Minamoto Kitchoan - Ala Moana Center Store

Beautifully designed healthy Japanese pastries. Not too sweat Service was very nice.

What a wonderful way to start the New Year with a Fukubukuro bag of delicious treats from Minamoto Kitchoan! What is a fukubukuro?The name fukubukuro (福袋) is an amalgamation of two Japanese words, fuku, which means 'good luck' and bukuro, which means 'bag'. Exactly as its name suggests, a fukubukuro is a type of lucky bag sold by retailers. We arrived around 8:50 am on January 1, 2025, to a line in front of the store. Tickets were passed out to those in line. We had 179 and 180! There are only 200 bags made for this event!The store was elaborately decorated throughout and the service was beyond amazing here! The store was lit bright and the display windows were inviting!We picked up our bags and I immediately opened one to share its contents. Please enjoy the reveal. My daughters will be able to take some home to enjoy later! I will of course enjoy a few at home as well! Happy New Year everyone!Food: 5/5 starsService: 5/5 starsAmbiance: 5/5 starsUpdate: As of 9:49 am. Bags are sold out!Update2: Thanks for suggestion Lily. Posted opened boxes.

Employees weren't the most helpful in regards to newcomers. Seems like they expected you to know all the dessert names and what you wanted. Everything is packaged, so don't come here if you want fresh desserts. Red bean quality is terrific though.

Pricey but perfect! Mochi's have the most perfect fresh soft texture. Bean pastes are creamy with a smooth mouthfeel. Hubs is a huge fan of stone fruit. He is obsessed with the white peach jellies and mochis here! The peach mochis are bite size morsels of pillowy goodness. The peach jelly can be enjoyed at any temperature. At room temperature, it's similar to a firm pudding. Chilled in the fridge gives it more of a gelatin texture. Frozen (my personal favorite) is like fresh bursts of peach sorbet in each bite. While I enjoy their peach treats, I'm a chocolate fan at heart and their chocolate mikasa hits the spot for me! The pancake layers have a soft velvety texture and pair perfectly with the rich silky ganache. I look forward to my next visit to pick up more! And bonus, they have online ordering! We're well beyond their delivery zone but what a convenient service for pickups or closer deliveries.

Copy and pasted from their website:"WAGASHI" refers to traditional Japanese confectionery which are mainly made from simple ingredients such as beans, rice, wheat, sugar, agar, and fruit. We were introduced to this brand in Santa Monica by my cousin. I believe they also have a location in SF Japantown?Quality/Quantity - More gift shopping.We wanted to bring some unique stuff to our friends in AU and found this shop that sells Japanese made foods and items. I believe that all the foods got shipped here frozen? And they defrost it the day before selling.Wanted to get them some mochi, but it would not have lasted the trip to AU.Not sure what my wife got. I know she got some cookies, crackers, and some pastries.Atmosphere - Very organized decent size shop. Located in the very busy Ala Moana Mall.Plenty of mall parking. Open 7 days a week from 10am to 6pm or 8pm.Service - 5 stars, we had two employees help us and we had way too many questions. As we wanted to make sure that whatever we bought would make the trip to AU and NZ. They were VERY patient and understanding.Price - Expensive, but that is the cost for quality and imported items.Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success at this location since 2013 and with your two locations in Honolulu. And having locations worldwide.2013 - Established Minamoto Kitchoan Farm to grow their amazing Muscat of Alexandria grapes.

Minamoto Kitchoan has always represented very special memories to me. From my very first bag of matcha cookies gifted to me from a very dear YELP friend to the delicious pear jelly given to me by one of my Minamoto employee friend to most recently some very very special Chinese new year treats from my foodie YELP sister. I remember each treasure and the giver. That's how memorable each one is to me. Thrilled when this year I decided to participate in Ala Moana's Fukubukuro event. Even more thrilled that Minamoto Kitchoan was participating. Yep, I was there, in line at o'dark thirty waiting for a number to Minamoto's new year's treasures. Happy I got to share some with my foodie YELP sister when we met up for Royal Hawaiian Center's Fukubukuro and many other family and friends. Of course, I had to sample them first... Yep, I remember each one of them in detail. Currently located on the ground floor in the center, not far from the Ala Moana Concierge Office.

Stopped by in the mall after heading downstairs to watch some dancing on the center stage. We wanted to stop in to find some classic Asian snacks to have for father's day tea. We saw this assorted box of rice crackers. Had to have it and they definitely did not disappoint. Jake n kev

This place is so cool. If you're into unique food experiences, this is the place for you. They had so many cool sweets and interesting flavors. Prices weren't bad either at about $4.50-5.00 per item. I got a couple things to try; most of them were peach and pretty good. I would say if you don't like mochi or jelly textured type things this might not be the best place for you. They do have some rice crackers and a couple cookie type items but for the most part it's jelly/ mochi/ items that should be frozen/ chilled. Staff was very excited for us to be there and was even more excited that we decided to purchase something. If you're feeling adventurous, go for it. Not everything was great but it was a fun experience.

Have you heard the popular Japanese saying "Me de taberu Nihonjin (Japanese people eat with their eyes)"? The Japanese seem to place a lot of importance on the art of arranging food and its taste. This culinary artistry ethic appears to be on the same high level as French haute cuisine. On two recent occasions, we were tasked with getting deserts for my sister-in-law and my eldest sister's BFF to celebrate Japanese Girl's Day (Hinamatsuri). Minamoto Kitchoan came to mind as we usually pass by this Japanese confectionery while roaming around Ala Moana Center. We were drawn into the store because of its window displays, clean and organized vitrines with product representation, and collection of traditional Japanese dolls AKA ningyō. Upon entry to this store, the workers cheerfully greeted and acknowledged us. Right away, we knew both recipients would appreciate the presentation, natural fruit flavors that aren't cloyingly sweet like European, American or southeast Asian desserts, and textures of these Japanese confections. We took several minutes browsing around the store while one of the demure employees politely offered her assistance. We selected two twelve-piece boxes of white peach mochi and two five-piece boxes of sakuragoromo (sweet bean paste, mochi, and edible cherry blossom leaf encased in a Japanese-style crêpe) as our gift choices. The sales representative went to her store room to give us the freshly delivered product and reminded us to refrigerate the products since we wouldn't consume them immediately. Since we were gifting the mochi confections, we informed the sales representative that we'd advise the storage recommendation to the recipients. At purchase, the cashier gift-wrapped each box and placed them into a crisp paper tote bag. Both women gleefully appreciated our gifts, and I hope to try Minamoto Kitchoan's other seasonal or signature confections soon. We even registered for their rewards program since I know we'll be returning.

When it's just all sorts of amazing...You'd be in some trouble when you step in to Minamoto Kitchoan as it's like you're instantly transported to Japan with all their wagashi (Japanese sweets) many are the regular staple though it's the seasonal that grabs your attention.Following the seasons and special occasions like currently was Valentine's and Lunar New Year you're sure to find something stunning that'll give you that love at first bite feeling. Prices yes can be steep though I do compare it to many other pastries, cakes slices and other sweets, so it is a matter or choice in my opinion.On this occasion I was looking for some treats for my besties and with each item individually wrapped it does make gifting a breeze and seeing the reaction of their faces I already knew they had fallen in love with it as well.Some items are preset in boxed though I'd stay away from that as it is a small fee for the box (usually noted) so I purchase them individually, until I'm able to travel to Japan this little spot takes care of my very selective cravings.どうもありがとうございます！