Koro Koro

Great lunch spot. Good vegan riceball options. Offer brown rice. Have a weekly soup which is usually excellent. The Miso soup is alright. The salad is delicious.

Had them lunch cater for a small group of friends pre-​wedding with 30 rice balls. They were a huge hit, mostly because they were delicious. We got all of the… flavors (?), or maybe varieties is a better word — in any case got them all, tried them all, all excellent. Definitely would recommend for something a bit more eclectic than sandwiches.

I tried the spicy salmon. It’s very good. The beef one is meh. It’s minced beef. Very convenient choice.
Onigiri can be hard to open, but if you have ever been to those asian convenience store, you will know how to open it.

I needed to eat 4 rice balls to feel somewhat full, and at $ 3.25 I have to spend $ 13 to feel like I’m going to need to eat again in 2 hours. They seem like a novelty food rather than something that is actually meant to satisfy. They could be good for a quick bite on the go, especially as a nice layer before some heavy drinking. The middle is the good stuff and there’s barely anything in there. It’s mostly rice. As a snack food, it works, but I don’t see myself eating here again for dinner.
However, the taste is good and it is pretty convenient on the go. I thought the rice was cooked well and the flavors on the inside was yummy.

Looved it!!! The bbq chicken was delicious and the owner was super friendly! Adorable little joint!

We tried the cuban flavored onigiri — pulled pork, black beans and plantains all mixed together in a thin layer nestled in between soft rice and savory seaweed paper. Tasty but for the price and the # of these that you’d need to eat in order to be comfortably satisfied results in an A-​OK rating. Mgmt should consider combo options — buy three for a slightly discounted individual price etc. which is similar to other onigiri offerings in other cities.

Decent choice if you’re craving rice balls and don’t want to make the trip up to Mitsuwa in Edgewater. Well, I think the only choice around Downtown JC, I think.
What I do like is that they’re offering up unique twists and have rice balls for different regional cuisines. They’ve got Cuban, Indian, Mediterranean, etc. I’ve tried maybe 75% of them so far and they’re not too bad.
But when you boil it down, I think I’d rather just eat at an Indian or Mediterranean restaurant, considering that unique filling is usually the smallest part of the rice ball. And at $ 3.25, these are pretty expensive rice balls (compare to $ 1-​$ 1.50 at Mitsuwa). Again, we don’t really have any other rice ball options in JC, and these aren’t bad, but I just wish the price point was a little lower to justify picking a few up more often.

Stopped by for a quick lunch on a Sunday while running errands and left with a happy tummy. I’ve ordered from here before but never actually got the chance to stop in but I’m glad I did. The place is quaint and cozy. I started light with the miso beef ball and the mesclun salad with the apple dressing. The dressing was yummy like an apple vinaigrette but not really. The miso ball was good but I felt like it needed more of the beef filling. I was so still a little hungry so after staring at the menu I asked what they would recommend and the guy behind the counter recommended the Cuban so that’s what I got. The Cuban was scrumptious… my first bite in and the guy heard my reaction and laughed. The filling was well seasoned and had a nice little kick. I almost wished I was so full or I would have gotten a second one. The staff was really friendly which is always refreshing.

I came here after I wasn’t satisfied at Union Republic and I was glad I found this small little gem. I asked the employee to pick the most popular rice balls and she did not disappoint me. She recommended the miso beef, Cuban, and spicy salmon. They all tasted as it was described. They were all very delicious. If you want to pick up something quick and good, this is the spot to go. There is not much room to sit, but it tastes just as good as when you take it home. I will definitely come back to try the other rice balls they have.

