Rice Culture - Stuffed Waffles & Soft Serve — Restaurant in Merrifield

TL;DR: Taiyaki and soft serve spot, with a few other options. On the pricier side

Rice Culture finally made it to a storefront! I have had their taiyakis at farmer's markets/other pop-ups before, so was super excited to try during their grand opening.

Interior is cute and have ordering kiosks for people to look at the menu/make their order. I can see how this could cause a delay if people are taking a long time to enter their order, causing a bottleneck and subsequently, a long line.

For ice cream orders, you order at the kiosk, and then when they call your number, you go up to the counter and customize your toppings (pocky, wafers, cookies, sprinkles, etc.) Again, I could imagine when it gets super busy that this could cause the line to get backed up.

Prices are on the higher side imo, but the best value is to get the soft serve with the taiyaki (only $1 more than just the soft serve; and I asked for my taiyaki on the side)

FOOD: ~Black Sesame Soft Serve (5/5): Biased because I love when black sesame flavors are done right. This one was really good. Nutty and slightly sweet, but very light and not overbearing.

~Ube/Pandan Soft Serve (4.5/5; 4/5): Again, really light and on the sweeter side, but really good

~Corn Soft Serve (3/5): This one is really my personal preference. Objectively, the flavor is good and tastes like corn flakes. I think maybe this just isn't the flavor for me because after a few bites had a salty/savory finishing note that wasn't to my taste. Reminded me of a milder Milk Bar ice cream (I hated Milk Bar lol).

~Taiyaki that come on the soft serve (4/5): because these are hollow for the ice cream, they had really nice crispy edges

~Taiyaki (3/5): I've had these during their pop-ups and loved them. But those are usually constantly churned out and very warm and fresh. These were not as fresh, the dough on the inside was undercooked, and the custard was all dried up. So it just felt like eating mushy dough. Went again the next week, and they were much better.

I know their taiyakis are good, but inconsistent from my experience. Either way, I like bringing them home and heating them up...

The grand opening of Rice Culture unfolded as a shared tale of anticipation turning into collective disappointment for me and my three friends. Excitement buzzed in the air as we, along with the first 20 attendees, braved a bone-chilling 3-hour wait in the aftermath of a snowstorm. The promise of coveted sweatshirts or tote bags heightened our expectations, only to be met with a stark reality as we reached the front of the line.

Standing there, shivering in the cold, our toes numb from the freezing temperatures, we discovered that Rice Culture had run out of XL and L sweatshirt sizes. The bitter winds carried not just the chill of the weather but also a sense of disappointment. Huddled together for warmth, we realized that the grand opening, which was meant to be a celebration, had turned into a tale of insufficient preparation and unfulfilled promises.

As we shared our mutual dismay, our frustration heightened when we noticed the staff capturing excessive social media content without our consent. Instead of addressing our concerns or acknowledging our suffering in the cold, they seemed more focused on documenting our discomfort for their benefit. The disconnect between their actions and our freezing predicament deepened the disappointment.

Adding to the frustration, they also got my order wrong! The employees, seemingly impatient and rushing us through the process, further tainted the experience. The grand opening of Rice Culture, meant to be a delightful introduction, left us with numb toes, unmet promises, and a bitter taste from the staff's insensitivity to...

Went to Rice Culture soft opening this past weekend. RC’s founders started making taiyakis in their tiny apartment then on to ghost kitchen, going to farmers markets and other events/festivals, and now they have open their first store.

Their taiyakis are the perfect snack, I have tried their ube, pandan, red bean, custard flavors; they also have Oreo and Nutella and corn&cheese. Really love that they give a generous amount of creamy, soft fillings.

Their soft serve are a new addition and I enjoyed their pandan, corn, ube and black sesame. I personally like that it’s not too sweet, it’s just right amount. Something I really love about RC is that they are always surprising us with new/different flavors or menu options. The corn ice cream is definitely a delicious surprise! They also do swirls: ube/corn, ube/pandan, and ube/black sesame. Their toppings include: Ube wafers, pocky sticks, oreo crumble, toasted coconut, Christmas sprinkles, rice crispies, matcha powder, biscuit cookie.

Their customer service is great, despite being busy, it’s pretty quick. Ordering process is easy; You place your order at the self service kiosk, very user-friendly. And while you’re waiting for your order, you can watch the staff member making the taiyakis and soft serve.

Couple other things I want to mention: ⁃ Appreciate that their spoons are individually wrapped ⁃ There’s a sign for “Order Here” and “Pick Up” so you know where exactly to go. ⁃ Love their designs, colors, furniture, neon sign. Cool, chill atmosphere.

Do the Rice Thing and check out...