Where to Find the Best Freshly Made Mochi in Rome
Now, I don’t know about you guys, maybe I’m just a little weird, but when it comes to food cravings, I definitely go through phases. I’ve had my double-stuffed Oreo phase, my salty popcorn phase, my sour candy phase, and my latest one is oddly specific too: mochi.
If you’re not familiar with it, mochi is a soft and chewy Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice that’s pounded into a smooth, sticky dough, which is then used to make the most delicious desserts. Personally, I’m obsessed with the chewy texture, and I used to always buy the boxed ones from my favourite Korean supermarket in Rome. For research purposes, I went on a hunt through Rome to find the best freshly made mochi by bakeries and pastry shops, and I can tell you, I was not disappointed.
First things first
Okay, I feel like I have to start this blog post with a little disclaimer, because I know there are a lot of great Japanese restaurants in Rome that probably also make amazing homemade mochi. However, this blog post is more focused on bakeries and take-away mochi, so you can enjoy it as a sweet treat rather than a dessert after a restaurant meal. Sadly, those places are not included in this post.
Second disclaimer: while I have tried quite a bit of mochi in my life, I am absolutely no expert on these types of sweets. If you want to know more about mochi, like its history or how it’s prepared, I would love to redirect you to this blog article, it’s really great!
Hiromi cake
First on the list is Japanese pastry shop Hiromi Cake. I already wrote about Hiromi Cake in my blog post about the best matcha in Rome, and since then I keep finding myself coming back.
Hiromi Cake is located in the beautiful Prati neighbourhood in Rome, close to the Vatican. It is a very cute café with a comfortable outdoor seating area and a bathroom, so I would highly recommend this place for a matcha or mochi date in Rome.
As you can see on their website, besides mochi, Hiromi also sells a selection of Japanese pastries that are almost too pretty to eat. They offer cheesecakes, matcha cakes, rolls, and other delicious treats. Of all the mochi I tried, the ones at Hiromi Cake were definitely the most similar to how I knew mochi to be from the boxed versions, but of course way tastier.
The texture of their mochi is perfect in my opinion, very chewy, not too sticky, and with a filling that almost melts in your mouth. From all the flavours they offer, my absolute favourite is the yuzu one, which has the perfect balance between sweet and tangy.
The staff at Hiromi Cake is always super friendly, and they have great opening hours, open daily from 9:30 to 22:00. If you do not want to sit at the café, you can also take your mochi to go, and it even comes in cute packaging.
Honey Talk
If you already read my article about the best Asian bakeries in Rome, you know that I have regular dreams about the pineapple bun they sell at Honey Talk. This Chinese bakery is located close to Pigneto, and ever since I first came here, it has become one of my favourite bakeries in Rome.
Besides their baked goods, they also sell freshly made mochi, and this is where things get interesting, because I had never tried this type of mochi before. First of all, they were much bigger than I expected, and I was so curious to taste them.
The mochi at Honey Talk is super fresh, and they come in flavours like mango, strawberry, and Oreo. The inside is filled with whipped cream, which makes it, despite the size, a very light and airy dessert. If you are someone who prefers your treats not too sweet, this is definitely the mochi for you. Despite what it looks like, it was not overly sweet at all, perfectly balanced in my opinion.
Honey Talk is open from Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 20:00, and I wholeheartedly recommend visiting. It is more of a take-out spot, so you cannot really sit comfortably here, but the food is incredible. If you go, please say hi to the pineapple bun for me, and combine your visit to this bakery with a walk around the Pigneto neighbourhood.
ZhiZhi Cake Studio
Last but definitely not least on the list is the mochi from the Chinese bakery ZhiZhi Cake Studio. What I love about ZhiZhi Cake Studio in general is that everything just feels fun.
ZhiZhi has two locations in Rome, very close to each other, both on metro line A. If I could recommend one of the two, I would pick the one on Via Tuscolana 936, simply because both the exterior and interior are pink. When I was there, they also had adorable Halloween decorations, and the entire place just screams Instagram and TikTok opportunities. You can really see that everything has been made with love, care and attention to detail, which I really appreciate.
Of all the places on this list, I would say ZhiZhi Cake Studio has the widest variety of mochi. When I visited, they had flavours like Oreo, mango, pistachio, durian, matcha and chocolate. They also sell lots of other baked goods, so if you are curious to see some photos of those, feel free to check out my post about the best Asian bakeries in Rome.
Now for the most important part, the taste test. It was very hard to choose which mochi to try, but I eventually went with the chocolate flavour. One small downside is that I did not see any option to buy a single mochi, they only come in packages of two or three. I would have loved to show you the inside of this amazing chocolate mochi, but as soon as I took one bite the whole thing basically collapsed in my hand, leaving me in a very sticky situation, with a fine layer of cocoa powder dusted all over my face.
I do not know if the collapsing only happens with the chocolate version, since it had a lot of creamy filling inside, but it did not affect the taste at all. It was absolutely delicious. Again, not too sweet despite the chocolate overload, and surprisingly light considering its size. I can already tell I will be back soon to try more flavours, which is always a good sign.
If you want to visit ZhiZhi Cake Studio (and I think you should), keep in mind that both locations are great, but the one on Via Tuscolana is a little bigger and has more seating. If you are looking for a cute date spot with friends or a partner, I would definitely suggest this one. I mean, it is pink, what more could you want. The second location on Via Rocca Priora is just a few metro stops away and is also great, just a bit smaller. Both locations are open every day. The smaller one is open from 10:30 to 19:30 and the bigger pink location is open from 10:30 to 20:00.
Conclusion
I never thought I would write a 1200-word article about mochi in my life, but here we are. I hope this post helped you satisfy your mochi cravings, or, if you have never tried mochi before, inspired you to give it a go. For me, one of the most fun things to do is explore the world of sweet treats and try new things, and this little mochi adventure was exactly that. If I missed your favourite mochi spot in Rome, please let me know in the comments below. I am always on the hunt for new places to discover.
