The best gluten free treats! I love coming here for these tasty treats. The texture of the muffins are interesting. A little crispy on the outside and soft like your traditional mochi on the inside. They have a variety of different flavors from savory to sweet. My personal favorite is the churro. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Gluten free mochi muffins and donuts. Clockwise starting from top left, matcha, 3 cheese savory, churro, mango passion fruit, and chocolate! - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had a couple menu problems, but their service made up for it, and even made my day! I looovvveee third culture. I first tried their mochi muffin back in March from Asha Tea House-they do wholesale for a number of spots in the Bay Area. Now they are on the UC campus in 1951 Coffee! After having tried numerous items, I decided it was time to pay a visit to the actual storefront. I woke up early and took a 25 minute bus ride to Southwest Berkeley. They offer their mochi muffin, donuts, waffles, custard cakes, and drinks. In addition, they sell some cute souvenirs (shirts, plushies, pins, bags). I've tried a version of each item except for the waffles and drinks, (which you can only get at the shop) so that is what I ordered! Banana Espresso Mochi Waffle: A MUST! The same batter as the mochi muffin, but in waffle form! I was on cloud nine! I am so obsessed with their food! The texture of the mochi waffle is slightly chewy, and the perfect density (think BETWEEN a light, belgian waffle and a thick, buttery liege). Also, the sweetness is perfect! No syrup necessary (they don't even have syrup lol). This was topped with a heaping scoop of homemade espresso cream-a little too generous (I had to scoop some off). Then it was topped with bananas and caramel drizzle. The perfect sweet breakfast! There's also a takoyaki-inspired waffle I want to try. Matcha Latte: Made with rice milk and honey drizzle. Light, refreshing, healthy, and not too sweet (I asked for less honey). I would get this latte again! The only thing was that, as I got to the bottom, the matcha got really concentrated and was too strong for me. I love how they make the drink right in front of you on an aesthetic marble slab. I watched the cashier whisk the matcha and pour my drink! Sooo I first tried the Peppermint Matcha Plover because I wanted a seasonal drink. It was sparkling water, matcha, espresso cream, and peppermint crumbs. I didn't realize it was prepared with sparkling water, but even then, it shouldn't be too sweet. But, the drink was too much for me to handle, and I didn't want to waste the 4 or so dollars I just spent on a drink just to throw it away. I politely asked the cashier if I could exchange it for the matcha latte, and he kindly did so. Thank you so much! And then, I really wanted their monthly chocolate peppermint flavor, but the cashier said they had a miscommunication that morning and didn't have any prepared. I was really bummed. I asked him if I could take a picture of my waffle on the marble slab, and he didn't mind at all! Perfect photo surface. As I was taking photos, he said he would try to see if he could find me a peppermint doughnut to take a picture of. A couple minutes later, he brought me out a fresh, specially made one! That truly made my day because I had traveled far to get one, and didn't want to leave disappointed. ProTip: They have over 13 flavors of mochi doughnuts on fridays and saturdays, per the cashier, so that is the best time to go (and I will be back then!) I didn't know how much anything cost because the prices are not listed on the menu, so I had to ask. Even then, I don't know how much my drink and waffle cost. That was the only thing that bugged me-please add prices to the menu :) My experience was personal and they really care about their customers! If you want to read about what else I have tried, I'll write it at the bottom of this review. Thai Tea Custard Cake: tastes very natural, and earthy. pretty strong thai tea flavor. Ube Custard Cake: you can actually taste the ube, unlike other ube-flavored desserts. Churro Custard Cake: MY FAVORITE CUSTARD CAKE! Something about this one just makes it stand out from the rest. The inside of the custard cakes is soft, moist, chewy, and, well, custardy! You just have to experience this magical dessert. Passion Fruit Donut: my favorite donut Black Sesame: nutty flavor. very good! unlike black sesame flavored ice creams that have only hints of black sesame, this donut really brings the flavor out to the forefront! P.S. you can never go wrong with the OG mochi muffin. As you can see, I am very passionate about third culture bakery. I hope they break instagram with their delicious baked goods! read more

