Some of the Best Matcha Spots in San Francisco

After moving away from the Bay Area, we’ve come to realize how much we love and miss San Francisco. So when we were given the opportunity to live in the Bay Area again for a period of time, we visited San Francisco a lot. During that time we unintentionally tried many matcha shops. So many shops that we deemed it was enough to write a post about it.

I hope this post will help you find the best matcha cafe for you. You can determine for yourself which ones are worth trying depending on how you like your matcha drinks. I know some prefer it on the more traditional side as a plain latte or straight up like a cold brew matcha. While others love pairing it with unique toppings or flavors. In this list you will find it all since San Francisco really has so much to offer when it comes to matcha.

Below is a list (in no particular order) of all the matcha shops we have tried in San Francisco so far and which ones were our favorites. Do keep in mind that we prefer our matcha drinks on the more traditional side: as a simple latte with very little sugar or just straight up in an iced matcha americano.

Minimalist black mechanical split-flap display reading "NOW MILLING OKUMIDORI & YUTAKAMIDORI" mounted above a white curtain.

1. Shoji

Location: 140 New Montgomery St Suite 1, San Francisco, CA 94105

What to Order: Matcha Einspanner

Minimalist black metal sign reading "SHOJI" mounted on a stone wall outside the cafe.

This coffee shop is my absolute favorite cafe for a delicious matcha latte although they specialize in both coffee and matcha. Their menu is not extensive by any means but it has just enough.

I got their Matcha Einspanner. It is perfectly creamy and so refreshing. They serve it to you with a little wooden spoon so you can eat the cream on top first but I liked sipping it together with the matcha.

The matcha is smooth, not grassy, and has a vibrant green color. The matcha is also not overpowering in any way. It was perfectly balanced, not being too earthy nor too high in umami.

Because they use Straus barista milk, one of my all time favorite dairy manufacturers, the smooth matcha really stands out and the milk doesn’t overpower it.

The einspanner cream top is dusted with matcha powder and with soybean powder, which adds a unique and delicious nuttiness to the entire drink. In my opinion, they make one of the best matcha lattes in San Francisco.

An iced green tea matcha latte topped with cream foam, green matcha powder, and kinako roasted soybean powder in a clear cup, matcha einspanner — Shoji’s Matcha Einspanner

Sunlit outdoor patio seating at Shoji in San Francisco featuring wooden chairs, light-colored cushioned bench seats, and wooden tables. — Shoji’s Outdoor Seating

The shop itself is small but their seating areas are very nice. There is a bar area that you can sit at surrounded by a few booths. Many people were using it to work or to meet up with friends. We went to the nice and cozy patio area, which was the perfect place to take a break while exploring San Francisco’s Financial District. I highly recommend the shop. The cherry on top of this coffee shop were the workers who were most kind and personable.

2. Maruwu Seicha

Location: 1737 Post St #368, San Francisco, CA 94115

What to Order: Matcha Latte with Snow Top, Hawaii Ube Matcha Latte, & Any of their Soft Serve

Two iced matcha lattes from Maruwu Seicha, including a purple ube matcha latte and a classic layered matcha latte with foam. — Maruwu Seicha Matcha: Hawaii Ube Latte & Matcha Latte w/ Snow Top

This shop located in Japantown is another favorite of ours. They carry many variations of matcha drinks, but I love that the options lean more toward nutty, earthy, and subtle flavors rather than fruity or tart ones.

The more common flavor options you can add to your drinks are cream, black sesame, ube, or pistachio. Those creamier and nuttier flavors are usually my go-to options when getting an iced matcha latte. I just think they pair so well together.

I really loved their matcha latte with snow top, which is a lightly sweetened cold foam. This latte in the iced version is so creamy and refreshing. The matcha itself is high quality and super smooth. There is none of the taste or texture that you get with bad matcha.

However, my absolute favorite drink is their Hawaii Ube Matcha Latte. The addition of the ube went so well in this drink and it became one of my favorite combinations I’ve had to date.

It wasn’t just a cold foam with ube flavoring, it was actually a creamy ube paste spread at the bottom of the latte which you then mix in. It blends in very well with little effort and is not chunky at all. The result is a nutty sweet purple yam flavor mixed in with the creamy matcha latte. Just delicious.

