Third Culture Bakery Walnut Creek

This little shop is an absolute delight. First let's talk about mochi donuts and their muffins. I got a lemon meringue muffin and it was soooo indulgent. It was a perfect baked texture on the outside and soft and perfectly fluffy on the inside. There was a dollop of lemon curd under the most wonderful meringue on top. It was like eating a slice of lemon meringue pie but better. Their donuts are just as perfectly made with a sweet, flavored icing of your choice. We got strawberry, guava and passion fruit. The donuts do run a bit on the sweet side and absolutely are delicious. We also enjoyed their matcha beverages. My wife got the blackberry matcha and I got the hot caramel matcha. It was absolutely amazing how the caramel matcha tasted. Toasted, caramel, umami goodness in a cup. It brought a grounding effect and joy instantly. Definitely worth a try!

What a paradise for gluten-free enthusiasts! Third Culture Bakery offers a delicious array of sweet treats in moderation, all completely gluten-free. Their fresh, gooey mochi muffins, doughnuts, and waffles are simply irresistible. My all-time favorite is the original mochi muffin and passion fruit mango doughnut—an absolute must-try! They also serve great hot and cold matcha beverages that complement the pastries beautifully. The staff is always friendly, and there's plenty of free parking and a seating area, making it a comfortable spot to relax. The only thing missing is a restroom, but overall, Third Culture Bakery is a gem for anyone looking for tasty, gluten-free options in Walnut Creek.

Update: I got three flavors today: ube-coconut, Pandan, and Yuzu Lemon. I really liked the Pandan they really captured that flavor onto the donut very well. I also picked up a couple more things on the menu. The banana mochi muffin bread and pumpkin mochi muffin, definitely recommended. Looks like they have updated added new mochi flavors and drinks to the menu. It’s my first time trying Third Culture and apparently they have been here for a month. They also have another store located in Berkeley. This one is located in Walnut Creek in a small shopping center. Not much parking but there is a parking lot. It was great to meet the owners Sam and Wenter, who gave us a history of how Third Culture came to be. I really liked the vibe they try to create with the store. From the color of the windows to the music they play. The store is quite small but cute, no seating inside. It's basically a store front, counter-serve bakery. They have several items for sale that you can take home with you. The Mochi donuts are very tasty, not too sweet and so many flavors to chose from. They also have Mochi muffins and Macha teas and coffee. I got the Ube, Mango, Macha, Chocolate and Strawberry Mochi donut; Also got the original and pumpkin Mochi muffin, last but not least we got Macha Tea and Caramel Coffee. Service: awesome service! Owner and staff were friendly. Price: I thought donuts and muffins were a bit pricey for the size of it. But the taste makes up for the prize.

In contrast to all of the random controversies over the years, I have never had any issues here (though of course, I had a good laugh at the copyright debacle since this chain is local). What they serve is better than comparable offerings, both in this area and in some other states that I am in regularly, in terms of mochi-based products. It is also relatively inexpensive for the very-pricey Walnut Creek in particular, though certainly it is no "value" spot. This does also not feel like a Boba Shop, like some of its competitors do, and is a much better place to walk into as an adult male. I should also add that the aesthetic qualities of this place are head-and-shoulders above competitors, though it is no blow-your-socks-offed themed shop. It's a chain, but a big yes from me.

First time at this little unique tea/mochi spot. I tried the Carmel Pumpkin iced latte and the ube donut, they were both delicious. Next time I'm going to order something a little less sweet to drink, but I'm super excited to try all of the mochi donut flavors. Their waffles looked good as well. They have matcha, oolong and other teas on the shelves to buy. The vibe of this place was like nothing I've ever seen before the colors were vibrant, the inside lighting was brilliant and the color scheme was on point. Walking in I automatically felt like a million bucks! The person working the front was knowledgeable about all of the products and answered my questions about the different matcha teas they had.

The mochi muffins have a nice flavor, but the star is the texture! Super soft in the middle, but with a crust outside, get the best of both worlds. The pumpkin pie flavor was strong and not too sweet, nothing special but again, the texture is worth trying at least once!

The strawberry lychee matcha latte with almond milk and pumpkin mochi donut were amazing!!