Taiyaki NYC x The Dough Club - Cambridge

Taiyaki NYC is a chain of Taiyaki (Ice cream served inside a fish bun) store originated from NYC, with a fellow location in Boston's Seaport area. We came in on a cold day and late at night, so understandably there wasn't much visitors, but the staff were quick with making our ice cream. There is very little seating inside, but there is amenities such as a self-service ordering kiosk as well as games to play in the store. I got the Choco-Lit, which is a chocolate ice cream with additional toppings included. at $9, it is a decent size, a bit on the smaller side, but the taste was perfect. It is a softer ice cream, but very flavorful. Overall, a good treat for after a date or for younger kids. They did serve ours in a bowl because we requested it, but it can also be served within the fish as well.

As always, Tayaki NYC never fails to deliver! Rich, creamy and delicious ice cream, perfectly prepared Tayaki. And this collab with The Dough Club is perfect! Amazing Mochi donuts!

This ! Totally awesome ice cream served in a red bean fish shaped cone. Very unique experience. The mochi donut wasn't bad either except they didn't have the fondant cookie as shown in the photo but the lovely lady behind the counter made up for it by offering additional ice cream cone decor. Highly recommended.

It was okay. I ordered the Taiyaki with custard filling and vanilla chocolate ice cream. It looked nice, but nothing really stood out about the taste—it felt pretty average overall.

I love the Taiyaki, and I love the ice cream. This combination cannot be avoided, and the cafe did a really good job on this. Taiyaki Ice Cream is very balanced and super enjoyable. The red bean and vanilla in Taiyaki are also very good. The staff is nice and kind, also well-explained when we asked questions. Overall, the experience is good, and we had a super fun visit here.

I dont't like the mochi donuts here. They have a weird texture, especially the butter mochi ones. They're grainy instead of chewy & they are pretty tasteless. The butter ones are straight up gross, as in inedible. I also don't like the 'frosting'. There's too much food dye ao it tastes bitter, especially the cookie monster (it's blue so theres a bunch of red dye in it which is what causes the bitterness). Also, they offer oatmilk for the milkshake but the ice cream is dairy-which is fine but if you try to order it like that the guy tells you it doesnt make sense. Then don't offer it? The lady that works there is super nice though so I wish the mochis were better. The big cream bombs are ok but the pastry tastes & feels super stale. like choux that was frozen & defrosted so its chewy but stale chewy. The whipped cream is good, not too sugary I usually go to Mochinut OneZo, & their stuff is awesome. I'd take a pass on this & just go to Gongcha for lychee slush instead or Lizzy's for ice cream if youre on Church.

A regular taiyaki ice cream was $9.00. Definitely tasted good, but damn with that price… the mochi donuts are just ok, the frosting a little too sweet

Recently had the pleasure of indulging in the delightful treats from this place. From their unique taiyaki ice cream cones to their delicious mochi donuts, the experience was a true delight for the taste buds. On my most recent visit, I tried their matcha & strawberry ice cream. The warm and soft taiyaki cone was a perfect complement to the creamy ice cream. The cone itself was superior to those I've tasted at other places, with flawless presentation and a satisfying texture. The flavors and toppings were also carefully curated, creating a truly enjoyable treat. I was also pleased with the fluffy texture and the creative flavors of the mochi donuts on offer. Some of my favorites were the cookie monster and the strawberry cheesecake donut. Featuring a cheesecake glaze, strawberry crunch, and graham crumbs, the cheesecake donut offered a delightful twist on a classic dessert. Whether you're a fan of taiyaki cones or have a penchant for donuts, I would highly recommend trying the delightful and innovative Japanese desserts from this place.

Such a treat to have Taiyaki in Harvard Square and not having to commute all the way to Boston for this! As someone who isn't crazy about matcha, their matcha ice cream and red bean were delicious! Wish they have more seating inside. They only have a little bench that can fit two people. Otherwise, service was quick and efficient! I'll definitely be coming back here whenever I have a matcha craving.

Cute little place on the side of Harvard Square! They have a little ipad to order off of so its very seamless and smooth. It was quiet when we went but it was quick and very delicious, and the guy making it gave us some extra ice cream on the side since it was slow and really hot out. The matcha ice cream is really good, and the red bean in the taiyaki is tasty as well. The actual dough of the taiyaki is a tiny bit bland and dry, but did not ruin our experience of it and was still delicious. They have some claw machines too while you wait, so definitely just a fun moment for our group.

