Matcha Cafe Maiko recently opened in San Diego. The Hawaii-based dessert chain specializes in all things matcha, including ice cream, drinks, shaved ice and more.
I love matcha flavored desserts. I even have a guide on baking with matcha powder. So, of course, I was excited to check out Matcha Cafe Maiko.
The menu was a little overwhelming, with more than 50 items to choose from. Here is what we tried:
Matcha Shaved Ice
I love the presentation of this shaved ice and it was topped with a generous portion of their creamy matcha soft serve, but I found the shaved ice chunks to be a little too large. The matcha syrup didn’t really penetrate through the ice before sinking to the bottom of the cone, leaving the ice flavorless.
Mix Maiko Special
Underneath the ice cream are frosted flakes, cubes of chiffon cake and mochi. The soft serve is a mix of vanilla and matcha. We loved the ice cream but it was really difficult to eat the sweets underneath with the ice cream. We basically had to finish the ice cream before getting to the treats inside the cup.
Hojicha Latte Float with Matcha Soft Serve
This was my favorite of the desserts we tried. It’s a hojicha latte with matcha soft serve on top. Hojicha is a roasted green tea. We fell in love with this tea when we visited Japan. It doesn’t taste like typical green tea. It has a nutty and caramel-like flavor.
Overall, we enjoyed the soft serve ice creams and hojicha latte float. We’ll definitely be back, but probably just for the soft serve and drinks.
Menu:
Matcha Cafe Maiko
8072 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111
