Such a unique stop on our way back from LA and will be coming back here more! We tried the karate (proof that meat would pair well in onigiri ) spam musubi (great flavor) spam musibi with tamago (great and unsuspecting combination) picked beet and radish(great tangy flavor) and a soy sauce seaweed version. The shop was clean and the staff were very patient and helpful!
Jarenn N.
Called in a phone order and it was ready earlier than expected which was great for us! Our favorite item was the Mentai tamago onigiri but we also enjoyed the karaage, salmon, and kakuni. Free parking in their small shared lot and friendly service.
Karen Y.
I really wish that I lived closer to this business. My best friends brother told us about this place and oh my god I'm so glad he did. If you love onigiri/rice balls, then you need to come here. I came here during the weekday and there wasn't a huge wait. This is located in a small plaza with some other shops and parking is in a pretty small lot. They have a variety of onigiri and even options for vegetarians and vegans. I got their Spicy Miso Buta Kakuni Onigiri and their Kara-age Onigiri. Both were so good. The first one is a pork belly rice ball with spicy miso on it. I would definitely get this again. The pork was really thick, tender, and soft. I was shocked at how big the piece of pork belly was lol like it felt so generous to me. The fried chicken rice ball had extra crispy fried chicken that stayed juicy. It's so crunchy and the piece they put in the rice ball is so BIG!! It's also placed inside a dashi flavored shiitake mushroom rice so that added more flavor. They have specials during the week and if you're a fan of spam musubi they have this here as well. Maybe someday when I'm free I can come back and try their rice bowls/donburi, combo meals, salads, and possibly dessert. TL;DR Great option for meat lovers and vegetarians/vegan. Located near Rose Hills. I've been told this place gets packed during the weekend so try to plan on getting here during an off day.
Ricky K.
This is probably one of the best onigiri rice ball shops I have ever been to! From the aesthetics of this tiny shop to the super cute drawing of the grandpa (Jichan), what's not to like about this place! When I talked to them a bit a while ago, this place is essentially like a small homage to what Japanese stores are like and it's also really good as well. I was gonna buy like 3... But I got really indecisive and bought 10. Was it worth it though? Yes it was! Also, I'm not from SoCal so I had to get as many as I could to taste them all. One of my favorite one was definitely the onsen rice ball. It's basically a soft-boiled egg that's wrapped around rice. Firstly, you can't go wrong with anything eggy so this was a hit for me. The second I liked a lot was the kakuni and the karaage onigiri. The kakuni was fatty and tender and the karaage was tender as well as juicy too. Not every onigiri was a hit for me, but I liked majority of them overall and it was fun just being able to see their craft. I was super happy I ended up trying this place and it was fun seeing the employees work super hard to craft these rice balls for us. They even have T-shirts that they sell with the Jichan logo on it which is really cute. When I'm back in Monterey Park again, you can expect me to come back again.
Tyler H.
So we were on the way back home from LA, we found this spot and decided to check it out! This is the first restaurant I've been to that focuses on Onigiri and there was ample parking when we arrived. The restaurant was clean inside and all the staff were friendly and fun. I wanted to make sure to order a good amount of Onigiri to try each flavor. Onto the food, the Spam Onigiris were delicious and had a good balance of rice and spam. The Kara-age Onigiri had good flavors as well and good texture. The Buta Onigiri's pork belly was flavorful and it was a thick piece of pork belly. I wasn't a fan of the Kombu and Shibazuke Onigiris since they felt like both lacking flavor and weren't as filling as the other ones. I might have to try other Onigiris in the future!
Bryan C.
Extremely overrated, the onigiri are medium size compared to supermarket ones which are just as good honestly. The fried chicken is NOT kararage, it's more of a soy sauce styled boneless wing. I had the crispy rice salmon, regular rice salmon, ume Shiso just tasted like slimy uni. The chicken was good and the boneless part honestly was welcomed I thought this is such a convenient wing while eating it lol Heads up rumor is the restaurants be changing owners.
Helen X.
We tried coming here once before but when we got there they told us there would be a long wait which we didn't have the time for so they told us that we should place our order online next time. The second time we placed our order online for pickup and it was seamless so I highly recommend that. There is decent parking here as well. Spicy Miso Buta Kakuni Onigiri - This was really good and I would definitely get it again. The braised pork was tender and fatty. Onsen Onigiri - This one was okay. It doesn't taste bad but it was also kind of lacking in flavor. I probably wouldn't get this one again. Also be careful when you bite into this because the runny egg might shoot out from the side causing a mess. It happened to both me and my sister. Chicken Karaage - This tasted almost like teriyaki chicken. Not what we expected at all. It is not your typical karaage. The chicken was juicy though but I also wouldn't get again because I'm personally not a huge fan of teriyaki chicken.
