Matcha has NYC in a chokehold...and honestly, we’re not fighting it.
From electric-green lattes to ceremonial pours that feel like tiny spiritual awakenings, the city’s steeped in the good stuff.
Whether you take your matcha seriously or just want something better than a sad, milky green latte, these are some of our favorite spots around NYC.
Sorate
SoHo & Flatiron
Photo: Sorate
Starting off with my personal favorite matcha spot in the city: Sorate. If you like your matcha rich, deep green, and actually tasting like matcha, this is the spot. They also do intimate tastings and tea ceremonies if you want to get a little more serious about it.
Semicolon Cafe
Murray Hill & Washington Heights
Photo: Semicolon Cafe
Semicolon Cafe is one of those rare matcha spots that’s actually consistent without making you wait 30 minutes or spend $10 on a latte. Plus, if you love a fruity matcha, their signature Lady Matcha with strawberry is chef’s kiss.
Verse
28-13 Astoria Blvd | Astoria
PHOTO: Verse
Verse is one of those places where the second you mention it, suddenly you’re on your way to Queens. It’s that good. They even have fun seasonal drinks like Honeydew Matcha and Berry Yuzu Matcha, plus a standout strawberry matcha made with real strawberry purée.
Kettl Tea
70 Greenpoint Ave | Greenpoint
Photo: Kettl Tea
Visit Kettl’s flagship café in Greenpoint if you like your matcha strong, clean, and tasting like actual tea (you know what I mean). You can buy Kettl matcha powder to take home, shop their ceramics, or grab a seat at the six-seat tasting counter to dive deeper into Japanese tea.
12 Matcha
54 Bond St | NoHo
Photo: 12 Matcha
12 Matcha is basically matcha with a show, since you can watch the whole process behind your cup. The space is also ridiculously aesthetic, so yes, it'll probably end up on your IG story. There’s usually a line, but don’t let it scare you. It moves fast, and every true matcha lover knows the perfect cup takes a little time.
Usagi
163 Plymouth St | DUMBO
Photo: Usagi
Usagi in DUMBO is more than just a matcha stop. It’s part cafe, part art gallery, part shop, and they make their matcha with Ippodo tea, a 300-year-old Kyoto tea company that is really freakin’ good. Come for the matcha, accidentally spend an hour here oohing and aahing.
KIJITORA
Brooklyn, Manhattan & Queens Locations
Photo: KIJITORA
KIJITORA is a cozy, cat-themed Japanese café serving certified organic ceremonial-grade matcha imported directly from Japan. There are no actual cats, sadly, but there is plenty of cute cat decor, plus Japanese-inspired drinks and pastries. With five spots across NYC, it’s also dangerously easy to work a matcha run into your day.
Nippon Cha
Williamsburg & Bayside
Photo: Nippon Cha
Nippon Cha is for when you want matcha that actually tastes like tea. They use first-harvest tencha from Kyoto, stone-milled into matcha, and you can taste the difference. The brown sugar matcha is a standout, but on a hot day, I’m going straight for the matcha soft serve.
Mika's Direction
11 E 32nd St | Koreatown
Photo: Mika's Direction
If you’ve ever been late for a train at Penn, there’s a good chance you’ve zoomed right by Mika’s Direction. This tiny Japanese tea café is all about slowing down, with carefully made matcha, Japanese-inspired pastries, and a focus on tea as a little moment of calm in the Midtown chaos.
#10 = Readers’ Choice
Updated August 2026