It’s no secret that Londoners love their caffeine. But more recently, you may have noticed people wandering out of the coffee shops and cafés with a potent-green beverage – matcha. The vibrant, powdered green tea has been drunk in Japan and China for centuries, and the west has finally caught up to this antioxidant-rich drink. From being advertised on hipster chalk boards to splashed all over Instagram, it’s fast-become as much of a staple as oat milk-lattes and flat whites in London.
Matcha has a particular taste that those of us who love it, really love. But it’s fair to say that ‘grassy’ or ‘earthy’ are common adjectives. You can have it with dairy or any plant based milk and add your sweetener of choice, just like a particularly bitter cuppa joe, it’s all about finding the strength and balance you like. Prices range from around £4.50 to £5.00 (often including a plant-milk mark up), which is comparable with the cost of a nice coffee.
We might defer to our colleagues at Tokyo Cheapo and Hong Kong Cheapo for selecting the best matcha in Asia, but in the meantime, we’ve rounded up a few of the best places to drink matcha in London.
Katsuke 100 – Islington, Brick Lane, and upstairs at Uniqlo in Covent Garden
Katsuke 100 is a mini-chain of Japanese Tea rooms with dark interiors and beautiful ceramics. They are some of the most aesthetically-pleasing places to drink matcha.
The original branch on Camden Passage in Islington is small with a cute garden at the back and is extremely popular, so get there early if you’re visiting at the weekend. During the summer, it’s a nice area to grab a cup of iced matcha and stroll along the canal.
But in the autumn or winter, it’s worth taking the time over the sensory experience of drinking it, especially in such lovely surroundings, to appreciate the high-quality, ceremonial grade matcha. As well as matcha lattes, you can also sample other Japanese hot drinks including the caffeine-free Hojicha and even matcha hot chocolate.
Matcha is also used in baking, and Katsuke 100 also serves up tea-infused desserts and cakes including brownies, cheesecakes and Ichigo Daifuku (a strawberry mochi and red-bean paste dessert). You can also buy plenty of tea products for home-sampling too.
Angel: 100 Islington High Street, N1 8EG
Brick Lane: 147 Brick Lane, E1 6SB
Covent Garden: 20 Long Acre, WC2E 9LZ
WA Café – Ealing, Marylebone & Covent Garden
This cute, mini-chain of Japanese patisseries specialises in dainty, French cakes and pastries with Japanese flavours as well as, of course, a range of hot and cold matcha drinks. The varied menu includes matcha croissants, fruit sandos, and Matcha roll cakes.
Drinks wise, in the summer WA serves up iced matcha lattes with a whipped cream, which is just about acceptable (you’ll find no syrupy strawberry or blueberry business in this article!), and of course having it without cream is also an option. WA branches are small, minimal, pink and Insta-worthy, and it’s worth taking a little time to appreciate the sweet treats on offer.
Ealing: 32 Haven Green, London, W5 2NX
Covent Garden: 5 New Row, London, WC2N 4LH
Marylebone: 6 Thayer St, London, W1U 3JQ
Moko Made Café – Hoxton
An incredibly cosy, neighbourhood café in Hoxton, nestled off the bustling Kingsland Road – Moko Made is filled with home-made delights both edible and ceramic. It’s very popular, and the perfect spot for grabbing a matcha on a chilly, blustery day in London.
There are clusters of small tables, pretty lanterns and cute paraphernalia dotted around. As well as matcha (and matcha-flavoured sweet things), you can also grab savoury Japanese dishes including rice balls with miso soup, udon soup and daily specials. we visited on a rainy afternoon and tried the oat milk honey matcha which was the perfect level of sweetness to balance out any bitterness, enjoyed in a very cute ceramic drinking bowl.
Address: 211 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AN
Jenki Matcha, Shoreditch, Borough Market, Covent Garden & Selfridges
With a bright green exterior that practically screams “Matcha sold here”, this mini-chain has adopted a coffee-style approach to the menu, although their blunt marketing suggests they don’t drink the stuff! Jenki has something for the matcha purists and those who fancy trying different blends including vanilla bean and sea salt and pistachio.
As well as matcha lattes, you can try different strengths including a flat green (probably don’t go for that if you’re trying Matcha for the first time), and Matchiato with an optional splash of milk, extra shots are also an option. Jenki also seems to experiment with different milks – not sure when cornmilk or granola milk became a thing, but they are here!
Like Katsuke 100, if you like the Matcha you’re sampling, you can get ceremonial grade products to drink at home.
Shoreditch: 43 Brushfield Street, London, United Kingdom E1 6AA
Borough: 4 Stoney St, London SE1 9AA
Selfridges: 400 Oxford St, London W1C 1JT
Covent Garden: 50a Long Acre, London WC2E 9JR
Matcha Mochi – Euston
Another neighbourhood spot, Matcha Mochi has a young, student-vibe owing to its proximity to university campuses like UCL. When we popped in, they were blasting out early 00’s pop tunes that are already somehow retro… but moving on.
A stone’s throw from Euston station, Matcha Mochi is the ideal spot for a pre-train pick-me-up and a matcha latte replete with foam art. We don’t approve of the 30p markup for coconut milk, but the ratio is good enough to take the edge off any earthiness without overpowering the matcha flavour.
As well as hot and cold drinks, there are lots of matcha-infused cakes and biscuits from cookies to brownies and even slices of Basque cheesecake.
Address: 72-76 Eversholt St, London NW1 1BY
TSUJIRI – Camden & Chinatown
We dare say that all of the places featured in this article take their matcha seriously. But, TSUJIRI has been dedicated to the Gyojuro (the highest grade of Japanese green tea) since 1860. From a tea-making visionary in 19th century Japan to two London outputs in the 21st century, it’s been quite a journey.
You can taste matcha in various classic and modern forms in TSUJIRI’s extensive menu serving up everything from matcha lattes to soft-serve ice cream and even matcha gift sets.
Camden: Water Lane, Hawley Wharf, London, NW1 8JZ
Chinatown: 33 Newport Court, London, WC2H 7PQ
Hungry for more Japanese cuisine? Check out our guide to London’s best Japanese food on the cheap!
