Very much a small but popular gem in the city. Run by this one lady making everything by hand. So if you are in a rush, you can order in advance which is recommended . The Japanese rice balls are all handmade to order and a good portions for a great price (all under $5 each). The filling was tasty, wth an emphasis on simple flavours. I'm not sure what traditional rice balls should taste like but I kind of hoped the rice would have been more seasoned. Regardless, I enjoyed every bite. Very local and clearly made with love. And honestly such a cute little shop offering many Different traditional Japanese treats. I'll have to come back and try the drinks and dessert next time (she sells some traditional mochi desserts)! read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - Cutest store front. - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Throngs of hospital staff would hit up these food cubicles around lunch time in Alexandra Park. For me I can't resist getting a Japanese rice ball. And where can you find a light lunch in downtown Toronto for around $4 these days anyway? That's how I ended up at Omusubi Bar Suzume. With a lot of the onigiri fillings options, they seem to be the easy to make variety or are the typical ones that you can find elsewhere. The spicy miso pork however caught my eye since you won't be able to find it at a lot of places in Toronto. The rice ball was a fair size and the seaweed had a good aroma with a slight crunch. The filling was not crazy spicy, but for a Japanese owned place, it's spicer than I had expected. I was however disappointed that the spicy miso pork was of the ground pork variety. The texture just wasn't what I had in mind. Also, cuts of pork would also provide the rice ball with a little more fat which would enhance the flavour of the whole experience. Due to the spice and the balmy temperature, I couldn't resist getting their homemade yuzu jam soda. The soda really hit the spot on a hot day, but I can't really tell the difference between the homemade jam and the typical supermarket Korean variety. If you work in the area, Omusubi is not a bad option, but it's not a place I would go out of the way to come and try. read more

I am Japanese, born and raised in Japan. Omusubi is one of the best selling food in Japanese convenience stores. Convenience stores' onigiris are typically with an easy-to-pull-away wrapper that separates the rice and the seaweed/nori. It is to keep the nori's crispiness to enjoy the contrast against the soft, tender rice. It is usually sold in a refrigerated space, and the majority of people prefer not to reheat it. Omusubi can also be a classic homemade snack best made by mom. Typically served warm or at room temperature, and rice and nori are not separated, thus nori is softened on the rice (as it absorbs moisture from rice). It gives it a very different texture from those in convenience stores and holds a nostalgic place in the hearts of most Japanese people. Also, omusubi's filling is usually very simple - using salty preservatives (no need to cook). Having said that - I thought Suzume's menu was unique, quite different from those onigiris that I grew up with in Japan. Suzume's omusubis are served warm, and when you order takeout they are served in the pull-away plastic wrapper - warm omusubi in the easy-to-pull-away wrapper is totally new omusubi serving style to me! And their filling options are atypical and many fillings are "cooked" items, such as Spicy Pork Miso, Eggplant Sesame Miso, garlic Shiitake, etc, many of them are more "sweet" side than "salty". I think the menus are more for catering to this city's diverse populations that have more diverse preferences beyond my imaginations, and they make sure to have a few classic simple Japanese filling options for Japanese immigrants like me :). We had - Chicken Teriyaki - Shirasu & Shiso with Tempura bits (Omusubi of the month, with baby anchovy, Japanese herb/perilla, tempura bits, one of the few salty filling options) - Tuna & Green Onion They were made to order, and the service was very quick. I was excited when I held freshly made warm onigiris in my hands. They tasted OK (although a bit sweeter for my liking) to me, and the rice texture could be better. But I felt the place is doing its best in introducing omusubi to the new world. Owner's warm customer service will surely make people come back. Also, the price setting is absolutely reasonable for the effort put in, and the creative fillings are inviting to the diverse Torontonian population for sure. I noticed they have beautiful bento boxes - that did look authentic. That is the next food for me to try! Along with classic simple Japanese onigiri items. read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I have been wanting to try their onigiris for a while now, so we ventured out to the strip just to stop by. I've always loved the idea and feeling of street food, which generally makes everything tastier due to the experience and ability to sample multiple bites from different vendors. We ordered the spicy miso pork x2, terriyaki chicken, and garlic shitake mushroom. The lady there is the only person working and hand-makes each item per order. For something made fresh, the wait was not long at all. The shitake was good, but I would have preferred a meat filling. The terriyaki was tasty and full of sauce. Although the spicy pork was decent, I wish it hadn't been minced pork as it was a little dry. Good for simple, filling homemade meal that can double as an on-to-go snack. We went in the afternoon and ate at the picnic benches out front, but at night, the stall has a lit Japanese lantern giving it a cute, romatic vibe. read more

such a cute, and charismatic gem found in the 707 market that specializing in triangle rice balls (onigiri)! the owner is so friendly and is quick to make your order. we got 3 rice balls to try (green onion tuna, spicy pork, miso eggplant). green onion tuna was my personal fave, but they were all super solid with an amazing price point (~$4) each. the bonus of having many different stalls surrounding allows for u and a group to have various dishes to try and a taste for different ethnic foods! read more

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Pretty good! I tried the eggplant sesame miso, spicy pork miso, and garlic shiitake mushroom variations. Was definitely surprised how large these omusubis are since I was stuffed after eating all 3 but it also isn't just all rice, as they pack in a good amount of ingredients into it. Probably liked the garlic shiitake mushroom one the best but if I were to come back the japanese sweet potato one looks pretty enticing. The lady running the shop is super nice and friendly too :) read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Sweet potato & mushroom soup. Debit with email receipt. No display of amount of $. No Wifi. read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - No Wifi :,( - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The rice balls make for a good snack. Spicy Miso was quite big. It tasted decent & had enough pork read more

