Hogetsu Bakery

Great tea cakes. Love the green mochi. The lady is very friendly but likes ro chat a little. Plan to stay a little bit

Your go to spot for Japanese sweets and mochi/​manju in Chula Vista. Apparently, they sell their mochi to Mitsuwa in Kearny Mesa as well, so look for their sweet confections there. Expect to pay between $ 1.60 or $ 1.70 per mochi/​manju though. CASH ONLY too!
Mrs. Takeda (as I will call her because she insisted I call her Okaasan instead), was immediately very welcoming when I entered into her small and quaint shop. Not only did she serve me well, she also came out to greet my dog in the car. She is a big time animal lover and will talk your ear off about the dogs in her life. Such an earnest conversationalist!
This kind women runs this shop with her husband. They’re simple, humble people with a great love for the desserts they produce and sell. Their ideals extend to their shop’s appearance — it’s very small and simple, but clean and to the point. Also, there’s no indoor seating, so expect to take all your goodies to go. In addition to the manju and mochi in the display case, expect to find an assortment of Japanese snacks on the surrounding shelves. I’m sure you’d need to browse through these extensively before finding something you’d like.
This little bakery has two main desserts on display. Here’s what I could gather between the two:
Mochi/​mochi manju — steamed rice cake with filling made with sticky rice. Typically translucent, gelatinous, and covered in a white powder.
Baked manju — baked confections made with fillings.
*Fillings usually are red/​white bean but sometimes a sweet egg yolk filling is used.
You can never go wrong with the mochi, so those are always recommended. I personally prefer white bean to red as red bean could be a little too rich for me at times. The baked manju were also a treat. They were offered mostly in different nutty varietals (hazelnut, chestnut, etc.), but also had cinnamon and honey. I had one with a cinnamon bready outside and a sweet egg yolk core which was delicious.
My only gripe would be for the lack of labeling on the display board. You don’t really know what you’re ordering unless you ask Mrs. Takeda which can get very repetitive and time consuming. There’s just so many kinds of mochi/​manju to try here though, so it definitely warrants another visit. I’ll be sure to stop by whenever I have a sweet tooth.

This is my 2^nd time getting mochi at Hogetsu! I can’t get enough of them. Very fresh and delicious. A new found love for the white bean mochi! Another plus is how friendly Mrs. Takeda is. Will be coming back for more that’s for sure :)

Yes, I got some!
The little couple that owns this joint is just as adorable as the mochi they make. The mochi is sooooooo delicious, and for only $ 1.60 each it’s such a steal. I came all the way from Rancho Bernardo to get some and I was not disappointed. Tip: give these guys a call to see if they are open/​what the inventory is. This is a mom and pop place, and they do go on vacation. Today they told me they were not going to be open the first week of January, and there really isn’t way to find out other than calling. I came a separate time and was disappointed they were on vacation. I regret not buying a few more, because I finished all mine already!

The owner of this shop was working for Fugetsudo which is a very famous traditional Japanese sweets brand. No wonder their omanjyu, daifuku, mochi look and taste sophisticated and delicate. The lady started talking to me her story at the store. She was very nice and reminded me of my family in Japan. I ate them with hot green tea. It was great.

Such a great Mochi place! We came at 10am on a Saturday right when they opened. Unfortunately, they were still making the fancy looking mochis and we were told that it would be about two hours til they were ready. They recommend calling in advance to check which mochis they have available. When I went home and tried them, I was very impressed by the texture and the flavor of the mochi. This is definitely the best mochi that I’ve had in San Diego. They have ones filled with red bean or white beans, with it being the whole beans or smooth beans. They also have plain mochi with no filling for those who don’t like the beans. It was worth the drive to Chula Vista for sure!

Upon walking in, I was greeted by Mrs. Takeda! Such a sweet, kind & chatty lady she is. It is true, don’t expect to leave in a hurry when you get here. It was a delight talking to her. Now onto the mochi! I couldn’t decide on which to get even though there’s only 2 types of fillings (white & red bean) & plain ones with no fillings. So I chose one of each. Walked away with 2 boxes. These little nuggets are just too darn cute to eat, I’ll try my best not to lol. Such a wonderful little mom & pop shop with delicious fresh mochis. Once you try these fresh mochis, you’ll never want those packaged ones from the grocery stores.

What a cute little place! It’s not really in a dodgy area like previous reviews, it’s just… Chula Vista… It’s in a plaza next to a few sushi restaurants. The lady working there was so nice! She talked to my Mom and I like we were her friends. She told us a few ghost stories, haha… I chose random mochi to take home, and she briefly described each one I chose. If I’m ever in the mood for mochi again, I’ll definitely come here! You can definitely tell they’re fresh and homemade.

The mochi are absolutely delicious! Cheap, yummy and cute. The owner was very nice to me and patient while I tried to decide which ones to pick. I loved all of them! Like nothing I tried before. Ditch the packaged ones and get the real deal.

Cute little Japanese pastry shop that is run by the nicest couple and has been there for over 20 years. Amazing just to look at all the beautiful desserts. Delicious manjus, too pretty to eat :)

Perfect little hole in the wall mochi spot. The lady that works there is suuuper sweet and so kind. The mochi is so good and has just the right texture. I love coming in to support this local business.

