Mochi-Yo

Putting my tongue on a 9 volt battery immediately followed by a eating a tablespoon of sugar. That’s what frozen yogurt tastes like to me.
What am I doing in a frozen yogurt boutique then? I was drawn in by the logo and store design. The wooden «Mochi Tunnel» that stretches from floor to ceiling is REALLY cool. It reminds me of a skateboard half pipe that’s been rotated 90 degrees.
The Mochi Tunnel was designed by Kansas City based architecture firm Blue Bike. The Blue Bike website contains concept sketches of the tunnel. It’s fascinating to see how much it changed from concept to reality in the store.
I ordered a peach yogurt topped with coconut and gummi bears. It tasted like the first sentence of this review.

The frozen yoghurt at Mochi-​Yo is much better than the other places that are popping up. For example, their blueberry has a much better blueberry flavor than the competitors. Frankly, I don’t miss the other flavors and toppings — most of the toppings at the other places are just plain gross and just don’t belong on frozen yogurt. Guess I’m a purist.

I feel so bad for this little froyo place. I was so freaking elated when I learned of its existence 1.5 years ago. It was like a month or two after the grand opening. Anyway, I’d been craving that tart Pinkberry knockoff flavor so much, that I went 7 days straight after my first visit. I then frequented it regularly for another year. I did my job word-​of-​mouth advertising it to friends and coworkers, then did everything I could to drag everyone here.
Fast forward. Now there’s a tart froyo place on every corner of JoCo. Peachwave did an awesome job of coming on strong with the self-​serve concept (and true to its ancestors).
Now that Yo Berry opened close to me, I have no reason to go that far east to get my fix. I still give this place 4 stars for introducing the Midwest to the calorie-​counting ways of SoCal and keeping it real by serving the right «small» 4-​oz serving that keeps the calories at 90 – 100. They also keep it closer to the original intent of healthy eating by offering mostly low-​caloric or fresh topping choices.

Judging from the dwindling-​to-​nonexistent customers in Mochi-​Yo, the nearby Peach Wave is putting the hurt on. Mochi doesn’t have the selection nor (frankly) the taste that the much cheaper Peach Wave joint offers.
Making matters worse, the counter staff here seem quite unfriendly and dole out absurdly small portions. (Honey, you’re pouring yogurt not LIQUID GOLD.)
I’m sure their rent is expensive and I never see the fraction of customers they used to have so I give them a year or less before they close shop.

A-​OK indeed.
I was ecstatic to learn there was a mochi place in Kansas City~!! (thanks to Unilocal Dreamy Ice Cream email for helping me find this place) I have previously had mochi at Beard Pappas in hawaii and california but I have yet to have it in the middle of mainland USA so I was really happy when I went to mochi-​yo.
I walked into mochi-​yo expecting to be blown away with a MOCHI store. What I immediately realized upon stepping in though was that this was just another fro-​yo place that happened to have a little refridgerator by the entrance that contained some mochi (mango, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and green tea). The place is called MOCHI-​yo… talk about false advertisement. To make matters worse, they were selling 2x mochi for $ 3.50! HOLY CRAP~!! THAT IS SOME SUPER EXPENSIVE MOCHI~!!
My friends and I debated on whether or not we should partake in highway robbery. After awhile we decided that we had went to the trouble of finding this place and we wouldn’t know when we would have the opportunity to try some mochi again. We tried all 5 flavors and the mochi was actually pretty good. My personal favorite was the green tea (strawberry a close second).
I don’t think I will be coming back to Mochi-​Yo again to be honest. It was good but I feel too guilty paying that much just for mochi.

I have this friend who is always craving ice cream. However, he says, «I want ice cream» as much as he says, «I feel fat». While not a dessert-​person myself, I decided to indulge him and suggest we get frozen yogurt. So we headed to Mochi-​yo on a hot summer evening to impulse eat.
I was surprised at how many people were getting frozen yogurt on a Monday night, but it was just the right amount of people in the cozy shop… where it feels sublimely pleasant seeing friends or family spooning fro-​yo and enjoying a moment.
On to the frozen yogurt. Let’s be real. You can have 804 frozen yogurt flavors, and while all slightly different, they all kind of taste like frozen yogurt. The four flavors (all of which they so graciously let me sample) were good, but my friend and I decided four flavors was more than enough to choose from because the original flavor was the best. So he ordered a medium (and was happily surprised by its large size) and loaded his with classic chewy yummy mochi. I got the small which was the perfect size for this non-​sweet-​tooth and got red raspberries and granola (see picture).
My friend finished his off quickly in that addict-​sort of way, while I leisurely enjoyed mine fearing I’d be overwhelmed by sugar. But no! I had about three bites left when I hit that perfect spot where it’s a little melted and the perfect yogurt-​fruit-​crunch ratio struck. It set the mood for us to just walk around the rest of the night doing whatever, enjoying whatever. Mochi-​yo is what a summer night tastes like. (And hey, it’s easy on the hips… they even put the calorie count on the wall for you to check out… so you can order more and not feel guilty. There is a reason Sheridan’s doesn’t have their nutrition facts up…)
I’ll even say as a city girl, it’s worth the trip to the burbs. Will be back… tomorrow.