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After seeing the hype on instagram, I knew I had to pay them a visit! Since I was visiting Berkeley, I decided to make a quick stop and grab a bite of these unique treats! Nestled in a quiet area of Berkeley, this establishment is more of a grab and go type of bakery. You literally order, then go. I ordered an enamel pin & 4 Mochi Muffins - original, matcha, ube, and Thai tea. I really appreciate the variety of unique flavors offered. After tips, my total was roughly $28 which makes each muffin roughly $3.50 each. Receipt was not provided. A Mochi Muffin has mochi on the inside and slightly toasted muffin on the outside. Since it is a mochi muffin, the mochi part was less chewier than a mochi and was easier to eat/bite into like a muffin. All flavors weren't overwhelming present but you can definitely taste it. Overall, had a pretty decent experience (7/10) and I'm super happy to see a business offer new, exciting twists to our favorite foods! Will come back to try their donuts! read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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A unique and solid dessert shop! Of course I heard about the mochi donuts and muffins for awhile but only had the chance to stop by today. The place was simple and efficient, very clean with no excessive dazzle. I was initially worried about not having cash until I discovered they only take credit card, which helped me a lot. I ordered 2 mochi donuts and 1 mochi muffin to go. I can't speak to the drinks as I haven't tried any yet, but I devoured the chocolate mochi donut soon as I got home and it was as scrumptious as expected. Definitely one of those Berkeley places to recommend to out-of-towners for a sweet tooth indulgence. read more

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The original gluten free mochi muffin was insanely delicious. I'm not a sweets person nor do I need GF anything. Tried this item for fun and loved the flavorful muffin crust and the chewy center...and it was the perfect "not to sweet but sweet" balance for me. The passion fruit donut was also a home run as I love the slight tang in the fruity frosting. Would come back to try other items. read more

I love their mochi donuts and had to go to the source to try them fresh. They have tasty drinks and treats, and the ambiance is cute.

This place is amazing if you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth. Its a tiny shop with not much room for indoor seating but there is outdoor seating and it happened to be a nice day. Parking is not as easy because it's side street parking so expect to drive around on busy days. I made my own sampler lol. Mochi donut 5/5 stars I got the Mango passion fruit, Matcha, and Ube. It doesn't give that oily after taste from a regular donut and it's not overly sweet. The donut still tasted fresh the next day which is a plus since I couldn't finish it all in one seating. Custard cups? 5/5 stars I got the Matcha, Churro, Ube. The star of all the flavors is definitely the Ube. I would go back again just to get the Ube custard. Overall I'd be back again not to just try their other flavors but their variety of drinks as well. Definitely check this place out without hesitation. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Ube, mango, matcha donuts Ube, churro, matcha custard cups - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Went here for the first time this weekend and outside was so crowded with people just taking pics of their purchase. Guess it is an Instagram kinda a place. The place is small, but the items were so yummy. I got 2 donuts, 2 custards, their famous mochi muffin, and their matcha drink. This was all mine, was not sharing. First day, I ate both donuts and half the Thai custard. They were so yummy as you can tell I ate almost half my purchase. Definitely be back. The staff was nice and friendly.and was jokingly.pressured to fill the box which I did...my tummy and waist..getting larger. read more

I tried the famous mochi muffin at one of the Boba Guys location and it was just okay for me. And then, I heard that the chef is from Indonesia, and as an Indonesian myself, I want to support my fellow Indonesian, so I gave it a second chance. This time, I tried the mochi donuts (black sesame and chocolate) and the matcha custard cake. I was truly blown away by the textures of the mochi donut and the custard cake. They were very moist on the outside and chewy on the inside. My fiance, who usually doesnt't like these types of sweets actually finished both mochi donuts. He said that they were really really good, especially the black sesame. I am very proud of this Indonesian baker, who shares his passion for baking and making a name for himself. Bravo! read more

