Butter Mochi in Boston

Pixlcat Coffee — the first butter mochi café on the East Coast. Seven flavors baked fresh every morning at 32 Cambridge Street in Charlestown. Pixlcat Coffee brings Hawaiian-style butter mochi to Boston. Known for its chewy texture and caramelized edges, butter mochi has become one of the café’s signature baked goods.

If you’re looking for butter mochi in Boston, Pixlcat Coffee in Charlestown is the only place you’ll find it. We’re not just a café that carries butter mochi — we’re the first butter mochi café on the East Coast, built entirely around the pairing of handmade butter mochi and specialty coffee. Seven flavors, baked fresh every morning, naturally gluten-free, paired with George Howell coffee. If you’re new to it, read our complete guide to butter mochi → /what-is-butter-mochi/

What Is Butter Mochi?

Butter mochi is a baked Hawaiian dessert made from mochiko (glutinous rice flour), butter, coconut milk, sugar, and eggs. It’s dense, chewy, sweet, and rich — with crispy golden edges and a soft, almost custard-like center. The texture is unlike anything else in a bakery case: somewhere between the softness of cake and the stretch of traditional Japanese mochi, with none of the crumbliness of a cookie or the dryness of a scone.

If you’ve never had it, you’re not alone. Butter mochi has been a staple of Hawaiian home cooking for generations, but it’s still almost unknown on the East Coast. Pixlcat is changing that — one piece at a time, starting in Charlestown.

For the full story, read our complete guide: What Is Butter Mochi?

Seven Flavors, Baked Fresh Daily

We bake all seven flavors every morning at our Charlestown location:

Classic — The original. Butter, coconut milk, vanilla. The butter mochi that’s been at Hawaiian potlucks for generations. Start here.

Chocolate — Rich cocoa folded into the mochi batter. Dense and fudgy without losing the signature chew.

Matcha — Ceremonial-grade Uji matcha from Japan. Earthy, slightly bitter, and the deepest green you’ll see in a bakery case.

Ube White Chocolate — Our bestseller. Ube — a purple yam from the Philippines — gives this a natural violet color and a sweet, nutty flavor. The white chocolate adds richness. This is the one that sells out first, every day.

Black Sesame — Toasted black sesame ground into the batter. Nutty, savory-sweet, and deeply aromatic. A favorite for people who prefer desserts that aren’t too sweet.

S’mores — Built on our Classic base with cinnamon and chocolate chunks, topped with a torched meringue that captures that charred marshmallow flavor. No actual graham cracker or marshmallow — the flavor is all technique.

Breakfast — Bacon and cheddar in butter mochi form. Savory, salty, rich. The one that changes what you think butter mochi can be.

Every flavor is naturally gluten-free. Butter mochi is made with mochiko — glutinous rice flour — which contains zero gluten despite the confusing name. No substitutions, no workarounds. The recipe has always been this way.

The Coffee Program

Our Charlestown location serves George Howell Coffee — one of the most respected specialty coffee roasters in New England. George Howell helped pioneer the specialty coffee movement in Boston and is known for single-origin sourcing and meticulous roasting.

We also serve ceremonial-grade matcha lattes for non-coffee drinkers.

The coffee isn’t an afterthought — it’s the other half of the experience. Butter mochi pairs with coffee in ways that other pastries can’t match. The chew slows you down. The coconut sweetness contrasts the coffee’s bitterness. Cold or room-temperature mochi against a hot latte creates a contrast that makes both better. Read our full pairing guide for flavor-by-flavor recommendations.

Why Charlestown

When we decided to bring Pixlcat to the East Coast, Charlestown made sense for reasons that go beyond real estate.

The Lee brothers — Dennis, David, and Daniel — grew up in the Boston area. Our mother runs a Thai-Korean-Japanese restaurant here. We learned to cook in Boston kitchens before we moved to San Francisco and spent twenty years building restaurants there, including Namu Gaji, which the SF Chronicle called “the city’s most representative restaurant.”

Bringing Pixlcat to Charlestown is a homecoming. Boston is where the Lee brothers started, and Charlestown — with its mix of longtime residents, young professionals, and families — has the kind of neighborhood energy that a butter mochi café thrives in.

