The Great NYC Matcha List
Every NYC matcha recommendation I've ever com across in one place
There’s a lot of matcha in New York, but good matcha is a little harder to come by. I won’t just order matcha from any coffee shop I go to—I need to know what kind of matcha they use, the milks they have, etc., before I can commit—because I’d rather just get a coffee than a crappy matcha.
I have cafes saved across my TikTok, Instagram, Beli, notes app and google docs…which can be a little cumbersome when it comes time to actually picking a place to get matcha. So, instead of searching through my phone for 20 minutes before I can even decide on a place to go to, I thought I’d compile them all here in one list with interactive map.
I’ve scoured my lists, and these are the top ones that have been recommended from people. This list will continuously grow, and I’ll add my ratings and thoughts as I try each place—but here is what I’m coining The Great NYC Matcha List. A one-stop-shop to find the places with actually good matcha, and a map to show you which ones are closest to you.
When it comes to rating the matcha, my criteria consists of the quality of the powder, the milks they offer, the price, the size, and the care in which it’s made with. Bonus points for fun drinks. I like my matcha with a plant based milk (I find dairy milk in matcha ends up just making it taste like milk to me), but I’m also a bit of a health nut…so if the only option is a nut milk with tons of weird ingredients or dairy—I’m choosing the dairy option. So bonus points will definitely go to places that either make their own nut milks, or that use really high quality ones like Wholy M!lk. I also don’t like mine super sweet, but will always opt for honey or maple syrup over a simple syrup (again the health nut in me).
So, without further ado, I present to you The Great NYC Matcha List:
Matchaful - 9/10
My Order: Vanilla Zen with Housemade Almond Milk
Locations: West Village, SoHo, Nolita, Midtown East, Brookfield Place, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg
So far, this is my top matcha in the city. They work directly with a sustainably-operated, fourth-generation Japanese tea farm in Shizuoka Prefecture who’s plants are grown without pesticides and fertilized using organic compost from the local community. They make their own plant milks in store, and they have super delicious healthy treats from Knead Love Bakery, Sixteen Mill Bakeshop, and their own in-house treats. They also have tons of specialty drinks and seasonal options, so there’s always something new to try
Kijitora
Locations: Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, East Village
A lot of people consider Kijitora to be the best matcha in NYC, and they went viral a couple summers ago for their strawberry matcha. I somehow haven’t tried them yet, but they’re definitely next on my list. They use their own house brand of ceremonial grade matcha powder, and are definitely more well known for their specialty iced matcha lattes. For plant-based milks, they have Wholy M!lk, which we love.
Sorate - 9/10
My Order: House Matcha Latte
Locations: SoHo, Flatiron
Sorate is a super traditional matcha tea house. All their drinks are still hand whisked, and they use really high quality single origin matcha from Ujitawara, Japan. If feels like a very traditional experience when you get a matcha here, instead of the hustle and bustle you might be used to from a regular coffee shop. They don’t really need specialty drinks here, so this is the spot for you if you just want a really solid matcha or matcha latte. You have the option to pick from 3 different matcha powders depending on your flavour preference which is really cool though!
12 Matcha
Location: NoHo
12 Matcha hasn’t even been open for a full year, and they’re already garnering lines with as long as a two hour wait. They also hand whisk the matcha right in front of you, and they apparently use about 6g of powder in each drink, which is…a lot. They also use this specialty charcoal water filtration system to raise the pH of the water, which apparently results in a matcha with enhanced umami and natural sweetness. All in all, they’re intense about matcha. A two hour wait has definitely scared me off a bit, but I’ll just have to go on a weekday right when they open…because a $7 6g matcha latte is too good to pass up. Also, apparently their matcha basque cheesecake is insane.
Mika’s Direction
Location: Midtown/Koreatown
A Japanese-owned cafe close to the Empire State Building, that apparently makes a killer matcha latte. They offer lots of specialty drinks and seasonal options (I heard their matcha hot cocoa is delicious), and use very high quality matcha. Midtown tends to be an area I avoid—especially near Empire State—but I’ll have to make a trip there just to try Mika’s Direction.
Cha &
Location: Lower East Side
A tea bar in the Lower East Side serving up a lot more than matcha—BUT they apparently do make a really good one. I’m pretty sure they use Kettl Matcha!
Matcha House
Location: East Village
A cafe with a mission to make delicious, high quality matcha. You can choose between single-origin or a Uji blend for each of their drinks. Their menu is pretty straight forward, and they offer rotating seasonal specials! They do have a matcha cortado which is great if you’re not wanting a huge amount of milk with your matcha.
Ant’s Coffee
Location: Williamsburg
A coffee shop in Williamsburg, that makes a good matcha latte. They use Wholy M!lk as their plant-based option, carry Sixteen Mill Bakeshop goodies, and use a single-origin ceremonial grade matcha powder. Checks all my boxes!
Larry’s Ca Phe
Locations: East Williamsburg and Park Slope
A Vietnamese cafe that uses ceremonial grade matcha powder, and are known for their coconut water with matcha foam. But they have so many specialty Vietnamese drinks and baked goods, and are constantly coming out with seasonal specials too! Their new location in Park Slope also offers a breakfast and lunch menu.
As You Like
Location: East Williamsburg
A coffee/matcha/sake/onigiri/ceramic/art shop in East Williamsburg that makes really high quality matcha drinks. They have the classics, as well as really fun seasonal specialty drinks.