Cute dessert place for pictures. I recommend the taiyaki, but I don't think the donuts are worth it. I ordered a lavender latte, matcha ice cream taiyaki with custard filling, and a matcha mochi donut. I liked the taiyaki dough. It was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, but I wish there was more custard filling. The matcha ice cream had a strong matcha flavor. But with the matcha ice cream, it was hard to taste any of the custard filling. Overall, the taiyaki was solid. The mochi donut was not great. The icing was too hard and cracked off of the donut with each bite, and the donut itself didn't have the best mochi texture. For these reasons, I felt that the donut was overpriced, and I wouldn't get it again. There isn't a lot of seating here. There is only 1 bench inside that seats 2 people. So, it's not ideal for anyone wanting to eat and stay. You'll probably have to stand around.

The actual taiyaki waffle was stale and barely had any filling. There are no interesting soft serve flavors, just super basic choices that have no connection to east or SE Asian flavors. Nothing to warrant the price. Had better taiyaki plus soft serve in an Asian food court in Wisconsin. Will maybe come back for the baked goods which people have said are better and update the review if it is merited. Very sad bc I really wanted to like this place but the taiyaki tasted like cardboard with cold metallic vanilla cream on it

I honestly think taiyaki is a bit overrated and not really worth the hype. I got the matcha flavor and it was $9 for a small scoop. There wasn't anything unique about the matcha - it's just the taiyaki that makes it look cool. There are self order machines. Customer service is excellent - there were only 2 employees working at the time we were there, and our ice cream was prepared efficiently. Overall rating: 8/10

How did I not try this before? Ordered for delivery and was DELICIOUS. The matcha one & the vanilla whipped cream bomb were my favorite! I was really surprised by the texture of all of these, it's a little more chewy than I thought, but in the best way possible! I already cannot wait to get more, but this time will be in person !

I got the matcha strawberry swirl which was a great combo. The unicorn horns and ears are so cute

Yes the goods at Taiyaki NYC x The Dough Club in Cambridge are perfectly tasty. Yes the ice cream in a fish's head cake is a beautiful touch. Yes the beaded donuts are intriguing in their form if nothing else. But do we really need to be paying as much for a small ice cream as we pay for two Market Basket footlong subs? Perhaps you, but not me. And we order at a kiosk (why are there so many of them?). So surely we pay for the relative novelty and nothing else. We certainly are not paying for exceptionality. This review shall be kept brief because there is little more to say. If you like paying upwards of $9 for some ice cream in a taiyaki, this is your place.

This afternoon I decided to stop by Taiyaki NYC for a quick snack. They have two of this locations in Boston, one located in the seaport area and the other one located right in Harvard square. This store is very easy to access as it's right at the intersection of church street and Massachusetts avenue. I would recommend using the T and get off right at the Harvard square stop since parking is very limited in this area. As soon as you enter this shop you are greated by lovely and welcoming employees. The ambiance of this store is very nice and very nicely decorated. There's no seating so the majority of customers just stop to grab and go. They have a very good menu variety, as shown in the picture below not only they have regular mochi donuts, but they also have butter mochi donuts which are gluten free and whipped cream bombs. They also have a big variety of ice creams flavors with great topping and syrup choices. They also have cold drinks, sodas and hot drinks. They also offer a seasonal menu which special flavors like red velvet. Today I tried the vanilla cream bomb and the peach passion fruit soda. The cream bomb was really big and the filling was plenty. It tasted very good and not too sweet. You could taste that the dough was freshly made. The soda was also delicious. Everything was lovely and I had a great experience. I recommend this place to everyone that happens to be around the area.

I've been to Taiyaki NYC x The Dough Club in Cambridge twice now, and it's always a delightful experience. The matcha mocha donut is my go-to treat - the dough is fluffy, and the matcha flavor is just right. I've also enjoyed their ice cream at the seaport location. The staff is friendly and efficient. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area! The inside is very pretty and they have a lot of different options on the menu.

Love the texture of these donuts. Really enjoyed the tiramisu mochi nut's flavors. The yuzu was a bit too sweet for my taste but really loved the donut 's texture.

Excited to see they opened a location in Harvard Square. Fun place to visit when you're downtown. I wish it was a little closer to the main drag but it's still within walking distance. Got the chocolate ice cream with the custard filled taiyaki--so good. On the self-checkout tablets, they had some sort of special along the lines of "buy a taiyaki and a donut for $10"...I forget the exact details. Unfortunately I didn't see this until after. Definitely look to see if they still have this special when you go. A little pricey, but will be back!

