Amy Y.
Yelp
Guys, these are the best mochi donuts in the bay. I've tried them all, you're welcome. Anyone who says otherwise has defective tastebuds.
I will tell you why it's the best. They make them more or less fresh with a perfect dough batter that's not too oily, not too dense, hard, etc. It's perfectly soft, bouncy, tasty, and chewy. When they make it fresh, they also get the fresh hand dip or sugar coat. They are so good eaten right out of the store. But no fear if you have to partake later - you can reheat in the microwave for like 9 or so seconds, and they'll perk right back up. They're also surprisingly one of the cheaper mochi donuts you'll find in the bay, as prices of other places have gotten ridiculous since the pandemic.
It's such a shame that the original Hawaii-based company closed down everything except this Santa Clara location, and sold it off to another owner. I purchased gift cards that I wasn't able to redeem anymore, but spoke with the current owner and they're honoring it out of their own pocket.
This place is somehow not as popular as it should be; when they originally landed in the bay, the wait was hours long... like half a day basically at Mitsuwa Marketplace. They're trying to branch into other things like drinks, malasadas (not good, dough sucks), ice cream, and poke, but all they really need to do is the mochi donuts. I'm not sure what's up, but they're definitely trying with their cute social media content. They do pretty good promos and swap out seasonal flavors from time to time, so I suggest following their socials.
My preference for flavors is:
- Churro (very solid cinnamon sugar)
- Houjicha (roasty tea)
- Cookies & Cream (mild cream with very subtle chocolate)
- Pandan (fragrant young coconut and vanilla-like)
- Matcha Green Tea (good matcha, balanced creaminess)
- Black Sesame (quite nutty and creamy)
- Milk Chocolate (good chocolate quality, not too heavy on the milk)
- Lilikoi (a little too tart for me)
- Sugar (not fond of plain sugar)