For onigiri in London, go to Tokyo Onigiri inside Japan Centre on Panton Street, which makes its rice balls by hand in store, or to Sosaku Onigiri’s stall in Shepherd’s Bush Market, open Monday to Saturday. Near London Bridge, Onigiri Kome sells them at the KANPAI sake taproom from £5.50, and the Wasabi chain has stocked four flavours in its shops since spring 2026.
This guide lists the London shops, stalls and markets selling onigiri, checked on their own websites and listings on 1 November 2026, with a price table that sets London against a Tokyo convenience store. It also explains the classic fillings, from umeboshi to tuna mayo, so you know what you are picking up.
What onigiri are, in 60 seconds
Onigiri, also called omusubi, are rice pressed by hand into a triangle, a ball or a small bale, usually around a filling and often wrapped in a sheet of nori seaweed. The rice is plain or lightly salted, while sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar. Japanese encyclopedias trace them back to tonjiki, rice balls handed out to attendants at Heian period ceremonies and banquets more than a thousand years ago.
London Onigiri Shops and Fillings
Umeboshi, Salmon, Tuna Mayo and Kombu: Onigiri Fillings Explained
Japanese dictionaries list umeboshi and salted salmon as the usual fillings, and the encyclopedia Nihon Daihyakka Zensho adds kombu, tsukudani and tarako cod roe. These four are the ones you will meet first, in Tokyo and in London.
Umeboshi is a salted, pickled ume, a fruit close to an apricot, and it makes the sharpest and saltiest onigiri. 7-Eleven Japan fills its version with Nankō ume from Kishū, the plum-growing area of Wakayama. In London, Zen Musubi colours the rice pink for its ume onigiri.
Salmon means salted, grilled salmon flaked into the middle. 7-Eleven’s is charcoal grilled, and Onigiri Kome at the KANPAI taproom pairs shio salmon with smoked radish.
Tuna mayo is tuna mixed with Japanese mayonnaise. London has several takes: ONI’s tuna mayo has a touch of soy, Zen Musubi makes a spicy version, and Onigiri Kome mixes it with miso.
Kombu is kelp simmered in soy and sugar until soft and sweet, a style called tsukudani. 7-Eleven uses kombu from Hokkaido, and Onigiri Kome’s vegan tsukudani sesame kelp is the cheapest onigiri on its menu at £5.50.
Konbini Onigiri in Japan and Their London Equivalent
Most onigiri eaten in Japan come from a convenience store. 7-Eleven Japan sells its standard range as temaki onigiri, hand-rolled rice balls, in a wrapper that keeps the nori apart from the rice until you open it, so the seaweed stays crisp. On its Kanto product page on 1 November 2026, tuna mayo, umeboshi and Hokkaido kombu were each ¥182 before tax, and charcoal-grilled salmon was ¥198. Our guide to konbini food in Japan covers what else to buy alongside them.
London’s nearest equivalent is Wasabi. The sushi and bento chain expanded its onigiri range in spring 2026 to four flavours, salmon teriyaki, spicy tuna, avocado and edamame, and BBQ chicken, across more than 40 UK shops, most of them in London, with a stamp card that gives a sixth onigiri free after five. Launching the range, Wasabi cited research from December 2025 finding that 36% of UK consumers had never heard of onigiri. Onigiri also sit at the heart of the Japanese packed lunch, which our history of the bento box traces from plain lunches to character bento.
Onigiri Prices in London and Tokyo, November 2026
Several London sellers do not publish prices online. The table shows what each one lists, with a Tokyo convenience store for comparison.
| Seller | Where | Price of one onigiri | Example filling | Source, checked 1 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onigiri Kome | KANPAI taproom, 48 Druid Street, SE1 | £5.50 to £6.50; grilled yaki onigiri from £5.00 | Miso tuna mayo, £6.00 | Food menu linked from KANPAI’s taproom page |
| ONI | Six weekend markets | £3.50 to £4.00 each on catering orders of 60 or more; market price not published | Tuna mayo | ONI’s website |
| Tokyo Onigiri | Japan Centre, 35B Panton Street, SW1 | Not published online | Made by hand in store | Tokyo Onigiri’s Instagram and Google listing |
| Sosaku Onigiri | Shepherd’s Bush Market, W12 | Not published online | Handmade, with miso soup | Shepherd’s Bush Market trader directory |
| Zen Musubi | Upmarket, Truman Brewery, E1 | Not published online | Truffle salmon | Zen Musubi’s website |
| Wasabi | More than 40 UK shops | Not published on its website | Salmon teriyaki | Wasabi’s menu page |
| 7-Eleven Japan (comparison) | Kanto region, Japan | ¥182 before tax (¥196.56 with tax) | Tuna mayo | 7-Eleven Japan’s onigiri page |
Map of Tokyo Onigiri
Where to Buy Onigiri in London
Tokyo Onigiri, Japan Centre, Panton Street
Tokyo Onigiri trades at 35B Panton Street, inside Japan Centre’s flagship store, and describes its onigiri on its own Instagram as freshly made in store and served warm and fluffy. When we checked its Google listing on the evening of 1 November 2026, it was open until 9pm. Japan Centre’s shelves, fish counter and bakery are under the same roof, so you can pick up rice and nori to make your own. Follow Tokyo Onigiri on Instagram for the day’s fillings.
Address: Japan Centre, 35B Panton Street, London SW1Y 4EA. Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square.
