Mochi-ya Ren

I love their drinks. Not too sweet and with good depth and balance of flavor. It is really difficult to find matcha lattes here that taste close to what they have in Japan because although matcha drinks are ubiquitous in the bay area, most matcha drinks are way too sugary and the matcha tastes bad. I'm glad I can go here to get a semblance of what I'd get in Japan.

Matcha crepe! Uncommon to find. You can also have mini Mochi balls in your crepe to further the Japanese twist in this modern snack. How unique and lovely is that. The menu is also expansive with other unique Japanese treats like fresh fruits Mochi, Mochi ice cream, Hojicha lattes, with authentic matcha from Kagoshima - latte, crepe, ice cream, Mochi - in any form you could imagine. It’s a boutique stand right next to the entrance of the beloved Japanese Bookstore, Kinokuniya. So there you have it, grab a wonderful treat - a hot Hojicha or a satisfying matcha crepe freshly made to order - to wrap your Japanese bookstore trip, in warmth and in awe.

The crepe was delicious. A little hard to eat with the paper wrap.

This review is for Hailey’s excellent service. Today I got a cheese foam matcha drink and didn’t come back til 50 minutes later. Hailey notified me that it has been too long and she has to remake for me. Despite her coworker is on lunch break, she is making crepes, drinks, and on the register taking orders. She made the drink in a short period of time. The cheese foam matcha I ordered is light on ice and I don’t remember I specified the sweet level but it is just right. Matcha flavor is really strong and the cheese foam amount is just right. Will definitely come back.

They make fresh fruit mochi and matcha ice cream/matcha latter. The mochi is fresh and must be consumed by the end of day. Because it uses fresh fruit, it is not too sweet. The combination of fruit and sweet red bean gives a good balance of sweetness and sourness. The only complaint I have is the price.

I got the matcha soft serve here, expecting it to have that authentic matcha taste. However, the soft serve looks like a matcha soft serve but tastes like a green-dyed vanilla soft serve with slight specks of matcha. I wish it would have more of a matcha taste. The other items on the menu looks good so I will come back to try the other items. Hopefully it’ll be better than the matcha soft serve.

Got the Blueberry matcha and strawberry matcha drinks on separate occasions. Always very tasty, the fruit compote is sweet and fresh (but not too sweet). The fruit mochi is pretty good (although a bit over priced at times). Would recommend, great selection of snacks and drinks. I need to try the crepes out sometime.