Mochinut has officially been open one full week. I visited this location off beach Blvd this past Wednesday or Thursday. There was a small line upon entry just after lunch. The line moved kinda slow but I think like me, it was everyone's first time here so no one really knew what to order. It's to be expected.
The menu was on two tv's the first part of me standing in line which was nice, I could look up and kinda decide what I want to order or at least have an idea by the time I get to the counter. Not long after, the manager or owner came out to the tv's and switched them to regular tv, so no more menu.
When I get to the order counter, I think it was the girls first day behind the register. I had to repeat my order a few times as she's asking the manager how to ring said object in, still getting the items wrong (which display on your side so you can see)
I get it, it's still new, totally okay.
I ordered 3 donuts, = $10, and one boba tea which all range around $7-$8 dollars. Tipped $1. So total for 3 donuts and 1 boba drink was $19-$20. I feel like that's very high. I know prices these days are high but, for me not knowing the quality of these items yet, that's high. For parlor donuts further down on beach, I will gladly pay the high price knowing the donut I get in return is not only large, but delicious. Good bang for your buck.
I asked if there is an option to adjust the sweetness on the tea - the manager replied no. He asked if boba or cheese cap was okay, I said yes as long as it is not an extra charge. From the picture below, you can see there is hardly any boba in the actual drink, and I don't see the cheese cap. This is also a picture of the drink unopened as well.
The soda top lid on the boba drink was a cool feature, I did like that. The flavor of the ube and brown sugar drink was okay and not overly sweet. It was still too sweet for my liking but I did appreciate it's not overkill. The small amount of boba I got was alright. I don't know how fresh the boba was but if I came again, I'd skip ordering boba tea all together. Not my favorite.
The donuts consistency was doughy and fresh. My favorite or the three was the matcha.
Now the icing though... very thick, very sticky. It was not light and pillowy like the donut. Those two combinations didn't really add up to me. Soft fresh donut with paste like icing. The sweetness level was great for the donuts. Also not overkill with the sugar. I just was not a fan of the consistency of the icing. Would not order the caramel or cookies and cream flavor again. The original donut looks like the icing for that one could be thinner and less tacky, I might try that one if I decide to go back.
The ambiance of this place was very normal. Bright colors, on brand with a lot of mochi donut places. I got Tsaocaa vibes with this whole design. The led lights, clock on the wall, drawings, everything definitely looked like someone within the store did this or made this. It's all sourced by someone here I'm sure. Nothing wrong with that at all. I liked all of the colors.
I did notice as soon as I opened the door and stepped in, it felt like there was no ac on. It was stale and muggy in here. It's also early March, so no high temp heat yet as far as Fl goes. This immediately made me want to order and take everything outside. It was cramped with the line and people at the tables plus hot inside. Hopefully it was just something going on that day and not the shops norm to not have some kind of air circulation running.
If I could sum this all up with a very cringey Gen Z term - it's Mid.
The decor was done quick or cheap like, the donuts are pretty and so are the drinks, but they aren't special tasting, and the service and vibes in the shop could be better. I definitely think $20 for one drink and three donuts is far too much for the quality in return.
Hopefully this is all just first week issues, and the store will work to improve on all of these topics. I do hope they last here once the hype of a new small business in Jax wears off. All issues are small but, issues in every dept it seems. read more