I'll begin by saying I drove 26 mins here today, and stood in line for over 10 mins to place an order in 100° weather (what takes so long to take an order for shaved ice?) I guess the fact no one there is competent enough to count cash at an establishment in a timely matter. Furthermore , after waiting, I'm told they are cash only ... and NOWHERE on their website is that noted. I then suggest they should make that clear for customers before they decide to come and the man (using a calculator to add $5.00 + $1.50) points out outside the window , yes not a actual establishment, saying it's noted there some place. After the group of SIX standing in front of the sign waiting for their order leaves the sign is then visible. A complete waste of time coming here today. Save yourself some time and go to Gunther's people. read more

3.5 STARS The roommate and I were at Nijiya Market when I spied some mochi. Decided to grab an assorted box from Osaka-Ya for $6.99. I tried them later that day on Tuesday, July 3rd around 4:30pm. *GREEN MOCHI: Mochi infused with a Japanese herb called Mugwort, The inside consist of sweet smooth red bean paste (Koshi-an) *PINK MOCHI: Traditional sweet Mochi on the outside with sweet whole red beans on the inside (Tsubu-an) *WHITE MOCHI: Traditional sweet Mochi on the outside with sweet smooth red bean paste on the inside (Koshi-an) *Kiku: Mochi with a sweet smooth white bean paste (Shiro-an) and covered in sweet clear glaze I tried the kiku first. I liked the flavor, but I found the glaze didn't hold up well. It made the piece a little melty in texture. The mochi itself was very pretty. Pink with a green leaf type decoration. I tried the green one next. A good subtle sweetness. And the green tea flavor went well with the red bean. Overall, I did find the mochi too soft, so they were missing that nice light chew. Otherwise, I really liked the flavors of the pieces I've tried so far. Maybe the mochi suffered from transit time? Or maybe they were sitting out at the market for too long? But I did find the texture a touch mushy. I did enjoy the flavor and look of the pieces, so rounding up to 4 stars for that. read more

Osaka-Ya - GREEN MOCHI, PINK MOCHI, WHITE MOCHI, Kiku ($6.99) - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

$9.25 for ice dessert expensive for my budget, and I had to walk away and because it's cash only. I seldom carry cash. I bought dessert from this place two years ago and I think I paid less. Inflation hits everywhere. Yes, it's cash only, no ATM. read more

Cashiers are friendly yes and the onigiri is good but I'm giving two stars bc of bad business management. Whenever I try to get onigiri it's a game of chance. I've come 4 times at different times just to either find a sign saying the onigiri will be done later or they aren't available today. The desserts I've tried were dry so I don't plan on getting that again. It's small which isn't an issue to me but I just need some consistency with when food is ready. read more

Best place in town to get shaved ice! Been coming here for years. It's an experience. If you haven't been yet this summer GO! The service is great and the portions are large. So many options to choose from. You can go inside or at the window to order. The place is pretty small. No seating available. But there's nothing like having fresh shaved ice on a hot day. read more

This place has the best mochi around! I love their chocolate peanut butter mochi! I also bought an assortment of other flavored mochi and they all were great! read more

Osaka-Ya - Assorted mochi - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

See all

The actual review is 3.5 stars. It is a small Japanese shop that is known for its mochi and shaved ice. The shaved ice is a good price and you get a good amount for what you pay. The shaved ice is pretty much a mountain and the small looks more like a medium and is good for 2-3 people. The large is in a soup container and is good for big group. Also, I recommend that you get it with condensed milk and ice cream. Condensed milk makes things taste that much better and the Green Tea ice cream is awesome. You really taste the matcha flavor. As for the mochi, there are a lot of different flavors, but you might want to get the butter mochi in advance since it's the most popular and runs out fast. However, most of the mochi there I wouldn't really consider mochi because it doesn't have the right texture. They either have the outside texture or Manapua or they are really dry. Definitely have had better mochi. read more

See all

I'm so happy to know that this little Japanese spot is in town. The mochi is divine; my favorites are the Sakura and the coffee. I also love the onigiri. The staff told me that they usually come out at around 12pm and that if I'm coming from far away, they could hold some for me. Of course the shaved ice is amazing - I recommend sharing as even the small size is huge! They also charge a 4% transaction fee if you're using your card, so it's good to bring cash. read more

