Convenient onigiri spot in Berkeley's Southside! Riceful serves delicious folded sandwich style onigiris with a large variety of toppings. My favorite part of their onigiri is their egg, which tastes slightly steamed but have a good amount of flavor. Any of their onigiris are a great pick to grab on the go! The reason why I give Riceful 4 stars instead of 5 is because of its portion size at its price. I love the taste of their onigiris, but they're quite small at pretty steep prices. Service can also take a while sometimes despite being solely grab-n-go. I'd still say it's a solid onigiri spot to check out when you have the time to! read more

Man, I've been here just once and this place is great. I love the folded sandwich style onigiri, not sure why, just feel like it tastes better and is more filling. Maybe because you can fit a larger number of ingredients/flavors in this way. This place to me is a solid step above oori rice triangles. I ordered a go cal, which was their crab salad with spam and egg. It was phenomenal. The creaminess of the crab salad worked perfectly with the salty spam and hearty egg. It was a bit messy, so I'm glad I ate it at home over a plate, maybe a little harder on the go. Price was solid. It did take like 15 min after putting your order in though, so if possible order ahead. But I will definitely be back to this quick delicious grab and go spot. read more

Pros: Fast, on the healthier side, cheaper than a full meal Cons: A bit pricy for the portion, not the most flavorful I've gotten the classic Okinawa onigiri a few times, which is just egg and spam with a spicy mayo sauce. I've consistently found the rice to be a bit soggy and the onigiri overall to lack flavor. For context, I am not a sodium lover, I order French fries without salt, it's rare for me to consider something bland. But here I didn't detect much flavor variation between the rice and the egg, and the spicy mayo was pretty light. The spam and seaweed helped. I wouldn't call it tasteless and I do enjoy it, but I don't think the milder flavor is for everyone. Why have I kept going back? It's a quick little meal and relatively healthy and simple. I do think the price is a bit steep for the portion you get, but a small lunch for under $10 is still a draw. Also service is fast, it's a small takeout only spot. read more

Riceful - Classic Okinawa - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Finally got to try an Okinawan-style onigiri for the first time, which was folded in a sandwich form. The Aji Fish Onigiri was crispy with generous mayo and spam. The Soft Shell Crab Onigiri (limited edition) was crispy, had a creamy crab mix, and egg. Both were very filling, yet I felt guilty of consuming them due to high cholesterol. It can be messy to eat since both fried fish will get soggy over time, so best to eat it right after pickup. It was easy to order through the kiosk inside their small shop, with quick service and no line, yet there was no seating area at all. Street parking was challenging since it's located in the Downtown area, so you either have to pay to park in the parking garage or take public transportation if you're in nearby cities. Great to visit once when visiting UC Berkeley. read more

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Picture doesn't do much justice but it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO SHMACKKKKKKK!!!! The chicken katsu one was so crunchy and fresh with the perfect amount of curry sauce!!! We got one of each but we had to come back for a second one because it was THAT good. YALL BETTER COME GET YOU ONE OF THESE 8000000/10 stars. read more

Riceful - (D) Curry Chicken Katsudon Soft-shell Crab Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food: handmade warm food! Gives a great comfort and filling on a busy day. Service: it takes sometime to get your order and there was no seating area opened. Ambiance: fast food like but clean read more

Riceful - Unagi Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

I stopped by to try their unagi onigiri since I enjoy onigiri in general. It was flavorful but quite messy to eat, and the sauce made it a bit soggy. At over $11 for one, it felt a little pricey. Glad I tried it, but I'd prefer a more traditional onigiri next time. No seating; takeout only. read more

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Some friends and I were looking for a grab-and-go lunch spot before a football game, and Riceful checked all of the boxes: (1) Tasty; (2) Portable; (3) Satisfying. (The cute packaging was a bonus.) I ordered the tempura shrimp nigiri, which comes loaded with spam, egg, and two large pieces of shrimp tempura. I was worried at first that the onigiri would collapse after a few bites, but it held up surprisingly well until the very end. I was very satisfied after eating one onigiri and made it through the entire football game (3+ hours) without getting hungry. I'd definitely return to Riceful for a convenient and delicious lunch when I'm on campus. Plus, I'll have the opportunity to try other flavors! read more

