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"I live on 16th Ave, which is not exactly a "happening" location, if you know what I mean. Having said that, thank heavens for House of…" read more »
The flavor of the season is.....BLUEBERRY. I wanted strawberry but they were featuring blueberry today.
Today, in a epic whirlwind of trying tons of edibles around Japantown and Pac Heights, I came in here and ordered the blueberry mochi, the mochi with the pancake wrapped around it, and a white bean mochi with baked pastry around it.
I barely got out of the store and slinked down the alleyway behind the store. I could smell the fragrant blueberries. The heft of the mochi in my right hand felt empowering. After one bite, I was in Nantucket, picking blueberries in the bramble, cut-off denim shorts, blue and orange stripped t-shirt, pigtails, barefeet and freckles. I was 7 years old again.
BUT THE CRAZY THING is that those were not my memories! I've never been to Nantucket. I never picked blueberries. I never had a blue and orange stripped t-shirt. That is some powerful mochi to conjure up someone else's fond childhood memories and make me think they were mine. That is some Willy Wonka magic right there.
The white bean mochi was at the recommendation of the nice man behind the counter with very good English. He spoke better than me. And he did not think less of me when I confessed that I abhor red bean. He said that it doesn't make me a bad Asian daughter. Forgiveness and a sweet.
On the other side of the store, this place looks like a non-ironic diner. The formica counter with the hot dog cooker. The loyal patrons. The cop stuffing his face. I hope this place never goes away.
There are some things distinctly anti-Asian about me. Not so much "anti" and "not' Asian. It's… Read more »
Pink Rice Perfection
Fresh Whole Strawberry Inside
Love At First Bite, Yum!
Get the strawberry manju... you won't regret it. Go early before they run out!
OMG, This is hands down the freshest bestest Mochi around. I took some to go for family in Kansas. This place has been around for years, I think some of the family that works here I grew up with in the 70's.
$1 each Mochi, it melts in your mouth.
One had smooth red bean, another with fresh juicy blueberries, whole red beans, etc. All extremely soft and YUMMY !
What can I say that hasn't already been said?
The first time I visited Benkyodo I was just as timid as Amanda C. I ordered a whole box of assorted goodies to-go under the guise that it was a gift. I guess you could say I was lying, but what's wrong with buying yourself presents?!
Each piece was indeed a present, wrapped in pillowy soft rice dough, filled with a dreamy delicious filling...
Let's just say that all I ate that day was manju and mochi. We shall not speak of the comatose that overtook me later that afternoon!
Both the manju and mochi would have been accompanied well with hot green tea and a box of assorted goodies would be a great gift if you're visiting a friend.
My second visit consisted of myself and a troop of friends, one of which was visiting from the Middle East. Everyone fell in love with the mochi, Chocolate Marshmallow was a hit, as was the Strawberry!
If you haven't visited Benkyodo Co., what are you waiting for?! Get off your butt and head to J-town ASAP!
sigh. i just wish i found this place sooner and i wish the hours worked with my schedule - i do most of my groceries on sundays when this place is closed!
i had:
1) kinako - mochi with red beans and soy powder
2) blueberry mochi
3) chofu - pancake wrap with sweet rice
4) kuri - manju (i assume means a baked pastry) with sweet lima beans
all four were exceptional! the blueberry mochi bursted with fresh blueberries! the soy powder on the kinako was an interesting contrast to the sweet red beans. chofu had an interesting texture - the pancake really complimented the sweet mochi rice. the kuri reminded me of filipino hopia.
love, love, love benkyodo!
Jedi-master level class rating for this true mom and pop place down in JTown. Yes, it looks like cheap diner, and in fact, you do get cheap diner food here like burgers, fries, hot dogs, and pop. but the true Force-filled food here is their mochi. This stuff is hand made, filled with yummy goodness worthy of any purple lightsaber and it is cheap to boot. This is like, Megan Fox in the Princess Leia slave outfit good!
the red bean mochi is so creamy you think that the owners flew to Tokyo that morning and smuggled a ton back here. the blueberry mochi is also a winner, as is the white bean mochi. and let me say to all my padawans that the mochi skin is so smooth and silky, I'd give up the rebel base on the Endor Moon if they give me their secret to making it so good.
This shop is basically a cozy little storefront in a little mall town.On Saturday mornings at 8 am there is a group of coffee guzzling grumpy looking men all crowded around an orange laminate wrap around counter top. I thought this was adorable.