What a great place to get yummy desserts! We came here for some shaved ice and fruit freeze. We were not disappointed. We got several different flavors and had one with a scoop of strawberry ice cream. For shaved ice, I recommend getting a scoop of ice cream with it. The ice cream gives the shaved ice a creamy taste. We also had the Gunther's fruit freeze. It was delish - we got guava and mango. We also got a couple of bean filled mochi and flavored mochi. I preferred the smooth bean filling. The mochi is a bit sweet for me but overall it was good. We will definitely come back here again for shaved ice and fruit freeze. read more

Been coming here for years! Best real "snow cones" in town! Best to go maki and inari sushi in town. Nice small selection of Japanese good in such a small place. Go here, it is worth your time and tummy... read more

This spot is a little hole in the wall shop but don't let that fool you. They pack their shaved ices so tall and the flavors are delicious. Perfect for the 100 degree weather. There's no shade outside so it tastes even better when you finally get it. We got the tigers blood (Hawaiian punch) with condensed milk and watermelon with Mochi. They packed the Mochi (more than the 10 they say they give) on the bottom. Only downside is they don't let you mix flavors :( read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Small little mom and popshop. I love their peanut butter mochi!! It's been around for years!!

I have been coming to Osaka-Ya for years and their manjus are the best around. My out of town relatives makes special request for their manjus. Every time I preordered my 4-5 dozen manjus and Osaka-Ya take extra efforts to make it fresh before my pick up time. I appreciate their customer services and perfectionist on their products. This place is not much to look at but the charm of the people and products are good. Support local business read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

See all

I had thought I didn't like mochi since I only had tried commercially packaged ones, but tasting Osaka-Ya's homemade mochi changed my mind entirely. I got a variety box and was amazed by the how velvety the texture is and how pleasantly subtle the flavors are. Also, the cashier was extremely helpful and kind. Highly, highly recommend supporting this talented family-run business. read more

My friend got me a few of the items from this place at the MNLND event. The butter mochi melts in your mouth! The spam masubi was pretty good, better than some of the other places I've tried. I definitely wanna check out their shop and try some of the other things they have. Overall it was a great experience. read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Good place to pick up Natto, very hard to find in Sac. Only other place I know that sells Natto is Oto's, but that's a bit out of the way for me unless I'm already in the area. Will be back for the mochi and sandwiches next time, and update my review. read more

I'm a big fan of mochi, so I've always wanted to try the mochi at Osaka-Ya. It's a very tiny mart located at the edge of downtown. For the mochi itself, it's one of the best I've tried. I would have never imagined peanut butter inside, but it was surprisingly delicious. The mochi was very soft and had a good consistency. I don't know if it's because of COVID, but the inventory in the mart was very slim. Not a lot of products to sell. A lot of the shelves were empty & there wasn't as a big selection of flavors for the mochi as I'd hope. However the staff was nice & helpful. I will come back to try their shave ice, because the pictures look very eye pleasing. read more

Osaka-Ya - Peanut Butter Smooth Mochi - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Must try the mochi. It's a dying art, made by hand not machine. So soft and tender. Skip the shave ice though. Nothing like Hawaii here in either texture or flavor. Just get the mochi! read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

See all

Have you ever had shaved ice in Hawaii? This is exactly that but in town! Although the shave ice is seasonal, hits right at the spot. Their mochis are so flavorful too! They have a peanut butter filled one is like a pb sandwich in a tiny mochi. read more

The snowcones of my childhood. Pictured is strawberry with a scoop of strawberry ice cream on the bottom for about $5. This is a size small, i probably should've gotten extra small. Hole in the wall spot in downtown sac. Best snow cones in town. Also Kiana provided excellent service! I would recommend to anyone in Sac looking for a way to beat the summer heat. This place is only open during the summer read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

The customer service here was really good. I enjoyed the food as well. I think I ate too much.

