Benkyodo Co.
1747 Buchanan Street
(between Post St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 922-1244
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
51 reviews
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
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250 Reviews for Benkyodo Co.
This place is one of the few places I can think of that makes fresh mochi. Pretty standard selection, but the freshness and quality can't be beat. Mochi is like crack for my ma so whenever I want to get on her a good side, a six piece variety box always does the trick.
Best manju I've had. I'm not a big fan of manju but my husband is and he's addicted to the ones here. The skin is nice and soft and the fillings not too sweet. I wish it were still less sweet but I can't complain too much.
Our faves are yomogi (green mochi with whole red beans) and Pink Habutai (Pink mochi with smooth white lima beans) is pretty good too. We come here every time we're in Japantown.
Geez... I took forever to get around to trying out Benkyodo. It's been on my list for at least a year, but I never feel like getting up so early. Thing is... if you go too late in the day, it's kinda hard to get what you want; but I'm not a daytime kinda guy.
Finally I decided to just stop by on my way home from work some morning. Turns out I did this last week and this week again. Yes, it's really that good. I got a box last week cuz my novio's nanay and titas were in town and I wanted to get some not-so-sweet treats for them. This week it was for all my ates at work... well and my japanese coworker also. I almost forgot how much he likes manju and luckily he was working that night.
My favorites are of course PB, strawberry, pink habutai, age, chofu, suama... well there's more, but that's my top 6. The chofu are such soft and cloud-like pillows of sweet rice and the pancake wrap is just right. Not too sweet, but perfect. The PB I can't refuse because I'm a PB fan in just about every incarnation you can imagine. The age... well yeah... come on donut with red bean? That's just obviously going to be tasty. I've had better strawberry, but only at Eiji and that's because they use a whole strawberry inside. The strawberry here is still tasty and one of my favorites, though.
As for the people working here... they're pretty friendly. I never had to ring the bell for service... someone always saw me snooping at the case and came to see what I wanted. Even though I can't pronounce the names well, they're really nice to help me find what I want. Some days certain things are there, which means I can't always get everything I want, but I love the fact that it's all fresh. They always package my boxes so nice and carefully at that.
It's refreshing to get such care to quality product and presentation. Plus it's a homey joint and they have LOTS of japanese candies that I've just got to ask about and try. YUM! Maybe I'll stop by again this morning to see if they have suama, before I hit up Yasukochi's for coffee crunch... HOORAY!
ps...my last order was like 22 assorted pieces for 22.40...not a bad haul, right?
Strawberry mochi is love. So fresh and sweet, with the perfect amount of chewiness. The people are nice too!
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I'm totally a fan of Benkyodo and I honestly wish there was an authentic mochi type bakery in Philly where I unfortunately live on the East Coast. Painstaking attention to detail and variety, Benkyodo provides some of the most delectable mochi for the masses. This place is a must for all lovers of sweets, specifically of the Japanese variety. Disclaimer: arrive early for a more extensive choice/variety of homemade goods; most of the mochi is gone towards closing time.
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I used to work across the street at Sanko with whole bunch of Japanese ladies and their favorite manju place is Benkyodo.
Their manju are sooofftt and chewy, not sticky. The one with sweet rice and red bean paste outside is one of my favorite. Of course you can't miss the girl's day manju. It's plum flavor with red bean paste middle (i believe) wrapped with shiso leaf.
A box of manju with choice of coffee or tea was the thing to do at Sanko for our 3:00 tea time break :D Gawd, i miss working with those ladies.
I'm eating a fresh strawberry mochi right now as i type. Delish!!!! They're still pretty good the next day...
I learned of this place as i was yelping random foodstuff one night while bored, accompanying the bf on his on-call job. After reading all the great reviews, I've been bugging him to take me to Benkyodo ever since. So yesterday, he brought me a whole selection of the mochi at work. gotta heart him...
First bite of the peanut butter mochi... "oh... its ok... "
Second bite... "umm... this IS good"
Third bite... "yummy yummy! mochi in my tummy"
I guess its true what my adorable co-worker dave says about japanese food. It does taste better the third time...
Solidly good, fresh mochi, though we came at about an hour before closing and were not able to try the Strawberry mochi or the Peanut butter mochi.