The Mochi : The mochi is better than average and less than phenominal. I will continue to make the trek to Shuei-Do Manju Shop in san jose for my mochi. The reason I didnt like the mochi was because the mochi was a bit heavy and chewy for my taste and the beans weren't super silky. I had all of the flavors and I liked them all except for the peanut butter and the blueberry.
A box of fresh mochi from here is definitely the way to a girl's heart.
Had some manju here and really liked it. And you gotta have some mochi. Mochi! I love mochi! They really put quality and good taste into their products.
Six dollars = six (of the best) mochi + 1 food coma
NOM
Mochi is delicious and they have a more filling to rice cake ratio. The chocolate marshmallow mochi is my favorite. If I can make it to San Fran, this is my go to spot for mochi.
I bought 40 and was given 2 free peanut butter mochi. But they wouldn't let me select any of the strawberry mochi in the gift set because I wasn't going to give them away until 2 days later. The strawberry mochi is best eaten fresh.
As one of the original businesses in the historic Japantown, Benkyodo Co has been operated by the same family for the past 103 years. Their store is separated into halfs where the left sells a wide variety of fresh mochi and Japanese rice crackers and snacks, and to the right is a small diner with a similar but elaborated set up as Joe's Ice Cream. I've been coming here for many years and their mochi has been consistently the best, even better than the ones at Little Tokyo in LA. In the past they usually run out of mochi by 3pm regardless the day of the week. Yesterday, the place was packed with mochi enthusiasts and they needed all the help they could get.
I think it's fantastic that they now have a wider recognition because this place is as good as it gets. My Yomogi (green tea mochi with brown soy powder and whole red beans) was heavy and sweet with outstanding red beans at the center. The Chofu (sugary plain sweet rice with pancake wrap) had a lighter taste and it was one of the best of its kind. I also tried their new thick red bean paste with awesome sticky rice in the middle and loved it. My all time favorite, strawberry manju (strawberry mochi filled with lima beans) was as soft and heavenly as ever. The common thread between all the manju and mochi here is the fact that they are ultra fresh and soft with a consistency that I have not observed anywhere else. If you want traditional handmade mochi and manju, I'd say this is the best place to get them on the West Coast.
Service was friendly and down to earth. My mochi was wrapped in a nice package like always and they each only cost $1. Closed on Sundays. To learn more about the history of this place visit: http://www.benkyodocom....
After eating in the Mission I wanted to check out the New People Mall and since we're in Japantown I had to go to Benkyodo. Only 2 places in the country still making these Japanese desserts. Once this generation stops making them then no more. The other place is in San Jose's J-Town.
I've been before Yelp so I had to go back to review it. They were still open - that's good.
I should have gotten their new flavor: chocolate marshmallow mochi. Anyone try it yet?
I got:
2 fresh strawberry mochi $1.10 ea. Why are they 10c more per mochi? They taste fine, one tiny strawberry slice in the mochi. Very soft.
One baked mochi $1
One white mochi I think has black bean inside. $1
Do you want it in a package or bag? I said packaged. All wrapped up w/ pink ribbon. Do u want a plastic bag? Sure.
Total was $4.20. CASH ONLY!!
Hrs:
Closed Sun
M-Sat 8-5
Website:
http://www.benkyodocom.../
What everyone else says - super soft, squishy, chewy fresh mochi!
I picked up 38 pieces for a plane ride back to Vancouver, BC. STILL GOOD two days later :) ..
By far my favourite was the fresh strawberry mochi. Also enjoyed the crunchy peanut butter mochi.
Best Mochi I've ever had in my life!
Strawberry mochi is a must. It comes quite as a surprise when taste the actual strawberry inside.
Mochi: sticky rice cake.
Manju: rice powder flour cake.
Appearance: can't tell the difference between the two.
Texture: soft chewy exterior with delightful filling.
Recommendation: Strawberry Manju. White lima bean filling with FRESH strawberry.
Favorite: Kinako Mochi. Red bean filling covered in soybean flour.
All these years of watching Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations are making me an increasingly adventurous eater. It's not that Benkyodo serves chocolate covered bugs, but for a white girl, bean desserts are pushing the comfort zone.
Upon arriving at the tiny shop, I was too intimidated to ask what every little thing was, so I got one of each. At $1 a piece, the total was $12... not too shabby!