Jasmine N.
4.5 stars! Plenty of parking, small space with a busy kitchen working to get out pickup orders and walk-ins. They have daily specials for Tues-Thurs. I ordered a karaage mini donburi which was really yummy and I would definitely order again. It is truly mini (see pic with fork for comparison) for $6.50 but you get your protein and rice. I also got the daily special of 2 for $6 spam onigiris which was pretty standard, nothing particularly stands out. I recommend trying a donburi bowl or a onigiri that's a little more special.
Rachel C.
I have been wanting to try Jichan's forever, and am super happy I finally got to go there today! And it was well worth the wait! We ordered their Tuesday special, 2 Soboro & egg mini donburi, & their #2 combo, of 3 onigiri. You get to choose 1 protein, 1 veggie & a spam or spam & egg onigiri. Both orders were super tasty and flavorful! The rice was fluffy, sauce was fragrant with sesame oil, and the perilla leaf was very unique in my veggie (I picked ume shiso!) onigiri. Note that they are set up more for takeout than a dine-in with tables. They have barstools and counters, which works fine for a quick meal. There also two small benches outside, if you want to eat or wait outside. The staff are friendly and work together to make the onigiri, and it was fun to watch them and hear them communicate with each other! They also have online ordering as well as phone orders. Will probably do that next time to cut the wait time. Looking forward to trying all the other onigiri flavors! Total comfort food, and brings back fond memories of Japan! Thank you!!!
Angela Y.
cute little store, I really liked the spam onigiri. I will definitely be coming back to try the spam and egg onigiri. overall I really liked the tamago onigiri has a little kick.
One of the coolest local businesses I have found in Monterey Park! Two dudes opened a little onigiri shop and the rest was history. There's minimal bar seating inside, so it's primarily a takeout spot.My favorite was definitely the Onsen Onigiri! The soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly and it was flavored well. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys a custardy runny egg.I also tried the Salmon Onigiri grilled and it was decent! Reminds of my chilhood when I would get some salmon and eat it with some butter rice and mayo. Pretty tasty.My least favorite was probably the Ama-Miso Shiso Onigiri. The miso flavor has a very unique sweetness and the perilla leaf had a sharp bitterness to it. It was worth a try, but I'll order another veggie option next time since this didn't agree with my flavor palette.
Andrew L.
I have not gotten to come and try a place that specializes in Onigiri, and was very happy to hear of a place like this. It definitely is on the smaller side, so its more of a takeout store than anything, but seeing how easily accessible onigiri is to eat, there is nothing wrong about it. I got 4 main flavors for myself to try: Their Grilled Salmon, their Kara-age, Spicy Miso Buta Kakuki, Onsen, and Teriyaki Egg and Spam. Grilled salmon. 8/10. The salmon was surprisingly surrounding the entirety of the rice compared to what I am normally used to it being just in the center. It instead brought a nice subtle salmon flavor instead of a nice strong salty bite but it was still pretty decent. Kara-age: 8.5/10. Their kara-age was very tender and had a nice bite to it when eaten. Spicy Miso Buta Kakuki: 8/10. This one surprised me. It was a very nice pork belly for sure, especially as I was eating it, but it had some strangly strong sweet taste that came with it which made it not as appetizing. However, as I kept eating it, it went away and showed a nice, tender piece of meat. Onsen: 8.5/10 A very nicely cooked egg with the yolk perfectly cooked. A bit undersalted in my opinion but pretty good nonetheless Teriyaki Egg and Spam: 9/10. My favorite of the bunch and a great classic. Very tasty and delicious. Would definitely recommend for those who loves onigiri!
Brian Montoya
We had the Japanese fried chicken and it was very good.
Brad E.
Rlly good. I got the one of the Mini Soboro Bowls (karage,) and it was v good. The chicken was crispy, and the egg was cooked v well. Staff was also v nice. The atmosphere of the place is casual and quaint. Would def go back
Robert C.
