One of Portland’s New Mochi Doughnut Pop-Ups Lands in Northwest

The rise of the mochi doughnut continues in Portland. Mikiko Mochi Donuts, the gluten-free doughnut delivery pop-up in Portland, is now serving ube, mango, and rose milk tea mochi doughnuts out of the West space in Northwest Portland.

Earlier this year, school teacher Emily Mikiko Strocher and chef Alex McGillivray began dipping their baked, butter-mochi-based pastries in glazes flavored with calamansi and pandan and delivering them to people’s doorsteps. The couple started selling out of the pastries two or three weeks in advance, making 216 doughnuts each week. “We went, ‘How do we scale?’” McGillivray, who spent time at restaurants like Ping and ran the now-closed poutine cart Fry Guy, says. “Because of the current situation, we were really hesitant to sign a three-year lease.”

Instead, they found a workaround. McGillivray and Mikiko Strocher are taking over the space at West from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, starting today. Each morning, the couple will lay out an assortment of doughnuts, with no need to pre-order; the flavors range from passion orange guava (“POG”) to ube with li hing, a salted plum. On the weekends, Mikiko’s doughnuts will appear on the brunch menu, alongside brioche french toast and summer squash frittata.

The company has stepped away from its delivery model, instead focusing on its residency at West. However, this will be the first time the couple’s doughnuts have been available six days each week. West is located at 1221 NW 21st Avenue.

• Mikiko [Official]
• West [Official]
• Why Mochi Doughnuts Are Trending in Portland Right Now [EPDX]