Riceful - Tempura Shrimp Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Parking is convenient if you don't mind paying $2 for the parking garage directly across the street. When you take the elevator down to ground level, there are a few businesses in the hallway leading out, which was kinda neat to see. There was no street parking and the next street ahead has parked cars blocking the left and right lanes, so only the middle lane is drive-able. This is not a seated restaurant, you order at the self-serve kiosk and wait for your order outside. It doesn't take long to wait but you'll have to find somewhere to sit and eat since there aren't any seated areas around either. I only got the egg, spam, and shredded pork musubi since I wasn't sure about the portion size. I'm glad I only ordered 1 since it was difficult to eat without one side falling apart despite holding it together. I expected it to be more structured but I think there wasn't enough rice. Overall, easy meal to grab if you're in the area but not something I'd go out of my way to eat. read more

Riceful - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been wanting to try this place for a long time. I happened to walk by on a weekday afternoon and decided to stop in. There was no line, and you order on a kiosk or iPad thing. Everything is described well on the menu, and there are very small photos. Food took about 10 minutes to be prepared, was made to order. There wasn't anyone in front of me. There's no tables, so it's all to go. I was texted when my order was ready. They handed me my order. There is no customer service. That's my only complaint. I like to have some sort of customer interaction. I know that's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm sure some people would prefer this method. The food. The food is so good. I can't remember which ones I ordered, but omg they were both so good. The crunch. The flavors. I cannot recommend this place enough. I can't wait to come back. read more

Riceful - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Rice Plentiful! Need something quick to grab before class that is budget friendly and very filling? This shop is it! I stopped by Riceful after searching for a quick bite. Of course it is near one of my favorite yogurt shops, so I stopped by to grab a meal before class. The shop is small and primarily serves take out and it does not seem there is a dine in option. My order came out fairly quick and the staff was very nice. I got the Classic Okinawa Onigiri which is spam and egg & Tempura Shrimp Onigiri which also came with spam & egg, and lettuce. Both onigiris were delicious and very filling. I really enjoyed the crispiness of the tempura shrimp! I definitely think getting 1 is plenty cause half way into eating the Shrimp Tempura one, I started to feel full! read more

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We stumbled upon Riceful while wandering through downtown Berkeley. Since I don't visit the area often, I was just looking for something quick to eat and Riceful did the job. I tried the pork-boy onigiri with cheese, and it was very tasty. I really liked how they didn't overload it with rice like some other places. My only critique is the price -- at around $10 for one onigiri, it's a bit on the more expensive side in my opinion. That said, it's a tasty option if you're in the area and craving something quick and tasty. read more

Riceful - Pork-Boy Onigiri (w/ Cheese) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food is good, I had the hot dog onigiri. It was yummy and the service was pretty quick. It look about 10min for my order. They also had dairy free strawberry milk which was interesting. read more

I got the Pork-Boy Onigiri and Tempura Shrimp Onigiri. They were both delicious and filling. I liked the balance of flavors and textures, and I could taste every ingredient. The lettuce was also fresh and crisp. Onigiri tends to just have rice and one protein or vegetable, but Riceful's combinations of rice, protein, vegetables, and sauces turns what's usually a snack into a meal. I ate the Pork-Boy Onigiri right away, but I waited half an hour before I ate the Tempura Shrimp Onigiri. I was worried that the tempura shrimp would be soggy, but I was pleasantly surprised that it stayed crispy. This place is takeout only and doesn't have a seating area. Street parking seems impossible, but there's a parking garage right across the street. read more

Riceful - Tempura Shrimp Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

We were visiting Berkeley and looked for a place to have lunch on Yelp. Riceful was at the top of the list so we decided to check it out. The restaurant is very small and only takes orders to go. There were a couple of self-ordering kiosks just inside the front door. We were interested mainly in their onigiri options and the kiosk menu allowed us to see a more detailed menu listing all of the ingredients. I was initially disappointed to see that nearly all of their many onigiri varieties had Spam (I don't eat meat) - even their Grilled Salmon onigiri. Bummer! But then we noticed that their Soft Shell Crab Onigiri did not have Spam so we each ordered one of those. It did not take too long for our oder to be ready and we took our bag with the cute Riceful logo over to a shady bench at the university to enjoy our light lunch. Wow, it was absolutely delicious! There was a yummy sauce on it that reminded us of the one used on Unagi Sushi. And there was a custardy egg layer that was so good! The only thing that would make Riceful even better would if they offered more options without Spam. read more