Isshiki
Location: East Village
They use their own house brand of single-cultivar matcha powder, and also have a rotating seasonal menu along with their cafe classics. They also seem to do a lot of collaborations with different brands, so definitely keep an eye out for those!
Pantry
Location: Nolita
This is the cafe inside the Madhappy store that uses Nekohama premium organic matcha powder. They’ve been doing collab drinks with different people lately, so you can probably choose between those and a regular old matcha latte.
Kettl
Locations: Greenpoint and NoHo
This place is also mentioned a lot when people are ranking their #1 NYC matcha spots. And probably for good reason, since a lot of cafes throughout the city also use their matcha powder in their drinks. Kettl is the only US-based Japanese tea company fully incorporated in Japan, with an office in Fukuoka—so they’re serious about their matcha. They keep their menu super simple, so no crazy specialty drinks here…but they do have a matcha soft serve in the summer.
Saltwater Coffee
Locations: East Village, West Village, Lower East Side
They use ceremonial grade matcha powder from Uji, Kyoto. Haven’t tried, but I think it’s a solid matcha latte if you’re near one of their locations.
La Cabra
Locations: SoHo, East Village, Bushwick
A Danish coffee shop and bakery definitely more known for their cardamom buns—BUT, they use Kettl matcha and are super quality focused as a whole, so I’ve heard it’s a solid option.
Nippon Cha
Location: Williamsburg
I get the sense that this place has a cult following, but still flys under the radar a little compared to other spots on this list. Their matcha is authentic ceremonial grade, and they don’t compromise on quality. They’re very traditional in their preparation, but they also have fun specialty and seasonal drinks on the menu.
Dear Coffee
Location: Upper East Side
A specialty coffee shop that apparently uses high quality ceremonial grade matcha powder. Lots of fun specialty drinks and seasonal options!
From Lucie
Location: East Village
While technically a bakery, I saw someone say that they we’re pleasantly surprised at how good their matcha is. Can’t seem to find any info on what kind of matcha they use, but it does look good from photos I’ve seen! And eating a delicious piece of cake with a GOOD matcha latte just happens to be one of my dreams.
Patisserie Fouet
Location: Midtown
Another bakery, but have also heard they make a really good matcha! Which makes sense, because they’re a French-Japanese bakery.
Usagi
Location: Dumbo
A gallery/cafe that uses Ippodo matcha, which if you know anything about matcha, you’ve probably heard of them. They’re a 300 year old tea purveyor company out of Japan that’s renowned for producing some of the highest quality green tea…so I just know this is gonna be a good matcha.
Tokuyamatcha & Onigirazu Bar
Locations: East Village, Flatiron and SoHo
Ok, so they’re definitely mainly an onigirazu spot, but they also make ceremonial grade matcha lattes that look really good! I’ll definitely be going here for a onigirazu AND a matcha latte soon.
Land to Sea - 8/10
My Order: Iced matcha latte with almond milk
Location: East Williamsburg
A coffee shop and natural wine bar that hosts tons of events and popups, and makes a good high quality matcha. They have lots of fun signature and seasonal drinks too! Just use regular old plant-based milks, so a few points redacted for that…but overall a very smooth, creamy delish matcha!
Common Address
Location: Lincoln Square
Another spot that apparently uses Kettl match, so you know it’s good!
PPL
Location: Williamsburg
Coffee shop serving high quality authentic matcha from Japan…heard someone describe it as “the fluffiest matcha they’ve ever had”.
Foreigner
Location: Flatiron
They use Nekohama matcha powder at this coffee shop, and they get their pastries from Paloma Bakery…so it’s quality products here. Plus they make lots of specialty and seasonal drinks, so there’s always something new to try!
Matcha 108
Location: Chinatown
Another place serving strong matcha! They use 5-8 grams of Uji matcha powder in each of their drinks, and they also have some fun specialty drinks alongside the classic matcha lattes.
Happier Grocery
Location: SoHo
This feels like a mini NYC Erewhon to me. I’ve been a few times to peruse and buy some snacks (the health nut in me is obsessed with this place), but I’ve yet to try their cafe drinks. Lots of seasonal specials and collabs happening here, and they apparently use Rocky’s matcha for their drinks.
MXDIN
Location: Lower East Side
This spot just opened in the spring, but they’re already super popular. They definitely seem like a more health-focused cafe, defining themselves as a functional cafe that uses clean ingredients. They went pretty viral this past summer for their watermelon matcha.
Rhythm Zero
Locations: West Village, Greenpoint and Williamsburg
A very viral spot that also uses Kettl matcha. Always have rotating seasonal drinks to try.
Setsuggeka
Location: East Village
More so a matcha tea shop, and they only open at 1pm…but very traditional matcha and they even host tea ceremonies and other events.
Birch
Locations: Murray Hill, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Financial District, West Village, Tribeca, Midtown East, Long Island City, JFK, Laguardia…they’re everywhere
A chain, but they make their own plant-based milks in house, and I saw someone say that they use Matchaful matcha powder…but I can’t find much to confirm that yet!
IXV
Location: Boerum Hill
A really cool cafe that’s on a mission to be as zero waste as possible. They get their milk from a literal milk man in glass jars and their almond milk is also fresh and comes in glass jars, they really encourage reusable cups, they pick up all their baked goods in metal tins, and their straws are literally pieces of hay or reeds. And on top of all that, they use Kettl matcha and carry baked goods from Knead Love Bakery…I have a feeling this might be my new favourite spot.
THANK YOU for your service!!! Would also recommend the new Maru coffee in Williamsburg to the list
choji is sickening for a fun flavored latte and high quality matcha