Customers line up to choose from a vast array of colorful mochi donuts—including flavors ranging from black sesame to chocolate potato chip—at Pon de Joy in Newton Centre.
“A mochi donut is a fusion between, like, a mochi dessert and a donut,” store employee Lila Donovan said. “Instead of being all wheat flour, our donuts are made with a little bit of wheat flour and also glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch.”
These ingredients contribute to a lighter donut with a chewy texture, one that differs from the traditional donut, according to Donovan.
“They have a different texture than a donut that you would get at a donut shop like Dunkin’ Donuts,” she said.
According to Donovan, the Pon de Joy location in Allston, Mass. makes the donuts each morning before delivering them to the Newton Centre location.
“They’re, like, baked and glazed and everything every morning and then sent to us,” she said.
Customer Callie Ware said she was especially excited to try Pon de Joy because of its convenient location.
“I also decided to try Pon de Joy because I do really enjoy mochi donuts and was really excited that one had opened in my hometown,” she said.
According to Donovan, the store introduces new flavors every Friday and serves them alongside classic customer favorites, creating a lineup of 12 distinct donuts.
“We get new flavors every Friday, and we also try to keep some base flavors that people recognize when they come in each week,” Donovan said.
Pon de Joy opened on Feb. 12, and Donovan said she’s already noticed some flavors that have been particularly popular among guests.
“Our base flavors that we’ve had for pretty much the whole three weeks [that we’ve been open] are matcha, strawberry milk, and cookies and cream,” she said. “We sell out of cookies and cream almost every day that I work.”
Ware said she sampled three flavors during her visit to enjoy as many flavor profiles as she could.
“I got the guava orange, the mango tajin, and the milk tea ones,” she said. “I think the mango tajin was my favorite.”
Donovan said she has two personal favorites from the donuts she has tried so far.
“My favorites so far have probably been the brown butter cookie that we had last week—that’s really up there,” she said. “Also, the Fruity Pebbles was pretty good, and I’m not even, like, a Fruity Pebbles person to begin with.”
Pon de Joy has a drink menu featuring cold brew and a few flavored lattes. Donovan said the shop hopes to add more beverages to its menu in the immediate future.
“Right now we have five available drinks, so two types of matcha lattes, a black sesame latte, taro latte, and cold brew,” she said. “We’re hoping to get hot coffee in soon, espresso drinks, and also get boba within a few weeks.”
Ware said she would return to Pon de Joy but would limit herself to ordering just one donut that she knows she will enjoy.
“I would go back,” Ware said. “I always order too many donuts because I want to try different flavors, so I think I’d just try one at a time.”
Pon de Joy is located at 212 Summer St. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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