Soft-serve, floats, boba, and an amazing variety of drinks all in one place?! Hit up Matcha Maiko Cafe in Garden Grove, CA for all of your matcha, hojicha, and fruity cravings!
Matcha Maiko Company
According to their website: Matcha Cafe Maiko opened its first store in Hawaii, intending to provide customers with quality, authentic matcha. All of their products are imported from Uji, Japan.
Uji is in the southern part of Kyoto and is known for producing high-quality matcha. The area is ideal due to the plentiful mist, which protects against frost from degrading product quality.
Matcha Cafe Maiko’s matcha comes from Harima Garden, which has been in operation since 1858. In addition to matcha, they also off hojicha tea items, which is a roasted green tea. To me, it tastes less bitter with a more roasted flavor.
An impressive fact they pride themselves on is that all of their products are made in-house, including their: ice-cream, sponge cakes, waffle cones, adzuki bean toppings!
Source: Matcha Maiko Website
Garden Grove Franchise Review
Safety measures:
- Floor stickers to indicate 6 ft social distancing
- Sufficient space inside and outside to wait
- Mask wear enforced
- Hand sanitizer provided
- Frequent disinfection of frequently touched surfaces every 15 minutes
- Take-out only
Space
Unfortunately, their cute cafe is closed for dine-in services. But the open floor plan made me feel safe to maintain space between other customers waiting for orders.
There are plentiful walls and fun art decor to quickly snap an IG-worthy shot of your drink before heading out!
Items I’ve Tried
1. Matcha Hojicha Soft-Serve:
A creamy, harmonious blend that wasn’t too bitter or strong as some tea-flavored dessert can be
2. Thai Tea Cloud with boba
Blended consistency with perfect boba texture. Runs sweet, so I requested 0% sugar after my first visit!
3. Passion fruit Yakult
I’ve been on a passionfruit kick, and this fresh-tasting fruity, milky drink, definitely hit the spot. The tartness is just in the right amount and blends well with the fresh passionfruit flavor.
4. Hojicha Oreo Frappe
My absolute favorite hojicha drink EVER! The perfect balance of roasted tea flavor with Oreo without being too sweet. The texture is perfectly blended and ready to drink (no need to wait a few minutes to defrost). I dream of this often.
5. Thai Soft Serve Ice-Cream
A recent addition and tastes super creamy with a nice hint of Thai Tea flavor. I don’t even normally enjoy Thai Tea, but the flavor was just subtle enough.
Store Locations in California
- Fountain Valley
- Garden Grove (My go-to cafe! Watch the interview above!)
- Rowland Heights
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Stanton
Other Store Locations
- Hawaii (Honolulu)
- North Carolina (Charlotte)
- Texas (Houston)
- Washington (Seattle)
- Georgia (Atlanta + Duluth)
- Nevada (Las Vegas)
- Oregon (Portland)
- Virginia (Centreville + Tysons)
Insider Tip
In general, I prefer my drinks on the lessened sweet end of the spectrum. I always order my boba drinks at 0% sugar and do the same here. I feel like the baseline level of sweetness is just enough.
Matcha Maiko Summary
Highly recommend as their diverse menu includes something for everyone! Just opt for less sugar if you prefer less sweetness in your drinks/desserts.
Sincere thanks to Chi and Rachel for sharing your story and inviting me on my first visit. Since then, I have made sure to visit their cafe whenever I’m in the area from LA because it really is that tasty. There’s nothing similar in LA, believe it or not.
If you can please support this female-founded small business and show them some extra love on their social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, and Yelp)