My mochi-eating buddy and I sampled 6 types of mochi (See my picture!)--everything that was available. At $1 apiece, they were typically priced for fresh mochi. I found the non-standard ones less appetizing--unless you're really fond of glutinous rice, you'll probably want to skip the specialties. The mochi-mochis, however, were pillowy soft and chewy, filled with yummy, not-too-sweet, beans.
I want to come back and have a Strawberry mochi. The others are good, but I've been spoiled with mochi all my life, and have had better.
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I am only reviewing on the manju....have not eaten here or anything else. There manju is decent. The variety is not that great imo,and the prices keep going up. But hey in SF Benkyodo is one of the only places to get manju, so it will have to do when i am craving the stuff!
Where to start? This place is a hidden gem.
The manju is to die for. Honey's and my favorite are ... well we love them all. But if we had to recommend only one, we'd recommend the peanut butter ones. The food is fresh, the flavor is intense, and the way the dough melts in your mouth is indescribable.
Recommendation is to get yours often and get them early. This is a family run store and it is apparent that they love to see their customers happy.
Highly recommended
This is one of two places in San Francisco to find freshly made mochi. The amazing thing about the mochi here is that the mochi is not made from glutinous rice flour, but rather from real rice that is pounded and pounded into a glutinous paste -- the old, traditional way. Yum!
I've had mochi here twice and both times was incredibly pleased. It's a nice change from the traditional Western sweets that tend to be a lot harsher on the tooth. The mochi here is so fresh that it almost melts in your mouth. It's good to come here at different times of the year because the store always puts out seasonal mochi, like the fresh strawberry ones that so many people rave about.
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i thought i would be disappointed a few weeks ago when i was looking for parking on post st. NO PARKING! all the signs exclaimed. but i saw no construction, no activity.at all. so i parked and observed the sign more closely. near the bottom , there was a notice that if construction didn't start by 12 o'clock, then parking will be legal.
my cellphone read 11:59. so off to benkyodo i went. got four kinds of mochi($1), green and whites, all soft outer surface skin with different fillings inside. i didn't take good notes so i have to reevaluate them.
the mochi here is so unlike the vietnamese mochi you get in asian foodmarts or the imported ones. fresh mochi almost melts in your mouth while the others are rubbery.
today, tried the peanut butter mochi($1), it was so rich tasting! with cunchy peanuts, reminds me of skippy's crunchy peanut butter.
strawberry was not in the house.
also, tried their no frills hot dog (2.35) crunchy with a nice taste. garnishments are minimal with relish, onion, ketchop & mustard..
pros:
mochi can be a dessert or...
hot dog good value and tasty
cons:
mochi may be an acquired taste.
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From the outside this is just a little nondescript hole-in-the wall store found where Buchanan and Sutter streets meet in Japantown. We decided to visit this place because of the strength of its Yelp ratings and because it was featured on "Best of..."
Let me tell you that we were not disappointed. The mochi here is so tasty and fresh! Its strawberry season so take advantage of the strawberry mochi while you can. It's a burst of a fresh strawberry in the very center of the mochi. My other favorite is the peanut butter mochi. If you like mochi or curious, then check this place out. But do go early because they go pretty fast.
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The lady behind the counter was sweet, I like her. When I asked what was most popular the unsurprising answer was, "EVERYTHING is popular!" I can see why. Our mochi balls and red bean bun and red bean donut were all great. I particularly liked the donut (ugh, so American of me) but I was wishing we'd have stayed in and had some tea.
I'd definitely like to go back, maybe with someone who knows their Japanese sweets as well as my finicky taste-- I bet they could really make my taste buds dance!
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Ok, I'm sold. In fact, I may bump the rating up to 5 stars tomorrow morning after getting some freshly made mochi at 10am.
I've had mochi stuffed with gelato as well as the mochi that's sold in the freezer packs at mitsua. These were ok, but I never understood what the whole mochi craze was about. Mochi did not appeal to me like boba and froyo did in it's heyday.
But now, I think mochi is good. It's more than good actually. It's "I need to go back tomorrow" good. A friend of mine recommended this place and I read all the reviews and thought to myself, hmm.. maybe I can give mochi another chance.