The soft serve here is just meh. I got the matcha ice cream with a red bean filling taiyaki cone, chocolate syrup and sweetened condensed milk drizzle, oreo crumbs, and graham cracker cranes. This thing is a MESS to eat! Be prepared with napkins. The cone was soggy and squishy. The best part was the bottom with red bean filling. With so many other ice cream options in Harvard Square, I wouldn't recommend filling up on this treat unless you really wanna try this trend or take a pretty pic.

I like the soft serve ice cream. The baked fish bread is really optional and doesn't add much to the taste. Though it does add to the look of the dessert in general. The doughnuts are too sweet for my liking.

Delicious! second time coming, was met with fast service and great treats. definitely go here if your in the area!

This shop is very cute. I love how they added seasonal decor of Halloween. I got the pumpkin spice donut which was also seasonal. The donut was very pretty but I found the taste to be a bit underwhelming. I did like how I could place my order on the iPad so I didn't have to wait in line to get my order in the system.

Very cute place to grab dessert! I always find myself going to Taiyaki after having dinner in Harvard. Their soft serve ice cream is super creamy and delicious, my favorite flavors being their matcha and hojicha. Originally, I thought the concept was a bit gimicky to add soft serve on top of taiyaki but I really enjoy it, especially when the taiyaki is still warm and crispy! They also offer the taiyaki by itself in a variety of flavors if you want to opt out of the ice cream. This location is super cute but very small and offers minimal seating. They have both a counter you can order at and two self order stations. Service has always been fast and efficient. I have yet to have any of their drinks and donuts so I am unable to comment on that but will definitely come back for more ice cream!

Small, cute little ice cream shop located in Harvard Square. The smell of freshly baked dough is so inviting and will immediately make your mouth water. We ordered two different kinds of taiyaki (classic with vanilla custard and the other was the chocolate one) as well as a mochi cream bun. The taiyaki were baked fresh and the ice cream was smooth and velvety and to-die for. We loved it so much that we came back the next day for more (and then the weekend after it too). The bun was delicious -- the cream was light and fluffy and not too sweet, it was just perfect. I definitely recommend this place, and it is now in my list of eateries to frequent in Boston.

Dough club review- wish they had more flavor options. Last time I came here I remember the donuts being more firm, this time they were alright. Probably would stick to the mochi donut as the larger one is just too dough-y

My brother and I split the #4 which was strawberry and matcha swirl soft serve in a red bean filled fish cone. The strawberry was a lot sweeter than what I expected and overpowered the matcha taste. The fish was prepared prior and therefore did not have the contrasted temperature or chewiness I was hoping for. It was slightly sweet and tasty enough as well as the stick of rainbow mochis on the side. Overall, it was decent enough and staff were friendly. I would come again.

The perfect simple dessert with personality. Lots of fun options, and everything is super sweet. This would be a great spot for a date because there is so much to try. Good lighting, music, and smells but no where to sit inside. Also we were slightly bummed that the donuts and cones were not warm.

It's a fun place to go as a tourist thingy to do but it's fine. More of a novelty shop. There's no seating so there's really bo ambiance to speak of. It's weird that they have separate iPads for the donuts and the ice cream but they stacked them on top of each other so even though there were 4 iPads, only 2 people can order at a time. One of the iPads were out of order. The place looks kinda shoddy to be honest, not a lot of effort went into up-keeping. The unicorn set topping tastes really bad so just don't get it unless you want a cute IG photo. I really liked the hojicha soft serve because it's not too sweet. The mochi on a skewer were also so inconvenient to eat because the skewer was so long so it's hard to eat them. The packaging was horrendous. It started melting as soon as it was handed to me but they only had this filmsy paper bag that's too small so it dripped all over my hand. It would be great if they invest in a sturdier bag for the cones. The service was super quick. In and out in less than 5.

Food (3/5): I have been hearing great things about Taiyaki NYC for a while now, so when I saw they had a location in Cambridge, I was excited to try it. However, it didn't live up to my expectations. The ice cream itself was alright, but nothing spectacular. The mochi was pretty bad. It was not that chewy, and there was barely any flavor. Service (4/5): Pretty standard service for an ice cream shop! There was no above-and-beyond service (ex. letting you try the flavor before ordering), but it was solid. Ambiance (4/5): There were no seats, so we stood in the back to eat. Overall a little cramped. Overall (3/5): I have been hearing hype about this ice cream for years now, so maybe it was just overhyped. The ice cream isn't terrible, but just wasn't that great.

Taiyaki is perfectly located near Harvard Square, but hidden from the main road. I have had their ice cream previously in their Seaport location and this one was up to par. I ordered the strawberry custard taiyaki with mochi and rainbow sprinkles and it was delightful and refreshing. I was disappointed only because they ran out of the unicorn taiyaki flavor. The line wasn't very long and like most places in Cambridge, parking was street parking.