Sosaku Onigiri, Shepherd’s Bush Market
Sosaku Onigiri is a stall in Shepherd’s Bush Market selling handmade rice balls, miso soup, and Japanese snacks and condiments. The market’s own trader directory lists it as open Monday to Saturday from noon to 6pm. Its Google listing showed it as closed when we looked on Sunday 1 November 2026, which matches those hours, so go on a weekday or Saturday. Sosaku also co-organised the first Nishi Market in Shepherd’s Bush, a one-day Japanese market held in the market’s railway arches in August 2026. Its listing is on the Shepherd’s Bush Market website.
Address: Shepherd’s Bush Market, Uxbridge Road, London W12 8DF. Nearest Tube: Shepherd’s Bush Market.
Onigiri Kome at the KANPAI Taproom, London Bridge
Onigiri Kome runs KANPAI Kitchen inside the taproom of London’s sake brewery, with ten onigiri fillings on its current menu. The rice is special A grade rice from Japan, milled in London. Fillings run from spicy mayo salmon and cheese okaka to a soy-cured egg yolk at £6.50, with miso tuna mayo at £6.00 and vegan sesame kelp at £5.50. Yaki onigiri, grilled and glazed with soy, cost £5.00, or £5.50 with cheese, and any filling can be added on top. Pair one with a 75ml glass of KANPAI sake from £7. The taproom opens Wednesday to Sunday; see KANPAI’s visit page for hours.
Address: 48 Druid Street, London SE1 2EZ. Nearest Tube: London Bridge.
Zen Musubi, Upmarket at the Truman Brewery
Zen Musubi sells omusubi, the other name for onigiri, at Upmarket in the Old Truman Brewery on Saturdays from 11am to 6pm. Its menu leans playful: truffle salmon, grilled Spam with Kewpie mayonnaise, ebi tempura with sweet eel sauce, and a pink ume onigiri with the rice tinted the colour of cherry blossom. It also delivers to offices and events by arrangement. See Zen Musubi’s website.
Address: Upmarket, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London E1. Nearest station: Shoreditch High Street (Overground), or Aldgate East on the Tube.
ONI, at Six Weekend Markets
ONI was started by three friends who grew up in Hong Kong eating onigiri, and a test stall at one market grew into a weekly round. Its rice is Yumepirika, a Japanese variety milled for ONI by The Rice Factory in London, and its salmon comes from Billingsgate Market. Most of the menu is halal, from teriyaki chicken to spicy salmon, with vegan miso mushroom and kimchi tofu. Find it at Canopy Market, Friday to Sunday; Greenwich Market, Friday and Saturday; Lloyd Park Market on Saturday; and Victoria Park, Chatsworth Market and Broadway Market on Sunday. Details are on ONI’s website.
Market Stalls and Japanese Grocers
Japanese markets are the other place to find small onigiri makers. At the Yokimono sample sale at The Factory in Dalston on 7 and 8 November 2026, Mogu sells onigiri with tonjiru pork soup, and Yamada Onigiri trades on the Saturday. For onigiri with your shopping, Rice Wine Shop on Brewer Street in Soho sells them beside its rice and sake. Our guide to Japanese markets and supermarkets in London has every grocer’s address and the next market dates.
Onigiri in London: Questions and Answers
Onigiri, also called omusubi, are Japanese rice balls: plain or lightly salted rice pressed by hand into a triangle, ball or bale shape, usually around a filling and often wrapped in nori seaweed. Classic fillings are umeboshi pickled plum, salted salmon, tuna mayo and kombu. In London, Tokyo Onigiri at Japan Centre on Panton Street makes them by hand in store.
Tokyo Onigiri inside Japan Centre at 35B Panton Street, Sosaku Onigiri in Shepherd’s Bush Market from Monday to Saturday, and Onigiri Kome at the KANPAI sake taproom on Druid Street near London Bridge, Wednesday to Sunday. Zen Musubi trades at Upmarket on Brick Lane on Saturdays, ONI at six weekend markets, and Wasabi sells four flavours in its shops.
Onigiri Kome’s menu at the KANPAI taproom prices onigiri from £5.50 to £6.50, with grilled yaki onigiri from £5.00, on the menu read on 1 November 2026. ONI charges £3.50 to £4.00 each for catering orders of 60 or more. For comparison, a tuna mayo onigiri at 7-Eleven in the Tokyo area was ¥182 before tax.
Shepherd’s Bush Market’s trader directory lists Sosaku Onigiri as open Monday to Saturday from noon to 6pm. Its Google listing showed it as closed on Sunday 1 November 2026, which matches those hours. The stall sells handmade onigiri, miso soup and Japanese snacks, and the nearest station is Shepherd’s Bush Market on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines.
Umeboshi, a salty and sour pickled ume fruit, and salted grilled salmon are the traditional pair. Kombu kelp simmered in soy, tarako cod roe and tuna mixed with mayonnaise are the other staples. At 7-Eleven in Japan, tuna mayo, umeboshi and kombu each cost ¥182 before tax on 1 November 2026, and charcoal-grilled salmon cost ¥198.
Onigiri use plain or lightly salted rice shaped by hand around a filling, and they are made to be carried and eaten by hand. Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar and usually topped or rolled with raw fish. Onigiri are sold in every Japanese convenience store, and in London, Wasabi sells both side by side.