I tried the strawberry mochi (yes yes, that does not make me a mochi expert), and the pancake stuffed manju (even worse, huh?). LOL. I also have every other mochi they have including the traditional red bean stuffed goodies.
What I like about this place is that it isn't overly 'floury' tasting as a result of being indudated with too much bisquick or something. This place is a must-visit for those who have been so-so about mochi.
I got a feeling I might bump it up to 5 stars tomorrow morning.
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packaged mochi is just not the same. fresh mochi is a billion times better. okay, more like a trillion. I wish the store was open later so i can stop by here after work when i go to Nijiya.
i always buy around 24 mochis when i go here (8 different types, 3 each). it's that good! it never takes me more than three days to eat everything! i know, i'm a pig. to justify, i try to share some before i eat it all.
my favorites are the pink habutai followed very closely by the white habutai. i'm actually not that big a fan of the strawberry ones; i find them too sweet.
oh, another thing, it's cash only!
I was never a big fan of the packaged mochis maybe because I think the red bean paste would be too overwhelming since it looks like the mochi is bloated with beans? Yeah not too appetizing but seeing over 200 reviews for this place plus its 4 stars?! This I got to see.
Before coming here I thought to myself, "Would I be disappointed to come here?" And guess what? I'm glad I came because the mochi balls from this place made me feel like I was on cloud 9.
Now on to my experience;;;
Walked into the store and SCORE no line except for one guy. Well at least I thought there would be a line since everyone seems to love this place. The guy pissed me off because once he saw me walk in he quickly ordered like I was going to order all 4 racks of mochi or something. He took so long ordering I was literally standing there for 10 minutes and we had our car parked in the garage so every minute counts! He had one box full of mochi and guess what happens....he orders another box! *steaming* Give me my two mochi balls God Damnit! Anyway, after with the uy who loves mochi balls it was finally my turn. The sweet lady behind the counter apologized for me waiting even though she didn't have to and then ordred myself a white mochi with red bean and the strawberry mochi.
$1.10 per mochi ball (WORTH IT)
First bite into my white mochi....soo soffffftttttttttttt.....so red beany.....I know beany is not a word but the mochi ball made me say it. Probably the best ball I had ever bit into....(Don't think naughty now)
Then I tried the strawberry mochi, wow was that thing amazing or what? I didn't expect to actually taste strawberry because I thought "strawberry" meant for colors. After my 3rd bute into the strawberry mochi I find myself chewing on an actual slice of strawberry. Whoa that blew me away. It was so good.
Thank you Benkyodo for making me love mochi! Well only your mochis!
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DELICIOUS! The red bean mochi with soybean powder was really really good. The red bean paste is totally different from what you get in a Daifuku or something. It's got a dark brown almost gray color, but it's so smooth. There aren't chunks of red bean in it which I personally prefer. The rainbow mochi was good too, but I think I'd rather stick with the red bean. We also got the fried mochi and white bean mochi. I didn't think the white bean mochi was as good as the others, but my boyfriend liked it a lot. He said it seemed fresher than the others. I didn't try the fried mochi, but it has a red bean filling, and boyfriend said that it'd be better fresh. He said it's kind of like a malasada (a big fried puff of goodness).
We got there around 4:30 and they didn't have much of a selection. I suggest you try to get there earlier so you can get what you really want. I wanted the pink and white mochi since those are classics, and the strawberry mochi. But to my disappointment, they were all gone. This place wasn't what I expected it to look like since it was a coffee shop too. Don't overlook it because it's small and semi hard to find. Seriously guys, get your mochi here and don't buy that packaged stuff anymore!
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Yum! I love Benkyodo's mochis...strawberry mochis are the best - although I do like how Eiji uses a whole strawberry, but can't complain. It's fresh and the perfect texture. The only complaint I have is that I wish they were opened at night past 5pm. On weekdays I can never make it on time. The only running chance I have is on Saturdays. Ho hum. :(
Today my tough as nails Chinese mother-in-law went here to get me a mochi treat surprise because she knows Benkyodo is my favourite local mochi place. It's even better than mochi from LA.
