A shop serving Japanese-inspired donuts and premium teas and lattes will be opening on the ground floor of a new Jersey City development as Mochi Dough and Bober Tea will be setting up shop in Bergen-Lafayette.
The companies have signed a lease for space inside The Starling at 66 Monitor Street, which is currently wrapping construction.
Mochi Dough serves donuts that have a “pon de ring” shape and uses rice flour instead of traditional yeast to create a uniquely airy and chewy inside with a perfectly crisp outside. The shop’s goodies have rotating flavors like taro and black sesame plus seasonal concoctions like chocolate churro or red velvet Oreo.
Bober Tea, who will share the space with Mochi Dough, is a premium bubble tea shop that features a signature Okumidori Matcha. Sourced directly from Japan, the drink utilizes the highest-grade ceremonial Matcha and Straus Family Creamery’s barista grade organic milk.
The Bober Tea outpost will be their first location not only in New Jersey but along the entire East Coast. The upcoming shop will also mark Mochi Dough’s debut in the Garden State, with the brand’s only existing East Coast outposts in Massachusetts.
The Starling, which will house Mochi Dough and Bober Tea, was approved in 2022 and partially demolished but mostly preserved an existing warehouse while adding a vertical expansion. The six-story rental property is set to feature 39 studio to three-bedroom residences along with a curated collection of artwork and inspired amenities.
The restored exterior on the ground floor is home to the retail component of the project. Besides Mochi Dough and Bober Tea, a new full-service restaurant called The Roxy is opening at the building from the owners of Corto that is slated to sport a liquor license.
While initial residential occupancy at Starling is slated for February 2024, an estimated opening timeline for Mochi Dough and Bober Tea has not been announced. The brands can be followed on Instagram at the handles @mochidoughusa and @boberteausa.
