Ren Matcha & Mochi

Mont blanc noodle pile Japanese toppings and hand-held crepes are big draws

Costa Mesa’s Japanese supermarket Mitsuwa recently welcomed the second location of Ren Matcha & Mochi – also known as Mochi-ya Ren – a shop dedicated to matcha and mochi desserts. Debuting to long lines, this shop now caters to matcha fans who have gone without since Maeda-en’s small ice cream shop left the market several years ago.

The two highlights on our visit were the Matcha Mont Blanc, soft serve ice cream topped with stringy matcha mochi paste, and the Matcha Mochi Crepe, which can be customized with whipped cream or ice cream (choose the latter), liquid chocolate and caramel, and fruits such as strawberries and bananas.

Mochi stuffed with fresh mango wasn’t better than the sum of its parts, but tasted pretty good, anyway. We were less thrilled with the uneven, gooey mochi topping hard serve matcha and black sesame ice creams, but would consider returning after Ren has some time to settle in and perfect its offerings.

Stats

Price: $$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2022

Addresses

665 Paularino Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

714.557.6699

Instagram: @mochiyaren