Riceful - Soft Shell Crab Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Was getting hungry from walking around and needed something quick and tasty this place did not disappoint. I grabbed the curry ebi onigiri and it was so good! Crispy shrimp, flavorful curry, and super convenient. Service was fast too, which was a nice bonus. read more

Stopped by for a quick bite and loved the ebi and soft shell crab onigiri. It's a bit different than the triangle onigiri, but in a good way. Very well put together and didn't fall apart. The crisp was really yummy and didn't make us feel heavy afterwards. Would definitely recommend eating right away so the seaweed paper doesn't get soggy. Personal opinion, I'd ask for a extra sauce next time, but not necessary. read more

Riceful - Ebi and soft shell crab - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Go big or go home. Riceful had so many good choices it was hard to choose from. I eventually went with the Pork Boy Onigiri and Ika Geso Onigiri and I fell in love. First off, these are huge. 1.5 rice balls filled me up so I'm glad I only ordered 2. I'll have to go back with friends next time to try more without getting too full. Parking - Parking in front of the shop will be difficult but there is a parking structure across from the shop that I highly recommend. The first hour is free so you'd have time to grab food and explore around a bit. The Ika Geso Onigiri, or squid, had so much flavor. I loved the seaweed salad on top. The only thing is there was so much flavor from the sauce and seaweed that I didn't taste the squid as strong, but you do get the enjoyable chewy texture. Pork Boy - My favorite between the two. This one also had a lot of sauce but because it's a pork Katsu, you can still taste the pork. It was a great combination of meat and fat for the extra flavor. You also get the option to pair it with salad or with cheese instead. I obviously chose cheese and it filled me up so quick. Great place to make a stop at if you're in the area read more

Riceful - Menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place is goat for road trips and 1hr + drives or a simple snack. Me and my friends love this place and I love driving with some nearby boba and eating their food and driving. Gives me juicy energy to survive this life read more

Found this location on yelp and being such a fan of Masubi, I figured I'd give this place a try. I only ordered a single Soft Shell Crab Onigiri and it was delicious! Yelp might not like me posting this but if you order directly on their website rather than through yelp, everything is $1 cheaper. I ordered about 1 hour ahead of time and scheduled for pickup at a specific time. The order was ready and fresh! Soft Shell Crab Onigiri: The crab was so crunchy and flavorful! The sauce on the bottom of the Onigiri was so good! Although it costs about $10, one Onigiri was enough to fill me up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall, the price is just barely enough worth it as it was enough for a meal for me. I feel like for the price to get soft shell crab, it's well worth it. The location is also really convenient near the campus. There isn't any place to sit to eat however as it's pretty much take out only. read more

Riceful - Soft-shell Crab Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Stopped by today for a quick meal. The staff here are friendly and quick. One thing to note is that this place is to-go only and has no seating. I got the Aji-fish sandwich that comes with egg and spam. The proportions are good and flavors are what you expect, but not over powering. Some of the options can be pricey, but most are at a solid value. read more

Riceful - Aji Fish Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Been eyeing this place for a while, and a few weeks back one of my colleagues said they were going to be ordering it for an event I'd be speaking at. I was ecstatic and so ready to finally try out what riceful has to offer. I got the softshell crab onigiri and was delightfully met with a large, flavorful, and overall delicious meal filled with rice (duh!), softshell crab, crab mix, eggs, and lettuce. It was such a pleasant meal and left me curious about the other options offered at Riceful. Can't wait to try other stuff there again in the future! read more

No wait or line, used a kiosk to order. There was no indoor seating. Ordered the pork boy onigiri. Loved the katsu flavor along with the egg, lettuce, etc.! It was very filling and perfect for a quick bite. I would definitely stop by if I was in the area to try other items on the menu. read more

There's no seating so you have to order at a kiosk and pickup. I got the Softshell Crab onigiri and it was pretty good. I ordered on Snackpass where there are a lot of discounts. read more

The onigiri was good, and I liked the taste of the house sauce with the crab. The spam and egg were not very flavorful, however. I think the spam would have tasted better if it had some kind of marinade or sauce on it. The food was done in a few minutes, and orders are placed on a kiosk. read more

