As a part of Snack Shop series, Annie Arriaga investigates the latest and greatest viral snack shops in New York City to see if the hype is real, if the snacks are yummy, and if the spot is underrated, overrated, or perfectly rated.
It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth, so it makes perfect sense that I’d jump at the chance to go to a brand new mochi-centered dessert shop in the East Village when I saw it pop up on my feed. Mochi in its truest form as a Japanese sticky rice cake is delicious, but walk around New York City and you’ll find everything from mochi donuts to mochi cake slices. It’s not new to the American market, and it’s definitely outlived the trend cycle to become a mainstay in both American and Japanese dessert culture.
Pavlo Mochi is a dessert shop owned by chef Pavlo Servetnyk, winner of MasterChef Ukraine, who is formally trained in fine dining in Europe and Asia, according to Secret NYC. While it’s unclear why Servetnyk chose to make mochi his niche, the shop and its desserts have a strong and playful visual aesthetic and have definitely been getting buzz online.
The Snacks
When you walk into Pavlo, it’s clear that the design was intentional. It’s blindingly pink and chrome as you watch employees shaping little mochi balls in the back and brushing them with rice flour. They also serve boba, pancakes, and soft serve ice cream, and the open kitchen concept lets you see all the action behind the scenes.
Here’s what I got:
Espresso tonic. I needed an afternoon pick-me-up and ordered a coffee thinking it would be a normal espresso experience, but it wasn’t, so I’m including it in the roundup. The espresso tonic included lime and brown sugar syrup, and was served in a little transparent mini can that was sealed in a magical canning machine. It was also served with a take-home metal straw?? Flavor-wise, it was refreshing, summery, and light. Love a pleasant surprise!
Mango passionfruit vanilla mochi. This is their best seller, according to both the internet and Pavlo himself (who served us the mochi). Just like it sounds, it’s filled with a vanilla bean whipped cream and a mango passionfruit jam or curd-like sauce. The mochi is mushy (in a good way), moist, and definitely does not skimp on the filling. This was a good first adventure into the Pavlo Mochi menu, but I will say I thought the flavor was good but not super memorable. I could see why it’s a crowd favorite though!
Pistachio raspberry mochi. It was between this one and the matcha raspberry—which I knew would both be winners. This flavor came through much stronger than the mango passionfruit. The tartness of the raspberry and the creaminess of the pistachio made this one memorable. I liked it! I’ll say by this point in the experience, the powdered sugar coating the outside of the mochi had completely covered my pants.
Banana Milk Jam mochi. I was personally most excited about this one. It had both chocolate and banana elements but looked like a pale, plain mochi, other than the little candy banana topper. It lived up to my expectations—it tasted like a chocolate covered banana in the best way possible.
Final Rating
Pavlo Mochi was an experience. Each little mochi packed a flavorful punch and was surprisingly affordable in price compared to other single-serve desserts like cupcakes or pastries. Also, each mochi was a good size (about 3 or 4 bites worth). I’m declaring Pavlo Mochi as underrated. I saw a few videos about the spot here and there, but I think it deserves all the hype!
If you’re reading this and you have a suggestion for a Snack Shop in the city that I must visit and (honestly) rate, leave a comment here or on our Snack Shop TikTok video. I love suggestions!