I recently got to try taiyaki while I was in Boston. This is a small ice cream shop in Cambridge, MA. There was no line when we got there. Infact, we were very lucky to get the parking just across the store. It's a small little store that serves taiyaki ice cream and mochi donuts. They had two options in the fish cone - custard filled and sweet red bean paste. We opted for the custard filled taiyaki with strawberry & matcha and vanilla with chocolate. Both tasted equally good. The only thing is that this soft serve ice cream melts very quickly. So get your phones ready and take pictures as quickly as you can before it starts dripping all over you!! Love the beautiful painting on the wall. Totally instagram worthy! I am definitely going back when I visit Boston again!!

The place is super cute! The wall decor is perfect for a cute pic, but there's no where to sit/there's a standing station at the window. I personally didn't like the strawberry flavor because it tasted super artificial but the rest was solid. I gave it a 4 star because the price was $9 each and I think that it's just a bit expensive for what it is/tasted like! Other than that it's a fun place to go and enjoy a dessert to come and go. There's also redbean in the bread at the bottom! The service was super fast and nice as well. I would come once in a blue moon though.

Delicious and super fast and friendly service! I got the vanilla taiyaki with chocolate toppings and I was more than satisfied. Make sure to grab some napkins, it can be a little messy! Overall, super cute and tasty treats. Will be coming again to try the mochi donuts!

Perfect replace for desert with unique mochi doughnut flavors and other treats. The doughnuts were the perfect texture. Chewy and light, but maybe a little sweet for my liking. We got the chocolate and yuzu mochi doughnuts and tried out their new cream bomb (it was the first day they were selling them!). The cream bomb had a yeasty dough that tasted great on its own but created a strange flavor when paired with the matcha cream inside. Probably still workshopping that one. They had just opened and service was a little slow, but I expect that will improve once they have time to settle in.

The hojicha flavor is my favorite here, with the matcha coming in second. This location can get quite busy, and with the limited space, there isn't much room for too many people to hang out after receiving their order.

I love Taiyaki ice cream and their cute cones. I'll hook you anytime lol You can select a cone filled w either custard or sweet red bean(they don't come plain). The flavors of soft serve are delicious. You can get fun toppings and they look super cute. They have mochi donuts. The cookie monster one is so yummy. I got a 1/2 dozen just to try the flavors they all are decorated very pretty. The texture of a mochi donut is different from your average donut. I'd say try one first before you buy a half dozen but that's just me. Overall good experience.

Fun dessert options such as mochi donuts or ice-cream filled taiyakis. For the taiyakis, you can choose to order from the given menu, or customize your order to your liking (ice cream, drizzle, toppings, etc.). There's also kiosks you can use to order and service is very quick. I tried the strawberry + match swirl ice cream and thought it was pretty decent. Not too sweet, but the taste wasn't as great as how cute the dessert looks. It is a small and cute shop inside, so it isn't really a place to sit down and I'd recommend taking everything to-go.

Novelty desserts! A bit confusing why there were 2 separate computers where you'd order on one for the Mochi donuts and the other for taiyaki? I had to make 2 separate payments which also asked for 2 tips! The service was fast... warm and crunchy taiyaki cone and tasty matcha ice cream with colorful Mochi gummies on a bamboo stick was great. As for my Ube /coconut Mochi donut...the topping did not taste like Ube but just like sugar icing. The donut needed more Mochi flour or something? It was somewhat bland. Sorry it did not beat the Mochi donuts in Japantown in San Francisco. Nice try. But your presentation is awesome!

Soft opening this week, with official opening this weekend! So exciting to see the Harvard Square area with so many new additions just this past year! The cashiers are very friendly, and they have an Instagram wall for photos!! I'm so excited for this new addition and can't wait to return!

Cute and tasty ice cream place :) I tried the matcha strawberry ice cream in a taiyaki cone with hazelnut creme. I liked that the ice cream wasn't too sweet! I also saw they have mochi donuts so I'll have to drop by again to try them!

I don't know why it took me so long to come here. I ordered the churro mochi donut on a random whim tonight and wow, I've been missing out. The storefront is cute but I'm not a big fan of kiosk ordering. The workers were efficient but not super friendly. The texture of this donut was actually remarkable. Each little ball of dough is the perfect bite size of chewy deliciousness. I will be back and definitely want to try more flavors! The ice cream looked insane, too.

This is a go to spot for sure. I don't care that the ice cream gets messy, it's 100% worth it. Doesn't take a while even tho it's packed. Vibe inside is chill, and they got cool claw machines in there.

