Life moves fast, and our snacks move fast with us. One of those snacks is onigiri, a stuffed rice ball sold in Japan at convenience stores or even vending machines. And while Seattle's mini-marts have more hot dogs than tuna-pumped rice parcels, we have Onibaba, a small Japanese restaurant in the International District that specializes in onigiri. The kicker: Onibaba isn’t a rushed grab-and-go situation at all. In fact, this excellent sit-down spot encourages us to slow down and stay a while. For the past 30 years, this space used to be Tsukushinbo, one of the best sushi counters in Seattle. Now, it’s owned by the same team, and that warm feel has been preserved in the dining room. Only a handful of tables fit, but it isn’t cramped. A remixed Ed Sheeran song plays from the kitchen, steaming bowls of salmon ochazuke parade past, and plates of neatly arranged onigiri are the centerpieces on every table. Even though you’ll find nods to Tsukushinbo’s old menu by way of pan-seared pork gyoza and silky curry udon noodles, the menu is dominated by onigiri. There’s a whole section dedicated to over 20 different kinds. Soy-marinated egg has a yolk jammy enough to tame a cowlick. Honey-laced mayo drizzled on shrimp tempura crunches with a crispy tail that pokes through the seaweed. Spicy cod roe provides a kick cooled down by pillowy rice. The grilled ones are great too, like shoyu butter yaki onigiri topped with a pat of butter that melts through crackly grains like candle wax. A trip to Onibaba isn't complete without an order of these glistening three-sided masterpieces. We like Onibaba best at lunchtime, and that’s partially because there’s usually a long wait after 5pm, and because there aren’t many casual lunch spots as special as this. Forget convenience—at Onibaba, you can take a beat to enjoy fantastic Japanese food while exercising your right to have an extra-long midday meal. That business plan for food vending machines on every corner can wait.