If you have always wanted to try sushi but cringed at the thought of raw fish, Koro Koro is the place to go.
It is pretty easy to miss this place. Having lived in the vicinity for close to a year I hadn’t noticed it until today. Walking in, I was glad I did. Koro Koro consists of a filling of choice, embedded in rice and wrapped with sea weed. The miso, Cuban and spicy salmon are the most popular. I went with the special of the day, Buffalo Chicken (not on the menu) and the Cuban. Both were good.
To enjoy your tasty morsel you need to remove a plastic covering. It is an art form and I would recommend that for the first time you get the folks at the place to demonstrate. There are instructions on the packaging as well as a video playing at the venue. However, with the demo from the owner I got it right the first time.
There are 4 vegan options and 8 non veg options on the regular menu. He also has an interesting selection of teas, some soups and a hot chocolate for the holidays. I went with two Koro Koro’s and was pretty sated. Very difficult to over eat and worth a try. I am coming back!

Si quieres probar algo diferente y buenisimo este es el lugar, es un concepto nuevo sabores divinos a precios accesibles

I’ve always wondered what those cute triangular rice things in Japanese cartoons were — well, I finally found out last night when I stopped by Koro Koro! I ordered the Miso Beef rice ball… errrm rice triangle (?). It was delicious! The shop was very small but service was fast. The credit card min is $ 5. Can’t wait to go back and try more flavors :)

I’m a big fan of Koro Koro. I’ve been a loyal customer since they’ve been open! I grew up eating onigiri but never had the opportunity to eat them nice and fresh. Anytime I go on a hike or bike I make a trip to Koro Koro so I have a snack. Carrie and Vincenzo are great! They really love being of JC business community.
If you have any problems opening the onigiri there’s a video and they’re always willing to help

I heard Japanese rice balls and I did a little dance, expecting some kind of far eastern version of Arancini. Wrong, wrong, wrong… the translation may be balls, but what you’re going to get is a perfectly wrapped plump triangle. Two demos by one of the owners on how to unwrap this thing and I mastered the strip tease. You choose from a variety of ever changing fillings that they incorporate into the belly of the nori encased rice pie. David Chang (swoon) put the umeboshi curiosity in my head a few months back, so when I saw it as an option, I had to get it. The other pie was the Moroccan, with a self explanatory chickpea, currant and spice mixture ubiquitous to their tagine cuisine.
All you need is two. Let that be your culinary rule here. After a few hours, you can come back for another two. Like good sushi, you are satisfied without feeling full. I can’t wait to go back for my next two… Japanese Potato Salad and the Turkish. Then again, who knows what new fillings will be available then. That’s reason enough to get your ass on the Path!

GOTDAYUMIT.
This spot is THE TITS.
Have you been to Hawaii a multitude of times like I have? Nope. So let me clue you in.
My people love any type of meat and sauce wrapped in nori and rice… like spam musubi. And they have spam musubi!!! (did I add enough exclamation points?)
This spot has a plethora of meats/​poultry/​fish/​vegetables with additional accoutrements, wrapped in deeelish nori and rice.
$ 3.25 is the price of this foodgasmic (ugh) experience.
Small resto which packs a muthafuckin huge punch.
Koro Koro? Nah, it should be called, More-​o More-​o
seewhatididthere

an umeboshi haiku…
the salty rough green
hides the aromatic pink
a sour nibble
this place gets 5 Unilocal stars plus a bonus poem for all around awesomeness!
the staff/​owners are super friendly and very professional. the ambiance is like a charmingly quaint & quirky brooklyn coffee shop where culinary ambition takes a dance with japanese snack food!
at first i was skeptical. was this yet another poorly executed east meets west fusion hype eatery? NOPE. was this some cute store front focused more on good looks and less on great taste? NOPE. was this some overpriced yet uninspired ploy to charge me for something that will still leave me hungry? NOPE.
my wildest dreams have been met! so much so that i was personally instructed on how to properly unwrap my rice ball (for the first time ever and i assure you i did live in japan for 3 years and still ruined my rice balls every time wtf).
i am continually surprised and impressed with their tasty inventiveness! they swap out special flavors. even today i was feeling reluctant about the corn salsa rice ball. hesitantly and with urging from the staff… i tried it as well as order two tried and true favs of mine: umeboshi & salmon.
well hot damn summer corn salsa! way to overrun my tastebuds like a champ! that was one of my fav flavors (this is high praise — i have already clocked all 9 standard flavors and tried 6 or 7 daily special rice balls.)
please show your support for this cute lil place! next month they are celebrating one year! yay! hope to see them make the 5 year mark and beyond in the future! :)

A good place for a quick snack. I was expecting to find sushi inside the rice balls but they’re are good, (not great), but since they’re inexpensive, it hits the spot. We tried the spicy salmon, miso beef, plum (umeboshi). Cute little place, very friendly and personable owners.