Been here a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Crazy good mochi! I absolutely love the Japanese lady working there, too. Such a pleasure to shoot the breeze with.
Will definitely be back again and again when in the area.

Hogetsu Bakery is a classic locally owned business. They are a throwback to a time when craftsmen honed their skills over a lifetime to provide the highest quality product while still taking the time to forge a relationship with their customers.
I have wanted to try mochi. The ones here are delicious. I am a fan of these subtly sweet Japanese tea cakes. They come in three primary variations: red bean, white bean and plain. Of the three, I enjoyed the white bean varieties best but all were great. The slightly gelatinous texture of the mochi was at first surprising and yet delightful. I am glad I have found these new treats.
I was the only customer first thing in the morning and I was able to enjoy a long conversation with the owner. From other reviews, I assume it was Mrs. Takeda. We laughed and shared observations on family and our society. We probably talked for 45 minutes which is a first for a trip to a bakery but something I wished could happen more often.
Hogetsu Bakery is a place not to be missed.

I absolutely love the couple who works there! I went to go buy mochi and ended up staying for almost an hour talking to the female owner about life. She’s one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met in San Diego! I was just buying mochi for my mom in San Francisco, but defiantly got more than mochi in return. She gave me some really great advice and talking about how to always treat others kindly and it will return to you. Definitely will come back to visit every time I’m in SD!
–Melanie

The mochis are delicious. The lady is really nice and friendly. Apparently, her husband makes the mochis fresh almost every morning. They’ve been open for over 20 years which is crazy.
If Chula Vista is too far, they serve some of their Mochis at Nijiya /​Zion around Clairemont Mesa!
There isn’t really indoor seating. They have some common Japanese snacks (found easily in Mitsuwa).
I want some now!

I absolutely love this little mom and pop Japanese bakery! Its the best and the owners have got to be the sweetest couple ever!

Mrs. Takeda is such a beautiful person! Upon walking into the store, i was greeted by this lovely woman who was just so friendly. When i was talking to Mrs. Takeda, I learned that there is actually a large Japanese Population in Chula Vista Area but they are a lot older now… not many people knew about that local history. So when people ask why there’s such a bakery in the middle of south chula vista… its because of that piece of historical information. ;)
Store wise, you won’t find any seating or anything but definitely just a get in and get out mochi bakery.
This is not your ordinary mochi in a box from a freezer at trader joe’s. Oh No… These series of Mochi’s are SUPERB! Its very fresh and the mochi is so soft! Biting into them was definitely an awesome foodie experience.
I only wish more people know about this place! They deserve all the great business they can get. So happy to have stumbled upon this place :]

After living in Los Angeles, I’ve been trying really hard to find good Japanese food in San Diego. Doesn’t matter if it’s a good bento box, manju, mochi, sushi, sashimi, or ramen. I can just never find anything that is up to par with the food offered in Los Angeles.
I was looking for a manju/​mochi shop in San Diego and randomly found out about this place in Chula Vista. Who would have thought?! It’s such an adorable shop and the owners are really nice.
My great aunt grew up in Japan until she was 18 and then moved to the states, so I was talking to the guy about my aunt and his experience here in the states. He was so sweet and SUCH a talker. I ended up being there for an hour just learning about his life! Haha. I also asked him about good Japanese food in San Diego and he gave me the exact response that I didn’t want — there isn’t any good Japanese food when comparing it to Los Angeles.
The prices are also very cheap and they have a large variety. Love this place and I’ll definitely be back.

Location:
This place is in the back of the complex. Kind of hard to spot, but just park in the area and walk to the back. You should be able to find it.
Décor:
Felt like a candy shop with all their sweet delicious mochi in the display case.
Food & Drinks:
We got a lot of mochi at this place, about 24 pieces to be exact. They arranged from normal looking to very fancy looking. I would ask him what is inside and I am sure he will tell you a lot about them. This guy is very knowledgeable as well as talks A LOT. So if you’re one to grab and go, you might want to spend a little more time. My favorite mochi was the one he said was the favorite which is the green one covered in some brown dust. I totally forgot what is was, but it was definitely good. If I go again I might just get a box of these :).
One other thing, IT IS CASH ONLY if my memory serves me right so bring some.
GREAT mochi eating my friends!

This is by far one of the best mochi joints in San Diego! Get here earlier in the day as they tend to sell out of all the good flavors early on. And it’s better you get here earlier anyways as traffic gets quite bad in the Southbay after 4pm-​ish on the 805-​S or 5-​S.
It’s run by an actual Japanese couple, who are both super friendly! They’ll help you select all the good flavors (some of the mochis look a bit too nice that you won’t even want to bite into it).
Most of the mochi selection is filled with either red or white bean, with the addition of brightly colored flowers and such (impress you woman with a box). Though they look small, these little things are quite dense and can fill you up quick!
Out of all places, who would have knew that a hidden gem would be located in Chula Juana! This place has way better mochi than Japanese markets you’d find off Convoy.
Take the extra drive down there and get your mochi/​sweet tooth fix on!