If you are going here expecting TCBY, anything similar to Sheridan’s, or frozen yogurt that is a lot like ice cream, you are going to be disappointed. On the other hand, if the words «PinkBerry» or «YogurtLand» elicit a Pavlovian response in you, you’re going to be perfectly happy. Kev L. is absolutely right — this is Korean-​style fro yo in all its tart glory, and I love it.
Their regular flavors are Green Tea and Original, with two other rotating flavors. (Tonight it was orange and coconut.) Available toppings include strawberries, mango, raspberries, shredded coconut, blueberries, white chocolate chips, and mochi, among other options. At $ 2 for the smallest size (which is actually quite large) and $ 1 for one topping or $ 1.25 for two, I didn’t think this place was pricey either — especially when you consider that you’d be paying at Cold Stone for about 400x the fat and calories. (I’m wondering if they’ve adjusted their price points — I definitely thought this place was reasonable, and it definitely was not $ 3.50 for a small.)
I would like to close with a haiku, dedicated to Mochi Yo and inspired in part by Kev L.
No, it’s not ice cream.
Don’t compare hotdogs to cake.
Yogurt here is YUM.
I’ll be back.

When this place first opened, I was ecstatic that frozen yogurt was coming to the Kansas area. My first couple of visits here were okay. The décor is nice, and the quality of the yogurt is decent. The price though, was quite steep for the portions they serve. However, my last couple of visits were pretty disappointing. I ordered a large serving, and I swear the amount of yogurt they gave me could have easily fit into their «small» portion with a lot of room left in the cup. For the price, this place is totally not worth it.

Not impressed. If you’ve ever had frozen yogurt *not in the midwest* (i.e. California or New York), you will probably scoff at Mochi-​yo. Toppings are too expensive. If you’re in the Kansas City area, you’re better off getting frozen custard.

Love this place. My family prefers the fresh fruit toppings over the candies and cereals!

I was really excited to find out about this place. Just moving back here after going to school on the east coast for 4 years, I was scared I would have to do without many of my favorite foods (we all know KC isn’t exactly a mecca for authentic ethnic food), but thank goodness for Unilocal!Although i think they could keep the fro-​yo a little colder so it won’t melt so quickly the flavor is great! The only real difference from places on the east (and west) coast is that, at least when i went, the guy packed the mix-​ins on top instead of around the sides of the fro-​yo, making it a little harder to eat. I think this is possibly the fault of the fro-​yo not being quite frozen enough as I mentioned earlier. Past that, I loved it and will definitely be returning! Can’t beat 110 calories per 4 oz serving (a size small!)
(and yes, the yogurt is tart because its REAL yogurt. Think of the taste of greek style yogurt. The fruit flavors are much sweeter than the original and green tea flavors.)

After going to this place a few times, I really expected it to be rated much higher than what it is. However after reading a few of the reviews there seems to be a few constants:
1) Korean-​style frozen yogurt traditionally has more tart to it’s taste than what we are used to here stateside, so I can see where some may not approve of the taste right away. However, I wouldn’t compare Gates brisket to Okie Joe’s pulled pork, since it’s two different kinds of meats. Hence, I wouldn’t compare Japanese-​style yogurt with it’s American counterpart. Kinda like comparing apples to hot dogs?
2) Although not reflected on Unilocal,I have heard some people bash the décor quite a bit. You would think that these idiots would understand that it is a Korean themed joint, but apparently they didn’t get the memo…
Personally, my review of this joint is based on what it straight up portrays to be, which is Korean-​style yogurt. And rated on that basis, this place is exceptional. I will say that the Japanese/​Korean versions I have had are of better quality, there is one thing one must keep in mind, «Thou shall not bash standalone ethnic joints in Kansas City».
Although KC has made great strides in the last few years as far as offering more off the wall ethnic choices, you would think folks would be a little more grateful for having this stuff around considering we are still struggling to grasp the «international friendly» concept in this metro area.
I will say that this is not lost on my wife and I and we are definitely appreciative of Mochi-​yo (as much as it tries it’s best to portray itself as authentic). Green tea frozen yogurt with the green tea mochi bits is extremely tasty. We have also tried the strawberry equivalent on different occasions and also like that flavor very much too. Let me also add that although the staff has never kissed our feet upon visiting, they are kind and respectful. Kalja brings that up in her review, and one would hope that eventually they do get the message and try to be more proactive at greeting customers though.
Until a nemesis that can provide a better product shows up, It will stay at 5 stars for me.

