Minamoto Kitchoan

This place looks so legit and I live so nearby and just got a membership rewards card, I’m afraid I may end up reviewing every dessert in the shop before the year is out. We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?
They sell castella cakes (from Kyushu), white peach jellies and all kinds of other sugary delights.
Worth noting: They put some of their mochi up for sale at 50% off when it’s a day old (i.e. you have to eat the sale mochi the day you buy it).
—- MOCHI —-
The mochis cost between $ 3.00 — $ 3.60 each for a pretty large piece. You can buy cheaper versions in the fridge section of Nijiya, but these at Minamoto are obviously freshly made and more expensive.
Mame Daifuku: 4.5 stars
The most traditional daifuku mochi, filled with red bean paste and firm whole beans that add bitable texture. Not too sweet, tastes fresh and soft, slightly savoury with the earthy bean flavour. Reminds me of the famous Mizuho mamedaifuku in Tokyo.
Kusa Mochi: 3.5 stars
The flattened crêpe-​like mochi is made with mugwort leaf and has a slight herbal, grassy flavour (hence the name «Grass Mochi»). The beans are in paste form so it’s more «smooth» to the «chunky» texture of the Mamedaifuku. This one will have to be more of an acquired taste for Westerners.
Kinkan Daifuku: 4.5 stars
This is a daifuku mochi filled with white bean paste instead of the usual red. Absolutely delicious, and there’s a whole candied kumquat in the centre too for a tangy kick.

I am a mochi lover! Its so difficult to find a place that makes it fresh. When my boyfriend and I were visiting SF, this place was a must. Especially since I love dessert and mochi.
The place is decorated nicely with Japanese designs everywhere. The mochi was placed in glass cabinets and organized in a way where you would be able to find things easily. There was also a food model of what the mochi looks like inside for each mochi item. I picked out 3 mochi flavors — green tea, red beans, and white chocolate. My favorite was hands down the green tea! Definitely 5 stars! The green tea was authentic. There was a special green tea crunch on top of the mochi too. The red beans mochi was good as well. However, there were bits of red beans that were slightly hard. The strawberry mochi with white chocolate filling was my least favorite. I guess I am not used to having white chocolate as a filling for mochi.
The mochi wasn’t too sweet. It was full of flavors. And most importantly, it was fresh. The balance of the mochi dough to the filling was perfect! Not too much dough and enough filling in each bite. Green tea mochi, I will come back for you! Haha.
The service was good even though there were only two employees. I will be back! :)

Beware of this store’s no refund/​return/​exchange policy. I purchased what I thought was a $ 14 canister of green tea, and did not realize until I got the receipt by email that it had cost me $ 40. Perhaps I mixed up this canister for something right next to it for the lower price. Whatever the case, the store was completely inflexible about me returning it, even though I haven’t opened it and it’s sealed in plastic. I could understand if it was an opened food product, but to be so steadfast on all products is not a good customer service policy.

The shop can feel a little intimidating with everything behind glass; however, these mochi are bar-​none the best I’ve ever had. Feels pricey but who cares if it is just one? Beautiful artisanal desserts, great for gifts.

Take me back to Tokyo and sell me truly authentic Japanese sweets! I wandered into this little unassuming shop yesterday and I felt like was back in the Ginza (where I spent a lot of time when I lived in Tokyo years ago). Their products, by American standards seem a bit pricy, but I assure you dear reader they are worth every penny!
The sales lady was super sweet and very friendly. I left with a box of chocolate mini cakes that I will be happily consuming with some green tea later on today! Oishii desu yo!!!

This manju shop lures the sensibilities serenely with its gorgeously packaged morsels of rice and bean cakes. The pastries are of the highest quality you can get in the U.S., with high prices to match. But they are a treat in which to indulge if you are a manju aficionado. Love love love this little shop. Wish it were in Seattle, closer to where I live.

So I’m sitting here enjoying this delicious peach mochi as I’m writing this.
What a fancy place with beautiful décor. I’ve walked by here too many times and passed on the opportunity to try something new. Today I took a plunge and I’m glad I did.
I purchased a 8 piece box of White Peach Mochi for $ 15. Soft, tender in flavor, and extremely delicate. I’ve only had mochi a few times in my life and I’m not a huge asian sweets fan. I would highly recommend this box if your in the same boat as myself.