Love their mochi . Saturday's they have strawberry mochi yum parking is hard to find but the walk is pleasant. One of those great small businesses. If you're looking for fresh mochi and Japanese snack foods this is the place to go to. read more

I used to order mochi from here during high school, but now I go there for Japanese/Hawaiian snacks and frozen mochi. Their frozen mochi are at a discounted price and I can always store them in my freezer to enjoy later. My favorite is their green mochi, I'm not sure if it's green tea but I loved the flavor of the outside with the red bean paste inside. My other favorite is their Peanut Butter mochi. Back in high school I would slowly eat these just so the awesome flavor doesn't go away in an instant. read more

Cute little mochi shop :). I haven't tried their shaved ice, but love the mochi. There are assortments of different red bean mochi and other Japanese snacks. I'll come again to try the shaved ice. Support local businesses! read more

Osaka-Ya - One of each - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

I am all for supporting small businesses but I could do without the attitude at my recent visit today. I understand it's almost New Year's and people are almost out the door trying to get mochi for the biggest Japanese holiday of the year. I also understand the staff here must be exhausted. But the store is a complete mess. You can see white powder and footprints all over the store. There are boxes of food just sitting on the ground. While I was standing in line, there is a lady behind the counter yelling at someone else. It must have been about some misplaced items because they finally found the box of missing supplies and were shouting about it. I could have done without the attitude and EYE ROLL I received because I did not preorder my ONE single package of komochi. Sorry it was my impression that preorders were for large orders- maybe the website or Facebook should clarify. Like I said, I love to support small businesses but I would hope that they take some time after the holiday to relax and refresh. I'm hesitant to support a business that treats their customers like they did today. read more

Delicious! My wife and I got the mochi with peanut butter with chocolate chips, chocolate lovers, and fruity mochi. They were all so good! Our favorite was the chocolate lovers by far. It was chocolate mochi with a dark chocolate filling. read more

Osaka-Ya - Chocolate lovers, peanut butter chocolate chip, and fruit flavored mochi - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Osaka-Ya is the definitive experience for a mochi lovers paradise. The location is a small cozy shop filled with many varieties of mochi such as koshi an (smooth red bean), tsubu an (chunky red bean), butter mochi, chocolate lovers mochi and so on. It is really popular in the summer time because they sell snow cones! Pros: *friendly customer service * delicious mochi *snow cones Cons: *your favorite mochi might be gone past 1pm Pro tip: Mochi tastes amazing with coffee or tea, so give it a try next time. read more

Osaka-Ya - Try these mochi! Chocolate lovers tastes great frozen! - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

My bf and I came on a Sunday morning after the Farmer's Market and decided to try their shaved ice. We got the x-small watermelon with strawberry mochi. We were amazed at how big their x-small is.. and for $2.75. A scoop of 12 mochi pieces is extra $0.75. After we ordered, a whole crowd came to make their orders as well. Since there was only 1 person working the shaved ice machine/taking orders, we had to wait quite a bit for our order.. maybe 20 minutes or so. So maybe having one person taking orders and someone making the orders would increase efficiency and decrease wait times. The watermelon flavor was subtle, not too sweet, and the mochi was a good amount of chewy. At first glance, you won't see the mochi. The mochi is hidden inside the cup and they top it off with shaved ice, which is kind of fun because you're eating your way to the "treasure" haha. You order outside in a little window. It's cash only. You can walk inside the shop to see the variety of desserts and snacks they have, as well as assortment of Japanese goodies. I didn't see any of their bento boxes, so maybe next time I'm in the area, I can stop by. But overall, Osaka-Ya is a good dessert option. read more

See all

Stopped by for some quick snacks and came out with a great variety of mochi and manju which were all really tasty! read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

I'm not a fan of mochi, but this time I was willing to drive to Downtown only for this mochi from Osaka-ya! I didn't know this place until my friend from Santa Barbara asked me if I could get mochi for her kids before she headed back to SB. So I went there, I bought a few packages for my friend, and 2 extra mochi for my husband. (I was so hungry that I tried one and left only one for him.) Omg, the mochi was so smooth and soft. It tasted so good and fresh, and was so different than the ones I buy at the supermarket. I'll definitely come back again and try different flavors next time. read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Not sure why this place is popular. The snow cone is just ok and the old lady that served food is just SUPER MEAN! She did not allow ringing the bell while they put the bell just in front. I rang the bell so that I can place order as I did not see anyone in front. Then she literally yelled at me because of it. WTF! I definitely will not come back because of it. Really BAD experience! read more

