Experience Matcha Mania With These 13 Dishes in LA

The centuries-old powder is trendier than ever

by Crystal Coser Mar 22, 2017, 12:00pm PDT

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| Crystal Coser

by Crystal Coser Mar 22, 2017, 12:00pm PDT

What, exactly are all the radioactive green-tinted food items taking over your Instagram feed? That's probably matcha, the fine powder made from shaded, de-stemmed green tea plants. The antioxidant rich foodstuff is far from a new phenomenon—matcha has been a part of ceremonial tea ceremonies for thousands of years.

Heck, matcha isn't even new in LA, with places like Little Tokyo serving it up as teas and lattes for quite some time now. More recently, the resurgence of interest in the wellness powder has led to a plethora of creative preparations in mostly sweet varieties. The originator of mochi ice cream, LA's Mikawaya, has made green tea mochi popular not only in LA but across the country with its mass-produced supermarket staple. Newcomers like Matcha Box and New York-transplant MatchaBar have even partnered with local bakeries to make a matcha-flavored goods in myriad preparations.

Here now, 13 fantastic places in LA to get your matcha fix.

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse's Matcha Croissant

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Topping all the buttery, flaky glory that is a Mr. Holmes' croissant is a mix of matcha and pate a glacer, a white chocolate coating. Chances are high the bi-colored croissant will make your Instagram feed.

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111 South Avenue 59, Los Angeles, CA 90042

(323) 739-0473

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Mikawaya's Green Tea Mochi

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The originator of mochi ice cream, Little Tokyo’s Mikawaya is the place to go for the traditional Japanese confection wrapped around balls of ice cream, and is offered in a wide variety of flavors, including, of course, the very popular green tea.

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118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 624-1681

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MatchaBar's Mochi

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MatchaBar partnered up with Gjusta to create tiny matcha mochi. Using ceremonial-grade matcha, these pistachio-topped treats are the perfect lightly sweet accompaniment to your afternoon matcha latte.

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3534 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Tsubaki's Roasted Green Tea Soft Serve

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You can probably tell from the lack of bright green color that this isn’t a true matcha item. However, Tsubki’s hoji-cha, or roasted green tea, soft serve has a refined nutty flavor so delightful that it would be a shame not to include it on any green tea-related list.

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1356 Allison Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026

(213) 900-4900

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Terra Cotta's Matcha Mille Feuille

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Literally translated to one thousand sheets, mille feuille is a flaky French pastry filled with a decadent pastry cream. Koreatown hot spot Terra Cotta puts a twist on theirs by stuffing layers of caramelized phyllo with intensely flavored dabs of silky matcha cream.

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3760 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

(213) 365-1077

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Lady M Cake Boutique's Green Tea Mille Crepes

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Another layered dessert, West 3rd’s Lady M Cake Boutique stacks no less than 20 lacy crepes with an airy green tea pastry cream, then dusts the top with matcha for an extra kick.

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8718 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

(424) 279-9495

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Café Dulcé's Matcha Doughnut

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Little Tokyo gem Café Dulce offers its green tea goodness in the form of its best-selling custard-filled doughnut.

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134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall Bldg E, Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 346-9910

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Matcha Box's Matcha Shortbread

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Accompany your afternoon caffeinated beverage with these button-sized shortbread cookies. Need a bigger sweet treat? Matcha Box partnered with the Sweet Nuns for tasty matcha cream puffs.

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8036 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310) 845-9392

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Midori Matcha's Softserve

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You may have seen this bright green soft serve pop up on your Instagram feed lately. It’s no surprise, as Little Tokyo’s new darling offers a generous twirl of the tea-infused ice cream for only four bucks.

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Weller Court, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Pitchoun's Matcha Tea Loaf

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Downtown’s Pitchoun is actually the bakery partner of Midori, supply the specialty store with everything from matcha eclairs to Napoleons. The French bakery uses premium ceremonial matcha imported from Japan, and reduces the amount of sugar in the pastry to bring out the flavor of the high-grade tea. The newest matcha item that can only be found in-store is the matcha tea and dried apricot loaf for a more savory use of the antioxidant-rich powder.

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545 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

(213) 689-3240

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ROKU's Matcha Tart

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The newest sweet addition to the Sunset Strip Japanese eatery, the matcha tart at ROKU—a nice preparation of matcha-pistachio mousse, housemade tangerine sorbet, and candied tangerine segments—is a refreshing way to cleanse your palate after a long meal.

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9201 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

(310) 278-2060

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Shuhari Matcha Café's Matcha Azuki Parfait

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Abbott Kinney’s Shuhari Matcha Café takes matcha ice cream to new heights with a show-stopping sundae layered with sweet red bean paste and corn flakes.