It's a cool place to go to. The design and atmosphere is nice. It's open late! Around 10 and 11 on weekends. Which is crazy late for Orange County. I haven't tried their endless pastry buns or desserts. I've only tried the varieties of mochis, which are the same bought from Trader Joe's just more variety and around same price. I've tried their special "pancake" which is a waffle with either chocolate or red bean inside. It was alright. It takes about 20 mins to make so I was expecting better, but it was different. They do an interesting dish with the shaved ice, mochi, fruits, and syrup. It's a fun dish to share and is huge and a bit pricey, but interesting. I'm not a fan of shaved ice but my sisters said they liked it. I also like that it's a chill place just to sit and lounge at. read more

Mmmmmmm, came here afterschool with a friend. I've heard about this place since moving to Irvine, but never visited until now. They have oh-so-many different flavors for their mochi gelato and I went with the green tea because you can never go wrong with that! Other flavors that caught my eye were chocolate hazelnut and strawberry cream! I also had the tacos which was slightly spicy but good! The mochi gelato is soft and chewy, just like how it should be ! Nomnomnom... The staff is friendly and super helpful : ). I'll definitely be back to try the shaved ice and other mochis! read more

I agree with everyone that the place is modern, clean and has space. I could NOT get the wifi working and they said that Mac's can't pick up the signal for some reason? Anyway, had the mochilato (peaches and cream) and it was good but not great. Also had a shaved ice which I would concur much more like the regular American style ice, not the really fine kind (Hawaiian, Korean style) which is much better. I've had lunch there and the food is actually quite good but I only had the tacos. I saw others ordering noodles, egg dishes, etc. and everyone seemed to like their food. It's a nice place to come to do some studying and get a bit to eat. read more

This review is based on the desserts only, not the regular menu items. I wanted to write a review about the first time I came, but that was over a year ago...then I ate at Mochilato today...and I think it's worth a mention. The food items on the menu seem like standard Japanese cafe fare. Probably overpriced for what it is. The mochi ice cream is sooooooo YUMMY. I had the creme brulee, green tea and tiramisu. Tiramisu was surprisingly flavored like tiramisu, not just rum or coffee. The green tea was good of course, but that's typical mochi ice cream. The creme brulee was too sweet. There are tons of flavors to choose from, pistachio, strawberry, chocolate hazelnut, mango, rasberry cream....I can't remember them all. $1.25/piece The shaved ice is really yummy too with a lot of non-traditional toppings. The fruit and mochi toppings are my favorite. read more

I've only ever had the Mochilato Shaved Ice (American style) and the mochi+gelato things, but they have NEVER disappointed me. Mochilato Shaved Ice: I am a picky eater, so I refuse to eat shaved ice if it has weird Asian toppings on it. I really liked how Mochilato lets you pick the "American" way with just fruit, and strawberry syrup in place of condensed milk. Also, the best part is the scoop of gelato ice cream in the center. When I first went here, their smallest size (priced at $10) was big enough for 2 people, but now they have a even smaller size to accommodate those who don't want to share. Pretty much, I've never had a shaved ice that I liked as much as this one (including Asia). Mochi+gelato Mochilatos: These I'm a little more skeptical about, because I don't really think that they are worth $1.50 each, but they ARE pretty delicious. So delicious that instead of buying birthday cakes now, my family goes to Mochilato and we each pick out one of these gelato things, and then we go home and stick birthday candles in them. The other downside to this is that the mochi is coated in a very thick layer of powdered (potato??) flour/starch so when you eat it, white powder gets everywhere. In terms of people and ambiance, the people working are always smiling and nice, and food is prepared quickly. The restaurant itself is pretty cute and cafe-like, and I really like how they play 90's music. read more

A bowl of shaved ice. Topped with red beans, "gelato", mochi, and sweet condensed milk. I will have to say, uninspiring and if there were a Shau Mei down here in the OC (I know there is one near Walnut and Jeffrey, but that one is "fake"), Mochilato would have no chance. The service is nice and comforting, but the desserts are average at best. And yet, they continue to survive. To add insult to injury, that junior bowl of 90% shaved ice will ring you up for $7 after tax. $7 for ice with average ice cream, sweet red beans, and mochi. Oh yea, the sweet condensed milk. Sorry guys, I don't think so. Maybe a happening place for high schoolers to hang out, but snot very good desserts, especially for the price. read more

