A quick honest note before the list. "Trendy" and "good" don't always go together — plenty of viral matcha is more sugar than tea. So I looked for both: places that are genuinely buzzing right now and serve matcha worth drinking. Most of these you can enjoy either way — sit down and stay, or take your cup with you as you explore the city. For each, I've noted whether you can dine in, take away, or both.
One tip that runs through all of them: if you want to taste how good the matcha really is, order it plain or as a straight latte first. The flavored ones are fun, but the tea tells the truth.
1 · 12 Matcha — the viral one
This is the one everyone is talking about — a matcha-only café drawing long lines for drinks whisked to order in front of you. The hype is mostly earned: they use premium Uji matcha and charcoal-filtered water, and the tea is clean enough to drink with no sweetener. They even lend umbrellas while you wait in the rain.
2 · Aoko Matcha — matcha in five shades
One of the buzziest newcomers — America's first matcha gelato café, and it has exploded. Their signature is matcha in five (sometimes more) intensity levels, so you can taste the same tea from sweet and mellow up to deep and grassy. The gelato and soft serve are the draw, but the drinks are strong too.
3 · MATCHA HOUSE — the East Village hotspot
One of the newest and hottest matcha spots in the East Village — and a smart pick if you love 12 Matcha but hate the line. They whisk in front of you, the matcha colour is perfect, and the line tends to move faster. A communal wood table makes it a nice place to pause, too.
4 · Matcha Cafe Maiko — for the soft serve
A beloved spot for matcha soft serve and ice cream that travels well in a cup. The matcha is concentrated and properly green, and the menu is full of crowd-pleasing parfaits and floats. Tiny inside — really a grab-and-go by design — but the quality is high for the price.
5 · Cha Cha Matcha — the original icon
The café that arguably started New York's matcha-as-fashion obsession, with its instantly recognisable green-and-pink branding. It still draws a downtown creative crowd for iced strawberry matchas and photogenic cups. More lifestyle than ceremony — but a fun, reliable take-out stop with multiple locations.
6 · Nana's Green Tea — Japan's own chain
A popular Japanese tea café chain that feels like a slice of a Tokyo shopping mall, with an enormous menu of matcha and hojicha drinks, soft serve, parfaits and even savoury food. The matcha tastes authentic, and ordering is quick via kiosk — easy to grab a drink and dessert to go.
7 · Matchaful — the organic favourite
One of the names that helped pioneer elevated matcha culture in New York, with sustainably sourced organic Japanese matcha. The line moves fast, the staff know their tea, and the quality has stayed steady even as they've expanded. A dependable, no-fuss take-out cup.
8 · Nippon Cha — Brooklyn value
If you're in Williamsburg, this is the pick — and arguably the best value matcha in the city. A large drink with extra matcha and coconut milk comes in well under what other places charge for a small. The matcha is creamy with real umami, and you can watch them make it. Small space, made for to-go.
9 · Kettl — trendy and serious at once
For when you want trendy and seriously good. Kettl is one of New York's most respected Japanese tea importers, sourcing directly from Kyoto growers, and their hojicha and matcha lattes are top-tier. It's crowded on weekends, so most regulars just take their matcha to go. A beautiful, refined space if you do stay.
So which should you grab?
If you want the famous one, line up at 12 Matcha — or dodge the wait at MATCHA HOUSE nearby. For something playful, Aoko's five-level gelato or Maiko's soft serve. For the best value, head to Nippon Cha in Brooklyn. And if you want trendy that's also seriously good, Kettl is the one.
Whichever you pick, do the same thing I do: taste it plain before you judge it. Trends come and go, but good matcha — clean, green, a little sweet on its own — is the real reason this whole craze started. Grab a cup, and enjoy the city.
Looking for the most traditional, ceremonial matcha instead? See my guide to where to drink real matcha in New York →