I have always loved frozen yogurt, but this place didn’t inspire me much. Maybe I am old school, but I loved the good old fashion chocolate vanilla swirl at TCBY the best. I ordered a strawberry flavor and threw some strawberries on top… just because I felt pressure to do something more. It was decent.
I think I might be mehhh on this place because I really never got into the topping hype. I don’t like the «mix in» places either. Give me ice cream or yogurt straight up or with a well thought out flavor profile. Mixing chocolate chips into vanilla ice cream will never taste as good as chocolate chip ice cream. Is it just me? Oh, well who cares, I know what I like and this doesn’t inspire a return visit. Maybe I am just not much of a Harajuku girl.
Murray’s is still the best.

I have had this frozen Yogurt several times and love every bit of it. The blueberry is one of my favorites! Mochi Yo has Plain, and Green Tea flavors along with two other rotating flavors.
I was a little upset they did not have real mochi when I first tried it out, but they have all kinds of different toppings you can choose from for extra $$ including what they call mochi balls, which taste like the rice dough in a gummy bear size.
As far as the service goes, don’t expect a great welcoming… I have been there so many times, you think they would recognize me and at least say «Hello!» but I never get anything. Sometimes just a Hello can go a long ways.
Overall the quality tastes great and it is a healthier choice compared to frozen custard, another favorite of mine… but the service could use some work.

I went to this place on the opening weekend when they were giving it out for free. I found the 2 rotating flavors (blueberry & green apple) to be very good and refreshing. Wasn’t wild about the green tea. The mochi topping was new to me and pretty interesting. I thought it tasted like marshmallow with the consistency of gummy candy.
I thought the quality and taste was good enough to warrant the price point they are setting. If you think you need any more than the 4oz size, your ass likely says different. I will definitely go back when I’m in that part of town and in the mood for a light treat.

Today was just bleh. I had a crappy in between meal (too late to be lunch and too early to be dinner) and a bad hair cut. After taking a walk on a surprisingly sunny day, I ventured out to grab some yogurt.
My lil sis is totally obsessed with frozen yogurt. During her last visit to CA I had to take her to a yogurt place every day. Fraiche in Palo Alto, Red Mango, Yogurtland, Pinkberry… you name it, I had to take her there (not to mention daily Jamba Juice trips). Anyways, this girl is only 14 yet somehow she was here like 2 weeks ago. I don’t even know how she knew about it but she told me it was good.
I got green tea with granola and mango. It was delicious! I think it’s a little pricy if you ask me. I’ve had cheaper tart yogurt in CA and it tasted way better than this joint. It was around $ 5 for small with 2 toppings. I don’t know about you but aren’t we in a recession???

Fat City Pitch: «The store will offer four flavors of yogurt — the standard tart flavor, green tea and two rotating flavors like watermelon or other fruit. Two dozen toppings are available, from fruit like pineapple or pomegranate seeds to mochi (small rice-​cake) balls. Tart yogurt is real yogurt with live cultures in it and is relatively good for you. A four-​once serving has just over 100 calories. Mochi-​Yo sells the yogurt in three sizes: small (4 oz., $ 2.50), medium (8 oz., $ 3.50) and large (12 oz., $ 5.50). Toppings [start at $ 1, and add $.25 for each additional.]»
They just had a free weekend starting for their grand opening. My friends and I all love free, so we all packed in the place to taste the new froyo place in town. It’s fabulous. If you like Yummo’s in P&L, you’ll love this place. It’s more true to the flavor of Pinkberry style froyo. Fruits are great. Mochi is good. Will be kinda expensive after getting it for free… but I know me and my friends will crave this a lot… even now I crave it. Great location. Cute décor. I’m over custard style ice cream… onto froyo!