I was excited to see that this place was finally open -- I'm always excited to try a new mochi donut place, and always hoping to have good taiyaki. I got the custard taiyaki, which takes about 6 minutes to make to order and costs $3.50 with tax included. I was pretty underwhelmed by this -- I thought the consistency of the taiyaki was more cakey than chewy/fluffy. My gold standard is Somi Somi in LA, and I have yet to try anything in the East Coast that lives up to it. I also tried three mochi donuts -- miso bacon, matcha, and yuzu. The donuts are $3.50 each with tax included, or $20 for 6, which is on par with other mochi donut shops in the area. These were great! I thought the consistency of the donuts themselves was excellent -- light, fluffy, and chewy. One thing I didn't like as much was that the yuzu and matcha toppings were thick and hard so they fell off easily while eating. The miso bacon glaze was less dry so it didn't have this problem. Overall I think the consistency of the mochi donut itself is better than other shops in the area, but I prefer the matcha coating/toppings at Mochinut better. But this location is certainly more convenient, so I'll probably be back next time I'm craving mochi donuts! I probably will not get the taiyaki again.

Stopped by recently to try the Taiyaki ice cream and doughnuts. The staff was really nice! I wanted matcha and vanilla and she offered to mix the two even though it's not on the menu. It wasn't too busy midday. The matcha was creamy and flavorful and paired perfectly with the vanilla. The Taiyaki itself was crunchy and had a decent amount of custard filling. Now the doughnuts. I love mochi doughnuts and this is definitely a great spot for them. Chewy and sweet, a 10/10

Chocolate Heaven and Strawberry Cheesecake donut Both 10/10 would recommend - I need to try to churro donut-

I got 3 mochi donuts from the dough club (no photo of the matcha donut). They were all super good, but my favorite was the orange one. So cute and so yummy perfect balance of sweet and citrusy. Service was fast and the cashier was really sweet. Perfect dessert addition to harvard square. Would come again

Cute location at Cambridge offering both Taiyaki Ice Cream and Mochi donuts. I would say this is a great addition to Cambridge and happy to see a small business expanding here! Products are made fresh at the store and staff is incredibly friendly. Try both the ice cream Taiyaki and mochi donuts! You will not regret this!

Great dessert place, however on the expensive side especially for its portion sizes. There's also a pretty long wait during the evening hours, around 10-15 minutes, but the flavors and the presentation's definitely worth it at the end! Definitely check out this place if you're around the Cambridge area.

The store just recently opened in Harvard Square. I went while it was raining so it wasn't as busy as I had expected it to be. I tried their cookie monster and churro mochi donuts and both were great. I've had the ice cream from Taiyaki's Seaport location before so I'd expect it to be just as good at this store. Service was quick and friendly. I can't wait to return for more donuts and ice cream.

Although I liked the items I picked out, there was nothing spectacular about them. The Yuzu donut was good but I wish the flavors were stronger. And as for the red bean fish, the red bean filling was really good and well filled but the actual dough part was definitely a little off, maybe undercooked? I still recommend trying at least once.

Some of the best ice cream/soft serve in Cambridge/somerville! Great friendly staff and easy kiosk ordering.

Overrated and overpriced. First time I came, I got a half dozen mochi donuts to share, and we all agreed that they were stale, oversweet, and tasted the exact same. One of the flavors, which is advertised as having a chocolate wafer stick on top, came with a hilariously sad pretzel stick instead. The next time, I came for the taiyaki. It was fine. By all accounts, it was serviceable. However, at a nearly $9 price point, serviceable is frankly unacceptable. You can walk about a mile to Yotopia for the same thing, and not only will it be cheaper, it will be made with love, not cynical trendiness. I will not be returning.

The mochi donuts are so good. I think it's better than Mochinut. It's soft and chewy. Not a hard donut like the other shop. Awesome flavors. Got stopped by many people asking about it, it's so cute and yummy. I highly recommend this. I had to get more. Cookie Monster is my favorite flavor. Staff were friendly and the place was so cute for photos.

I intended to rate as 5 starts but was in recently and the taiyaki was not warm which detracted from the whole experience. Not sure if this is a new thing to use cones sitting around that were made earlier I am hoping that is not the case. Will be back to see and find out.

Delicious, novel experience with unique flavors. Very Instagram worthy cones. I felt it was a bit pricey, but definitely worth a try!

We tried taiyaki classic icecream , custard taiyaki, cookie monster donuts. We loved everything. Although the place was packed, they still managed to make taiyaki custurd buns very fresh and fast. Such a nice service and nice people.