clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Capital Musubi celebrates its namesake all sorts of ways.
Capital Musubi

Where to Spot Spam Musubi Around D.C.

The Hawaiian favorite shows up all over town in original and experimental ways

View as Map
Capital Musubi celebrates its namesake all sorts of ways.
| Capital Musubi

Spam musubi is a multicultural dish packed with plenty of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) influences from Korea, Japan, Guam, and Hawaii. Considered the Big Island version of onigiri, a cooked slab of the salty canned pork binds to rice with a piece of nori to create Spam musubi. The iconic, portable order has proven itself easy to build on, leaving chefs plenty of room for creative interpretation.

The following restaurants add their own twist to the snack, from unexpected toppings like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to fillings like tempura shrimp.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Lei Musubi

Copy Link

Founder Vivien Bang draws inspiration from her childhood, the rice-and-seaweed snacks her mother would make before dinner. Now, Lei Musubi’s food truck can be seen around town, most recently in places like Fresh Farm Dupont, Union Market, 3 Stars Brewing, or at the Monroe Street farmers market in Brookland for the rest of the season. Musubi offerings are unique and expansive. Try a Gyeran Bap ‘subi made with miso butter shiitake and tamari cured confit egg yolk, the Crazy Mexi Elote ‘subi with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos sprinkled on top, and the OG made with caramelized spam and homemade furikake (and a vegan counterpart). Flavors change almost as often as the food truck’s locations.

Lei Musubi slings Spam musubi at farmers markets and roving pop-ups.
Lei Musubi

Capital Musubi

Copy Link

It’s all in the name: Capital Musubi may have other Hawaiian offerings, but the musubi reigns supreme. Home of the “Supersize” musubi, the best-seller is the spicy salmon musubi, but coming in close is a kimchi musubi made with egg, a chicken musubi made with pickled cabbage, a shrimp tempura musubi, and an el diablo musubi made with serrano peppers and fiery mayo. But the list doesn’t stop there. With two locations — one in Chantilly and another in McLean — a designated musubi day trip is merited. 

Price: Starts at $8.50

Capital Musubi puts several spins on the beloved snack.
Capital Musubi

Pokeworks

Copy Link

The downtown fast-casual puts an emphasis on the healthy side of poke. Bowls full of sustainably-sourced proteins, fruit, vegetables, and rice check multiple food group boxes. Guests can create their own bowl, choose from signature works, or wrap their choices in a sushi burrito. For sides, there’s miso soup, spicy edamame, and Pokeworks’ take on musubi. In the tradition of Japanese onigiri, this musubi is flavored with sweet shoyu sauce and garlic crisps. 

Price: $2.95 per piece

This Hawaiian fast-casual joint serves poke bowls and other classics from the island state. Originally a food truck, Abunai now has two locations in D.C. and Philadelphia. Founder Akina Harada is part Japanese, part Hawaiian, and her menu reflects both cultures. Along with poke bowls, patrons can find hand rolls, kalua pig and cabbage, and chicken long rice. Musubi comes two ways (Abunai Spam and Spam Kastu). The growing group sources from local farmers from both the D.C. area and Hawaii.

Price: $8 for two

Poke Papa

Copy Link

Located right in the heart of Chinatown, Poke Papa lets guests create their own poke bowls or stick with pre-set options. Extras include miso soup, mango snow ice, and musubi in two different styles. That includes the Original, a seared Spam and sushi rice wrapped in nori, or the spicier Volcano, made with scallion, crispy fried onion, and a spicy aioli. As one of the cheapest on this list, musubi is a no-brainer poke bowl addition or takeout snack by itself.

Price: Starts at $3 per piece

Tiki TNT & Potomac Distilling Company

Copy Link

The Wharf’s waterfront tiki bar serves snacks that nicely complement its rum drinks. Guests can sip from wine glasses or “big ass bowls” and enjoy tiki tots, coconut shrimp, and conch fritters while looking out over the Potomac. Tiki TNT twists their musubi, but only slightly; topped with an egg, the dish is leveled up with an even more savory umami flavor. 

Price: $7 per piece

The rooftop at Tiki TNT
The rooftop at Tiki TNT.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Hatoba by Daikaya

Copy Link

Daikaya Group’s Hatoba serves Japanese/Hawaiian fare in an old boilermaker building in Navy Yard. Chef Katsuya Fukushima grew up eating both styles of food, as his mother is from Okinawa, Japan and his father is from the Big Island in Hawaii. Along with Sapporo ramen, Hatoba’s menu hosts small plates inspired by classic Hawaiian dishes, like Spam musubi, salmon and tuna poke, and pulled pork sliders. Here, the Spam musubi is classic — served with teriyaki sauce and nori furikake. With limited availability each day, patrons should plan to arrive early to sample this little delicacy. 