Her and I have similar taste. Like her, I love the white bean hopia from Golden Gate Bakery, so she got me white bean filled mochi. One of them had a whisper of strawberry flavor and half of a fresh juicy strawberry nestled in its rosy pink centre.
Benkyodo's mochi is special indeed. Even more so when paired with acceptance, love, and gratitude.
Environmental Note: As of 11/28/07 inspection, this establishment scored a 90 with 1 moderate risk and 3 low risk violations. They have also earned a Symbol of Excellence.
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Want to find some yummy and fresh mochi? This is the right place to go! They have all kinds of mochi....and my favorite is the strawberry mochi!! Everything is made fresh and the owners are sooo nice! I totally recommend everyone to stop by and get some little goodies from this place!
I don't know how many starts would be appropriate for this review. I read all these great reviews, and I live very close to Japantown, so I thought I'd check out some things people love in that neighborhood.
I think Mochis are something you could only appreciate if you grew up eating them. I don't know what kind I had, because only the strawberry one was labeled, but seriously, a mochi is like the last thing on earth I would reach for when I had a sweet tooth. Fake mochis, you know, ice cream covered with dough, I like. But that's neither here nor there.
If you like mochis, you probably would like these. I mean, they seemed fresh, but. . . if this is your idea of a sweet treat I feel bad for you. Oh, I guess I should say the strawberry one had a piece of fresh strawberry in the filling that tasted good, but then I'd rather just eat a strawberry and avoid the starchy, bland, gooey blob that is a mochi.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people that is afraid of certain food textures, it's just that there is not much actual taste to these things either.
(I gave 3 stars because they are probably a good place to get mochis if you like them, and I don't want to totally screw up their stars because I think mochis are gross.)
by the looks of the place, you'd have no idea this serves such fresh tasty mochi. unforunately, they don't have all the flavors at one time -- only about 6. but they are worth it. try the chofu. wish they had the kuri
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My parents left South Korea during the authoritarian regime of Park Chung Hee. Of course I don't remember that since I wasn't quite 2 at the time but after his assassination, my mother and I went back to visit the family she'd left behind. I must've been about 3 or 4 and I don't remember much except for spending a lot of time with my grandfathers.
My paternal grandfather had been a high school principal which is kind of big deal there. I was the first born to his first born so he liked me a lot. He would ride me to the park on the handlebars of his bike. I later found out he also told my mom about behaviors he noticed in me so that she could make sure they didn't become bigger issues. Apparently, I was shy.
The last time I spoke to him, I was 11 and he was dying of cancer. I hadn't seen him in 7 years. My dad was going to be flying out the next day and they told me to get on the phone and tell him to hold on until my dad arrived. I was scared of what he would sound like. I thought his voice would be very weak or hoarse. The reality was worse. He sounded just like my father. That night I dreamed of fire and lava. The next day he was gone.
I'm not sure what my maternal grandfather did as an occupation but he was very social and active. My first memory of him is of a balding, small man that I used to follow around like a puppy. He would introduce me as his granddaughter and I never felt so proud. The last time I saw him, I was 12 and the language barrier was bad enough that I was often mute around him. I was there in the winter and didn't have gloves so he took me to a corner store to get some and I had the strongest sense of deja vu. The night he passed, I dreamed in white.
I associate mochi with my grandfathers. I can remember eating the red bean filled ones on new years with both of them and whenever I bite into one, for a moment, I'm sitting on the handlebars of an old bike or trailing behind a small old man who walked at a very fast pace.
I hadn't had mochi in a long time but Darin brought a variety from Benkyodo to a picnic recently. They were all good. The mochi was soft and not too sweet and the different fillings were sufficiently mashed and tasted right.
I guess I could also go into why my grandfathers make me think of the Japanese but I'll spare you.
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Mochi making should definitely be considered some kind of art and Benkyodo puts together one of the best masterpieces I've ever had in the form of a rice cake. If you are so lucky, make sure you stop by and try their Strawberry Mochi. There's a fresh strawberry in each mochi piece that is covered in mung bean and then enrobed in fresh rice cake. It is absolutely delicious and will bring a smile to any mochi lover's face!
Another plus at this place is the great atmosphere. It's great to see the locals dine and chat with the servers at the old school diner counter. The staff there is always friendly and who wouldn't be considering they make such wonderful product!