I actually really enjoy this place. Their shaved ice are packed with toppings including fresh strawberries, kiwis, bananas, mangoes, red bean and mochi. I love their green tea syrup. I usually get the Mochilato Way with all green tea syrup. It has a scoop of gelato in the middle so when you mix it in with the ice, it gets nice and creamy. Why the 3 stars? Well, first of all, their portions are huge. They don't have single servings which means that if hubs doesn't feel like shaved ice, no Mochilato for me. Second, their prices are really steep! I'm sorry but even though their shaved ice are big, it's mostly... shaved ICE! It can't cost them more than $1.50 for the toppings. They're overpriced without a doubt. I've tried their mochi ice creams. It's nothing special. The only cool thing is that they have a lot of different flavors. Watch out though, if you get the less popular flavors, the mochi might be old and hard. You'll know that it's old when you bite into it and you just bite right through it instead of it being chewy. Oh, and one more thing- they advertise (or at least they used to... haven't been here in a while) fish shaped cakes filled with red bean or nutella but they're NEVER available. Not because they run out or they discontinued it but because they make it sporadically when they feel like it. read more

love this place!! I don't know where else to get mochi + ice cream/gelato other than the boxes in trader joes. theres so much selection here! I love their chocolate hazelnut, pistachio, and toasted almond yumm :) Their shaved ice is pretty yummy too and larger than expected. read more

Mochi - Mochilato way and barista way shaved ice! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm so glad i finally got to try their mochi ice cream!!! I wanted to try it all!! It's very soft and the gelato just melts right in your mouth. Plum which was delicious! it had little pieces of fruit in it and it tasted very light and not too sweet. Creame brulee-yummy too :) MUST GO BACK!! read more

This really is just one of those places you can't resist liking because everything looks so good and because it's "special". The mochi is worth it, definitely. The waffles, ehhh, I honestly would still pick Guppy's brick toast over that. I haven't tried the shaved ice but it looks delicious. I'd come back again if I was around the area. read more

Ok...the main reason I hit this place up was to get my shaved-ice fix. So after studying carefully the Yelp reviews (or so I thought) and the recommendations I got the MochilatoWay shaved-ice version. I was busying myself looking around the place that I didn't pay attention to what the lady was doing who was making my shaved ice. By the time it was all said and done, I looked at it as she put the lid on it and to my dismay I realized... My beloved shaved ice was piled high with a whole lot of stuff (toppings) on it. For most people that's a good thing but for me, I'm a simple girl and I don't like a whole lot different flavors and textures going on in my mouth at the same time...which is why I never took a liking to the Cold Stone Creamery concept. Anyhow, as soon as I tasted my Mochilato Way I knew that this just may not be exactly what I hoped for. Not only did it have azuki beans on and in it (I just can't get down with sweet beans on top of my shaved ice!)... but the bananas on it were way OVER-ripe. I just don't like squishy over-ripe bananas...it's just icky to me. So, I definitely wasn't feeling the love in the shaved ice department but what saved the day was the mochi I got. Mochi...ohh soo cute and tasty! Really these are the cutest lil things I've eaten in a long time. Yes it was my first time having this mochi filled with gelato concoction... and it was a hit. I got the pistachio and the green tea ones. The green tea one tasted alright. The highlight was the pistachio mochi. Very flavorful and I would definitely recommend. Tip #1: Know what you're ordering Before you order Tip #2: Watch the person who's making your order so you can intervene if necessary (in my case...an azuki bean and over-ripe banana intervention) On my next visit I'll try the shaved ice again but minus a lot of toppings... I did give this rating 3 stars because the mochi was pretty good, the shaved ice has potential and this place was clean (hey the lady was sweeping when I walked in so this automatically gave them another "notch" up in my book!) read more

I've only been here once but I wish it was around when I lived in Irvine. I've been hearing about this place for a while and I finally was able to go. I don't have much to say except that the decor was cute, coffee was good, space was limited so might have to share a long table, shaved ice was meh, but their ice cream mochi was awesome. Very cute and different place to go. Thumbs Up! read more

Great little dessert place. The Mochi ice cream is good. There are a lot of different types: my favorites are cookies and cream and toasted almond. They are all very light and delicate flavors but very tasty. The Mochi is nice and chewy. They also have a variety of regular mochi as well. There are also a lot of awesome looking treats: Belgium waffles with ice cream, Gelato, shaved ice with fruits, and also they now have Beard Papa and you can order freshly made cream puffs! read more