Damn. These were good.
I had gotten 3 different ones because I wanted to try various items to get a good idea of what I like… and what I don’t. I didn’t get to try the jelly and cookies that some friends have mentioned. So *hint hint* friends get me some!
I did end up trying 3 different mochis.
Red bean paste with chestnut in the middle — this was delicious. I love a good red bean mochi and the chestnut was a pleasant surprise!
Chocolate with chocolate on the outside — the was definitely my FAVORITE. I do love a great chocolate dessert and this didn’t disappoint. Yum!
Chocolate with matcha on the outside — Not that it wasn’t good, I just wanted more matcha flavor. Still good though.
Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. So good!
Protip: chocolate one guys!

I saw their booth at the J-​Pop Summit’s Sake and Matcha Summit at Union Square. For this weekend only at the booth, they’re offering a combo package with one white peach mochi and one matcha mochi for $ 4, which is not available in store. I decided to purchase one and tried it the next day. For mochi imported from Japan, the mochi was still very fresh and soft. I loved it. I look forward to visiting their store next to Montgomery Street station.

I had just returned from Japan and had fallen in love with a ruffled crispy cookie with vanilla cream. This cookie is called Fukuwatashi Senbei and I did all I could to find a place nearby or online to purchase more. I found minamoto kitchoan and was ecstatic. I arrived and at twice the cost of a cookie (they were sold for $ 3 – 3.50 per cookie whereas they are $ 1.50 each in japan :/​) I decided to sample one prior to indulging in a large box. They were also called senju-​senbei instead. I asked if the staff knew if they were similar to the originals in Japan and they said they thought they would be… They weren’t :(their cookies were much harder and thicker with less sweetness. I barely salivated and began missing Japan more than ever. I wasn’t satisfied and decided not to purchase anything else. I wish I hadn’t wasted the $ 6 (I also bought the green tea version).
The store was pretty but my supreme disappointment has led me to this unimpressed review. Of course, nothing probably compares to the authenticity of purchasing something directly in Japan (although don’t they order their supplies from there?) but the $ 3 per cookie was such a rip. Had it been the same as the original or a cheaper option this rating would be higher.

This is like my candy store of Japanese sweets and cakes I fell in love with all of the options and cakes here. Bought some mochi and fell in love. I will be back
The thing about of Japanese sweets is that it’s not overly sweet and is really light. It touches a lot of taste buds too.
I will stop by here again for gifts for my family. I loved how helpful the staff was too!

A jewelry store of Japanese sweets! You can easily spend 100 bucks on 3 – 4 boxes of dessert but hey, if you must have a guilty pleasure, wagashi is the way to go!
I can never leave the store without buying a box of usagi (bunny bean cakes). Oh man they are yummy!
Also love the white peach mochi. Such delicate flavor just melts in your mouth.

Beatifully crafted mochi!
I bought two different kinds of daifuku mochi here. One had a red bean filling and a sweet chestnut in the middle. The other had a white bean paste with a kumquat in the center. Both were light and not too sweet. The filling felt like it was almost whipped in consistently rather than clumpy and uneven. The outside layer of mochi was not thick, but also not so thin that the filling could break through.
I saw a sign that read all of the desserts here are imported from Japan for quality reasons. However when I purchased the mochi the cashier warned me that the mochi has a short shelf life and should be eaten ideally in the same day. Not sure if I believe they have daily shipments of mochi, but maybe only some of the cakes are imported and others are made on site.
I didn’t try any of the other sweets but the items in the display case looked to be high quality and nicely packaged. Looks like a great place to come and buy a present in the future.

The short: Great place to get some delicious Japanese sweets!
As soon as I walked in, I fell for the decorating and the simplicity of this place. I wish I could afford to buy everything in the store and had to refrain to ogling with my eyes. I came in very hungry (not a good thing to do) and left with a kuri daifuku. Was it worth every penny? Yes! The mochi treat was chewy and had that mild Japanese sweetness, just melting in my mouth, holding me off briefly just before heading to lunch.
There was only one person in the store (the worker) and she was very helpful and gracious answering the questions I had.
Definitely coming back!

I’d been eyeing this place for a while since I love Japanese treats. Walking in, everything is super cute and the ladies working here are really sweet.
September 2013
My purchase:
*Grace dew (fruit jelly) $ 11 per bag
*Hakuto shigure ($ 3.50)
*Shimizu hakuto jelly ($ 13)
*Kuri daifuku ($ 3)
*Matcha bouchee ($ 3.50)
My favorite item was the Kuri daifuku. It had a nice texture and flavor. Next time, I’d skip the fruit jelly. They just tasted like the standard fruit chews and stuck to my teeth while I ate them. Plus, I thought it was a little pricey at $ 11. The worst item was the Shimizu hakuto jelly. So sweet. And I didn’t care for the wet jelly texture. I ended up throwing this one away.
I hate to say this since the shop is so cute, but I didn’t think the treats were worth it. Maybe I picked the wrong things, but I won’t be in a rush to go back.

