A recent addition to central Phoenix's diverse culinary scene, Mochidot Donuts, is offering a Japanese twist on a classic sweet treat. Launched in March 2023, this family-owned business is garnering attention with its unique take on donuts that incorporate mochi, a rice flour that gives these desserts their distinctive, chewy texture.
Located conveniently at 7th Street and Camelback Road, Mochidot presents a mouthwatering array of flavors, from ube to churro and daily staples like powdered sugar. Every month brings a new lineup, with August showcasing enticing options such as cocoa crunch, and caramel affogato, according to their menu posted online.
"So mochi is the rice flour. That’s kind of the core ingredient of our donuts. When you go to fry the donut, that’s what’s going to give you this texture that is airy, chewy, pillowy. Very different from your traditional American donut," co-founder Nichole Williscroft told AZFamily. Williscroft and her family have poured their passion into Mochidot, a dream that was born out of pandemic struggles and a desire to bring something new and exciting to their community.
“We want to avoid any of the pre-made stuff. We try to keep it feeling like it’s from the kitchen with love," added Williscroft in the interview. They also extend their support to other Asian, and women-owned enterprises by featuring select merchandise in their store.
Mochidot Donuts also enriches the fabric of its locale with cultural representation and diversity. With central Phoenix lacking in broad Asian diversity as Williscroft noted, Mochidot stands as a beacon of culinary and cultural inclusion in the area, a sentiment echoed in a statement where she expressed “I think really we’re just hopeful for people to continue finding us and continue coming and enjoying our donuts and engaging with us. We’re hopeful to be here a long time and hopeful to kind of just spread the mochi donut love.”
The shop also offers mochi "dots," small, stuffed donut holes that carry a different flavor each month, like July's Belgian milk chocolate ganache, information obtained by 1011 NOW.
