Rice yogurt/mochi shop opens in Annandale

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt and Mochinut Annandale, two separate franchise shops, are now open in the same space at 4367 John Marr Drive in Annandale.

Yomie’s specializes in freshly made yogurt drinks. The mostpopular varieties are purple rice, mango, oat, and “haw,” made from hawthorn berries, says Lin Zheng, the manager of both operations.

Mochinut offers about half a dozen flavors of mochi donuts on a rotating basis and mochi hotdogs. Mochi products are made from rice flour.

When we visited, the featured donuts were matcha pistachio, rose milk tea, taro, pebble, and chocolate. More varieties will be added after the shop’s grand opening.

Made-to-order Korean hotdogs come in all-beef, mozzarella, or combo beef/mozzarella varieties. They’re served on a stick, covered with rice dough, and topped with panko, ramen, or potato squares.

There are several Mochinut outlets in the region, including one in Centreville. The Yomie’s chain was founded in Australia. This is the first one in the D.C. region.

The shop is open noon-9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon-9 p.m. the rest of the week.