If you are in the downtown area, I would give this place a try! It is a good place to go on a hot summer day. The parking around this area is on the street and it may be hard to find it since it's just a window. There are not a lot of flavors to pick from, but it is still a good price for the big portions they give. I ordered an extra small and I barely finished it! The cashier was very patient with me on deciding what flavor to pick from. A heads up, they only except cash! So be sure to bring cash in order to order. Overall, I love this place and is my go to place when I want some shaved ice. read more

Osaka-Ya - Left: Tigers Blood w/condensed milk (Small Size) Right: Watermelon w/condensed milk (Extra Small Size) - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

I have been meaning to come to this place for quite a while now. I was able to finally make it down there last week and I wasn't that impressed. There was a selection of mochi and other desserts in the front showcase where the register is - it's the first thing you see when you enter the store. The store itself is underwhelming because there aren't many items in it. I think the biggest draw about this place alongside the mochi is the shaved ice that they have in the summer, which I have yet to have. There are other Japanese snacks and frozen foods throughout the store. Then, there is also a case of frozen "older" mochi and desserts in the back freezer that are half-priced. I came here to try the peanut mochi that a lot of other yelpers recommended. After walking around the store, I didn't find anything else I wanted to buy so I went to checkout. However, there was a $7 minimum to use my credit card but no clear sign saying so (the only sign was a small one that said there was a $6 minimum charge), so I ended up having to fill in my purchase with some of the 1/2 priced stuff. The peanut butter mochi kind of hurts my stomach every time I have some, so I'm not sure what it is about it, and I do wish there was an ingredient list to see if the green part of it is food coloring. I put the frozen 1/2 priced stuff in my freezer and I guess we'll see how those taste when I finally defrost them. read more

See all

Osaka-ya is a gem and pretty much the only store standing from the 2nd iteration of Sacramento's Japantown. Tip: This is a traditional manju shop. The manju is always fresh and I love getting the traditional four manju. Anything else is a cherry on top. This shop is a manju shop first and foremost so don't judge them if they don't have a specific food item! Yes, they offer maki, inari sushi if you're lucky in bento (during the week earlier in the day). Some days they offer onigiri and spam omusubi (call them for days and hours or to order ahead!) you can always find some Japanese pantry goods like osembe, ramen, different sauces, etc. I picked up some of these instead of heading all the way to Oto's. This shop has stood the test of time so it looks that way. But the service is always efficient and polite. Ambiance is a throwback to single-item storefronts. Starting in April they will have shaved ice at the window! read more

Everything is fresh, tasty and very good quality. With a very traditional flavors and ingredients. I was very surprised. The staff is nice and gentle. read more

The shaved ice portions are huge and according to the group I was with, everything tastes as sweet and icee as they should. I'm particular to the more traditional Kintoki (sweet red bean shaved ice) with condensed milk and it was as good as I was hoping. Outdoor standing room only, so don't come expecting to be seated in an air conditioned retail space. This and the 'cash only' almost knocked off a star, but considering the cultural significance of one of the last remaining Japanese businesses left in this once thriving Japanese American neighborhood (until the WWII internment, I'm told), four stars is well-deserved. read more

Osaka-Ya - Still standing. - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

Amazingggg mochi!!! So authentic and fresh. Obsessed with their peanut butter take. Will be going again soon and posting pictures to this review! read more

This place never disappoints!! Came here recently after a while and got my usual and still hits the same

Mochi as party favors for our mom's 80th birthday -- people loved them! I ate one and it was yummy! Tastes homemade as expected! read more

Osaka-Ya - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California

we just left here for the first time. to start, they only take cash so luckily we had just enough cash on us which is rare! the favorite flavors they were out of. the snowcone with condensed milk was good but it's barely any drizzled on the outside and once you scrape the outside you're done with that stuff. I got mine with ice cream and it was good but it started melting quickly and became a wet ice cream cherry syrup concoction and I just didn't like it so I threw it away. overall both myself and my daughter said we wouldn't come back. $14.50 thrown away. BUT on a positive note they sell Gunther's fruit freeze there so that's a good thing. read more

Osaka-Ya - outside window where you place your order - Desserts Near Me - Sacramento, California