Wide angle interior shot of Maruwu Seicha tea shop showing the ordering counter, wood flooring, cheese tart promotional posters, and drink menu cards. — Maruwu Seicha SF Japantown Store

Their soft serve is also AMAZING. It is rich and creamy without being icy at all. They have very high quality soft serve and the flavors are hard to choose from since they have so many great options. You can get matcha, Hokkaido milk, black sesame, ube, or a mix of a couple of flavors. We really loved the matcha and Hokkaido milk swirl but are looking forward to trying their ube and black sesame.

This shop is quite popular but the line moves quickly and they churn out the drinks fast. There was only one time where we showed up in the afternoon and they were no longer taking orders way before their closing time. My guess is they ran out of matcha.

3. Matcha Cafe Maiko

Location: 1581 Webster St #175, San Francisco, CA 94115

What to Order: Iced Matcha Tea

This is another popular matcha cafe in Japantown. Here we stopped for an Iced Matcha Tea on a hot summer day. It was the perfect drink to sip on as we walked through the Japan Center Mall, which becomes like a greenhouse when it is hot out due to their skylights.

The matcha itself is good. It is not the most vibrant green we’ve had but at least it wasn’t bitter, grassy, nor astringent, which is all a win in my books.

They serve many matcha drinks with unique toppings such as mochi balls, red bean paste, chiffon cakes, etc. They also have soft serve that always looked enticing every time we walked by.

I haven’t seen this in person yet but on their menu you can order a 24k gold soft serve cone where they add a leaf of edible gold to your soft serve.

4. Origin Lab Coffee & Matcha

Location: 211 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108

What to Order: Banana Cream Cloud & Matcha Strawberry Nimbus

Three iced cafe drinks on a white table, featuring layered matcha lattes dusted with green matcha powder and a strawberry matcha top. — Origin Lab Coffee & Matcha Cafe SF

This bustling cafe has a lot of unique flavored drinks and cream top options, which they call clouds. They have more common flavors such as banana and strawberry but they also have more unique pairings such as orange juice, yuzu, and even sparkling lime.

We really enjoyed their banana cream cloud one but it seems to only be an option for their espresso drinks. My husband really liked their matcha americano and said it has a clean and refreshing taste. Not too vegetal nor sharp at all.

We tried a variety of their matcha cloud drinks too and I recommend you add a bit of one of their sweeteners (agave, honey, vanilla, etc.) available or else it can be a tad bit bitter.

Their cloud foams didn’t blend in well and every time I mixed it, the dense cold foam remained largely intact on the surface. But if you like denser cold foams, you should give this shop with all their unique flavors a try.

5. Stonemill Matcha

Location: 561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

What to Order: TO Cold Mizudashi (Cold Brew) & TO Matcha Latte

Two people holding cold drinks side-by-side outside Stonemill Matcha, featuring an iced matcha latte and a dark iced green tea. — Stonemill Matcha SF Drinks

This matcha cafe is another one of our favorites and they serve more than just matcha. They are also famous for their Japanese dishes and tea-centered desserts.

From the presentation of their foods, you can immediately tell that they put a lot of care into every item they serve, from its quality to its presentation.

Blue wooden outdoor sign with gold lettering for Stonemill Matcha mounted on a blue cafe facade in San Francisco. — Stonemill Matcha SF

Two hands holding drinks outside Stonemill Matcha, including a creamy iced matcha latte and an iced hojicha roasted green tea. — Stonemill Matcha Latte and Hojicha Cold Brew

From Stonemill Matcha, we tried their matcha latte, cold brew matcha, and hojicha cold brew. Their matcha is bright green and has a strong flavor that is not grassy nor grainy. It is smooth and we found it to be one of our favorite matcha cafes in San Francisco. Many matcha lattes can lose the matcha flavor when it is masked by milk but this one stands out well without any bitterness.

We were also given their hojicha cold brew on accident since they messed up our original order and that was also delicious. A nice plus is the staff here is very kind.

If you are coming to Stonemill Matcha just for their drinks, I highly recommend you place an order for pick-up beforehand on their website as the line can get very long. I especially love their pick up window which opens up into the sidewalk as the line for indoor seating takes up a lot of the space inside the shop.

Local Tip – While waiting for your order, you can take a quick walk to Bernal Cutlery down the street and do a bit of kitchenware shopping. They have great items sourced from all around the world, including Japan.

6. Constance Tea & Matcha

Location: 3512 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121

What to Order: Matcha Einspanner & Freshly Milled Matcha Americano

Black framed menu board at Constance Tea & Matcha listing prices for freshly milled matcha, stone ground teas, and brewed teas next to indoor plants. — Constance Tea & Matcha Menu

Close-up of a layered iced matcha latte featuring cold milk and dark green freshly milled matcha in a clear plastic cup.