Neat little onigiri place that has a local Hawaii-vibe to it. Had the Karaage donburi and a Teri spam and egg onigiri (musubi), hope to try the buta donburi and some of the other onigiri options.
Such a unique stop on our way back from LA and will be coming back here more! We tried the karate (proof that meat would pair well in onigiri ) spam musubi (great flavor) spam musibi with tamago (great and unsuspecting combination) picked beet and radish(great tangy flavor) and a soy sauce seaweed version. The shop was clean and the staff were very patient and helpful!
Called in a phone order and it was ready earlier than expected which was great for us! Our favorite item was the Mentai tamago onigiri but we also enjoyed the karaage, salmon, and kakuni. Free parking in their small shared lot and friendly service.
I really wish that I lived closer to this business. My best friends brother told us about this place and oh my god I'm so glad he did. If you love onigiri/rice balls, then you need to come here. I came here during the weekday and there wasn't a huge wait. This is located in a small plaza with some other shops and parking is in a pretty small lot. They have a variety of onigiri and even options for vegetarians and vegans. I got their Spicy Miso Buta Kakuni Onigiri and their Kara-age Onigiri. Both were so good. The first one is a pork belly rice ball with spicy miso on it. I would definitely get this again. The pork was really thick, tender, and soft. I was shocked at how big the piece of pork belly was lol like it felt so generous to me. The fried chicken rice ball had extra crispy fried chicken that stayed juicy. It's so crunchy and the piece they put in the rice ball is so BIG!! It's also placed inside a dashi flavored shiitake mushroom rice so that added more flavor. They have specials during the week and if you're a fan of spam musubi they have this here as well. Maybe someday when I'm free I can come back and try their rice bowls/donburi, combo meals, salads, and possibly dessert. TL;DR Great option for meat lovers and vegetarians/vegan. Located near Rose Hills. I've been told this place gets packed during the weekend so try to plan on getting here during an off day.
This is probably one of the best onigiri rice ball shops I have ever been to! From the aesthetics of this tiny shop to the super cute drawing of the grandpa (Jichan), what's not to like about this place! When I talked to them a bit a while ago, this place is essentially like a small homage to what Japanese stores are like and it's also really good as well. I was gonna buy like 3... But I got really indecisive and bought 10. Was it worth it though? Yes it was! Also, I'm not from SoCal so I had to get as many as I could to taste them all. One of my favorite one was definitely the onsen rice ball. It's basically a soft-boiled egg that's wrapped around rice. Firstly, you can't go wrong with anything eggy so this was a hit for me. The second I liked a lot was the kakuni and the karaage onigiri. The kakuni was fatty and tender and the karaage was tender as well as juicy too. Not every onigiri was a hit for me, but I liked majority of them overall and it was fun just being able to see their craft. I was super happy I ended up trying this place and it was fun seeing the employees work super hard to craft these rice balls for us. They even have T-shirts that they sell with the Jichan logo on it which is really cute. When I'm back in Monterey Park again, you can expect me to come back again.
So we were on the way back home from LA, we found this spot and decided to check it out! This is the first restaurant I've been to that focuses on Onigiri and there was ample parking when we arrived. The restaurant was clean inside and all the staff were friendly and fun. I wanted to make sure to order a good amount of Onigiri to try each flavor. Onto the food, the Spam Onigiris were delicious and had a good balance of rice and spam. The Kara-age Onigiri had good flavors as well and good texture. The Buta Onigiri's pork belly was flavorful and it was a thick piece of pork belly. I wasn't a fan of the Kombu and Shibazuke Onigiris since they felt like both lacking flavor and weren't as filling as the other ones. I might have to try other Onigiris in the future!
Extremely overrated, the onigiri are medium size compared to supermarket ones which are just as good honestly. The fried chicken is NOT kararage, it's more of a soy sauce styled boneless wing. I had the crispy rice salmon, regular rice salmon, ume Shiso just tasted like slimy uni. The chicken was good and the boneless part honestly was welcomed I thought this is such a convenient wing while eating it lol Heads up rumor is the restaurants be changing owners.
