-class rice" carefully selected by a five-star rice master, and although he didn't specify the exact ingredients, he also seems to be very particular about the salt and seaweed he uses.

The fried chicken is fried continuously in the store, and it always comes with the set, so they must be confident about it. The fried chicken is large and probably only seasoned with salt, pepper, and a hint of ginger, but it is juicy and outstanding. It is served piping hot. It is also delicious with a little yuzu pepper on a small plate.

I ordered a set of three rice balls. The fillings were oyako (salmon and salmon roe, which cost an extra 100 yen), shirasu mentaiko, and beef sukiyaki with sansho pepper, and all were delicious. The oyako (salmon and salmon roe) is a combination that you can't go wrong with. Of course, the salmon itself has to taste good. The shirasu mentaiko has a gentle spiciness from the mentaiko, which is intertwined with the soft texture of the boiled whitebait, and the shiso leaves add a refreshing sensation. The beef sukiyaki is also nicely seasoned with a sprinkling of sansho pepper. All of them are, as expected, wrapped in fluffy, airy rice balls.

It's fun to watch the sushi being made right in front of you. This restaurant is not a fancy one, but rather elegant, just like "Yadoroku." You can feel the attention to detail. In the end, it's only Bongo's disciples who are fancy.

The rice is the softest among the five shops introduced this time. If they used less water and made it 5% harder, the grains would probably be even better. Of course, it's more than delicious. The miso soup is full of ingredients like cabbage, tofu, and nameko mushrooms, and it reminds me of my mom's homemade miso soup, which is also very popular. The pickled radish was also delicious. This is another rice ball shop that makes you want to visit again and again.

"Risaku" is a sincere restaurant popular among female customers
The size is not big enough for an old man.

This is a restaurant that takes food seriously and with care. Don't you think that's the most important thing when making anything? Restaurants that are noticeably dirty or that don't seem to be paying attention when making food are no good after all.

"Risaku" is located in Sendagi, Bunkyo Ward. If you go up Dangozaka, you will find the Mori Ogai Memorial Museum. Our shop is located in a small Japanese house in a town with a slight downtown atmosphere.

The rice is Koshihikari from Itakura-cho, Gunma Prefecture, a town rich in water, and was ordered from a farmer who is known as a master of rice cultivation. Research has shown that rice absorbs water best when chilled in a refrigerator at 4 degrees.

They use an old-fashioned kamado (a rice cooker) and cook small amounts at a time, multiple times a day, so that they can serve freshly cooked rice. The seaweed is from Ariake, and the salt is pure and made from deep seawater from Okinawa.

The biggest feature of "Risaku" is that in addition to having 30 kinds of rice balls at all times, there is a wide variety of homemade side dishes. There are two types of soup, which vary depending on the day, but they seem to change from miso soup, soy milk soup, green curry soup, and pork soup. There is also a wide variety of side dishes that can be added separately.

If you go for the set menu, Set A is "850 rice balls of your choice + soup of your choice" (1150 yen), Set B is "Assortment of 1700 side dishes + XNUMX rice ball of your choice + soup of your choice" (XNUMX yen), and the Risaku Plate is "XNUMX rice balls of your choice + grilled Kai Miou chicken or grilled silver cod with miso + XNUMX side dish bowls + soup of your choice" (XNUMX yen).

The second feature is that both the onigiri and the side dishes are small. Maybe the owner has small hands and a small stomach (lol). The onigiri is half the size of "Bongo". So, even a woman would not be able to eat the A set. An old man could easily eat twice as many, four pieces.

I ordered the "Risaku Plate," and the side dishes for the day were potato salad, bean sprout namul, boiled komatsuna, and boiled pumpkin in four small bowls. However, each was gone in about two bites. It was a little small. The miso soup was a normal serving, with a blend of miso, and the toppings were tofu, fried tofu, wakame seaweed, and mitsuba, and it had a strong flavor. The mitsuba was a nice touch. Mm, it tasted good.

For the onigiri, I chose salmon roe, pickled plum and bonito flakes, and cod roe. The rice was indeed sweet and savory, and very delicious. It was just the right amount of hard, salty, and had good seaweed. I felt that each ingredient was carefully selected. Well, it would be better if there was 1.5 times as much filling.

It's not as extravagant as "Bongo" or "Yamataro", but it's a refined onigiri shop. Judging from the quantity, it might be a shop for women. However, there's nothing to complain about the taste.

Author profile

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.