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The San Francisco and East Bay Matcha Map

Where to find the concentrated green tea

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These days, just about every cafe and boba shop serves matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea that’s a favorite for boasting higher caffeine and antioxidants than other teas but without the jittery jolt of coffee. It can be served hot or cold, sweetened or not, with milk or sans, and has a rich aroma and a full-bodied mellow flavor profile known as umami.

It grows high on the green tea fields covering the hills above Kyoto, Japan, where bright green gyokuro tea shoots are shade-covered starting in early April to protect them from direct sunlight. This triggers increases in chlorophyll, producing plants with better flavor and texture. The leaves are then hand-picked, steamed, dried, aged in cold storage, and finally stone-ground into a fine powder. To make a cup, matcha (which means powder) is hand-whisked into water with a bamboo brush, creating a thick, invigorating brew used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies — and beyond.

Given the newfound ubiquity of matcha in the region, we adjusted the official San Francisco and East Bay matcha map to reflect places that not only serve matcha, but places that serve matcha in multiple preparations, bake matcha into treats, or simply take the craft of brewing matcha very seriously.

Did we miss your go-to matcha spot? Let us know in the comments.

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Before you take your first sip of a lovely matcha latte, easy parking, natural lighting and a soundtrack of love songs from the ‘90s put this cozy cafe right over the top. Choose iced or hot with soy milk (add 50 cents) whisked and sweetened to taste. Come twice and they’ll likely remember your name and how you like your organic matcha. Free Wifi with plenty of wall outlets, plus great toast, means you may linger for a second cup.

fifty/fifty

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On a light-filled corner within shouting distance of USF, order a matcha tea latte, matcha latte with boba, or a large iced matcha latte with tapioca. Free, dependable Wifi, plus better than decent doughnuts, and a 7 a.m. opening time on weekdays deem this a destination cafe for that first matcha of the morning.

DAVIDsTEA

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This national chain originated in Canada, providing very bright and clean spaces with good customer service at three locations in the city. Three straight matcha options are always on the menu, as well as a couple of rotating matcha choices. And if you fall for the extra fine premium grand cru matcha powder or matcha matsu for shakes and smoothies, you can buy a canister for home.

Stop by when you’re not in a rush, as Jane is eternally busy. But the cute decor, free Wifi, tasty baked goods prepared in-house, a healthy menu, and a good iced or hot matcha latte make it worth it. Also try the Larkin Street location.

Matcha Cafe Maiko

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The only Bay Area outpost of this Hawaii-based chain delivers matcha just about any way you could want it: as a latte, as a frappe, whisked into chocolate milk, as a syrup drizzled over shave ice, or as soft serve ice cream — not to mention layered matcha parfaits and photogenic sundaes.

Aube Creamery

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Japantown’s Aube serves Instagram-ready soft serve in fluted cones — including one lined with matcha chocolate — with matcha sprinkled on top for free. The most matcha-tastic offering, though, is the matcha tiramisu, featuring layers of roasted green tea soft serve, lady fingers, mascarpone, matcha milk, and matcha powder.

Tan Tan Coffee

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After picking up a new book or a few magazines at Kinokuniya, wander into this dollhouse of lacy curtained Victoriana in the shadow of Japantown’s Peace Pagoda. The dainty china settings are serene, but the matcha delivers a serious buzz. Not a place for conversation, laptops, nor a gaggle of friends, just a quiet matcha moment made without haste by the unassuming Japanese owner behind the counter.

U:Dessert Story

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It looks like a typical Hong Kong-style dessert cafe at first, but U:Dessert Story actually takes influences from Japan, Korea, and Thailand for its Asian fusion sweets. You’ll find matcha mille crepe cakes, matcha chocolate lava cakes, matcha bingsu (Korean shaved ice), and matcha ice cream floats, and to drink, matcha lattes alongside ceremonial-grade matcha

Urban Ritual Cafe

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Each matcha latte at Urban Ritual features a double shot of organic tea via Jade Leaf Matcha, sourced from Uji, Japan. You can get it hot or iced, adjust the sweetness, choose the milk, and add toppings like boba and lychee jelly. One of the cafe’s signature drinks, the Matcha Toffee, ups hthe ante with bits of housemade toffee brittle.

Boba Guys

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Pair your matcha with tapioca pearls at Boba Guys, where you can get organic matcha poured over Straus Family Creamery milk, housemade syrup, and boba. Another version pairs the matcha latte with strawberry preserves, and the matchata, matcha whisked over horchata, is not a secret anymore.

