Kansai Yamato

Alright… this goes out to all those chocolate peanut butter mochi loving Unilocalers. You will be disappointed! Very «pake» with their filling amount. The chocolate is just little Hershey Kisses. Made in Hawaii’s version is still top mochi.

Since we recently moved from the Moanalua neighborhood, I have started to miss some of our favorite haunts in the Mapunapuna area. One such food specialty is mochi from Kansai Yamato. But, as luck would have it, I remembered that Kansai Yamato has other stores in addition to its kitchen shop.
I found Kansai Yamato in the Makai Food Court at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. As I approached this stand, my heart began to race and my mouthwatered just at the thought of getting fresh chocolate-​peanut butter mochi or tropical fruit flavored mochi. Sure enough, all of my favorites were there including some flavors which I had not seen before, all neatly packaged and ready to eat.
The prices were the same as at the Mapunapuna shop and the two young male employees were helpful, courteous and friendly. I’ll be back for more of these Japanese treats.
#427

Best mochi I have ever had. It’s fresh and variety of flavors. They make it early in the morning right in front of you. The mochi literally melts in your mouth. Hands down one of the best places to get mochi in Hawaii

I really hate shopping, but love eating. Especially eating daifuku mochi!
Since I live in a Japanese confectionery food dessert, hitting Kansai Yamato at the Ala Moana mall is a real treat.
I love the variety where you can have the traditional with azuki or you can go with the fruit filled or my favorite, crunch peanut butter. I didn’t get to the chocolate with peanut butter since there were too many others to eat first.
It’s fresh so the mochi is soft and smooth. The azuki was very well done. And the peanut butter was excellent.
I would have given it 5 stars but the staff wasn’t really very helpful or friendly. I guess mall clerks are the same no matter where you go.

This review is a little late, but I was just thinking about how I miss good mochi, so here you go.
The red bean filling and the strawberry daifuku were my favorites; the mochi is very soft and tasted fresh. The mango wasn’t bad but for me it didn’t compare to the ones with a filling.
Head over to the mall and find their kiosk and buy yourself a nice treat. And mail me some too haha! :’(

Mochi here is good. Tried a few flavors and liked them. Strawberry is good but the Oreo one is great!

I was lured into this place since I wanted to try the fresh strawberry mochi and this was the closest place that had it. Although large in size it was very disappointing. We got the fresh strawberry mochi with red bean. The strawberry was hard and tart and the mochi was thin and had a floral taste to it. One package came with 2 pieces and we threw away the second one. Perhaps it’s not fair to base this place upon one item which is why I’m giving them 2 stars instead of one. After having a negative experience with the fresh strawberry mochi we didn’t bother trying anything else. Service was a little lacking too as we stood at the register for a bit waiting to pay before the worker even noticed us. Mind you this is a small kiosk in the middle of the food court.

I’m in mochi heaven! The mochi is so delicious and fresh! We ate mochi from Kansai Yamato everyday, and we eventually got tired of the mochi that had the adzuki bean filling. If you don’t want to have all adzuki filling, then do not get the combo package since 75% will have the adzuki bean.
Mango and the mochi with the peanut butter filling were so delicious. Yum!
We purchased mochi at the Ala Moana shopping mall, and also picked some up at Don Quijote grocery store.

Having just finished demolishing some delicious curry house at the Ala Moana food court with some friends, I spotted this mochi stand on the diamond head side near a few of the other food kiosks. The sheer amount of options drew me in and I decided to grab some to take with me to a dinner at a friends house later in the day.
Strawberry mochi — This monster mochi ball was in the refrigerator section of this shop. Inside it was filled with a small strawberry and a bunch of whipped cream. I like the idea, but it wasn’t executed very well. The thickness of the mochi layer was overwhelming and there was simply too much whipped cream compared to the size of the strawberry. I disliked this item.
Mango mochi — Plain mochi with mango flavor, this was average. Not that great. I wouldn’t get this again.
Coffee mochi — This was interesting. Inside was a red bean paste but along with that were some tasty coffee pieces and what I believe were white chocolate chunks. I liked this, but wouldn’t get it again.
Cocoa mochi — This was really good. It was loaded inside with nice crumbly brownies. Since this was so surprisingly good I might have to try the oreo mochi next time as well. I would certainly order this again.
Overall, although a few items were disappointing I would come here again. The amount of options they have and the interesting combinations mean that there are definitely some hidden gems to be found here.

Located as a kiosk in the makai market food court at ala moana shopping center.
Other than the yummy Daifuku they have; first come first serve, this is what i normally come here to buy; they also have these adorable bear, frog, kitty, and (im forgetting one) andagi [okinawan doughnut]. Honestly the doughnuts only taste OK and I didnt really eat much of mine because of the frosting and the cuteness, but I think everyone needs to go buy one!!! Case closed.

