Mochi — Restaurant in Irvine

In December 2011, our dream became a reality when Beard Papa’s opened a store in Irvine. I was a little confused as the location kept saying, “Mochilato”. Once I saw the Beard Papa’s sign on the window, I was so there! Beard Papa’s occupies a small section inside the Mochilato store. While the store displays some pricey specialty items, the unmistakable aroma of the Beard Papa’s cream puffs reminded us of Vancouver. We placed our order with the courteous staff but had to wait a bit while they dealt with an empty or malfunctioning custard tank. A little bit of “Opening Night Jitters,” maybe? That was a little disappointing hiccup in prep and presentation. Once our order was filled, they lovingly boxed our selections. Just a few steps away were long wooden tables where we had our coffee and Beard Papa’s delights.

We chose a couple of each type of puff shell – Original, Éclair, Cookie, Cocoa, and Paris Brest. We did a half and half with the original Vanilla filling and the Special Flavor was Chocolate that day. As I sat down to eat a Cocoa shell with Chocolate filling, savoring the fresh baked scent of the cream puff, I was ALMOST back in Vancouver. As I bit into it, the chocolate puff was crisp and divine, but the chocolate filling was a bit too viscous and messy, unlike the custard I had expected. The Vancouver puff filling was easier to eat without having it squirt every which way. When I went home with my box of puffs, I tried a different method of conquering the soft filling. This time, I chose the Éclair puff with Vanilla filling. I tilted it with the filling hole facing upward and broke a piece of the shell off. Instead of biting into it, I simply broke off pieces of the shell and dipped it in to the filling. That solved the “mess” problem. The Éclair shell is divine and decadent, kind of like a cruller with chocolate icing on top. The Vanilla filling, unfortunately, fell short of my expectation. It seemed to be a watered-down version of the Vanilla custard I first tried...

This dessert shop is truly a hidden gem! The customer service is outstanding—everyone is so friendly, polite, and efficient. We placed our order quickly and tried a variety of items. The Snow Bowl stood out as the highlight of our visit. We ordered the Mango Snow Bowl, Matcha Snow Bowl, and Taro Snow Bowl, and each one was absolutely delicious! We also tried a couple of their mochis, which were fresh and flavorful.

The interior design is charming and cozy, making it a great place to relax. They have adorable cat and flower paintings on the walls, complemented by colorful seating—a pink sofa, a yellow leather couch, a blue sofa, and some wooden elements that add warmth to the space. It’s Instagram-worthy for sure!

One thoughtful touch is the large jar of ice water in the corner, which is perfect for refreshing yourself after indulging in sweet treats.

The location is 14310 Culver Dr Suite #E, Irvine, CA 92604, situated in Heritage Plaza. Parking is very convenient as the plaza provides ample parking spaces, so you don’t have to worry about finding a spot even during busy hours.

Everything was nearly perfect, but I did have a couple of small concerns. Some items on the menu weren’t available, which was a bit disappointing. Also, the Snow Bowls came with red bean topping by default, and we weren’t asked if we wanted it. Personally, I’m not a fan of red bean, so that’s something I’d recommend asking customers about during the ordering process.

That said, the overall vibe of this place is fantastic! It’s quiet, positive, and a great spot to hang out with friends, enjoy dessert, or even study or work. I’ll definitely be coming back to make more content and try other menu items. Highly...

Mochi

I came across this place on my way out of Daiso and decided to venture in to see what they had to offer. The restaurant was relatively busy and the menu was very easy to read. I find the Mochilato concept quite interesting: gelato inside mochi! So they get major points on creativity. They even had a wide array of macarons and other pastries to offer so I decided to get a few of their most popular options.

I ordered a pistachio macaron, a crème brûlée Mochilato, and a traditional crème puff with vanilla filling. The price came out to around $6 for the entire array so it wasn't too expensive per item. Despite the original flavors, I found that this place sold itself short in the taste department. The macaron was too airy and had a cake-y texture to it. I couldn't even taste the pistachio flavor! As far as the crème brûlée Mochilato, I was more than crushed to take a bite into it and find that the pure temperature of it simply masked the taste of the caramel to the point where I didn't even know if I had ordered vanilla or crème brûlée at all. The papa's beard cream puff was alright. Nothing too spectacular.

I suppose if you need a sugar fix then this is a good place for you to visit, but would recommend other locations for...