Samovar Tea Lounge

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Sleek surroundings with a nod to high tech tea preparation produces matcha lattes in addition to a sweet, frothy matcha shake and three different matcha bowls — each come with distinct tasting notes. Samovar’s curated, pared down menu at this location does feature freshly baked scones, but for a more expansive menu and seating layout with floor-to-ceiling windows, visit Samovar Yerba Buena Gardens.

Stonemill Matcha

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This is San Francisco’s first premium matcha cafe — a space wholly devoted to matcha, with top-notch tea available hand whisked, sparkling, with milk, or over ice cream. It’s also infused into all sorts of treats, including matcha cream puffs, matcha croissants, and matcha cream pies — some of which are the result of a collaboration with Tartine Bakery.

Enter the Cafe

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Sip on a matcha latte or matcha white hot chocolate while you feast on one of Enter the Cafe’s matcha mochi waffles. Visit on a weekend, and you might get lucky and score a matcha croissant from Baker Doe. The croissant flavors rotate, but past editions include matcha red bean, matcha tiramisu, and matcha cream.

Bake Cheese Tart

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The Hokkaido-based chain draws long lines for its soft, delicate cheese tarts. It also serves a vivid green version spiked with matcha. Consider it for true matcha lovers only, as the flavor is intense and less sweet than you might expect — not to mention, Bake Cheese Tart is so prone to selling out of the matcha treats early that it limits each customer to six.

Asha Tea House

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Asha Tea House owner David Lau is serious about sourcing antioxidant rich matcha in both standard and ceremonial grades from family farms in Uji, Japan's premium growing region. There's a regular line at the Financial District location (it originated in Berkeley, which is also worth a visit) for the matcha latte, ceremonial matcha, matcha shot, shaken matcha, and matcha macchiato, some of which can be finished with boba or grass jelly.

Steep Creamery & Tea

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Steep has quickly expanded to three locations in San Francisco, in part thanks to its careful tea sourcing. Steep uses ceremonial-grade Uji matcha in its drinks — choose from classic tea, matcha latte, matcha milk tea, matcha red bean milk tea, or strawberry matcha lemonade — as well as in its rolled ice cream.

Third Culture Bakery

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The creators of the cult hit mochi muffin also make seriously tasty matcha drinks at their Berkeley show room. They range from the typical (hand whisked or in latte form) to the creative (matcha with rice milk, turmeric, and honey, or sparkling matcha with lychee), and you can pair them with one of Third Culture’s matcha baked goods, like matcha custard cakes or matcha-glazed mochi donuts.

Chatte Tea & Desserts

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Chatte Tea & Desserts shares its space with Uji Time, which also serves matcha soft serve in fish-shaped Japanese cones. But Chatte is much more explicitly about the matcha itself, with ceremonial-grade matcha available alongside matcha lattes, sparkling matcha, and matcha floats starring Uji’s soft serve. Matcha cheesecake, matcha tiramisu, matcha panna cotta, and matcha egg waffles are also on offer.

Home

Before you take your first sip of a lovely matcha latte, easy parking, natural lighting and a soundtrack of love songs from the ‘90s put this cozy cafe right over the top. Choose iced or hot with soy milk (add 50 cents) whisked and sweetened to taste. Come twice and they’ll likely remember your name and how you like your organic matcha. Free Wifi with plenty of wall outlets, plus great toast, means you may linger for a second cup.

fifty/fifty

On a light-filled corner within shouting distance of USF, order a matcha tea latte, matcha latte with boba, or a large iced matcha latte with tapioca. Free, dependable Wifi, plus better than decent doughnuts, and a 7 a.m. opening time on weekdays deem this a destination cafe for that first matcha of the morning.

DAVIDsTEA

This national chain originated in Canada, providing very bright and clean spaces with good customer service at three locations in the city. Three straight matcha options are always on the menu, as well as a couple of rotating matcha choices. And if you fall for the extra fine premium grand cru matcha powder or matcha matsu for shakes and smoothies, you can buy a canister for home.

Jane

Stop by when you’re not in a rush, as Jane is eternally busy. But the cute decor, free Wifi, tasty baked goods prepared in-house, a healthy menu, and a good iced or hot matcha latte make it worth it. Also try the Larkin Street location.

Matcha Cafe Maiko

The only Bay Area outpost of this Hawaii-based chain delivers matcha just about any way you could want it: as a latte, as a frappe, whisked into chocolate milk, as a syrup drizzled over shave ice, or as soft serve ice cream — not to mention layered matcha parfaits and photogenic sundaes.