Hipster rice ball spot would be the perfect way to describe Koro Koro. Not at all authentic, but cheap, filling, and tasty. I had the miso beef, Indian, and spicy salmon onigiri. The fillings were all good and unique in their own right. But the rice, the most important part of the rice ball, was executed poorly.
It was way too moist/​overcooked so the rice balls fell apart very easily, even as you unwrapped them from the plastic. The rice also lacked seasoning, and there was not too much filling in them either.
I’ll give them extra credit for serving Mod Cup coffee though.

Unique & cute. Great if you want something different. Also, relatively inexpensive although not too filling. I ate 3 rolls (well, triangles) and was still hungry.
I tried the 1) salmon: pretty good, 2) Indian: interesting but I didn’t love it, probably because it had raisins in it and I’m not a fan, and chicken: not bad but didn’t stand out. I’d like to try the other roll options as well as soups. They had at least 3 vegan options that I saw. They have a video and diagrams on how to unwrap them properly. Oh and also tried their red cabbage coleslaw which was pretty awesome.
Place is really small inside with minimal seating. 10 dollar minimum for credit card purchases.

Finally stopped in yesterday to survey the hype. They have four veg options and will also sub brown rice for white rice. I had the Indian, Moroccan and Mediterranean balls. The Indian was my favorite. it was really flavorful and balanced. The other two were a little disappointing and pretty bland — especially the Mediterranean. I’m hoping it was a fluke and that maybe next time around they’ll have more pizzaz.
The owner was very attentive, kind and helpful. He unwrapped the first ball for me.
Maybe this is just a personal vexation, but it drives me nuts when businesses have card minimums, especially for debit cards. There is a $ 10 minimum here.
Overall, decent experience. That Indian ball is money.

— — — Overall Verdict:
What a cute, little find! This one-​room venue that seats about 9 people in total* is a good place to have a Japanese snack or light meal. Note, however, that you will not find sushi here; instead, this is the place to go to for onigiri** (おにぎり). Onigiri are riceballs with different fillings (such as tuna, chicken, fish), common around Japan and can be found in Family Mart (convenience stores equivalent to 7-Eleven’s, Wawa, Sheetz, etc in Japan). In Japan, these onigiri are typically ¥100 and change (about $ 1), but unfortunately here it is $ 3.25 plus tax; this place is relatively expensive as an 8 fl. oz coke is $ 2.25.
— — — Onigiri and Other Meals:
We tried the following in our onigiri:
— Spicy Salmon (salmon, kimchi, garlic chili, mayonnaise): This was decently spicy
— Yama Chicken (chicken, mountain veggies, coconut, cilantro, green curry (contains shrimp): This wasn’t memorable
— Tuna (tuna, black olives, capers, red onion, tomato and mayo): My favorite!
— Indian ([vegan option] chickpeas, carrots, golden raisins, sweet potato, coconut milk, Indian spices): Flavorful, but not for me
We also tried the following:
— Potato Salad: This was very good and fresh
— Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream: This was a good combination of coconut and chocolate, but ultimately the chocolate triumphed the coconut flavor.
Overall, a good place for onigiri; however, I must say, the ones in Japan are still slightly better.
— — — Footnotes:
*We were lucky and snatched seats before all were all occupied. We came around 1:30pm on a Sunday.
**Onigiri are also wrapped in a triangular shape and have special steps to unwrapping them (if you’ve never had onigiri, the very friendly staff will help you. There are also instructions on the wall).