I got a chance to taste their goodies!! I bought a mix of mochi donuts and mochi muffins. The donuts were ok. I chose the blueberry mochi donut and passionfruit mango mochi donut. The blueberry donut was tart, and not as sweet as I was expecting. The texture of the mochi donut is almost similar to a day old donut. The passion fruit donut was tart as well but I think tastes better than the blueberry donut. I love the mochi muffins! I picked ube, churro and the traditional mochi muffins and they were bomb. Out of the 3, I like the original flavor and churro. The texture was nice, soft and chewy. I plan on coming back for more of these!! read more

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Finally got to try these yummy mochi donuts!! I like the texture of the donuts, crispy but soft in the middle. They also have custard cakes, which is my favorite!! I love all the flavors that I got. Thai tea, match and ube. It's super good and addicting. read more

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The food is very Instagram worthy, but the taste isn't. It's a small store, the line moves fast. Interior looks clean. Very well kept and maintained. My complaint is the worker in the back was packing the muffins in boxes with NO GLOVES!! Yuck! I got the lychee matcha sparkler. I watched them make it 10% pink lychee liquid, 80% sparkling soda, 10% matcha. Sure it looks very pretty with the triple colors. But It tasted like straight up sparkling soda. Really no taste. I don't recommend. The donuts are $3 each and were all too sweet! The original Mochi muffin was actually very delicious. Inside was gooey, yet the outside had a crunch to it!! Only thing I would come back for. See pic with the sesame seeds on top. read more

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Third Culture is a real treat for your taste buds. If you love matcha, you should definitely check this place out. And don't even get me started on their mochi butter donuts. I got a matcha latte with oat milk and it was so grassy, I loved it. As for the donuts, I tried the ube, thai tea, Vietnamese coffee, and chocolate. They were SO so good and unique! I think this place is a must-stop at in Berkeley. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!! I would give it more stars if I could. The quality, consistency, and just overall vibe of this cute little bakery is crazy. You must try: 1. Mochi muffins - These are a classic! I've been addicted to them for years after first trying them at Boba Guys. The chewy texture is to die for and the flavor is a combination of sesame, buttery, heavenly goodness. I could eat these muffins every day and not get sick of them! 2. Ube mochi muffins - The classic, but with a twist! These are also really really good. The ube taste is subtle but definitely there, and adds an even nuttier, vanilla-y taste. 3. Banana mochi cake - this stuff is so good! It's caramelized, decadent, and packed with banana flavor. Like banana bread but ten times better. A bit on the heavier side, but worth it! The employees are always so nice and eager to answer any questions or provide suggestions. They also sell mainly matcha drinks, which I've never tried but heard are pretty good. Best of all, they also have a lot of cool merchandise like shirts and sweatshirts, pins, and even mochiko flour! This bakery is truly one of a kind and I wish I lived closer to it. Please open a location in the South Bay! read more

Wide variety of mochi muffins and donuts. But the banana bread pudding, ohmygarters, over the top! I plan to live exclusively on these the rest of my life. Custard for protein, banana for vegetable, right? And maybe a side salad. Cheerful bright place. I have to go back right now; I only got one. read more

It took me a long time to get down to the Third Culture Bakery -- I always thought that I'd be able to try one of their mochi muffins in a local cafe. After finding none ten days ago in [cafe name deleted], I resolved to make a pilgrimage to the source. SR and I stopped in around noon on a weekday. Although there were no donuts to be had (seeing that it wasn't Friday or Saturday), we were able to pick up a mochi muffin and two "custard cakes" -- one with matcha (green tea) and the other with Thai iced tea. The custard cakes had intense flavors of matcha and Thai iced tea, respectively. The mochi muffin was also full of flavor, but it was a bit more subtle. After cutting the three baked objects into small pieces, we pinged back and forth between the muffin and the custard cakes, which was slightly unfair to the muffin. Third Culture Bakery excels in its category, possibly by defining its own category. The trip down to West Berkeley was totally worth it. I liked how this part of Eighth Street has evolved, and I plan to return whenever I'm even vaguely in the neighborhood. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Matcha mochi. Donuts available on Fridays and Saturdays only. - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

