Customers line up for the grand opening of the new Onigiri Sun shop at the Downtown CAL Marketplace on July 24. The rice ball specialty store is the company’s second location in L.A., joining the Little Tokyo shop.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU STAFF WRITER
The queue was out the door and around the corner at CAL Marketplace on July 24, as one of Japan’s mainstay snack foods has a new home in the heart of Downtown L.A.
Onigiri Sun, a specialty shop offering a selection of the iconic seaweed-wrapped rice balls as well as premium matcha and tea drinks, held its grand opening in the food court and retail plaza that serves the busy surrounding office and community sites along Grand Avenue between Third and Fourth streets.
“At this location, you’ll find people from all over the world, not necessarily only from Japan, so this is an opportunity to introduce them to a true Japanese-style onigiri,” said Kohei Nomura, who manages the DTLA shop as well as a sister location in nearby Little Tokyo.
Enjoyed as a healthy and convenient take-along for more than 2,000 years in Japan, the popularity of onigiri continues to grow across the U.S. and around the world. Sometimes called Japan’s ultimate soul food, the easily portable snack originated among the samurai class but soon became a staple for common people.
Onigiri Sun’s handmade version features carefully curated ingredients, including premium Mori no Kumasan rice, grown in the pristine water region of Kumamoto in western Japan. The rice balls are stuffed with ingredients such as kombu (seasoned kelp), salmon, snow crab and miso eggplant. Prices range from $5 to $13. Meal combinations are also on the menu.
The shop further offers a selection of drinks made with matcha green tea, not reconstituted from a powder, but prepared from fresh tea leaves ground on site.
Hours at the CAL Marketplace location mirror business schedules, open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Little Tokyo store at 321-1/4 E. First St. is open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
To browse the menu or for more information, visit onigirisun.com.