Very cute Japanese Dessert boutique on Market street, a big red bow tied around their window created a very child-​like feel to this very sophisticated Sweets shop!
A must when you’re in the area! Get their Mochi it is the best I’ve tasted! They have a variety of sizes for all their sweets ranging from $ 10 — $ 32.
Next time I come here I’m ordering others! :P

Delicious, expensive, and tasteful (as in the packaging). I love Minamoto, it’s the most perfect Japanese sweet shop. There are abundant flavors of mochi, cakes, wafers, and everything under the sun. The price tag is steep, you’re guaranteed to spend at least over $ 10. The mochi are about $ 3-​$ 4 a piece, the cakes can be 10 or more, the yuzu strips are a whopping twenty dollars, and specialty items are through the roof expensive.
I’ve had many mochis here, but I can’t recall them all. Most of them are good, some aren’t to my liking because of an ingredient or a flavor. HOWEVER, each mochi is well made– the rice is well kneaded and it isn’t too sweet.
My favorite thing here is the yuzu strips: yuzu is a Japanese citrus and the rinds of the yuzu are boiled and coated in sugar. A delicious, somewhat healthier snack than processed stuff. However it’s 20 dollars (5 more dollars than last year). Still worth it, just not as often.
Service: Nice ladies, helpful in explaining the items.
Definitely come here for some unique and delicious Japanese desserts.

Sophisticate, glamorous, elegant, beautiful, terms that I generally don’t use for desserts, but Japanese sweets deserve those terms. Each piece of treat is beautifully wrapped and the attention to detail is down to a grain of sticky rice or a speck of confection sugar. The staff are so pleasant and helpful; they will answer any questions that you might have. However, descriptions on the items are pretty much self explanatory.
Each time I come to Minamoto Kitchoan, I spend at least the first 20 – 30 minutes browsing each beautifully crafted piece of mochi and walking out being at least $ 50 poorer but my taste buds are surely happy and I probably put on a couple pounds around my waist but nothing a good workout can’t fix (at least that’s what I tell myself.)
I’m going to cut this review short, I can’t type review and eat this delicious treat and savor every bite all at the same time. This dessert deserves my full attention.

They finally had individual chocolate mochi for sale. I have been dying to try this East meets West concoction but was hesitant to fork over the moola for a whole box full if the dessert wasn’t to my taste. It would just have gone to waste, uneaten and moldering in my pantry until I worked up the courage to throw away $$$ in the garbage.
Well that isn’t going to be a problem because I declare their chocolate mochi to be delicious. Hmmm good. Can my annual gift giving dilemma be so easily solved this year? I’m going back soon to buy a whole bunch to bestow on my friends and family.
chocora mikasa $ 4.50
langue dark $ 3.30
maccya busse $ 3.50
hakuto sigure $ 4.00
kuri sigure $ 4.30
chokora mochi $ 4.20
sakura goromo $ 5.00
benihana ringo $ 4.50

Although I dreamt to become Peter Pan instead of Snow White as a child, I enjoyed being treated like a princess at Minamoto. The polite staff patiently explained various types of Wagashi (Japanese-​style sweets) to me, my brother and my friend. Without doubt, Minamoto is the perfect place to impress your friends and dates who love authentic Japanese food.
While Snow White was elegant as she ate her apple, I reverted back to a desperate hipster as I enjoyed the Wagashi that is made out of fresh seasonal fruits at Minamoto. I highly recommend the Hakutou jelly (peach jelly), which is made with Hakutou peaches from Okayama, Japan and mineral rich spring water. The gentle floral and peach aroma made me felt like as if I was picking peaches in a field with the seven dwarfs.
My brother, the self-​proclaimed Prince Charming, enjoyed eating the crunchy seaweed cracker and told me that he would love to propose to his girlfriend with this cracker one day. After I told him that he would definitely get attacked by angry dwarfs for doing such cheap proposal, he decided to get honey katsutera (sponge cake) and bring it back to Miami. He recommended Unilocalers to indulge the cake as soon as possible, otherwise it would dry up.
My friend, who views Doraemon rather than Prince Charming as his role model, greatly enjoyed the chocolate tsuya (pancake with fillings). Normally, tsuya is filled with red bean paste. However, I agree with him that red bean is an acquired taste.
If Hipster, Prince Charming, and Doraemon all enjoyed the Japanese-​style sweets at Minamoto, I am confident that you would love it too!