Nestled in a shopping plaza on 3030 Severn Ave., across from Lakeside Mall in Metairie, is a donut shop like none other: Mochinut. Step inside, and you’ll feel immediately transported to a cafe in Seoul, South Korea or Tokyo, Japan.
Mochinut provides a bright, airy, and open cafe atmosphere filled with sweet smells, pop music, and toy vending machines filled with kawaii (cute) delights (Sanrio and anime-inspired stickers, stuffies, and trinkets). It’s a place you can stop by briefly or linger for awhile. Anyone at any age will enjoy the tasty treats and fun vibe– babies, toddlers, and school aged children will love the bright colors and toys; teens will love the cool Asian-inspired ambience; adults and elderly folks will love the youthful, lighthearted feel.
So what exactly is a Mochinut?
A Mochinut is a mochi donut – a blend of Japanese mochi and American-style donuts – originating in the Hawaiian islands. A mochi donut is soft and chewy (like mochi) on the inside, but crisp like a donut on the outside. Each mochinut donut consists of eight small, round, mochi-sized dough balls, connected in a circular shape. (I thought it looked a little like a delicious toddler teething toy when I first saw one.)
Mochinut donuts are made with rice flour, which makes them delightfully stretchy and chewy, and much lighter than the usual American doughnut made from yeast or cake.
Mochinut offers different flavors of mochi donuts every few days. Last week they offered churro, butterfinger, ube pebbles, Elmo glazed, original glazed, black sesame churro, and beignet donuts. The flavors offered are often holiday themed (king cake inspired flavors were available throughout during Carnival season; during early January, Tulane’s football team was honored with “Green Tea Wave” and LSU’s team with an “LS-Ube” flavor). Most recently, during St. Patrick’s day weekend, “Shamerock Shake,” key lime pie, matcha, and honey dew melon were some of the lucky green-flavors available. Mochi Donuts are available for for single order, orders of three, six, or a dozen. You can also mix and match flavors when ordering more than one.
But mochi donuts are only one of the options are the Mochinut menu. Korean Rice Flour Hotdogs, bubble tea drinks, and soft serve ice cream are also offered.
Mochinut’s Korean Rice Flour Hot Dogs (commonly called “Korean Corn Dogs”) are hot dogs or mozzarella (or both) coated in a panko batter (Potato, Ramen, Crunch Cereal, or Hot Cheetos may be added as optional toppings) and deep fried. They’re topped off with some sugar and your choice of condiments: sriracha mayo, ketchup, or mustard. It’s a sweet and salty celebration that your taste buds won’t soon forget– and as filling as a meal, but as quick to eat as a snack.
“Rice Dogs” can also be ordered in singles or multiples. All-beef hot dogs, half and half (half mozzarella, half beef hot dog), or all-mozzarella are available.
Mochinut’s bubble teas are served in signature plastic containers with aluminum can lids. Flavors such as Thai Tea, Ube, Matcha, and coffee are sure to delight your taste buds.
Mochinut is an international chain of donut shops (found in Thailand, South Korea, and around the US), but the Metairie location is the only one in Louisiana- for now. The Mochinut website mentions that a Westbank location (on Manhattan Blvd.) and Baton Rouge location will be coming soon.
The Metairie location is currently open 7 days a week: Monday-Thursday, 11am-6pm; Friday and Saturday 11am-8pm; Sunday 11am-5pm. Be sure to make time to stop by this one-of-a-kind culturally diverse culinary delight during your next trip to the Lakeside Mall or while running errands in Metairie.