Aube Creamery

Japantown’s Aube serves Instagram-ready soft serve in fluted cones — including one lined with matcha chocolate — with matcha sprinkled on top for free. The most matcha-tastic offering, though, is the matcha tiramisu, featuring layers of roasted green tea soft serve, lady fingers, mascarpone, matcha milk, and matcha powder.

Tan Tan Coffee

After picking up a new book or a few magazines at Kinokuniya, wander into this dollhouse of lacy curtained Victoriana in the shadow of Japantown’s Peace Pagoda. The dainty china settings are serene, but the matcha delivers a serious buzz. Not a place for conversation, laptops, nor a gaggle of friends, just a quiet matcha moment made without haste by the unassuming Japanese owner behind the counter.

U:Dessert Story

It looks like a typical Hong Kong-style dessert cafe at first, but U:Dessert Story actually takes influences from Japan, Korea, and Thailand for its Asian fusion sweets. You’ll find matcha mille crepe cakes, matcha chocolate lava cakes, matcha bingsu (Korean shaved ice), and matcha ice cream floats, and to drink, matcha lattes alongside ceremonial-grade matcha

Urban Ritual Cafe

Each matcha latte at Urban Ritual features a double shot of organic tea via Jade Leaf Matcha, sourced from Uji, Japan. You can get it hot or iced, adjust the sweetness, choose the milk, and add toppings like boba and lychee jelly. One of the cafe’s signature drinks, the Matcha Toffee, ups hthe ante with bits of housemade toffee brittle.

Boba Guys

Pair your matcha with tapioca pearls at Boba Guys, where you can get organic matcha poured over Straus Family Creamery milk, housemade syrup, and boba. Another version pairs the matcha latte with strawberry preserves, and the matchata, matcha whisked over horchata, is not a secret anymore.

Samovar Tea Lounge

Sleek surroundings with a nod to high tech tea preparation produces matcha lattes in addition to a sweet, frothy matcha shake and three different matcha bowls — each come with distinct tasting notes. Samovar’s curated, pared down menu at this location does feature freshly baked scones, but for a more expansive menu and seating layout with floor-to-ceiling windows, visit Samovar Yerba Buena Gardens.

Stonemill Matcha

This is San Francisco’s first premium matcha cafe — a space wholly devoted to matcha, with top-notch tea available hand whisked, sparkling, with milk, or over ice cream. It’s also infused into all sorts of treats, including matcha cream puffs, matcha croissants, and matcha cream pies — some of which are the result of a collaboration with Tartine Bakery.

Enter the Cafe

Sip on a matcha latte or matcha white hot chocolate while you feast on one of Enter the Cafe’s matcha mochi waffles. Visit on a weekend, and you might get lucky and score a matcha croissant from Baker Doe. The croissant flavors rotate, but past editions include matcha red bean, matcha tiramisu, and matcha cream.

Bake Cheese Tart

The Hokkaido-based chain draws long lines for its soft, delicate cheese tarts. It also serves a vivid green version spiked with matcha. Consider it for true matcha lovers only, as the flavor is intense and less sweet than you might expect — not to mention, Bake Cheese Tart is so prone to selling out of the matcha treats early that it limits each customer to six.

Asha Tea House

Asha Tea House owner David Lau is serious about sourcing antioxidant rich matcha in both standard and ceremonial grades from family farms in Uji, Japan's premium growing region. There's a regular line at the Financial District location (it originated in Berkeley, which is also worth a visit) for the matcha latte, ceremonial matcha, matcha shot, shaken matcha, and matcha macchiato, some of which can be finished with boba or grass jelly.

Related Maps

Steep Creamery & Tea

Steep has quickly expanded to three locations in San Francisco, in part thanks to its careful tea sourcing. Steep uses ceremonial-grade Uji matcha in its drinks — choose from classic tea, matcha latte, matcha milk tea, matcha red bean milk tea, or strawberry matcha lemonade — as well as in its rolled ice cream.

Third Culture Bakery

The creators of the cult hit mochi muffin also make seriously tasty matcha drinks at their Berkeley show room. They range from the typical (hand whisked or in latte form) to the creative (matcha with rice milk, turmeric, and honey, or sparkling matcha with lychee), and you can pair them with one of Third Culture’s matcha baked goods, like matcha custard cakes or matcha-glazed mochi donuts.

Chatte Tea & Desserts

Chatte Tea & Desserts shares its space with Uji Time, which also serves matcha soft serve in fish-shaped Japanese cones. But Chatte is much more explicitly about the matcha itself, with ceremonial-grade matcha available alongside matcha lattes, sparkling matcha, and matcha floats starring Uji’s soft serve. Matcha cheesecake, matcha tiramisu, matcha panna cotta, and matcha egg waffles are also on offer.

Related Maps