We were glad to have stumbled across the place. Looking for the nearest coffee joint after an open house and found ourselves in this cute industrial and hipster spot. Love the colors they use in their decor and food. And the quality of the drinks and their waffles were both amazing. We are driving up north and I was reminded of how good this place was. We are definitely taking a detour in our day to stop but on our way up and hopefully on our way back down as well. Support these local establishments which help make Berkeley the amazing place that it is! read more

Their mochi muffins are...pretty typical of Asian baked goods. How they go after small business shop for selling it is atrocious. So much for stop Asian hate. They (not Japanese) went after Japanese shops and for selling something that has been made for ages. They're "untrademarking" it but what about all the time money and stress all the small shops had to deal with from all the harassment. Any compensation to those affected? read more

Gem of a place to grab coffee and ube/matcha mochi donuts.

My friends delivered mochi muffins to me as a gift once, so I finally got around to visiting the shop in person! I'm pleased with their recc to visit. I'm a sucker for matcha, so I had to try a fun flavor (strawberry lychee) and a regular one (roasted matcha). read more

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The ube and churro muffin were nice and soft that was very flavorful! I also got passion fruit,matcha, and guava donut that were soft and packed a lot of flavors. I ate these a day later and they were still good. Best Experience is prob to eat right away when heated. The owners I assume were very nice and gave me an extra donut that I forgot the name of the donut was. I got matcha latte and it really helps wash down all the sugary substance I'm packing down. :) I also got a Yelp deal for check-in for 10% off.There isn't a bakery like this down in San Jose so it's a refreshing experience to try something new! I also love what they are supporting in the community! Definitely try this place if you get a chance! read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Ube and Churro Muffin Guava , Matcha , Passion Fruit , Special Donut - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great service the cold brew latte with honey OH YEAH! They have some cute reasonably priced merchandise as well. I don't have a sweet tooth so mochi muffins and frosted doughnuts aren't my thing but boy were they cute. read more

These mochi donuts are amazing! We pre-ordered and were able to opt for curbside pickup. We got the ube, thai iced tea, blueberry, raspberry, strawberries and cream, and passion fruit. I can't tell you which one was my favorite because they were each so unique, flavorful, and delicious. The mochi texture of the donuts was unmistakable and pretty chewy. These donuts are also dense, so I would advise splitting them with someone. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - ube, thai iced tea, blueberry, raspberry, strawberries and cream, and passion fruit mochi donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

You may have seen some of their pastries in cafes around the bay area. It could be that pastries in a display case in a cafe are a bit more stale or something after transportation, etc, but getting them here makes them taste a bit better. Currently this month (October), they have a few seasonal pumpkin-flavored items. My favorites are pumpkin mochi muffins and pumpkin roasted matcha lattes. I find their menu fun because the names for drinks and desserts can be very long (essentially lists of every major ingredient) and sometimes contain unexpected combinations (strawberry, lychee, coffee, and milk? ube, strawberry, and caramel?). I've found some of these combinations hits and some misses, but definitely always interesting to come and try new things out. read more

Beautiful spot and the food is just wonderful. Even though I might be having a cake I like the sparkling matcha read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Just...not good. Bland, flavorless dough with overly-sweet frosting. I was really disappointed with my experience at this mochi and donut shop. The mochi was dry and hard, and the donuts were stale and flavorless. The service was also lacking - the staff seemed disinterested and unhelpful when I asked questions about the menu. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for tasty mochi or donuts. Save your money and go somewhere else. read more