Stepping into Benkyodo feels like I'm in a diner back home in Hawaii - the old school menu on the wall ($2.50 burger - whaaa??) and the tiny counter stools, with Japanese old-timers usually posted there drinking coffee and reading the paper.
But their crowning glory is the mochi. This is basically the only place I know of that has good, fresh mochi on the regular, just like they do at all the supermarkets I grew up with in Honolulu. Best to get in early to choose your mochi before they run out. FYI, their boxes of mochi are so pretty after they package them up - you almost don't want to open them - but if you're anything like me, your sweet tooth will get the better of you at some point. Mmmm.....strawberry.....
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I love this place! It helps me with my mochi craving! Good thing I work kind of close by to this place. The first time I came here it was hard to find the place because it does not seem to be a mochi place since I thought they would have more displays for mochi! Anyways! The donut mochi or fried mochi was soo good! They pound their own mochi flour! My teacher told me that the mochi taste better when it is super fresh and after 11am it does not taste good anymore.
This was the beginning of a fabulous 5-star weekend.
Cute lil shop right on the corner of Buchanan & Sutter. The strawberry mochi was incredibly delicious! It was so soft, it just melts in your mouth. Some shops make it too starchy, too rough, too dry, etc. This place makes them just right. The texture is smooth and perfectly sweet. Next time, I will get a sampler pack!
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The mochi is yummy, especially the strawberry one. The fillings have real strawberries in them! One less star because the mochi is no good unless it's fresh. Shuei-do's mochi last longer if you must save your mochi overnight.
Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness! Mochi Madness!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM YUMMY!
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Haven't tasted fresh mochi in over 40 years. And Benkyodo did not disappoint me, I forgot how good fresh mochi tasted. It quickly brought back memories when I was six and living in Japan.
The Japanese lady was a little short with me, maybe because I was drooling on her clean glass case. But I ended up ordering a big sample box with a little of each.
I couldn't wait till I got back to the Tomo, which was only across the street. So I hurriedly opened the box, took a seat on a bench in front of The Paper Tree where my wife was shopping, and tried to eat the whole box. I love the white bean mochi and the strawberry filled ones were my new favorites.
We have been wanting to go here for such a long time based on the reviews on Yelp and I am so glad we finally made it. I think I was expecting a flashier interior, but the mochi was amazing. We got two of everything to try them all out. While I didn't love all of them (why would we?) this was some of the best mochi I have outside of Japan.
Do check this place out if you like mochi and also follow everyone's advice and get there early. We saw tray after tray disappear before our eyes!
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Great fresh mochi, manju, and other wagashi (Japanese sweets) produced not by one of Japantown's touristy joints but by a great local, family-run business that has a century of history behind it. The texture of the treats are fantastic, mainly because they're so fresh: Think meltingly soft, almost fluffy sweet rice. Mmmm.
If you're in the mood for mochi and related treats, I urge you: Please, please support this great business and try to get here before closing instead of looking elsewhere. If they're closed you can always go to Nijiya or Nippon Ya, but the stuff there won't be fresh-made, and the items at Nippon Ya in particular contain a lot of crappy ingredients designed to keep them shelf-stable for weeks, even months.
(Nippon Ya is also a lot more expensive as a rule: I can get a nicely wrapped box of ten huge, fresh manju for about $8 at Benkyodo - or shell out $13-$14 for twelve TINY, not-fresh manju at Nippon Ya.)
I'm taking one star off because I basically agree with Chie J.'s review: Benkyodo isn't afraid to use artificial colors and flavors here and there, and the manju taste a little too rustic. What I mean by that is that most of the manju are a little too sweet for my palate, which is something I normally deal with when I eat Western desserts, not when I eat wagashi; even paired with a strong/bitter tea some of the treats are quite overpowering. Because of these issues I stick to Benkyodo's plainer, less colorful manju (and their komochi, which is great when gently steam-fried).
P.S. Go there now while it's still late winter/early spring so that you can try their fresh sakuramochi! OM NOM NOM.