Mochilato is a great place to get a mochi ice cream treat. It is definitely up there in quality but for the price I don't think I'll be coming here that often. I came with a bunch of my friends and my girlfriend as a social gathering to just chill and I ended up trying some of the mochi. It was something like 1.25 a piece for mochi which I don't think is that worth it. I'm easily satisfied with 2-3$ mochi from the box and some asian market which comes with at least 6 pieces. It's a great place to chill and hang out but I would not come back when prices are this high. The quality was top notch though. I heard shaved ice is something you have to try. read more

This is 1 of the types of places you'll always come back to when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. The service is very friendly. The atmosphere is very chill & warm. The mochi is very fresh, trust me I know the difference! Very different fr the one at the asian markets :) I love that you can customize yr order any way you'd like & its a better alternative for yr kiddos - fresh fruit, red bean, milk vs high fructose corn syrup & preservatives. :P The price for a small shaved ice is about $7 something, I thought it was pricey, but its really a lot & can be shared. One of my fave spots & can't wait to go back & try another combo. read more

Mochilato should change it's name to Mochi heaven. Looking at the window full of ice cream filled glutinous balls, I just want to get one of every flavor (but I didn't). I asked them what their popular one was, and the guy said guava. I personally, thought the guava was a little weird though. I also got the strawberry and green tea - both very yummy. They also have a bunch of other sweets there. It's too bad this is so far from home, otherwise I'd buy one for every day. read more

Mochilato is one of my favorite places in Irvine for shave ice. Shave Ice - I like to get the Italian Save ice. The best thing about this shave ice and actually all the shave ice they serve there, is the fruit. I love the way they layer the fruit on and are not chinsy. Oh yes and you cant forget the size they are huge and I love that you can share. Yum yum yum!! What do I drink? Tea Forte Carmel Tea - who would have guessed that this would taste so good. Goes great with the shave ice. I love that Mochilato is one of a kind with its wide selection of ice cream filled Mochi. I do have to admit that I am not a big fan of ice cream filled Mochi and rarely get it plus I think they are over priced for what it is. However, I have had a few of them there and they have been good. You cant beat the varieties they have to offer. I love the peach one. Overall, good place to go for dessert with a modern atmosphere. Thumbs up from me. read more

Mochi and gelato. Exactly what the name says. It's a TINY bit pricey but you're not going to be able to find this anywhere else. The place has definitely gotten a lot more popular and has turned into a family dessert place. Tables are usually packed with families or big groups. Their shaved ice combinations aren't bad but I just go to have a mochilato or two. Two of my favorites are roasted almond and classic strawberry. When you buy the ice cream mochis from the Asian markets the mochi+ice cream is usually too hard to bite into, but at Mochilato it's the PERFECT temperature where the mochi is soft and chewy and the ice cream is just the right consistency. Love to come here to satisfy my sweet tooth for a quick/small bite. read more

This place is a hodge-podge of different foods. It used to be a mochi gelato place, but now they sell Beard Papa, macarons, and korean food. I personally don't like when stores do this. You should stick to one or two things you are good at! Not my favorite place to get shaved ice, but it'll do. It's refreshing on a hot day though! I love their guava gelato. So awesome. It literally tastes like the Kern's Guava juice you find at the stores. Their mochi ice cream is good too. They fill them with gelato instead of ice cream. I think my favorite is their Plum Wine one. Okay, so one of my pet peeves is when people mistake Macarons for Macaroons. They have a big sign hanging in their store with pictures of macarons, but the word on it is "macaroons". Macaroons are coconut cookies, not the french expensive little cookies. Please get it correct people! Plus, their macarons are $2, sorta on the pricey side. Have yet to try them, but I will next time... read more

We were looking for a place to eat dessert one night after dinner, and my friend suggested this place. They had shaved ice, mochi ice cream of all different flavors, and beard papa's inside! Sweet! I got 3 mochi ice creams all to myself: creme brulee, chocolate hazelnut, and guava. The creme brulee one was meh, but the others were pretty good, especially the guava one. My friends also got a shaved ice, and good thing they got it to share because it was HUGE! Gigantic. Monstrous. With the 4 of us, we couldn't even finish the whole thing. It had huge piles of fruit on the sides, and ice cream in the middle. Crazy large. Maybe even a little too big... Cool place to hang out and catch up with old friends. 3 stars only because it was nothing outstanding - good, but not great desserts. read more