ANIMAL SHAPED DONUTS.
Need I say more? But really, those froggy and kitty donuts are kawaiiiiii
and tasty too. The «fondant» like icing is sweet, I prefer the «cat» flavor to the frog ahah.
Cash only, and the workers are so nice. Pick up a mochi while you’re there !

wow, so fresh you can taste it. they make the mochi right in front of you so you know it’s never a day old. i tried the BLUEBERRY and MANGO mochis… so soft and bursting with flavor! if only i had time to try the Oreo, Matcha and Kona flavors too! they also had Mochi Waffles. darn… i’ll have to return!

Hidden in grungy Ala Moana food court is… Kansai Yamamoto! *samurai voice*
Actually it’s not really hidden, but one could easily walk right past it and never realize that they are missing out in the best mochi ever. If you are curious about trying this place, it is located right next to that overpriced Acai/​Dole Whip stand near Jamba Juice.
The only mochi I have ever eaten at Kansai was the peanut butter mochi because I despise Azuki beans (i.e., disgusting red bean yuck paste) and I never stray from food I love. I was in utter shock when I took my first bite of Kansai’s peanut butter mochi because it was extremely soft. It was a weird sensation. I can’t emphasize how soft the mochi is, but it was almost melt-​in-​your-​mouth kind of soft. The peanut butter was a nice addition to this delectable because it was sweet and creamy, and added substance to the mochi. I highly recommend it.
This place also holds those cute little animal donuts that everyone has been posting on Instagram or Facebook. I recently hopped on that bandwagon. I honestly bought these donuts just so I can take a picture… don’t judge me. However, these donuts are actually pretty good! The frosting is not overbearingly sweet and the donut tastes like andagi. Thus, in other words, these donuts are basically frosted andagi. Moreover, there is a hidden surprise in these donuts! I was shocked, but the eyes of the green tea frog donut and the ears of the strawberry piggy donut are almonds. How creative.
Tip: CASH ONLY.
Bottom line: Yabai!

Kansai Yamato is a little kiosk located in the food court. I purchased an item from their little kiosk for the first time today, and I am very satisfied with my purchase!
I bought an animal donut and it’s sooo adorbs! I don’t even want to eat it, but that would defeat the purpose of why I bought it. Other than it’s irresistible cuteness, it was also very yummy! It wasn’t too sweet and the dough they use I believe is similar to the andagi’s because it has a similar taste. Very yum! I will definitely stop by here again! :)

A small Japanese kiosk that makes mochi, donuts and other delicious things fresh daily! I was always a huge fan of their mochi, so good! Let me say, they ONLY take cash! The prices are decent, not too expensive. Now, they sell little cute animal donuts as well for $ 2.25 each which are way too cute to eat. Make sure to check em’ out! They also have other locations around Aiea, Chinatown and Salt Lake. I’ll be back from time to time.

Pretty cool little kiosk in the Ala Moano mall food court area where they make different flavored mochi’s. Needless to say, I always pick some up when I am in Oahu. Last time I was there I tried their Daifuku ones with the fresh strawberry inside — delicious.

I really think Momo E. and I went a little insane here when we were finally heading home. So tempting to just BUY EVERYTHING x A HUNDRED. That is how good the mochi is here. Specifically the mango and honeydew. Those two flavors are just pillows of amazing! So if you see those GET ‘EM! :D Also if your a fan of dango they have this here as well! I ate one right after purchasing and it was very good the sauce was sweeter than I like but overall very goo. But don’t put it in the fridge! :(Momo E. made this mistake and ruined the last two pieces (I don’t think this applies for the other mochi but don’t take my word for it). The other flavors we managed to try were Oreo, Kona coffee, and sweet potato daifuku. These were also very good but they just couldn’t stand up to the mango or honeydew IMO. The Oreo was especially interesting though! Never had anything like in and it is very unique and definitely far from traditional. So a must try if you find it appealing! Also another unique twist there are white chocolate chips in the Kona & Oreo!
Overall an excellent experience and I GUARANTEE Momo E. and I will be back! :)
**NOTE: CASH ONLY

This is probably one of the best mochii’s i’ve ever had. I was walking around the food court plaza and happened to lay my eyes on Kansai Yamato due to the colorful mochii’s. Pink, green, seseme, or red bean, you name it, they have it and most likely you can’t go wrong with any flavor. In addition, the mochii’s are freshly made on the spot!
I tried the peanut butter and red bean mochii’s. They were soft, fresh and delicious. I highly recommend this place when you visit the Ala Moana Center!

Trying this place for the second time in several years; I realized that I actually love this place. This mochi is comparable to my mother’s mochi. Soft, Fresh, succulent, Cloudy, simple blend of sweet with love, and most of all, good. From the green to the pink to the sesame, you can’t good wrong with the selection here. Its simple as that; a place that specializes in specific items excels in it. Definitely a place to rock when you are in the Ala Moana Center!
Pros: Fresh Soft good Mochi
Cons: Cash Only
Stars: 4.75

Honestly I don’t like venturing into the food court because I can just imagine how filthy it is in the kitchens and places we just can’t see.
But I did today… and landed upon this mochi place and fell in love. First of all, I love mochi… and second, their prices are cheaper than Shirokiya… YES!
Love it… and will return again soon!
Unilocal 365 Challenge #198/​365