I roped my friend into trying them with me, but he and I both quickly discovered that not all of the manju are home runs. I thought the manju skin was yummy and a perfect texture, but the bean fillings were kind of yucky. It's totally a taste thing, so I wouldn't detract points for that. But still, it wasn't earth-shattering.
I do think I'd love their mochi (no filling), but I'm assuming they were out when I visited since everything I bought had beans in the middle. Next time, I'll specifically ask for the mochi rather than manju. BUT the strawberry manju sounds intriguing and less heavy than the other varieties, so I'd definitely love to try it.
I feel lucky to have access to this kind of authenticity in the US. Their work is time consuming and meticulous, which doesn't go unnoticed. I'd recommend Benkyodo to anyone.
I remember coming here after grade school for manju snacks. This place is a staple J-town. The sell the best manjus I've ever had. Why I'm finally writing this review, because I just came here and ordered the Fresh Strawberry & Chocolate Marshmallow manju and they were divine! They even gave my niece a free strawberry one. Everyone here is always so nice and helpful.
My friend told me the Peanut Butter manju is to die for but unfortunately they didn't make that kind today.
Delicious and reasonably priced - averaging $1/piece.
This place is awesome. Outside of Japan, this is the best I had. I go there everytime hoping I'm not going to be left heartbroken when they tell me the "donut redbean" is sold out! Try it!
I'm giving this place 5 stars, although, I have never had anything else but the mochi. My mother is a mochi lover and this is her place. Mochi is fresh and hand-made. Service is great. Although, they only take cash. Remember to bring cash :-) I don't know of any other place in the city to get A+ quality mochi. Very fresh and great quality!
Are these super fresh mochis worth the abuse I receive from the rude and high stressed little lady?
Sometimes...
I only go to the ortho once in a blue moon. Which also means... I now visit Benkyodo once in a blue… Read more »
I got the green tea mochi and the strawberry mochi. I started with the green tea mochi, which had a red bean filling. I'm not much of a fan of red bean so I was a bit disappointed. Then I had the strawberry mochi, which has a real strawberry in it. A REAL strawberry! That was the winner, and will keep me coming back to Benkyodo even though it's kinda hard to get to from the places where I be postin it in the city, and even though it's cash only (I'm poor and never have cash on me).
PLUS...plus plus plus, they have those guava cookies that I've only had in Hawaii (I'm sure you can get them somewhere here, I just haven't seen them) and they also have those Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamias. Now all this place needs are malasadas! And poke. And mai tais. Oh and...hot buff Hawaiian men. yeah thats it....
Fresh strawberry mochi, and crunchy peanut butter mochi! Sheeezzzee, who knew? It takes the pbj to a whole other level. I want to sleep hugging a mochi pillow filled with peanut butter goodness.
Don't miss on the more traditional bean fillings, but there's a chocolate marshmellow mochi that blows my mind. Get there early for best selection. The helpful gentleman at the counter gives you a thorough rundown on their offerings.
Seriously tasty mochi. I wish we had gone here straight away on Saturday morning instead of waiting until 3pm. Be sure that if you are going to visit this place to go early in the morning, as they will run out by the middle of the day! BEWARE: They are closed on Sundays.
I got one mochi piece that looked tasty and believe me it was! I look forward to coming back here to get a box of mochi, manjuu and dango goodies to take home next time!
Incredible mochi, I like the strawberry one among all the others.
It's definitely worth it if :
A. there is any left
B. the place is open
C. you can find it
D. I didn't get away with all of them to share with my circle
STRAWBERRY MOCHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fresh strawberries, soft, chewy mochi. Only $1. Worth every penny!
WOW! The freshly made mochi was MOCHI-LICIOUS! I ate 3 in a row in like 5 minutes. Yes, I know, very lady-like wolfing one down with powder all over her lips. Can you say hot?
When I can eat a sweet snack, I know is something I can eat on my elimination diet, I get super-duper excited. It's crazy how food can make a person so elated and so depressed at the same time (well only when you know you can't eat something delicious).
So I got to eat one of each mochi that had been made that day and the sad part was there were only 3 kinds. On their website it looks as if there should have been at least a dozen kinds. I was a little sad about that, but really once I bit into the traditional mochi, all my cares melted away with the sticky rice mochi and red bean filling. Oh the joy in my mouth with the sweetness and texture was really like the feeling you get when you flirt with your man.