This matcha cafe is located in the Outer Richmond district of San Francisco and so is on the more western side of the city. It is located closer to popular spots such as Sutro Baths and the Legion of Honors Museum.

This matcha cafe stands out from the rest because they actually mill their own matcha. Inside their store behind the counter, you can see the actual mill. They also post which variety of matcha leaves they’re currently milling if you care about that stuff.

From here, we tried their Freshly Milled Matcha Americano as well as their Matcha Einspanner. We found their matcha to have more umami than the other matcha shops we have tried in San Francisco. The grassy and earthly flavor comes out more but it is still mild enough that the drinks were enjoyable. There is no astringent aftertaste, which we appreciated.

If you get their latte or einspanner, your drink will be quite creamy with a strong milky flavor. The einspanner’s cream was more like a salted cream top rather than a cold foam topping since it was a tad bit salty.

7. OISHII MATCHA

Location: 2299 Market St Apt A, San Francisco, CA 94114

What to Order: Matcha Latte w/Matcha Foam & Matcha Coconut Latte w/Matcha Foam

Square white door sign for Oishii Matcha featuring Japanese kanji characters and the text "Organic Ceremonial Matcha"

Two hands holding layered iced matcha lattes with milk in clear plastic Oishii Matcha cups outside the cafe.

One of our favorite matcha cafes is Oishii Matcha. It is located in the Castro district on a corner shop of a street that is lined with lots of parking which made it easier to find somewhere to park despite it being a busy Saturday.

The shop is small and there is really only room to go in and place an order. Many people are standing on the side of the shop waiting to pick up their orders but seating is just outside with a couple of tables. This is another shop that you can place and order online for pick-up ahead of time, which is amazing on the weekends.

From here we ordered a classic matcha latte and a coconut matcha latte. Both drinks were so delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the coconut matcha latte with matcha foam.

The drinks were smooth and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. The matcha itself is bright green and has a nice balanced flavor. We love a more soft and mellow matcha but it still has to come through in the drink without being too grassy, bitter, or astringent. Their matcha did just that. If we come back, we will try their soft serve ice cream.

8. Komeya no Bento

Location: 3137 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94123

What to Order: Iced Matcha Straight & Iced Matcha Latte

Two hands holding iced Japanese green tea drinks from Komeya No Bento, including a creamy iced matcha latte and a pure iced matcha. — Komeya No Bento SF – Matcha Drinks

This matcha cafe is in the Marina District of San Francisco not too far from Fort Mason and Mascone Park. This shop is not only famous for their matcha drinks but also for their high quality bento boxes.

They have unique hours compared to the rest on this list because they close from 2pm until 5pm so make sure you plan accordingly. As soon as we got there, we were grateful that we placed an order online for pick-up before arriving. The small shop was surrounded by a large crowd right at their evening opening time.

Even with our order placed ahead of time, there was still a wait. What I really appreciated seeing was how thorough they are in preparing their drinks (food is prepared in the back so I cannot comment on that). The workers were also so kind, patient, and friendly despite the rush. I always love supporting a business that instills that mindset to their employees.

We ordered their Iced Matcha Straight as well as their Matcha Latte with the added mochi topping. I wasn’t too sure what that topping was so I wanted to give it a try since it was so unique. Their ceremonial matcha is on the earthier side with a mineral aftertaste. The texture is also thicker and grainier than the other shops.

Overall, I still really liked the drinks that we got. The mochi topping was interesting. I would say it is less like mochi and more like soft tofu pudding since it disintegrated quickly in the mouth. Per my research, it gets its name “mochi” from the fact that glutinous rice flour is used to make it, which is what mochi is made of. It didn’t necessarily mean that it was going to be firm and chewy like a mochi, which I was secretly hoping it would be.

There are many more matcha shops we have yet to discover in San Francisco but we wanted to provide some guidance from the ones we have tried so far. You really cannot go wrong with any of these as they are all delicious in their own ways.

We hope this narrowed it down for you though depending on your preferences.

If you know of any other matcha cafes we should check out, please feel free to let us know! We’ll always go back to the Bay Area and will be sure to check it out.

-A & D

If you love matcha, then be sure to learn all about the “Matcha Capital of the World” in Uji, Japan. You can read all about our experience in Uji here.