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I was so happy to finally get Wagashi (Japanese sweets http://en.wikipedia.or...) from Benkyodo since it was always closed when I got there. I am a big fan of Wagashi. When I was in a middle school, I joined a tea ceremony after school program to be able to eat Wagashi everyday.
But I have to say I was very disappointed with Benkyodo... Sorry my Yelp friends who gave Benkyodo 5 stars I have to disagree...
1. They use a lot of food coloring for their sweets. Wagashi in Japan have more delicate colors. Yes Yomogi Mochi suppose to be green but not this bright. I can tell Benkyodo is not using much real Yomogi in the Mochi. Yomogi is a leafy vegetable of the chrysanthemum family. It adds beautiful aroma and little fiberly texture. It also gives earthy moss color to the Mochi. I could tell Benkyodo used a lot of artificial colors and flavors.
2. The design and taste of their Wagashi is not polished. Japanese consider Wagashi as an art and they are created by Shokunin (craftsman who was trained many years) I believe Wagashi have to be beautiful and delicate in flavor. (example http://www.ioi.tv/spec... ) To me Benkyodo's Wagashi is like Inaka (county side) style and not polished.
I respect Benkyodo for it's 100 year history. Yes they are better than packaged Japaneses Mochi / Daifuku you can buy at supermarkets. That is why I am giving them 3 stars. But I'm not sure if they can survive if thy were in Tokyo or Kyoto.
Just FYI - Mochi means Japanese glutinous rice cake. Japanese Girls/Woman call it Omochi. It is not womanly to call it without O. So I never called it Mochi. There are so many other word start with O in Japanese language for woman. If there are something inside of Mochi, they are called Daifuku, Manju, or Dango (there are different names from different region of Japan) and no longer called Mochi
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let me start by admitting i know little about true authentic mochi. Accordingly, i'm not even going to try and really describe the individual pieces i purchased or which ones i liked best or whether it matches what my asian grandmother made (because i don't have one).
All i can say is that Benkyodo will introduce you to tastes and textures that the average person hasn't experienced before. So my five stars is really about the "go try it" more than the absolute rating against other quality mochi houses. It's a rating that's more about supporting the smaller specialty shops who put love and care into their food. It's a rating about trying something different with your friends.
Go check it out. And tell them I like the squishy gray one with the soft red stuff in the middle :)
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Wow. Real, fresh, HOMEMADE mochi. Before coming here, I was never really excited about mochi. I like mochi ice cream, but that's because there's ice cream involved. Before Benkyodo, I thought that non-ice cream-stuffed mochi, "the real stuff", had to be hard, floury, and gritty balls of colored dough. Let me tell you, I was wrong. Give mochi another chance! Benkyodo mochi is sweet (but not sickeningly so, trust me, my standards for this are high) and chewy but somehow FLUFFY and melts in your mouth. ?!?! Is this possible? No joke. Their strawberry mochi has little pieces of (FRESH!) strawberry chopped up inside and it's iiiiiiincredible. With a hot cup of green jasmine tea, it's the perfect afternoon snack.
Exquisite mochi. Minus one star for really lousy hours. Whenever I go to Japantown late on the weekends, its inevitably closed.
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Peanut Butter mochi---OMG. It's crunchy PB and goes sooo perfect with the lovely soft gooey goodness of the outer fabulousness.
We had an assortment and they were all solid. This was actually the first really truly fresh mochi I have ever had and the difference is truly AMAZING. PLEASE someone continue this tradition. Otherwise i will have to drive down to San Jose to get the fresh stuff
Three words. Peanut butter mochi.
If they had a Benkyodo in Los Angeles, I'd turn it into an unhealthy obsession. I'll just have to be content with it as one of those "I stop there every time I go to San Francisco" places.
It's a cozy place to mellow out. Not crowded the way I like places to hang out in. It is a valued company for over a century which is fascinating...Thats were I give it 4 stars.
The first time I went there was back in 1984 with some friends but I recently went there to have a hamburger. It was nice but the meat was small ( weres the beef?) The counter person was friendly and polite and the food was served quickly. Since we were there I ordered some home made manju and Japanese crackers.
Last words on are: Don't expect too much. The down side is it needs a some minor cleaning and refurbishing of the kitchen area (behind the counter)
I recommend this place. It's history in the making.
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