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We were suppose to be checking out a cafe in the west end, but we end up strolling along Dundas West, and came across Omusubi Bar Suzume. It is a small local food stall on the street along with 10+ other food stalls. I was very excited to try the Japanese rice balls. The lady owner, Rie, was very nice and friendly. Everything was fresh and made to order. I read online about her journey of opening this pop-up food stall; definitely give this lady some support if you are ever in the west end of Toronto We ordered 3 rice balls to try, we had the salmon wasabi, ume shiso (it is sour/salty like traditional ones, FYI) and the omusubi of the month: corn miso butter! The ingredients are simple, tasty and filling. I like that the rice is seasoned. Some places don't season their rice, and it drives me insane! The packaging is very unique, you have to follow the steps to open it... don't screw it up LOL! Basically the seaweed is separated from the rice ball, you just need to assemble it by following the instructions lol. We also ordered the chicken and egg don, which was also very tasty. The barley drink was a nice change as opposed to matcha or hojicha. The aftertaste reminds me of coffee actually, but less the caffeine. read more

Omusubi was on the lunch menu for me today. I had the garlic mushroom, spicy pork and the chicken teriyaki. The size are larger then I expected. Nothing extreme. The rice to filling was also a nice ratio. I had ones that was mostly rice I read they are normally made with usually salty ingredients to preserve them since they are in convenience stores in Japan. Since these are warm and fresh they aren't as salty which I prefer. There is street parking the last two times I have been there which is very convenient. I can wait to try the other shops along the that street. read more

I had one of the best meals from Bar Suzume first time I tried it. And what could be better and more appropriate than using a food stand? Contactless payment, even without using a middleman this seems the best way to get some variety in your meal plans. I can't pass these vendors by without stopping for something. Omusubi is the rice ball signature item in the menu with 8 or so flavours. It's a sushi grade rice packed around a savoury centre sort of like a snowball with a piece of ice inside : ) There's an ingenious poly wrapper around the triangle shaped ball that has a pull tab to reveal the rice ball. Between the disposable wrapper and the rice ball is a layer of seaweed that serves as an edible wrapper that allows you to hold the ball without it falling apart. The spicy pork was absolutely delicious and made me want more. I had the salmon next which was bland by comparison and would appreciate some Japanese soy sauce and wasabi which I didn't get with it. Worth asking for. The soup is mighty good! Especially the oatmeal miso turnip one I had. They are generally miso based and were veg so far. A fantastic snack that may leave you hungry after but really, do you need to be that full after meals? Probably not. read more

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Dropped by to grab a quick bite from this adorable little container restaurant/counter by the Scadding Court rec centre. I ordered two vegetarian omusubi (the garlic shiitake and the eggplant miso) and the ume daikon salad. It was ready quickly, and everything was delicious. read more

Wow!! Every time I go here, my onigiri/omusubi are always delicious!! I stopped by yesterday for a tuna with green onion, which always manages to have a bit of tuna in every bite, but I also picked up the omusubi of the month, which was edamame and shiso! So many edamame inside! The prices are very reasonable and the service is wonderful. If I lived closer, I would definitely come more often! Thank you for always selling me delicious onigiri. Please keep up with the omusubi of the month, I love trying new and creative omusubi. read more

Amazing onigiris! very fresh and warm, and tons of fillings to choose from. The best ongiri in town!

Try the new Garlic Shitake Mushroom Omusubi which takes Rie-chan two days to prepare! One of the best eateries in town, hands down, at reasonable prices. The 10-grain Amazake fermented rice wine (non-alcoholic) is also an amazing health treat for those who want to go all out, almost filling in itself, perfect for a picnic or a daytime treat. read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - Garlic Shitake Omusubi, fresh off the sauté - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Wanted to give this place a try. I opted for the month special. A slightly runny egg lovingly wrapped in seasoned rice. Wonderful! Personally I find onigiri very filling so one is perfect for me. But next time I'll order a side salad and/or soup to go with it. This really is the perfect street food. Looking forward to eating here again. read more

If I closed my eyes, you could fool us into thinking we were in Japan. This tastes the Exact Same as the onigiri you find lining the shelves of gas stations in Japan. Great price, amazing authentic flavour, and packaged super thoughtfully too. Will be back for sure! read more

The bento box was fantastic and very fun to eat. The taste of all the individual items complemented each other and I enjoyed trying all the different items. Looking forward to trying this again in the (near!) future read more

Omusubi Bar Suzume - Pre-ordered bento box - Japanese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Got the salmon wasabi, the miso tuna and the pork rice balls! Please keep in mind that the salmon wasabi has a substantial amount of wasabi in it. I was not expecting the amount of wasabi, so had to take my time eating it. All rice ball flavours were excellent! I would definitely come back and try the other flavours! Such a simple, but comforting snack. read more

Their special bento is amazing, beautiful presentation and an impressive number of yummy small dishes! And they happily accommodated special dietary requests. Well worth pre-ordering for a special occasion! Their regular omusubi and salads are delicious too, and a very good price. Everything is very authentically Japanese. read more