Awesome gelato great cream puffs and quick service what else can you ask for? read more

See all

Mochi ice cream heaven. Plum mochi is my favorite!! Must try!! Bliss in my mouth. read more

If I'm ever in the area, I love coming here for dessert! The Good! :D - The Mochilato is a great combination of Mochi and Ice-cream. Mango and Cookies-N-Cream are my favorite! - There's a good variety of desserts here. Mochilato, Macroons, Beard Papas, Dippin Dots, Shaved Ice, Gelato,.... so many things you're bound to love something! - Friendly service :D! The Not so Good! D: - It's a tiny bit on the pricey side, but somehow I manage to get what I want without making my wallet feel too sad. - I tried the Japanese Shaved Ice and I didn't like it so much (But the Italian one is great) read more

This place was ok. Ordered Ice Coffee, Green Tea and Pistachio Mochi, and Red Bean Ice. Green Tea and Pistachio Mochi were good but the Red Bean Ice was messy as it was dripping all over the place and everything was a bit pricey. read more

Definitely a more than a little pricey, but they have good selection of mochilatos, macaroons, and wagashi. If you don't know what something is or want suggestions, the staff is really nice and will tell you what fillings are in what and what you might like. read more

See all

This place is located near Mitsuwa, so one day after having ramen at Santouka at the Mitsuwa nearby, I ventured into this little cafe that a friend recommended. As soon as you enter, it's a hot sauna. I'm not sure if it's hot because it's a bakery, but seriously, 85degrees isn't this hot (and it's normally packed beyond the fire marshal code). I ordered their red velvet gelato which tasted really good. This gelato isn't as creamy as Gelato Paradiso (used to be near Sprinkles on Avocado Drive in Newport Beach), but I liked it nonetheless. The gelato base was very cream cheese in base, and there were chunks of red velvet cake laced inside. Pretty good! I also tried their macarons, but they weren't that good. I prefer macarons at Lette's in Fashion Island. I tried their earl grey and it had all the wrong elements of earl grey. It had this funky tea aftertaste that you get when you're drinking from the bottom of an earl grey drink, and what was really weird was I think there was a chocolate base in the ganache filling of the macaron which tripped me out. Overall, I'd go back for their gelato, not macarons. read more

i don't usually go out to eat dessert, but if i did this place would be a place I'd go. They have a large selection of mochi with a variety of flavors. and apparently have drinks here too. I thought the mochi was really good, honestly couldn't tell the different between ice cream and gelato mochi, maybe the texture is softer in the gelato mochi but in the end, its all good haha I thought the mochi was kind of pricey but I guess once in a while if your in the mood then it is well worth it. If you come here i recommend the coconut or coffee mochi those were my favorite. If your craving mochi or some kind of ice cream I would recommend coming here, they have really tasty treats. If your not in the area I would say save your gas. read more

First time here not knowing what to order so we got a jr size Mochilato Way, which is an italian & japanese style shave ice. Attack the food with no expectation. End result, still in questioning whether it was worth our money & tastebuds. read more

Mochi - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Irvine, California

I come for the guava mochi, and only the guava mochi. Okay, and sometimes the green tea one. I'm not a huge mochi fan--I enjoy them but wouldn't go out of my way to get some. That aside, Mochilato is lightyears better than the boxed crap you can get at Mitsuwa and HMart. The mochi itself is thinner, softer and less chewy--you don't feel like you're eating plastic. The gelato inside is a good consistency while the boxed ice cream ones can be rock hard at times... With the variety of flavors they offer, $2 a pop isn't too bad every now and then. read more

I come to this place all the time because I'm always craving sweets! They have such a large variety of desserts and food. The cream puffs here especially; they're made fresh every day and they fill it with custard right in front of you! The mochilato is great as well! They're nothing like the ones you can buy in a pack, and let's keep in mind that this is GELATO, so you can't compare this price to the regular ones sold in grocery stores. The staff here super nice and always patient when I'm ordering. Even when it's busy, they try to work with you so that you can get what you want. When it's not as busy, they are so fun to talk to. I am a regular here and I know that I will stay one! read more

I am really just not a fan of this place! I've been here a couple of times with my mom and have left feeling unsatisfied and sometimes regretful. I have to give this place credit for having a plethora of options for customers! When I've been here on three separate occasions, I've had something different. I've had the shaved ice which I would not recommend at all! It lacked flavor and just tasted really watered down. The cream puffs are good and the flavors of mochi ice cream are okay but not the best I've ever had. Sad to say, but I will most likely not come backz read more