Absolutely blown away by the onigiri here! I had the Soft Shell Onigiri, and my daughter had the Go Cal Onigiri... both were massive, easily three times the size of the ones you find at convenience stores. Not only were they huge, but they were also packed with flavor and incredibly fresh. Every bite was delicious, and we'll definitely be coming back for more! read more

Riceful - My favorite things - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Parking is located across the street, free for 60-90 minutes. They do not do phone order but we can order via the Yelp app. Ebi Katsu Onigiri: 5/5, unique and had a distinguished taste to it. Classic Okinawa: 4/5, eggs were cooler than what one would like it. Service was quick and easy. read more

Riceful - Outside - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

After many visits, I still think Pork-Boy as my number one pick. With a deep fried pork katsu as your base, everything else just adds up to greatness. It comes with egg, spam, mayo and katsu sauce, the only choice you need to make is cheese or lettuce. I always pick cheese. Also ask for extra sauce, I felt that the extra sauce was just right, although it can get a little messy when eating the origiri. I also recently tried the grilled salmon, which is also great. The salmon is milder in flavor compared to the Pork-Boy, and the flavors seem better blended, another I would get again. Unfortunately I have not ventured to other parts of the menu yet, because this was eatten as a snack late afternoons. Ordering is simple, either use the kiosk on front of the store, or you can order online. If you order in person, your ticket will show your order number and you can look at the screen on the current status. You will also receive text messages when your order is done. Parking can be a challenge, it's a busy area, but well worth it. read more

Riceful - Pork-Boy Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Onigiris are inexpensive and available in convenience markets everywhere in Japan, so it is hard to get used to paying for onigiris here that cost as much as a full meal! In fact, one is not enough for a typical person, so you need to order two which make for an expensive meal! Nevertheless, I enjoyed the softshell crab and ika geso onigiris that I ordered via Doordash. The rice were soft and the other ingredients tasted fresh and good. I liked that they use seaweed salad in the onigiris. The pork katsudon was a little disappointing, however. The pork cutlet was on the tough side, and given the price, the amount of meat you get doesn't justify the price. read more

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Whoa whoa whoa baby... I kinda wanna gate keep you but let's face it the news is going to spread. This place is so yummy. I love a classic ongiri however this updated version knocked my socks off. It's the perfect combination of food that is super filling. It's quick service & really a grab & go place but once you find a spot hunker down & chow. Perfect for a date night at home or for a picnic. read more

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Where were all these choices when I was in college? Right by the campus of my alma mater next to Yogurt Park which has been around since my college days is Riceful. Not shaped like your traditional onigiri but more like an onigiri taco meets Musubi since most items come with spam, egg, and lettuce. Our choice of meats, simmered beef, pork sung, and my favorite unagi, with extra sauce. I thought I would enjoy the pork sung more than I actually did though. Came back a couple of weeks later to try the pork boy and the soft-shelled crab. Unfortunately, the soft-shell crab barely had any soft-shell crab in it and what little it did have was mainly batter vs. crab. Hopefully it was just a one off. However, I would definitely come back for the meat-based ones and salmon is next on my list. Probably good thing it wasn't around when I was Cal as I would be here everyday. read more

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Riceful | Berkeley 1. Unagi Onigiri 2. Chicken Katsu Onigiri Craving onigiri but wanna try it Okinawa-style? This over-the-counter spot serves classic & seasonal onigiri through a self-ordering kiosk--offering at least 20 different Japanese rice sandwiches such as unagi, soft-shell crab, pork, aji-fish, and chicken Katsu. Each individual onigiri is prepared fast but made with fresh ingredients. Compared to traditional onigiri, these are a lot bigger and much more filling I would say. If you want a quick & easy snack, then Riceful is definitely your place! read more

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Riceful specializes in Okinawa style onigiri and is located conveniently near campus. They're a good option for a quick lighter lunch if you're not too hungry, or for a snack. Each onigiri is about $10 after tax and comes in really cute packaging; keep the onigiri in the paper wrapper when eating for maximum structural integrity. I tried the Golden Go Cal Onigiri ($8.99, crab mix with tobiko, egg, spam, salted egg yolk sauce) and the Soft-shell Crab Onigiri ($9.99, soft shell crab, egg, lettuce, crab mix, mayo, unagi sauce). For me personally they were on the sweeter side for a meal due to the crab mix, but they were still interesting to try. I also would have liked a more prominent salted egg yolk flavor in the Golden Go Cal Onigiri. Ordering is done through Snackpass, so I recommend ordering ahead of time, especially if you're coming during a peak time. read more