I would like to try a new coffee place then I found on Yelp that there has so many good reviews and the picture bakery look great. So I drove a car from SF to try these last Wednesday. For me Macha drink is good but not match with lychee, it make the taste a little bit weird. For the bakery is really good! I love them so so much. The texture is very soft and also sticky espicailly Ube mochi, love the taste. read more

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Came here around 11:30 am on a Saturday morning and the line was down the block. We waited about 40 mins and boyyyy it was worth it! We got one of each flavor donuts and a lychee cold brew. Their mochi donuts were fresh, dense, chewy and not overly sweet. You can really taste the different flavors of each mochi donut. Wasn't a fan of the lychee cold brew though, you can only taste the bitterness of the coffee. read more

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So good! I love matcha and it was so cool to see all the drink options and types of matcha even. I ordered the caramel matcha latte and it was super yummy. The caramel flavor is rich and sweet but not overpowering. I don't like super sweet drinks and this was perfect. Didn't take away from the matcha flavor either. I also got an assortment of mochi muffins and donuts as well. Nice chewy texture and great flavors! Also unrelated to their food, they also have cool merch and a great mission statement. read more

The mochi muffins here are pretty good. I got a random assortment and found that the brownie and ube flavors were my favorite. I'm deducting some stars because I ordered a pumpkin matcha latte and got a regular one, which was unfortunate because PSL is life. read more

My favorite place to get mochi donuts! Their store is aesthetically pleasing just like their chewy mochi donuts! Love that they are vegan donuts! read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Interior - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

To be fair, I came in hoping these would taste like the mochi donuts from Mister Donut in Japan. But they didn't, so I'm quite disappointed. There's a reason those donuts are mostly hollow on the inside. Because the ones from Third Culture aren't, the donuts are really dense and not as easy to eat. They get really heavy after a couple of bites. The flavors are definitely really strong though in the matcha and passionfruit donuts that I had. You can tell they use good ingredients and great matcha. Just not my type of donuts, but worth the try if you're in the area. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Passion fruit, strawberry, matcha donuts + matcha custard cake - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

I would give 6 stars out of 5 for the pastries! They have super cool flavors, and the texture is absolutely incredible. They also make drinks with ceremonial matcha. Everything is very aesthetic. Open, cemented seatings outside to be enjoyed with freshly baked donuts, custard cakes and refreshing match tea latte with honey for the win! Unfortunately, this is just a pick up place, not a café. I adore the ube custard cake inside and it has a nice top crisp flavor! Matcha latte with honey complimented the cake entirely. They ran out of churro cake and donut flavor, which I was looking forward on trying. Thai tea and sesame are other flavors that are unique. Mochi passion fruit mango was a sweet win. read more

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I've tried Third Culture donuts when a friend saved me some but it wasn't that great because it got stale so I really wanted to try it fresh! I was going to be nearby so I wanted to finally make a trip. I arrived around 10:30am on a Friday and it wasn't crowded. We waited outside until it cleared up inside. I knew exactly what I wanted so it was quick! My favorite out of everything we got would be the mochi muffins! read more

Definitely unique and different from any donut or muffin I've ever had! I personally prefer a less dense donut which is the reason for the 4 star review but these were very good nonetheless. The flavors of the donuts were true to what they were labeled as. Passion fruit was vibrant and bright like they used fresh passion fruit juice in the frosting. Same with the berry one--slightly tart which was very unique. Matcha was very balanced with the slight bitterness of the green tea tempered by the sweetness of the frosting. Ube definitely tasted like ube and wasn't too subtle that you couldn't pick out the flavor. Nothing was overly sweet and everything was super fresh. The texture is more dense than a regular donut but chewy rather than cakey. My favorite was their original mochi muffin. I could have eaten 4 of these but we only bought one. The texture of this one was slightly crispy on the outside and I found it tastier than the donuts. My least favorite was the churro custard cake. It almost reminded me of a canele with the center but because it is much bigger there was just too much of the custardy center for my liking. To each their own though. These are definitely something different and special and you might feel differently so give it a try. Cute little shop with plenty of free parking outside. There is no place to sit inside so be prepared to get your box of goodies to go. read more

