Chewy mochi doughnuts available at new Tacoma-area shop. Ramen-studded corn dogs, too

Head to the H-Mart at 8730 South Tacoma Way and to the south end of the plaza, past Kyoto Japanese Restaurant and BB.Q Chicken. Look for the bubblegum-pink scalloped sign and a life-sized image of a mochi doughnut tower in the window.

Mochinut, a rapidly growing California-based franchise with nearly 100 U.S. stores that also sells Korean-style corn dogs and boba tea, opened a Lakewood outpost in early August. The brand’s 89th store was first teased on Instagram in 2020 — the same year founder Jaewook Ha created the brand in Cerritos, in between Anaheim and Los Angeles. Lakewood joins other Washington state locations in Tukwila, Seattle, Bellevue and Edmonds.

The specialty: addictively chewy rice-flour doughnuts, equally beloved for their unique shape and flavor combinations.

Here’s what you need to know about mochi doughnuts before you go and how to order — the system at Mochinut is touchless, so no pointing and picking like at the typical American shop.

WHAT IS A MOCHI DONUT?

Thanks to a particular piece of equipment that creates eight perfectly round dough balls, the small pieces land in the hot oil and quickly merge into one cohesive ring with a hole. Similar to pull-apart buns, you can enjoy one bite at a time, but you’re likely to finish the entirety pretty quickly.

Believed to have originated in Hawaii at a still-popular shop called MoDo, what we know as “mochi donuts” today have a complicated backstory.

Japanese mochi inspired the glutinous rice flour, which lends that irreplaceable chew. Mister Donut, a Japanese chain that was founded in the United States, is credited with creating the “pon de ring” machine attachment. Others yet posit that two Hawaiian bakers played important roles in creating a fried treat called poi mochi, which combines mashed taro root with mochi into almost a bread-pudding consistency — fried for sturdiness.

THE EXPERIENCE AT MOCHINUT LAKEWOOD

The storefront at Mochinut Lakewood is set up to be takeout-only. There are no tables or chairs, but there is room for a line and a photo wall of pastel pink foam flowers.

When I visited on a Wednesday around 1 p.m., an hour after the strange noon opening, there was one party waiting for their order and another entered while I was there. They were most excited for the corn dogs.

Though the day’s offerings are on display in a typical clear case, a staff member directed me to order at a tablet affixed to the wall. Order and pay by card here, entering your phone number to receive a text message when it’s ready. (In the future, being able to order online from anywhere would offer ultimate convenience, especially with kids in the car.)

You can order single doughnuts for $3 each, or opt for a half-dozen ($16.50) or full dozen ($30). Choose your flavors and the quantity of each — mix and match as you please.

First-month flavors have included Ube, Matcha Orea, Strawberry Funnel Cake, Chocolate Crunch, Cotton Candy and Thai Tea. They rotate weekly — check Instagram for updates on Monday morning.

Here you can also try Korean corn dogs in a multitude of styles ($5-$6), all served on a stick but handed to you in a paper basket: a full hot dog coated in a yeasted batter and fried, batter stuffed with cheese and fried (not unlike a mozzarella stick), or half-and-half. Choose a coating — hot Cheetos, crispy ramen noodles, studs of fries mysteriously affixed — and one complimentary sauce such as spicy mango or sriracha mayo.

WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND MOCHI DONUTS IN TACOMA?

Down the street at another delicious plaza, Bon Bon Bakery offers a Korean mochi doughnut called chapssal, the round orbs filled with red bean paste or laced with green tea. Here you can also try bigger, flatter versions covered in crunchy panko as well as kkwabaegi, a common Korean twist doughnut doused in sugar.

Across the bridge, independently owned and operated Milkvue Donuts has been serving Gig Harbor since December 2019. The takeout-only shop has garnered a reputation for cool flavors like horchata, blueberry lavender, durian and pandan. Drinks include Olympia Coffee espresso and ice cream by the pint recently debuted in similar hues such as Ube Oreo and Black Sesame.

THE VERDICT ON MOCHINUT

Doughnuts: We loved the Matcha Oreo, which carried a nice, earthy quality that’s often missing from matcha-flavored foods, and the Ube, vibrant in its popular purple dress. The Cookies & Cream leaned into the over-the-top sweetness, but the Churro was nice and simple in its cinnamon-sugar exterior.

Corn dog: I was honestly surprised at my affection for the sweet-salty-spicy medley of the Cheetos-covered dog. As an on-the-go snack, it’s infinitely more interesting than a gas-station taquito.

Boba tea: Bubble tea is on the docket for Lakewood but was not available during our visit. In the same plaza, Sol Boba is one of the best around.

Overall: The touchless ordering system at Mochinut makes the whole experience feel transactional, and you might miss the chance to ogle the case, pointing at your decisions. But it was a quick, less hectic process, and our order was ready in about five minutes, the corn dog hot out of the fryer.

The shop’s hours are also wonky for a doughnut shop. Staff seems to have worked out initial hiccups with supply that online reviewers mentioned in the first couple of weeks — the selection was ample on a Wednesday.

For the moment, I still prefer Milkvue, which offers more flavors on a daily basis as well as top-notch raised doughnuts and fritters packed with fruit. But living on this side of the Narrows, it’s a win to have this shop nearby. Careful, though — it’s easy to inhale a few of these airy delicacies.

MOCHINUT LAKEWOOD

▪ 8730 South Tacoma Way (in H-Mart plaza), Lakewood, instagram.com/mochinut_lakewood.wa, mochinut.com

▪ Wednesday-Monday noon-7 p.m. or sellout (closed Tuesdays)

▪ Details: mochi doughnuts, Korean corn dogs and later boba tea in takeout-only shop

This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.