Riceful - Super cute packaging - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I have never had an Okinawa onigiri and this place opened up as a cute grab-and-go joint near campus. My mom and I made a point to stop by Riceful on one of our trips up from South Bay to Berkeley on a day outing. My mom wanted to try something unique, so we got their limited edition Ika Geso Onigiri, which is fried squid. Okinawa onigiris are slightly different than what you'd typically expect from your usual Japanese rice ball - it's almost like a sandwich. Rice is layered on a sheet of nori seaweed and then piled on with fillings. I thought it wouldn't be enough for two people to share, but it was actually very filling. The Ika Geso Onigiri comes with egg and seaweed salad in the filling. The squid is slightly spicy which adds a nice kick to the flavoring. The food is made to order, so be prepared to wait. Also, it's not very easy to eat, so be prepared for a messy meal! read more

Riceful - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love onigiri so was stoked to try riceful. Their onigiri isn't the typical triangle I'm used to but I was a big fan. I grabbed the double shrimp tempura, it was really good. The shrimp had great crunch and the flavor worked really well with the egg and spam. You order via tablet outside the restaurant and things love really quick. I barely interacted with anyone that works there. My only negative was the lack of customization, my wife wanted one without egg but I had to ask after ordering bc there was no option on the tablet. read more

Riceful - Double Shrimps Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food was pretty good! I like how there was spam and fried pork katsu. The pork katsu was a bit dry. There was also mayo and katsu sauce inside. The egg seemed to be premade/ processed rather than from an actual egg (not sure though). No service complaints. You order with kiosk. The ambiance is very casual and no place to sit. The place is good to pick up and go for lunch or brunch takeout. read more

Riceful - Pork-Boy Onigiri - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great for a quick bite. I ordered the spicy classic okinawa onigiri and enjoyed it as a late night snack. The onigiri wasn't as spicy as I hoped it would be, but it still tasted good. A plus is that the packaging is really cute and so is the interior. read more

Riceful - interior - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I got the Ebi Katsu and it was delicious!! It included the shrimp katsu, imitation crab, and egg in the onigiri. It was a very generous size and cost around $10. It took them a bit of time to get the food out, and there was unfortunately no sitting area/covered area to wait since it's seems like they made the place for take out only. read more

Riceful - Inside - Asian Fusion Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We were on the way to spend the day riding trains and wanted to grab a quick bite to eat. Berkley is our go to spot to get our grub on as there's a bunch of food places to choose from especially during the late nights. Anyhow, we decided to try this place and came in to put in our order on their self-service ordering kiosk. Ordered Gyudon, Chicken and Pork Katsudon, Pork Boy Onigiri. Gyudon- thin slices of beef simmered in their savory sauce with corn toppings on a rice bowl. Though I like the food even though the sauce is a bit mild, the quantity of beef to rice ratio were askew. It has more rice compared to the meat it goes with it Chicken and Pork Katsudon- the breading made these on a dry side. These dishes came with seaweed salad and corn topped with sauce. Nothing really to rave about these because I can get a much bigger portion for the same price with a better tasting food. Pork Boy Onigiri- this one was the fave as the flavor was there, the meat was juicy, the egg was soft and the cheese was cheesing and the rice were fluffy. My little one liked it and he said this is what he'll get everytime we are in the area. Anyway, if you have a hankering for soda to go with your order, fear not it'll only cost you $2.50/can. I get it, it's quick food and inflation sucks (prices) but it's not really budget friendly in this college area if you tend to crave rice bowls or onigiri on a daily. I like the food but I could not justify the price for this with the quantity I get especially with their rice bowls. read more

Solid take-out spot for onigiri. There's no seating inside - I ordered an Unagi (Eel) Onigiri through their kiosk and got my order pretty quickly. The food was honestly solid - very comforting, warm, fresh, umami, and left me feeling pretty good. The one catch for me is the price - I paid around $11 for one onigiri, but personally wasn't completely satisfied after eating one. This might not be an issue for other people though, in which case $11 would be a good price point for a more affordable meal. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area and craving some nutritious comfort food! read more