Third Culture Bakery Berkeley

"The creators of the cult hit mochi muffin also make seriously tasty matcha drinks at their Berkeley show room. They range from the typical (hand whisked or in latte form) to the creative (matcha with rice milk, turmeric, and honey, or sparkling matcha with lychee), and you can pair them with one of Third Culture’s matcha baked goods, like matcha custard cakes or matcha-glazed mochi donuts." - Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Janelle Bitker

"The last San Francisco outpost for Third Culture Bakery closed on Sunday, June 2. Owners Wenter Shyu and Sam Butarbutar wrote in an Instagram post the shop was difficult to staff consistently. They say this closure allows them to better focus on the flagship location in Berkeley, such as offering tours and matcha workshops." - Paolo Bicchieri

"Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley has been turning out kimchi and cheese-topped mochi waffles and chewy, many-flavored mochi donuts since 2018." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors

"Sam Butarbutar and Wenter Shyu opened Third Culture in 2016, immediately winning praise for their signature mochi muffin (currently shrouded in controversy). If you’re a cynic, it might almost sound like a trend-chasing hybrid in the vein of the cronut, but it’s a brown-butter treat with a unique contrast between interior and exterior, born of an Indonesian dessert Butarbutar’s mother made him. Mochiko rice from the Central Valley is the key ingredient in nearly everything on Third Culture’s menu, from brownies to doughnuts, along with matcha-based drinks to wash it down. Muffins are one of life’s singular pleasures, and better still, everything here is carefully sourced, meaning the doughnuts are simultaneously whole foods and hole foods." - peter astrid kane

"Third Culture Bakery made it less than seven months before closing, and co-owner Wenter Shyu cited issues with unhoused individuals in the neighborhood, as well as increased rent, as reasons for the closure." - Paolo Bicchieri