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Wow Third Culture Bakery was a whole experience! This was the first stop I made during a day trip to Berkley. The vibes inside the shop are up beat and bubbly, we were welcomed with a friendly smile and attentive cashier. The cashier was super kind and informative when we asked questions about the donuts and which were his and the staffs favorites. He suggested the banana dulce de leche mochi donut and the strawberry mochi donut so that is what we got! We also got two matcha lattes with oat milk. The matcha lattes were two of the best we'd ever had. The matcha flavor was strong and pure and not overpowered by loads of sugar. The mochi donuts had the amazing rice flour texture that mochi gives and you could tell they were made with fresh fruits. Third Culture Bakery hits every mark and makes for a fun and delicious morning cafe experience. read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Strawberry mochi donut top left, banana dulce de leche mochi donut bottom left. Matcha lattes with oat milk. - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Wow, this place is popular! We arrived right after opening (10 am) on a Saturday, and the line was already out the door! Thankfully, the server was efficient and the line went pretty fast. Inside, the actual shop area is quite small (most of the space is a bakery) and there is no seating. However, there is plentiful space outside to sit and eat your sweets. I tried the new Ube and coconut donut, the matcha mochi muffin, and the Ube mochi muffin, which in total came out to ~$10. The individual prices aren't listed in the shop. I was surprised that I ended up liking the Ube donut the best! The donut was sweet and spongy (but not like an American donut) and the Ube frosting had a lot of flavor. The mochi muffins have a soft creamy inside and a harder muffin texture on the outside. The muffins had a much more subtle flavor than I expected (especially compared to the Ube donut I tried) - which is maybe a good thing because the desert does not taste too overpoweringly sweet! I had a good experience here and will come back in the future to try more of the flavors of both the muffins and the donuts. read more

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Great mochi donuts, not much to say except that! Line is a bit long but it went fast! Well worth the short wait! Just get more donuts to make up for it!! read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came to this cute little bakery on a Saturday afternoon (early in February) with some family. One of my cousins suggested it. When we got here I was hit with the warm homey delicious smell of their yummy desserts. They had quite the assortment of flavors to choose from (which changes I believe weekly, if not bi-weekly): from ube donuts, to Thai tea muffins, to BLACK SESAME COOKIES (for Chinese New Year only though)! Every single thing I ordered was aaaamazing! The employees behind the counter were such welcoming and friendly people. They definitely didn't have to try very hard to sell me almost all their flavors (lol!). I ended up just going for their ube muffin, passion mango, strawberry guava, jasmine milk tea, and I believe the black sesame donuts, plus the black sesame cookie and lychee matcha sparkler. The lychee matcha sparkler was definitely a weird, yet surprisingly enough, good combination. Also aesthetically pleasing! I really wish diabetes and carbs didn't matter when it comes to our health because I'd be here every week to eat everything!! Every single bite of each one of the things I ordered did not disappoint. It made me wish I had bought a dozen because I didn't want to share anything LOL. I'd definitely be back for their subtly cute packaging and their desserts (of course). I hope they gain plenty of new customers because I'd like if they could open up a few more spots closer to me read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Ube muffin, passion mango, black sesame, strawberry guava, and jasmine milk tea donut. - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First of all, thank you to the incredibly kind staff for serving hot tea & cider to everyone waiting in line! The wait was around 5-10 minutes, so I had the time to make a gluttonous plan to buy one of everything. Just call me a hero for supporting a local business. Anyway, made off with the following muffins - original, black sesame, and matcha. I also bought a butter mochi donut and the banana rum cake situation. If you love mochi and the chewy texture, all of these are for you. SO delicious, original, etc. Those classic French bakeries are shaking rn!! read more

Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - SO many fun options! - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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