Melbourne’s Newest Food Obsession? Onigiri. Here’s Where To Try It

There’s nothing more comforting than a ball of sticky rice, seasoned perfectly and stuffed with pickles, egg, meat or even just a spot of tinned fish.

Jump to where to find the best onigiri in Melbourne.

Yes, onigiri is having its belle epoque in Melbourne. Gone are the days of the sushi handroll—instead we’re all queuing up for that seaweed enveloped, triangle-shaped treat we feverishly munched at konbinis in Japan, refuelling during those 30,000-step days.

With around 1 million Aussies (according to the Japan National Tourism Organization) heading to the Land of the Rising Sun in 2024, it’s no wonder onigiri hitchhiked its way back with us.

Catering to this demand is Maji Pantry, a petite cafe and pantry on the corner of Landridge and Wellington streets in Collingwood. Owner, Lucy Lim, originally from Korea unabashedly admits that onigiri has a hold on her too.

“When I came to Australia, I missed onigiri so much … I wanted to share what I love with people here. That’s why I chose onigiri,” she says. But it was the draw of the hospitality industry and the relationships it fosters that clinched her decision.

“Even though I had lived in Australia for seven years, I always felt like I was a foreigner here. But working in cafes made me realise I really belonged to this community. I love serving food, talking to people, and seeing them enjoy what I’ve made. That’s when I decided I really wanted to do this,” she says.

Before moving to Australia Lim often travelled to Japan where she fell in love with the snack, “Onigiri has been my soul food since I was in high school,” she laughs. 

“Whenever I went to Japan, it was always the first thing I ate every morning until I came home.”

“We call onigiri by different names (in Korea)—it’s sometimes called a triangular kimbap. It looks similar, but it’s also different. We use different ingredients, and the way we cook the rice is different.”

Maji Pantry’s onigiri are elevated far beyond your regular grab and go. Made to order, they come out warm with a variety of fillings from wagyu beef to mentaiko egg. 

“The most important thing with onigiri is simplicity. It’s usually just two or three ingredients, and I wanted people to really taste those ingredients—like the rice, the nori, and the fillings—rather than lots of seasoning. That’s what matters to me,” she says.

“Onigiri is becoming more popular in Melbourne. But (we) make ours fresh to order instead of preparing everything ahead. That costs more because we need more staff, but it’s important. For food to become popular, it has to be approachable and affordable. That balance really matters.”

Lim has stylised the spot similar to a konbini. Find a rotating and luxe menu of drinks; from yuzu sodas to matcha and trending beverages from the northern hemisphere. Watch out for their banana bread latte and rotating personal faves of Lim’s, like Manner wafers. 

Find Maji Pantry at 51 Landridge Street, Collingwood. They’re open weekdays from 8am-5pm.

Where To Find The Best Onigiri In Melbourne
Maji Pantry

Image: Maji Pantry | Supplied

Stepping inside Maji Pantry is like a warm hug, and that’s before you even get to the onigiri. There’s four options, beef, egg, seafood and vegetarian and they’re all heartily-sized, with crispy nori and rice that’s the perfect temperature. You can tell Lim has eaten a lot of onigiri in her time, she has it down to an art. Try the prawn sando (one of her personal faves) while you’re there, or make your onigiri a combo deal with a miso soup and a drink.

Onigiri Kitchen

Onigiri Kitchen, with two locations in Melbourne CBD—both serving a cheeky beverage if you’re so inclined with your snack—are very reminiscent of the grab-and-go haunts you would have frequented in Japan. The onigiri pre-wrapped and priced to move, you can pick up three for $15, and don’t forget to grab a tofu donut. If you’re more of a traditionalist (for Australia, anyway) check out their sushi spot, Temaki Sushi.

QQQ St Kitchen

In the backstreets of Collingwood QQQ St Kitchen opens just in time for lunch, and that’s what they do well. See the hordes of hungry, hungry hipsters loading up from the window on Peel Street. The ones to try? Wrap your laughing gear around their BBQ Pork, Curried Egg or the Spamwich, which is reminiscent of spam musubi from Hawaii. 

Suupaa

Suupaa has to be one of Melbourne’s slickest spots, and the konbini final boss. Peddling homewares from a variety of Japanese brands, sake and stacks of grab and go, they’ve recently expanded into dinners and ramen to go with their pour-your-self tap drinks and riff on Famichiki. The onigiri here are for your adventurous types, try the mortadella egg and mayo number, seaweed or curried leek.

ima Pantry

Tucked away off the Brunswick Bike Path in the Nightingale complex ima Pantry is the little sister to ima Asa Yoru, known for their breakfast teishoku, or breakfast sets. The pantry serves up their onigiri with okazu (side dishes) so you can make your own cute little set after you’re exhausted from rifling through their tinned fish selection and condiments sections (which are excellent). 

Look no further for more Japanese cuisine in Melbourne, from the city’s best Japanese cafes to restaurants, sushi and sushi trains, we’ve got you covered.

Main image credits: Maji Pantry | Supplied