$1 mochi doughnuts every Tuesday at new Tacoma-area boba tea shop. Details here
Another bubble tea shop has landed in the Tacoma area, but this one also bakes mochi doughnuts in six rotating flavors.
The joint Bober Tea and Mochi Dough debuted in early October at Green Firs Towne Center in University Place. All day on Saturday, Oct. 14, snag buy-one-get-one-free drinks (selection options only) and enjoy a dragon dance in honor of the shop’s grand opening.
Van Duong and Tammy Phan are behind this locally owned franchise. The company, founded in 2017, has stores in Singapore, China and the Philippines. Bober Tea USA and Mochi Dough USA have grown from Sacramento to 25 franchises in nine states.
University Place is its first in Washington state.
“Our mission is to bring good quality beverages and donuts to the community,” the UP owners said by email. “We offer six donut flavors daily and rotate different flavors every few days.”
For the uninitiated, mochi doughnuts boast an unusual chewiness thanks to glutinous rice flour in the batter. Their story began in Hawaii, but they were popularized in Japan, where the machine used to form the distinctive scalloped shape was invented. Flavors, typically in the icing on a standard vanilla doughnut, range from black sesame, pandan and matcha to ones sprinkled with Oreo cookie crumbs, Fruity Pebbles cereal or sprinkles.
MOCHI DOUGH
At an early visit to Mochi Dough, the selection included Oreo, taro and cinnamon-sugar-dusted churro.
A single doughnut goes for $3.50, but you can save by ordering a cute pink box of three for $10, six for $19 or a dozen for $35. Opt for a box of eight plain or funnel cake, dusted with powdered sugar, for $15.
Every Tuesday, buy a drink and get a doughnut for just a buck.
The University Place shop is tucked into the same plaza as Trader Joe’s and Safeway, just a few doors down from Wanna Cupcake, the second location for that Puyallup-based bakery. It’s outfitted with pastels: pink velvet chairs and a couch, a pink feather angel-wing Instagram corner, faux-rose art and pink-backed floral wallpaper. The boxes are pink with gold lettering, and the underside of the lid reads: “whatever sprinkles your donut.”
BOBER TEA
On the bubble tea side of things, the Bober Tea menu offers myriad styles and flavors, which default to a non-dairy option. Those include the classic milk teas and “chizu” series, topped with a salty cream cheese foam that alters the drink as you sip.
I tried the black sesame from the “latte series,” which uses whole milk, and appreciated the customizable sweetness meter — starting at 0% (my preference) and increasing in quarters. Signage explains that their teas naturally lean sweeter than other brands and encourages you to order accordingly.
Bober Tea calls specific attention to its “stir-fried” boba pearls in brown sugar, visible across the counter in a giant gold wok. If you add these to your drink, definitely downgrade your requested sugar level.
Vietnamese-style iced coffee is also available in standard form or with a hint of hazelnut and pink-hued foam, plus an array of hot lattes in flavors like cookie butter, strawberry matcha and pistachio.
Pierce County is swimming in boba shops, but mochi doughnuts are harder to find. If you fall for them, try them also at Mochinut in Lakewood (another rapidly expanding franchise) and the independent Milkvue Donuts in Gig Harbor. The wonderful Bon Bon Bakery in Lakewood stocks an impressive selection of Korean sweets like chapssal, a round rice-flour doughnut.
BOBER TEA & MOCHI DOUGH - UNIVERSITY PLACE
▪ 3818 Bridgeport Way W. (located in Green Firs Towne Center), University Place, 253-317-4043, boberteauniversityplace.square.site
▪ Daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (until 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday)
▪ Details: mochi doughnuts ($3.50 single-$35 dozen), specialty bubble tea and coffee drinks ($5-$7 plus add-ins)
▪ How to order: in-person at the counter, at a digital kiosk or ahead online
This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.