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    Rice Theory

    4.4 (205 reviews)
    Closed • 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    RICE THEORY ATMOSPHERE

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    Moderate noise
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    David B.

    Food- felt like everything was an inari-style pocket flipped upside-down and topped. Used to get inari from the grocery store and it'd be a sweet tofu pouch filled with sushi rice and flipped so you couldn't see the rice. Well, they've flipped it back over and parked some other stuff (salmon, tuna, seaweed salad) and voilà! Service- minimal. Unfortunately it looked like everything had been premade and the ones not place into a cardboard boat (already pre-placed) were over-refrigerated and the rice tasted accordingly. (cold and kinda hard) Ambiance- like a donut shop but with this specific kind of sushi. It was just about a block away from Sac City College, not that that had anything to do with any of the clientele. Everything was about $5 per item. It was a good amount of rice but like I said before, it had some stuff on top of the inverted inari. Spicy salmon, tuna, etc. The extra sauces were either in squeeze bottles or ketchup-style packets. Unagi, teriyaki, soy and sriracha sauces were there to flavor up your goods. I'd go back someday if in the area. I think these places caught on in the Bay and it's getting easier to store and transport seafood so sure, park it in the middle of the city and let's see how it goes! Didn't try the corn and cheese one. May have missed out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Be different. Try it. If you don't like it, that's cool too.

    Unagi & Egg Musubi
    Belinda C.

    I loved Rice Theory. Lots of convenient handheld snacks packed ready to go. I wish I lived closer to buy more regularly, but it's probably better for my bank account that I don't! I got there before noon on a Sunday, so I had great selection. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I impulse purchased a lot on my long awaited first visit. I think I spent at least $50. Bill adds up fast. Price range is $2 to $9.50 as of June 2026. The most common price or mode is $4.75. There is a rewards punch card. I think you get a stamp for every $15 you spend. These were my favorites: * Sukiyaki Beef Roll $5 * Unagi Shrimp Roll $6.50 * Mayo Wasabi Salmon Inari $4.75 * Unagi & Egg Musubi $5.25 Depending how large each item is and how hungry you are, I would say order 1-3 items. Sukiyaki Beef was my favorite filling. Other Yelpers liked the Kurobuta Sausage the best, but I don't love its texture. I plan to try the onigiri one day. The SPAM & Bacon Onigiri and Spicy Beef Onigiri look appetizing. Some ingredients can fall out or fall apart, so they can be messy to eat. If you use sauces, that could lead to drips. The rolls fully wrapped in nori seaweed sheets and the musubi are the better handheld items. You can get fresh soy milk and Chinese herbal teas here. I would be interested in trying the well-rated Prunella tea in the future. Small barebones restaurant with limited seating: 2 tables for 2 and 2 long benches. Most customers order to go. There's an area with sauces (Unagi, Teriyaki, Yuzu, Sriracha, Soy), condiments, sauce containers, utensils, and napkins.

    Kenneth K.

    When we first arrived at 1031 there was a sign saying they would be opened late for about 15 minutes bc deliveries were being made in the process. So we had another errand to run & returned about 23 minutes later. The door had like a code but it was unlocked so we were able to enter right away. There were customers inside already. I saw spam musabi & my wife ordered several just bc we wanted some the day before but the business we visited was out. My bad anyway for not searching earlier in the day. They had lots of variations of musabi so you can basically choose what you want. Best time to come is when they first open. I think personally. The ambiance of this business is very cute, neat, organized & clean. I took multiple photos of it inside but if you have questions I'm sure the employee there can assist you. Perfect for those picnics or a snack for a future road trip. Even though Oto's is just diagonally across the street they have totally different varieties of items on top of the rice for you. One must check this small business out. It's super kawaii & unique! It looks like they open everyday too. Parking is limited in this strip mall so best to shop early! What are you waiting for?

    Egg Salad, Spicy Ahi Tuna, Spicy Crabstick Salad Inari
    Rose K.

    I also wished I lived closer so that I could conveniently grab food to go on a regular basis. I got to try a selection of their inari bombs, egg salad, spicy crab, spice tuna, spicy salmon, and yuzu miso salmon. The yuzu miso salmon was the most flavorful, and the spicy crab was much spicier than the spicy tuna or spicy salmon. Though, what surprised me the most was that even as leftovers the next day, the rice was not hard and still tasted great the next day!

    James I.

    If I'm in the area again, I'll definitely stop by. Not in the most attractive strip mall yet it oddly works as a grab and go place. The space is open yet they only have 2 small tables, wall benches and a handful of chairs. Definitely not a place you can dine at, not good for large groups either. Thankfully a family left so I was able to snag a table. The cases are a bit hazy but you can still see what's available. Easy to read the menu as you scan the cases. The worker was attentive and offered suggestions since I like all things spicy. But sadly they weren't spicy enough for me. No worries as they have a condiments bar with sriracha, eel sauce, etc. You can take sauces to go and pick up napkins and utensils as well. My 5 items was about $23. A good deal imo. They were not shy with their filling. A bit heavy on the rice for me but not a deal breaker.

