Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

The team behind BENTO Asian Kitchen + Sushi is bringing a new pop-up concept to the St. Johns Town Center area.

Jimmy and Johnny Tung of BENTO are teaming up with Jason Le and Frank Phan to bring Dochi, a craft donut pop-up shop that specializes in Japanese mochi donuts, to the Jacksonville area. The shop will be located in a unit at 4860 Big Island Drive within The Markets at Town Center that was previously occupied by, ironically enough, Mochi Frozen Yogurt.

The Dochi concept debuted within Orlando’s East End Market in 2018 and has since expanded to Seattle and Denver – and, once the Jax shop opens, South Florida is next on its expansion list. Its low-calorie, Japanese-style mochi donuts are made with sweet rice flour; they’re made each morning, with offerings that are rotated seasonally.

The new concept will add to the BENTO family of restaurants’ presence in the Town Center area, which also includes BENTO at Markets at Town Center, next door to Dochi’s unit, and Domu within The Strand at Town Center. Its 1,000-square-foot unit seats twenty and has been reconfigured to accommodate its new use.

“Ever since we opened Bento 11 years ago, we wanted to introduce Jacksonville to new and exciting food concepts, progressing the food scene with Domu, Soupa Noodle Bar, and Norikase,” said Jimmy Tung. “We’re proud to be part of that push to grow the community’s food culture boundaries.” 

Dochi is expected to make its debut this summer, with in-store, delivery, and catering options; check out the concept’s Instagram page for updates.