I am going back again soon and hoping for more variety but not expecting any disappointment regardless.
Mucho Macho Mochi.
That's right. If you can say this phrase as smoothly as it tastes,
than you are a polyglot, a person who speaks multiple languages.
In case you are clueless, the first word is in Spanish for many; the second word is in English for manly; and the final word is in Japanese for soft, doughy glutenous sweets. Together the phrase "MUCHO MACHO MOCHI" describes my love for these Benkyodo finger food.
Many people buy the ice cream mochi at Trader Joe's and think it is so phreaking good. Well, get ready to be blown away by the uber-squishy , fresh golf-ball sized mochi with different flavors. For a buck a piece, try three of my favorites: strawberry, peanut butter, and azuki beans.
Most tourists have never been here because this store is located in the back of Japantown. There is also an old-school diner counter for the locals to dine.
Please look at their website and call ahead to see which flavors they will make fresh that day. Buy a dozen, because these bad boys go quickly if you leave it on the table.
**
Shorter version for Yelpers with A.D.D.:
The freshest mochi
I have ever tasted period.
You are a stoogie
for not trying this
if you love sweets!
Dedicated to Elite Yelper Rita Y. She is a mochi monster.
Ok, I have been wanting to check this place out for a while...but didn't until recently. What have I been missing?
If you think that ice cream you buy at Trader Joe's, or even what you buy packaged at asian grocery stores is real mochi...well, I suppose I can't say much about that...but Benkyodo is heavenly. It's squishy, cool, just slightly sweet, and filled with fresh ingredients. When you bite into the strawberry, you are surprised with a glistening fresh strawberry tucked into the gluten. I crave them. They also have traditional bean flavors and green tea, etc. which are excellent, but I'm kinda digging the strawberry.
omgsh omgsh omgsh!
I will walk 8 blocks through the Tenderloin to reach one of my favorite little shops in the city: Benkyodo.
Their fried red bean mochi is like a Japanese donut that is not too sweet and filled with oozing red bean of amazingness. I love taro, and their taro mochi hits the spot. EVERYTHING is good here, just be adventurous. Although it is relatively expensive, you gotta do it.
I once got 5 pieces of mochi, sat down at the counter, and was ridiculed by the old uncle sitting at the other end, "You are going to eat FIVE PIECES!? In ONE sitting!? Ba ha ha!" But I DID IT! And enjoyed every piece with extreme enthusiasm. Then making the trek back to Union Square area, I was feeling a little nauseous. woops!
So far I have tried 7-8 flavors from this place (after only coming here twice) lol. Don't ask me what my problem is ok?
They are so delicious yesterday I ate 5 pieces again in one sitting.
So these are my opinions on the flavors:
strawberry Manju: I enjoyed the delicate flavor of strawberry but I just felt like it didn't have enough strawberryness to it. And the piece of strawberry inside was tiny. Still delicious but I would rate it 4 stars.
Peanut butter mochi: This was the one mochi I didn't like. The peanut butter was salty and crunchy. Just ruined the mochi for me but heck other people like it.
Pink mochi with white lima beans: Really good.
Chocolate marshmallow: Very unique! Its cool how they make the outside mochi part chocolate!
Mochi with smooth red beans sprinkled with soy flour: i love everythign about this except the soy flour.
Steam bum with whole red beans: love the red bean not so much the outside
Original with smooth red bean: FOR SURE MY VERY FAVORITE ONE!!!
Green mochi with whoel red bean: delicious too! although I do prefer the smooth red bean
OH EM GEE!! i am in HUGE trouble now that I know about this amazing place. So my friend was all like… Read more »
Since I came too late last time, I vowed I would come back to get the chofu mochi!! OMG... I think this surpasses the strawberry one as my favorite.
The pancake outer is JUST the right texture and flavor to compliment the uber-soft white mochi inside.
Ahhh... it's amazing. Smiles all around :)
Hoooooooooooomygawd~ WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE???
Oh man.. Sooo delectably SOFT with only a…
Read more »
Alas, no strawberry manju/mochi today, but I did get to try three other delicious flavors
1) kinako - manju that is lime green in appearance with a dusting of light tan soybean powder, and filled with smooth red bean, this was very smooth and chewy; the flavor is not very strong but subtle
2) age - looks like a beignet, it's like a donut hole filled with red bean and then rolled in sugar; it was very sweet and tasty
3) roppo - my favorite of the bunch, it's a square pastry (almost like moon cake in texture) filled with smooth red bean. Understated but full flavor, and not overly sweet
Cheap at $1 each, and the lady behind the counter was very very sweet to us.
