Irvine is notorious for its incredible food scenario, having a shop for almost any kind of food you are craving. From ube ice cream filled fish cake to jiggly japanese souffle pancakes, Irvine is always on top of the latest food trends. Despite all the food crazes throughout Irvine, mochi donuts are one of the only trends that have yet to infiltrate the Irvine food scenery – until just a few weeks ago.

With mochi donuts rising as one of the latest Instagram trends, Irvine is finally hopping on the bandwagon, introducing two new shops which offer this sweet chewy delicacy. Because of the buzz over this trend, crowds of people crave these heavenly bites. Despite the immense amount of people who crave mochi donuts, both of these new shops instill regulations that ensure the safety of each and every customer in the midst of this pandemic.

Mochi donuts combine both the traditional American donut along with Japanese mochi, incorporating sweet glutinous rice flour for a chewier texture that many enjoy much more than the classic American donut.

Mochinut

Mochinut (Photo by Sam Hingco)

Mochinut and Chung Chun are the same company, located at a singular food stall inside Zion Market. One of the most unique aspects of Mochinut is that they also sell korean rice hotdogs and boba teas. Because of their popularity, it is best to arrive a few hours before closing since they typically run out quickly.

This tiny stall is an absolute trap for foodies. Just this singular booth sells mochi donuts, cheese hot dogs, as well as boba tea. Mochinut offers three to four new flavors a day, announced via their Instagram page, including guava, milk tea, melon and even a banana milk flavor. A half dozen costs $16.50 while a full dozen is $33.

Mochinut has gained quite the traction in Los Angeles, and has now opened its second Orange County location in Irvine; the first being in Garden Grove. Being one of the only two Mochinuts, and one of the very few mochi donut shops in Orange County, Mochinut has a considerable audience. Due to social distancing mandates, they ensure minimal to zero contact with the food while in the cooking and packaging process. Along with that, Zion Market checks each individual’s temperature upon entrance. They also are available on DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats. Mochinut will soon be offering online pre-ordering for their customers.

Make sure to check out Mochinut if you’re in the Northwood area and grab yourself a warm donut along with a refreshing sip of boba tea to cool down!

Modo Hawaii

MoDo Hawaii (Photo by Sam Hingco)

Modo Hawaii is located within one of Mitsuwa’s stalls, side by side with other Japanese eateries. Coming all the way from Honolulu, Modo Hawaii is a pop-up now available for Irvine residents. Like Mochinut, they rotate their flavors, offering three new flavors a day, available to view via their website. Their pricing, in comparison to other mochi donut shops, is very reasonable with a half dozen priced at $12.

MoDo Hawaii makes it possible for the public to delve into the latest food trends while still obeying social distancing mandates. To order your own box, Modo makes this process as efficient and comfortable as possible, utilizing online appointment slots in which each customer must use to buy their donuts. You select the date, time and order, then pick up the donuts at your designated appointment time. Through this very efficient online ordering system, they comply with distancing guidelines and avoid a significant crowd.

Unlike many other mochi donut shops or simply donut shops in general, MoDo Hawaii serves each and every order so they’re “always hot & fresh.” Since they know when to expect each customer, all their orders are served warm for each individual to savor.

MoDo is definitely a spot to check out if you are craving a warm and luscious dessert after a long day.

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