Chi Ian Chan Opens Kine Musubi as New York City's First Musubi Shop

“There was no musubi in New York that satisfied my cravings,” Chi Ian Chan said, “so I made my own.” That personal quest has now materialized on the Upper West Side, where Chan and his wife and business partner, Lizzy Han, have officially opened Kine Musubi, establishing New York City’s first dedicated musubi shop.

Chan spent his first 30 years growing up in Honolulu’s Chinatown on O’ahu, Hawaii—though he notes he never surfed a day in his life and prefers skateboarding instead. Four years ago, he left his native island for Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan to join Han. While he embraced his new home, he found that the classic Hawaiian rice-and-Spam snack ubiquitous in Honolulu was shockingly difficult to find in New York.

From Facebook Pop-Ups to West 72nd Street

To bridge the gap, Chan initially began selling the traditional snack through a Facebook neighborhood group. That grassroots effort successfully expanded into a series of Sunday musubi pop-ups hosted at an Upper West Side sushi restaurant. Building on that momentum, Chan upped his commitment in May of 2025 by signing a lease for a slender storefront located on prime West 72nd Street.

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Opening the physical shop required navigating a lengthy administrative process. Following sixteen months of waiting on permits and for construction to be completed, the storefront is finally open to customers, giving the neighborhood its distinct new culinary destination.

The Launch of Kine Musubi

With the completion of the long permit and construction phase, Kine Musubi now operates as the city’s sole dedicated shop for the beloved island snack. Patrons visiting the slender Upper West Side space can purchase made-to-order musubi crafted by an Oahu native who turned a personal craving into a permanent Manhattan business venture alongside Lizzy Han.