Our location at 32 Cambridge Street is steps from the Sullivan Square T stop on the Orange Line, right off I-93. We’re in Charlestown’s main corridor — a walkable neighborhood with colonial-era charm, local restaurants, and some of Boston’s most visited landmarks just minutes away, including the Bunker Hill Monument, the USS Constitution Museum, and the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Visiting Pixlcat in Charlestown

Address: 32 Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA 02129

Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Saturday–Sunday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Getting here:

• MBTA: Orange Line to Sullivan Square Station. We’re directly across the street.
• Bus: Routes 89, 92, 93 all stop at Sullivan Square.
• Driving: Free parking lot available at Foundation Kitchen and the Graph Building.
• Walking: 10-minute walk from the Charlestown Navy Yard and Bunker Hill Monument.

What to expect: A neighborhood café with a display case of seven butter mochi flavors, a full espresso bar with George Howell coffee, and a welcoming space to sit. We serve breakfast sandwiches, toast, and other items alongside the mochi and coffee.

Butter Mochi for Boston’s Gluten-Free Community

Boston has a strong gluten-free dining community, and butter mochi fits right in. All seven flavors are naturally gluten-free — made with mochiko rice flour, not wheat. No almond flour substitutions. No xanthan gum workarounds. The recipe was always gluten-free.

We’re not a dedicated gluten-free facility — we serve sandwiches and other wheat-containing items. But if you’re avoiding gluten and have been looking for a real dessert to pair with your coffee, butter mochi is it.

Read more: Is Butter Mochi Gluten Free?

Who We Are

We’re the Lee brothers — Dennis, David, and Daniel — along with our childhood best friend Jeff Kim. We grew up in the Boston area and spent twenty years cooking professionally in San Francisco, where we operated Namu Gaji, ran a two-acre farm in Sunol, and earned recognition from the New York Times, the Guardian, the BBC, and every major SF food publication. Dennis won the Rising Star Chef Award from San Francisco Magazine.

When Namu Gaji closed in 2021, we built Pixlcat Coffee — the first butter mochi café. Dennis created every recipe. Seven flavors, refined over thousands of batches.

Read our full story here.

Gift Boxes

Gift boxes are available at our Charlestown location with pricing based on individual mochi selection. Choose your favorite flavors or try up to six in a tasting box. They make a perfect gift for someone who’s never had butter mochi — or for someone who can’t get enough.

Nationwide Shipping — Now Live

Pixlcat now ships butter mochi nationwide from Boston via UPS ground (Mon–Wed) — order at pixlcatbuttermochi.com. BYO 6-piece boxes start at $39, with 12-piece at $78. Assorted boxes are available in 6/12/18-piece sizes ($39/$78/$117), and Party Platters at $120. Choose from six flavors: Classic, Chocolate, Matcha, Ube White Chocolate, Black Sesame, and S’mores. Follow @pixlcatcoffee and @pxlbuttermochi on Instagram for new flavor drops and seasonal launches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find butter mochi in Boston? Pixlcat Coffee at 32 Cambridge Street in Charlestown is the only butter mochi café in Boston. We bake seven flavors fresh every morning.

Is Pixlcat near the T? Yes — we’re steps from Sullivan Square station on the Orange Line, right on Cambridge Street.

Is butter mochi gluten-free? Yes, naturally. All seven flavors are made with mochiko (glutinous rice flour), which contains no gluten. We are not a dedicated gluten-free facility.

What coffee do you serve in Boston? George Howell Coffee — one of New England’s most respected specialty roasters. We also serve organic ceremonial-grade matcha lattes.

What flavor should I try first? Classic if you want the traditional butter mochi experience. Ube White Chocolate if you want our bestseller. Pair either with a latte.

Can I order butter mochi for events or catering in Boston? Yes — reach out to us at our Charlestown location, email us at hi@pixlcatcoffee.com, or contact us through Instagram to discuss large orders and catering.

More About Butter Mochi

New to butter mochi? Start here: What Is Butter Mochi?

Coffee pairing guide: The Barista’s Guide to Pairing Butter Mochi With Coffee

Gluten-free details: Is Butter Mochi Gluten Free?

San Francisco location: Butter Mochi in San Francisco