A note on the words: onigiri (or omusubi) are rice balls formed into handheld portions and wrapped in crisp nori seaweed, okaka is seasoned dried bonito flakes, takana is pickled mustard greens, mentaiko and tarako are cured pollack roe, tenmusu is an onigiri topped with a tempura shrimp, and karaage is Japanese-style seasoned fried chicken, here sold cold by the pair as an irresistible morning side.
Omusubi Gonbee Akasaka ten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Now, my recent morning routine spot has been “Omusubi Gonbee” in Akasaka (people often accidentally write Gonbei with a different kanji, ha). I’ve eaten most of the menu by now (not quite all of it!), so I thought I’d introduce what they have. However, at Omusubi Gonbee there wasn’t a single hit-or-miss item — everything was delicious! So rather than a ranking, I thought I’d simply present what I’ve eaten.
By the way, what time does the shop open? When I go a little after 9:00 in the morning it is usually pretty uncrowded, but lately the variety of onigiri has been somewhat sparse in the morning. I wonder if prep hasn’t caught up yet, or if someone placed a bulk order right before me, ha.
I lined up the onigiri I saw in the shop from cheapest to most expensive. Most of them run between 120 and 220 yen. At prices like this, you really could come by every single morning.
Omusubi Gonbee Akasaka ten Menu
Onigiri
Limited to spring through early summer. The ginger miso alone makes it a feast
The nori seaweed is sweet and delicious
A classic standard
Ironclad deliciousness. The scattered sesame seeds are a nice touch
Light cream cheese and okaka. Surprisingly to my liking
Light, non-greasy tuna
The fundamental onigiri. You can taste how good the rice is
Mixed rice series
Mixed rice series
Not overly salty and not fishy at all, very easy to eat
A classic standard
For mornings when you want something hearty
*Prices are from the storefront display at the time of my visit. Ginger miso is seasonal.
And one more thing: karaage (150 yen). This one is tricky — when they tell you it’s 150 yen, you just end up buying it. Even though it is completely cold, it’s plump and tender, and if anything crispy on the outside. The skin part is the best. Once you taste it, you can’t resist buying it every time.
There’s so much variety, ha. But every one of them is delicious, which is great. Plus, each one is cheap. At these kinds of prices it’s gentle on the wallet, making you think about coming every day. The eat-in space has two single-person chair-and-table sets, plus counter-style seating in two spots. I think it’s plenty of space just to eat an onigiri and head right back out!
And having karaage is dangerous, ha. When they tell you 150 yen, you just have to buy it!
So, for my memorable first onigiri at Gonbee:
You can see a bit of it in the photo, but I gave in to temptation and bought karaage too.
First, the ume plum. The foundation of onigiri, and delicious. The rice is tasty too. Of course it isn’t piping hot and freshly shaped, but it is solidly delicious. As for the ginger miso, looking it up later I found it’s limited to spring through early summer. This was delicious too. Maybe because the rice is so good, the ginger miso alone makes for quite a feast. And the two together come to 270 yen, ha. At a certain other onigiri shop that would be the price of a single one, ha (granted, theirs is about one size bigger).
The karaage. Two pieces is all you need. Even though it’s completely cold, it’s plump and tender, and if anything crispy on the outside. Delicious. The skin is the best part. Once you taste this, you can’t hold back and just keep buying it.
Next time, karaage again… ha.
Both the takana and the mentaiko are thoroughly delicious. The mentaiko isn’t overly salty, just the standard salinity of everyday mentaiko, so it’s very easy to eat. It wasn’t fishy either. The takana is an ironclad hit, as you’d expect. The lightly scattered sesame seeds were a nice touch.
With the nori wasabi, I felt like I had actually ordered kombu, but judging by the flavor it was probably nori wasabi. The nori is sweet and very delicious. And the Japanese-style tuna is good too! Light, non-greasy tuna pairs wonderfully with onigiri.
And one more thing: karaage (150 yen). This one is tricky — when they tell you it’s 150 yen, you just end up buying it. Even though it is completely cold, it’s plump and tender, and if anything crispy on the outside. The skin part is the best. Once you taste it, you can’t resist buying it every time.
The mixed rice series.
Having tenmusu available is a quiet joy! There are mornings when you want to go all out! And the cheese okaka brown rice was surprisingly delicious. It wasn’t a heavy block of cream cheese, but felt more like a lighter cream cheese tossed with okaka, which was quite good in its own way.
To be honest, at Gonbee there wasn’t a single miss, so I decided against ranking them. Instead, for when you’re wondering “which one should I get today,” I’ve summarized them by purpose.
- For your very first one → Kishu Nanko ume (150 yen)
Because it’s the foundation of onigiri, it lets you appreciate the deliciousness of the shop’s rice best. Even though it isn’t piping hot and freshly made, it is solidly delicious. - For days when you want something hearty from the morning → Tenmusu (220 yen)
Being able to choose tenmusu at an onigiri shop in the morning is quietly satisfying. - For days when you want to eat light → Nori wasabi (130 yen) / Japanese-style tuna (150 yen)
For nori wasabi, the nori is sweet and to my liking. The tuna isn’t oily, so it doesn’t feel heavy even in the morning. - If you want a surprising discovery → Cheese okaka brown rice (140 yen)
Not a heavy cream cheese, but more like a light cheese tossed with okaka. This was surprisingly good. - If you can go between spring and early summer → Ginger miso (120 yen)
Seasonal. The ginger miso alone makes it a real treat. Being the lowest price is nice too. - And almost certainly added on → Karaage (150 yen)
The temptation waiting after you finish picking your onigiri. Two pieces for 150 yen — I’ve never been able to turn it down.
If you’re pairing them up, two onigiri plus karaage comes to around 400 yen. For breakfast it’s just the right amount and price, which is why I ended up dropping by regularly for a while. Without gimmicky menu items, it’s a shop where you can choose what you like with peace of mind!
I also put together a roundup of 16 morning-routine spots in Akasaka and Akasaka-mitsuke. If you want breakfast beyond onigiri, check there too!
So, Omusubi Gonbee was so good that I naturally kept going back for a while. “Just right” is probably the phrase that best fits both the portions and the prices. Plus, the fact that there aren’t really gimmicky items on the menu gives you peace of mind! Every onigiri I’ve eaten so far has tasted delicious, so I think it’s a shop where you can feel completely comfortable eating whatever you like!
Omusubi Gonbee Akasaka ten (Onigiri / Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Nagatacho Station, Akasaka Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.6
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
