After seeing a coming-soon sign of a new store called Mochinut over the summer, we couldn’t resist checking it out for ourselves. Nestled on Big Basin Way between Fine Vines and Mai’s Barber, the light blue rectangular building has a sign outside, inviting customers to come in.
The moment we walked inside, we noticed the shop’s kawaii aesthetic — delicate cherry blossoms hung across the walls and ceiling, giving the space a dreamy atmosphere. A foosball table was tucked away in one corner, adding a playful touch, and all throughout the shop were couches and tables offering plenty of comfortable places to sit and enjoy a treat.
Mochinut is a global franchise originating in California. It’s known for its mochi donuts — a fusion of traditional American-style donuts and Japanese mochi.
The store wasn’t too busy when we walked in, so we quickly ordered at the kiosks presented at the front. We decided to get a box of three mochi donuts: black sesame, strawberry and chocolate, which cost $12 total.
The black sesame had a strong creamy taste with only a small hint of black sesame that was too artificial for our liking. The strawberry tasted exactly like strawberry Pocky, sporting a bright pink, little-too-sticky glaze. We saved the best for last: The chocolate flavor had a soft and chewy texture and wasn’t overly sweet. Although all of them had nice textures, none of them ended up being anything to write home about — especially considering the price at about $4 each.
For drinks, we ordered the passion fruit green tea, mango green tea and tiger milk tea; each costs $6.50 with an additional 50 cents per topping. Normally, we would have liked to adjust the sugar and ice levels, but there wasn’t an option for this — as a result, all the drinks tasted overly sweet, especially the tiger milk tea.
The passion fruit green tea was fruity and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer day. Similarly, the mango green tea tasted fresh and the chunks of mango added to the flavor. Unfortunately, the tiger milk tea had too much brown sugar syrup and tasted less like tea and more like overly sweet milk.
Overpowered by the sweetness, we asked the workers if it was possible to dilute our tiger milk tea. To their credit, they were extremely friendly and immediately offered to remake the whole drink instead.
Lastly, we got an original half-meat, half-cheese Korean corn dog for $7. The outside was fried perfectly, the meat was juicy and the cheese had an insane pull. Although it was on the smaller side and could have been chewier and fluffier, it’s a solid choice considering the store’s convenient location.
The total cost of the meal and drinks came out to be around $40, which we felt was on the expensive side. Despite the good service, prime location and appealing atmosphere, Mochinut’s offerings didn’t justify the high prices it charges.
Rating: 2.5/5 Falcons