Price: $4.50 per piece

Marumen

Copy Link

Fairfax’s hit ramen spot also has sushi hours during which musubi is served. While slurping original and specialty ramens like braised short rib or army-style (spicy kimchi broth with Spam, sausage, and pork shoulder), guests can also grab an OG musubi—wrapped in nori and rolled in furikake—or add spicy tuna for an extra kick. Marumen tasked themselves with bringing “Asian comfort food to Virginia,” and their fare delivers.

Price: $10 for four 

Lei Musubi

Founder Vivien Bang draws inspiration from her childhood, the rice-and-seaweed snacks her mother would make before dinner. Now, Lei Musubi’s food truck can be seen around town, most recently in places like Fresh Farm Dupont, Union Market, 3 Stars Brewing, or at the Monroe Street farmers market in Brookland for the rest of the season. Musubi offerings are unique and expansive. Try a Gyeran Bap ‘subi made with miso butter shiitake and tamari cured confit egg yolk, the Crazy Mexi Elote ‘subi with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos sprinkled on top, and the OG made with caramelized spam and homemade furikake (and a vegan counterpart). Flavors change almost as often as the food truck’s locations.

Lei Musubi slings Spam musubi at farmers markets and roving pop-ups.
Lei Musubi

Capital Musubi

It’s all in the name: Capital Musubi may have other Hawaiian offerings, but the musubi reigns supreme. Home of the “Supersize” musubi, the best-seller is the spicy salmon musubi, but coming in close is a kimchi musubi made with egg, a chicken musubi made with pickled cabbage, a shrimp tempura musubi, and an el diablo musubi made with serrano peppers and fiery mayo. But the list doesn’t stop there. With two locations — one in Chantilly and another in McLean — a designated musubi day trip is merited. 

Price: Starts at $8.50

Capital Musubi puts several spins on the beloved snack.
Capital Musubi

Pokeworks

The downtown fast-casual puts an emphasis on the healthy side of poke. Bowls full of sustainably-sourced proteins, fruit, vegetables, and rice check multiple food group boxes. Guests can create their own bowl, choose from signature works, or wrap their choices in a sushi burrito. For sides, there’s miso soup, spicy edamame, and Pokeworks’ take on musubi. In the tradition of Japanese onigiri, this musubi is flavored with sweet shoyu sauce and garlic crisps. 

Price: $2.95 per piece

Abunai

This Hawaiian fast-casual joint serves poke bowls and other classics from the island state. Originally a food truck, Abunai now has two locations in D.C. and Philadelphia. Founder Akina Harada is part Japanese, part Hawaiian, and her menu reflects both cultures. Along with poke bowls, patrons can find hand rolls, kalua pig and cabbage, and chicken long rice. Musubi comes two ways (Abunai Spam and Spam Kastu). The growing group sources from local farmers from both the D.C. area and Hawaii.

Price: $8 for two

Poke Papa

Located right in the heart of Chinatown, Poke Papa lets guests create their own poke bowls or stick with pre-set options. Extras include miso soup, mango snow ice, and musubi in two different styles. That includes the Original, a seared Spam and sushi rice wrapped in nori, or the spicier Volcano, made with scallion, crispy fried onion, and a spicy aioli. As one of the cheapest on this list, musubi is a no-brainer poke bowl addition or takeout snack by itself.

Price: Starts at $3 per piece

Tiki TNT & Potomac Distilling Company

The Wharf’s waterfront tiki bar serves snacks that nicely complement its rum drinks. Guests can sip from wine glasses or “big ass bowls” and enjoy tiki tots, coconut shrimp, and conch fritters while looking out over the Potomac. Tiki TNT twists their musubi, but only slightly; topped with an egg, the dish is leveled up with an even more savory umami flavor. 

Price: $7 per piece

The rooftop at Tiki TNT
The rooftop at Tiki TNT.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Hatoba by Daikaya

Daikaya Group’s Hatoba serves Japanese/Hawaiian fare in an old boilermaker building in Navy Yard. Chef Katsuya Fukushima grew up eating both styles of food, as his mother is from Okinawa, Japan and his father is from the Big Island in Hawaii. Along with Sapporo ramen, Hatoba’s menu hosts small plates inspired by classic Hawaiian dishes, like Spam musubi, salmon and tuna poke, and pulled pork sliders. Here, the Spam musubi is classic — served with teriyaki sauce and nori furikake. With limited availability each day, patrons should plan to arrive early to sample this little delicacy. 

Price: $4.50 per piece

Marumen

Fairfax’s hit ramen spot also has sushi hours during which musubi is served. While slurping original and specialty ramens like braised short rib or army-style (spicy kimchi broth with Spam, sausage, and pork shoulder), guests can also grab an OG musubi—wrapped in nori and rolled in furikake—or add spicy tuna for an extra kick. Marumen tasked themselves with bringing “Asian comfort food to Virginia,” and their fare delivers.

Price: $10 for four 

Related Maps