We tried coming here once before but when we got there they told us there would be a long wait which we didn't have the time for so they told us that we should place our order online next time. The second time we placed our order online for pickup and it was seamless so I highly recommend that. There is decent parking here as well. Spicy Miso Buta Kakuni Onigiri - This was really good and I would definitely get it again. The braised pork was tender and fatty. Onsen Onigiri - This one was okay. It doesn't taste bad but it was also kind of lacking in flavor. I probably wouldn't get this one again. Also be careful when you bite into this because the runny egg might shoot out from the side causing a mess. It happened to both me and my sister. Chicken Karaage - This tasted almost like teriyaki chicken. Not what we expected at all. It is not your typical karaage. The chicken was juicy though but I also wouldn't get again because I'm personally not a huge fan of teriyaki chicken.
4.5 stars! Plenty of parking, small space with a busy kitchen working to get out pickup orders and walk-ins. They have daily specials for Tues-Thurs. I ordered a karaage mini donburi which was really yummy and I would definitely order again. It is truly mini (see pic with fork for comparison) for $6.50 but you get your protein and rice. I also got the daily special of 2 for $6 spam onigiris which was pretty standard, nothing particularly stands out. I recommend trying a donburi bowl or a onigiri that's a little more special.
I have been wanting to try Jichan's forever, and am super happy I finally got to go there today! And it was well worth the wait! We ordered their Tuesday special, 2 Soboro & egg mini donburi, & their #2 combo, of 3 onigiri. You get to choose 1 protein, 1 veggie & a spam or spam & egg onigiri. Both orders were super tasty and flavorful! The rice was fluffy, sauce was fragrant with sesame oil, and the perilla leaf was very unique in my veggie (I picked ume shiso!) onigiri. Note that they are set up more for takeout than a dine-in with tables. They have barstools and counters, which works fine for a quick meal. There also two small benches outside, if you want to eat or wait outside. The staff are friendly and work together to make the onigiri, and it was fun to watch them and hear them communicate with each other! They also have online ordering as well as phone orders. Will probably do that next time to cut the wait time. Looking forward to trying all the other onigiri flavors! Total comfort food, and brings back fond memories of Japan! Thank you!!!
cute little store, I really liked the spam onigiri. I will definitely be coming back to try the spam and egg onigiri. overall I really liked the tamago onigiri has a little kick.
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the coolest local businesses I have found in Monterey Park! Two dudes opened a little onigiri shop and the rest was history. There's minimal bar seating inside, so it's primarily a takeout spot.My favorite was definitely the Onsen Onigiri! The soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly and it was flavored well. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys a custardy runny egg.I also tried the Salmon Onigiri grilled and it was decent! Reminds of my chilhood when I would get some salmon and eat it with some butter rice and mayo. Pretty tasty.My least favorite was probably the Ama-Miso Shiso Onigiri. The miso flavor has a very unique sweetness and the perilla leaf had a sharp bitterness to it. It was worth a try, but I'll order another veggie option next time since this didn't agree with my flavor palette.
I have not gotten to come and try a place that specializes in Onigiri, and was very happy to hear of a place like this. It definitely is on the smaller side, so its more of a takeout store than anything, but seeing how easily accessible onigiri is to eat, there is nothing wrong about it. I got 4 main flavors for myself to try: Their Grilled Salmon, their Kara-age, Spicy Miso Buta Kakuki, Onsen, and Teriyaki Egg and Spam. Grilled salmon. 8/10. The salmon was surprisingly surrounding the entirety of the rice compared to what I am normally used to it being just in the center. It instead brought a nice subtle salmon flavor instead of a nice strong salty bite but it was still pretty decent. Kara-age: 8.5/10. Their kara-age was very tender and had a nice bite to it when eaten. Spicy Miso Buta Kakuki: 8/10. This one surprised me. It was a very nice pork belly for sure, especially as I was eating it, but it had some strangly strong sweet taste that came with it which made it not as appetizing. However, as I kept eating it, it went away and showed a nice, tender piece of meat. Onsen: 8.5/10 A very nicely cooked egg with the yolk perfectly cooked. A bit undersalted in my opinion but pretty good nonetheless Teriyaki Egg and Spam: 9/10. My favorite of the bunch and a great classic. Very tasty and delicious. Would definitely recommend for those who loves onigiri!
We had the Japanese fried chicken and it was very good.
Rlly good. I got the one of the Mini Soboro Bowls (karage,) and it was v good. The chicken was crispy, and the egg was cooked v well. Staff was also v nice. The atmosphere of the place is casual and quaint. Would def go back
Neat little onigiri place that has a local Hawaii-vibe to it. Had the Karaage donburi and a Teri spam and egg onigiri (musubi), hope to try the buta donburi and some of the other onigiri options.