Interesting that there's also a sandwich counter in the shop, along with a lot of other Japanese savory and sweet snacks!
I LOVE mochi!!! And, I especially love the freshly made mochi that they sell. I have been a fan since I tried my first piece of mochi from this shop. This is definitely a must-visit destination in Japantown! I crave the chunky red bean mochi but my other favorite is the strawberry mochi with the white bean filling and fresh strawberry. It also makes for a wonderful gift too. I got a dozen assorted mochi for one of my friends for her birthday and it was very much appreciated. I only wish that they were open for longer hours to satisfy my mochi cravings (^_^)
They have the fresh strawberry mochi right now!!
I'm not a fan of the bean fillings, but the one around the strawberry tasted like the fruit. This makes me a happy camper (beware the angry camper). My mom liked the red bean bun.
I also got some of the chocolate marshmallow mochi (it just sounded so interesting). I could have eaten the chocolate-flavored mochi all by itself. This is the only drawback to benkyodo: they don't sell little flavored mochi balls.
Benkyodo is a lot smaller than I thought and half the store is counter space for eating sandwiches. I got five items for around $5, which isn't bad for hand-crafted treats. You can buy a box for cheaper, I think. They've been there forever and with good reason, so if you're looking for a not-to-sweet snack in J-town and you're tired of pocky, grab a mochi. Grab A Mochi!
I've been hooked on frozen ice cream mochi for as long as I can remember and now I'm finally ready to make the switch to the real thing. That, and I now have a school and work schedule that allows me to visit Benkyodo before they close.
With over 100 years of serving up mochi and manju, they have these little smooth and paste filled confections of mild and natural sweetness down to an art. I especially loved the dorayaki manju that has whole red beans in red bean paste spread between two small dollar pancakes. It was SOOOO GOOD! I could easily eat it after every meal. I also loved the yomogi mochi and the strawberry manju, but I didn't find a strawberry slice inside like in the picture, however the strawberry filling was nice. Guess I'll have to try again! I tried to sample one of everything they had and came away with a box of 8 pieces for $8. It's a great deal for such an artistic, historic and decadent treat.
NEW for 2009:
CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW MOCHI !!!!!!!!!!!!
Need I say more?
(Mochi purchases for today, February 4, 2009 @ 8:45 AM: 2 strawberry mochis, 6 peanut butter mochis, 3 CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW MOCHIS = $11.00)
And will be back for more!!!!!!!
I was never crazy about mochi. I buy mochi because they look CUTE. They look like soft little… Read more »
I'm not a huge mochi fan but you got to love this place with their variety of homemade mochi and this history of this place that's been around since 1906.
You walk in and it feels like such an old school place with regulars in their 60's-80's eating at the counter on the right and then there is the beloved mochi section on the left with about a dozen scrumptious looking mochi flavors. Conveniently they do have a mochi "decoder" picture chart showing all their mochi as I bet they've gotten tired of explaining all the mochi flavors for te last 102 years.
I got a red bean mochi and althought it tasted very fresh and the fresh gooey flour was fun to eat on the outside. It was just okay to me but I know I'm not a mochi connosseiur. However, my friend visiting SF liked her mochi a lot.
Bottom line: Super place for authentic Japanese mochi and love the historic old-school feel of this place. Mochi is not for me but if you like this stuff, you need to check out this place. And I didn'try it, but the donut-looking red bean mochi did look great!
Put three indecisive girls together and you'll spend at least 15 minutes standing in front of the counter deciding amongst 12 different mochi selections. We had to let at least 4 people go ahead before we finally made our selections.
Here's Sweet Treat #2:
"1 baked mochi, 1 strawberry mochi, 1 red bean mochi, & 1 white bean mochi."
Okay.. so my review will be a bit biased because I personally don't really like mochi. But everything Japanese is so darn cute, that even knowing its mochi, they looked too cute I thought they'd taste good. Wrong! Despite being bite size and perfectly molded and packed, I still wasn't a converted mochi lover. But you deserve stars for just being family owned and operated, and oh-so patient with us.
When i bite into a benkyodo's mochi, I'm as giddy as a sea otter,
jumping on a trampoline made out of organic cotton.
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