6 people behind the counter and only the cashier waiting on customers with 4 families in line. 1 person practically heads down counting mochi while 3 families in line waiting for her to look up. read more

Just left Mochi very disappointed. Waited 25 minutes for our order..ask on status and they had lost our order. After asking they said we'll get it to you right away... oh they ran out of what we'd ordered asked for my money back-Don't think I'll be back. read more

I absolutely enjoy the shaved ice packed with fruits, green tea sace on top and gelato in the middle (they used to substitue non-fat yogurt for the gelato for free but now they charge and extra $0.75 - ridiculous, by the way ) I spoke with Micky and she is super nice and makes the shaved ice exactly how I want it. I order the smallest sizes - single - for me and a friend and we were both overwhelmed on how BIG it is (there are four sizes to chose from now instead of 3). For just about $6...and sitting in an airconditioned cafe...not too bad for an hour or two... This place has become quite packed and the people serving behind the counter really can be nicer. I tried several flavors of mochi ice cream and have never been blown away. I still love the shared ice with fruits. Aside from that, I haven't been impressed with other items they sell, such as teas, biscuits, and bread. read more

Great place for desserts. I discovered Mochilato with my roommate the first week this place opened. The manager and staff are extremely friendly and patient. Definitely try the hazelnut, mango and strawberry mochilatos. read more

if you like mochi then you'll like this place. Really there are better gelato places out there. But this place is great for mochi. They have a great variety... My husband and I got mochi and we also wanted to try their shaved ice. Pretty darn good! Their shaved ice is nothing compared to Hawaii's shave ice... but it will do. Huge portion, perfect to share. *I think their mochi is expensive though. I would only get their mochi again for flavors that I may not find at a local asian market. read more

Mochi - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

After reading various reviews on Yelp, I thought I would give Mochilato a try. I went with a friend and we ordered 4 different mochilatos: Strawberry, Pistachio, Apricot, and Plum Wine. I was so excited once we sat down with our little desserts, but after a bite I instantly thought how much better the frozen mochis are from Trader Joes. The mochis were alright, but nothing spectacular. I wouldn't say they are the best, but they do have a variety. I don't know if I would go back for their mediocre mochi, but if I do, perhaps I'll try other items on the menu. Pros: Variety of flavors Cons: Cost (1.25/ mochi) and they get soft pretty fast If you're looking for a mochi fix, I recommend Trader Joe's! (Look in the Frozen section!) read more

I've always been a fan of mochi icecream, so when I heard of Mochilato I had to go try it out. Their concept of creating so many different flavors of mochi's and using the more flavorful gelato filling instead of ice cream is very interesting. I tried their tiramisu and roasted almond mochilatos. Both were very flavorful and you can really tell the difference between their freshly made mochi's compared with the boxed ones bought at supermarkets. I also tried their Mochilato way, which is a shaved ice based dessert with strawberry and green tea flavorings topped with bananas, mango, red beans, mochi, and vanilla gelato. This one was just alright. i thought that the green tea and strawberry flavorings didn't go well with each other, especially when it started melting and mixing in with each otjer. Kind of gross actually. Besides, you can get this type of dessert with other choices of toppings at most taiwanese restaurants, so I didn't think this version very special. read more

This review is just for the mochi ice cream since I haven't tried anything else. First of all, the decor of this place is great, and it's very clean. Great place for students to get a cold treat. And yes, there are a number of mochi flavors, but I found the ones recommended by yelp all taste the same. The creme brulee was pretty much vanilla tasting. read more

If you want to cool off and try something sweet and different, Mochilato is a great place. The shaved ice is delicious and refreshing! The green tea and strawberry shaved ices are thoroughly flavored and isn't syrupy like most places. They add just the right amount of toppings and you can easily substitute them in & out. Serving sizes are larger than you think and the smallest bowl is enough for 2-3 ppl as an after-meal dessert. There are plenty of mochi ice cream flavors to choose from! You have to find a favorite. Mine is the chocolate hazelnut because it's like frozen Nutella, mmm. The place is a little pricey for shaved ice, but if you're used to Guppy's, this will be an instant upgrade. Besides, it's Irvine- prices are always on the higher end. read more