Hanamizuki Cafe

I can see the social media appeal of this kind of food, but honestly it just seems messier and more complicated than a sushi roll. I stopped here for a quick lunch this past Thursday around 1pm. There were a few people in line in front of me and throughout the small restaurant, but once I sat down it got pretty busy - clearly a popular midday destination. As an aside, 90% of the clientele seems to be Asian Gen Zers, which I guess makes sense. Like a lot of the smaller NYC restaurants, the ceilings are super high but the space is pretty narrow. They have very modern tables/chairs (kind of gave off a higher-end Ikea vibe), which I think works well with the more limited square footage, and it doesn't feel too claustrophobic even when the place is jumping. I decided to aggressively hit up the onigiri section of the menu, ordering three different ones. They were bigger than I thought they would be, so unless you have a pretty hardcore appetite, their $16 two-onigiri combo that comes with soup/sides is probably the way to go. Mine cost around $18, so not a big deal, especially since I'm not a huge miso soup fan. My three were the Salmon, Inari and Karaage. The Salmon was a giant miss for me, though a lot of that is palate preference. The obvious comp/not-so-distant cousin to these items is a sushi roll, and I think it's weird to have seared salmon rather than raw salmon in a roll with rice. It always tastes like the fish is off, even though it isn't. Coupled with the pickled radish it was just not my thing at all. The Inari was pretty good - basically the equivalent of a very small, almost breakfast burrito. The problem with it for me (and all of these onigiri) is that it's hard to eat and get all of the ingredients in one bite, if that makes sense. Maybe there's a sophisticated technique to eating these that I'm unaware of (100% a possibility), but I'd end up getting a bite of just rice, or just the beef. All of the ingredients were good, but it was hard for me to get them to play together. The Karaage for sure was my favorite. Unsurprisingly, it's also the naughtiest one I had, featuring fried chicken and spicy mayo, but very tasty. The primary issue with that is it was super messy - one side of the onigiri is doused in the mayo, and from what I could see, they didn't have napkins (maybe I missed it, but I even went up to the counter to check). As a result? A spicy mayo-drenched paw that I tried to subtly wipe on the tray a lot. Again, if I had more practice with using the chopsticks on these, maybe it's a moot issue. I would suggest though that they provide napkins and more Americanized utensils for Neanderthals like me. This was an interesting lunch, I'll at least give them that. It's not really my thing, but I could easily see this being a go-to destination for someone who's more versatile with a pair of chopsticks.

Stopped in for a snack and this cafe is very cute with tasty options. I love ume and wanted to try the ume onigiri but it was sold out so my other vegan option was the kinoko (5 kinds of japanese mushroom, scallion). It was so tasty! The perfect bite.

Super cute and trendy onigiri spot! Everything felt very nice and clean, and the space is thoughtfully designed. I really liked that it’s a sit-down place, since most onigiri spots are usually more grab-and-go — it makes the experience feel more relaxed and enjoyable. I do wish there were a few more vegan options on the menu. It would also be cool if they offered some kind of dipping sauces, even if it’s not super traditional, just to add a little variety. Overall, a great spot and definitely worth checking out.

I went out with my sister, this place is nice and cozy ☺️. I order Inari to be honest the taste is good but it mostly rice with bit of meat and egg, I also Oder mango matcha latte I am not a huge fan of matcha so lol didn’t like it just wanted to try it 😅. BUT!! Sweet potato cheesecake was the most delicious one!! Out of all them I will come back to eat that again!!!! 💕✨

I wanted to love this place more than I actually did. We each got the set meal. I was really disappointed in the shrimp tempura onigiri, which was the monthly special. The rice could have used some seasoning as the shrimp itself was quite small, so it was mostly just eating plain rice. The highlight of the meal was the mentaiko onigiri. If I went back, it would only be for that.