    Savory items
    Jackson T.

    I found out about rice theory from 2 good to go (2gtg), so whenever I was able to snag a bag from here through that app, the food was pretty decent from what I received. Parking is very tight since it's on a strip plaza and shares parking with other shops. I like spam musubi and rice balls, so this place is a "hidden" gem to me. They have a variety of rice balls, onigiri, rolls, inaris, and rice bowls. It's very convenient for if you want to do a picnic, want a snack to eat in the car when going out of town or a good snack for hiking. The rolls are easy for grab and go. The prices are decent, and I feel like you're getting your money's worth. Inside the shop, there's 2 tables for you to dine in, but it's best to take it to go since inside the shop is a bit small. Last time I was here, I got the spam musubi and Kurobuta sausage roll. I enjoyed both. They are a bit on the smaller side, but I'm okay with that. I haven't gotten a chance to try their inari, onigiri, or rice bowls. I'll have to make time to come back. Customer service is great also. The young cashier's behind the the register were patient with me while I looked at all the options and asked them a few questions. They were quick and efficient once I started naming iff my order. I'll be back!

    Kimchi salmon, eel, bulgolgi
    Melissa L.

    Ordered the kimchi salmon, eel, and bulgolgi. Each was about $4-5ish. I really enjoyed the salmon - it was fresh and tasty! The eel was okay VERY FATTY and very gelatinous. The skin was hard to eat. The bulgolgi was VERY DRY, flavor was okay but I just could not finish it bc the meat was so hard to eat :(. The person that helped me was attentive and it's a grab and go type of place. Overall I probably wouldn't come back again.

    Shrimp tempura roll (5/5) delicious with the yuzu sauce
    Lorraine M.

    Tasty food, cute ambiance, and fast service! It was confusing to order bc the signs didn't match what was available but it was a good experience. :)

    M N.

    Friendly customer service. Food is always fresh and consistent. They provide gloves to eat with, so your hands don't get dirty. Cafe is small, but clean. Only 2-3 small tables. More of a to-go spot. They also sell herbal tea, Thai tea, fresh soy milk, some bottled/canned drinks. It'd be perfect if they added matcha to the drink menu.

    Blanche M.

    Finally got to try this place out! Visited earlier today and was glad they were open. Plenty of options to choose from and easy to order. In and out in 10 minutes. Fresh options and we enjoyed all the things we ordered. We definitely will be back.

    I decided to be adventurous and try something new, Japanese style food. I was very happy with my food adventure. The food tasted yummy!

    I decided to be adventurous and try something new, Japanese style food. I was very happy with my food adventure. The food tasted yummy! I appreciate that each item was individually wrapped which makes it easy to eat in smaller portions or share wit family. If I lived closer, i would be there more often! staff was friendly and professional. restaurant appeared clean and tidy. I don't think there's available restrooms. it's more of a take out type of feel.

    Onigiri
    Lillian H.

    I've been wanting to try Rice Theory and I'm so glad I got a chance to try it. It's such a cute grab and go place. I went there at 1 pm so about half the stock was still left. I ordered the plain onigiri, wakame salad inari, wasabi salmon inari, crab meat roll, spicy crabstick onigiri, and smoked salmon and cream cheese onigiri. I cut up the crab meat roll in pieces so it was like sushi. The smoked salmon and cream cheese onigiri was pretty good like a Philly roll. It was a bit more Americanized with the smoked salmon slices. Kid friendly options are the plain onigiri and wakame salad inari. My kids like the plain onigiri which was flavored with some seasoning and they liked the wakame (seaweed) without the inari. Most of the food is behind a case so they will grab it for you. Service is fast and they package everything so cutely. They also sell drinks and some decorations. I loved everything I ordered and there's definitely more I want to try. I'll definitely be back.

    James Y.

    I actually went to Oto Oto Market across the street to get a bento box but apparently on Mondays they do not have any prepared food. As I was leaving, I saw Rice Theory right across the street so went there. They have a wide range of options in regards to musubis. I went with the standard spam and also the sukiyaki one. Both were very well made and tasty. They have them premade so getting in and out was fast so if you are in a hurry, this is a great place.

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    Kado Asian Fusion - Delicious teriyaki bowl.

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    Kado Asian Fusion - The inside walk up counter before any of the patrons came in

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    Karai Sushi Spicy Noodle Teriyaki - Spicy Lobster Roll-1

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    I've had Karai bookmarked for a while and although I didn't dine in, I still had a really good…read moreexperience with their sushi takeout! I ordered the citrus salmon roll and sacto roll. I love a lemon salmon roll, so I was happy to see the citrus salmon roll on the menu. I appreciate that the salmon was on the thicker side. I do wish there was a more citrus added versus just having some lemon shavings. The sacto roll is more on the unique side since I never had a roll that had chili crunch on it. It was a nice contrast while complimenting the fish. I liked how this roll had shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, salmon, and hamachi. Two rolls was plenty for me to feel full! I definitely will be ordering from here again and hope I get to dine in soon.

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    Rice Theory - japanese - Updated October 2026

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