Best Matcha in NYC: 10 Cafes Worth the Line (2026)
Looking for the best matcha in NYC? Start with Setsugekka in the East Village, where tea master Souheki Mori grinds ceremonial matcha on an in-house stone mill and serves it in a bowl on a tatami mat. Or hit Kettl in Greenpoint, the city’s most serious Japanese tea importer, where a six-seat counter runs guided flights of farm-direct matcha. Want it fast? Cha Cha Matcha pours matcha on tap — a draft latte you can grab in five minutes near Madison Square Park. A standard iced matcha latte runs $6–8 at most of these spots; ceremonial bowls and tasting flights cost more. These are the 10 best matcha cafes in NYC right now, ranked by what we’d actually walk across town for — from East Village tea ceremonies to Williamsburg plant shops.
The quick version: 10 matcha cafes across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Iced matcha lattes run $6–8; ceremonial bowls and tasting flights run higher. Most open by 8am — but Aoko Matcha (West Village) stays open until 11pm and Matcha Cafe Maiko (Chinatown) until 10pm if you want matcha after dinner. Top pick for purists: Setsugekka. Top pick for a fast, great cup: Cha Cha Matcha’s draft matcha.
The Best Matcha in NYC, Ranked
Setsugekka
Ceremonial tea house · 74 E 7th St, East Village
Setsugekka is the closest thing NYC has to a Kyoto tea room. Owner Souheki Mori has practiced the Japanese tea ceremony for over two decades and runs the only cafe in the city with an in-house stone mill grinding matcha fresh to order. You sit at the counter or on a tatami mat while she whisks usucha in a bowl, with a few intensity levels to choose from. The matcha affogato — thick koicha over milk gelato — is worth the trip on its own. Hours are short: closed Mondays, 1–5:30pm Tuesday through Friday, from 10:30am on weekends. There are only a handful of seats, so go on an off-peak afternoon. It’s a few blocks from the bars on our East Village happy hour map.
Kettl
Farm-direct Japanese tea · 70 Greenpoint Ave, Greenpoint
Kettl sources every tea directly from Japanese growers it visits several times a year, and the Greenpoint flagship shows it — harvest dates and origin maps line the walls, and a stone mill grinds matcha behind glass. Order a straight whisked bowl, a cortado-style matcha with less milk, or book the six-seat tasting counter for a guided flight (reservations via Resy). The soft-serve parfait with black sugar gelée and mochi is the move if you want dessert. The New York Times called Kettl’s teas, in some cases, revelatory. If you take matcha seriously, this is the one — and it’s an easy add-on to a Greenpoint happy hour crawl.
Matchaful
Organic single-origin matcha · 184 Prince St, SoHo
Matchaful runs one of the most transparent sourcing programs in the country — single-origin, organically grown ceremonial matcha from Shizuoka, ground to order and third-party tested. Nothing on the menu uses refined sugar, the food is fully plant-based and gluten-free, and the drinks lean into botanical add-ins. The classic organic latte is the baseline; the seasonal specials, like the Oishii Berry, are where it gets fun. The SoHo cafe has a little outdoor seating for people-watching on Prince Street. It’s the pick for the crowd that reads the label, and it sits in the heart of SoHo.
12 Matcha
Design-forward matcha bar · 54 Bond St, NoHo
12 Matcha turned a cobblestoned Bond Street storefront into one of the most-photographed matcha spots in the city — two floors, a downstairs tasting room, even a charcoal water-filtration system so the water doesn’t get in the way of the tea. They weigh each gram and whisk it by hand with a chasen. A hot matcha latte runs about $7. Don’t skip the matcha basque cheesecake or the hojicha ice cream. Expect a line on weekends; it moves. Open daily 8:30am–5pm.
Sorate
Italian-Japanese teahouse · 103 Sullivan St, SoHo
Sorate is a jewel-box tea bar from Italian founder Silvia Mella and tea master Keiko Kitazawa, pouring ceremonial-grade matcha sourced from a family farm in Uji. Tea starts at $5 a cup and you build it however you want — traditional with hot water, or as a latte, hot or iced. There are maybe four counter seats, so the line regularly runs down Sullivan Street; come off-peak. There’s a second, slightly roomier location on East 18th Street near Union Square in Flatiron. Open daily from 8am (9am weekends).
Cha Cha Matcha
Draft matcha, fast · 1158 Broadway, NoMad
Cha Cha Matcha basically invented the pink-cup, Instagram-green matcha latte, and it’s still the best option when you want a good cup without waiting. The gimmick that actually works: their fast, dependable matcha, served for a consistent, lightly frothy pour you won’t find elsewhere. Beyond the classic, there’s a matcha lemonade, a Blue Matcha made with butterfly pea flower, and a long list of dairy-free milks. It’s the cheapest serious matcha on this list and rarely more than a five-minute wait. The NoMad flagship is on Broadway near Madison Square Park; there’s a second spot on Lafayette in NoHo.
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Uji soft serve and parfaits · 132 Bowery, Chinatown
Maiko is a Kyoto-born chain that sources its matcha from Harima Garden in Uji, a farm running since 1858. This is a Japanese dessert cafe, not a latte bar — the centerpiece is the Maiko Special parfait, around $12, stacking matcha soft serve over azuki beans, corn flakes, aiyu jelly, green tea chiffon, and mochi. There’s matcha shaved ice and a sparkling matcha too. No real seating, just benches outside, but it’s open until 10pm (later on weekends), which makes it a rare after-dinner matcha right by our Lower East Side deals. A second location sits in Rockefeller Center.
Aoko Matcha
Matcha gelato specialist · 275 Bleecker St, West Village
Aoko, which opened in 2025, bills itself as the country’s first shop built around matcha gelato — and the move here is the five-shade tasting, working from a sweet Level 1 up to a bracing, ceremonial-grade Level 5. Beyond gelato there’s soft serve, warabimochi-topped parfaits, and a solid straight matcha latte you can dress up with strawberry or chocolate. The storefront is bright and built for tasting, and it’s open until 11pm every night — the latest matcha on this list, and steps from the West Village happy hour scene. A second location is on Chrystie Street in Chinatown.
Kijitora
Cat-themed Williamsburg cafe · 151 N 7th St, Williamsburg
Kijitora — Japanese for tabby cat — is consistently one of the top-ranked matcha spots on Yelp across both Brooklyn and the whole city. The ceremonial-grade matcha is JAS-certified organic, imported straight from Japan, and the seasonal lattes are the draw: strawberry matcha, black sesame white chocolate, a chestnut matcha in fall. The space is small and packed with cat decor (no actual cats). There are several locations now, including the Williamsburg flagship on North 7th and a smaller one on Driggs. Limited seating, so plan to grab and go.
Ppl
Plant-filled coffee and tea shop · 189 Roebling St, Williamsburg
Ppl started as a clothing brand and became one of Williamsburg’s best small cafes, run by Japan-born owner Tomo Takasugi. The matcha is organic, from Kagoshima, and reviewers routinely call it the best in the city. The room is tiny and stuffed with plants, vintage rugs, and tin ceiling tiles — there’s a bench for two or three, but it’s mostly a to-go spot. Get the matcha latte or the hojicha latte and a slice of the vegan banana bread, the one baked good they make. Open 8am–4pm weekdays, from 9am on weekends.
Best Matcha by Neighborhood
NYC’s matcha scene clusters in a few spots. The densest stretch is downtown Manhattan — Sorate and Matchaful in SoHo, 12 Matcha on Bond Street in NoHo, Setsugekka a few blocks east in the East Village, and Cha Cha Matcha near Madison Square Park. Williamsburg is Brooklyn’s hub, with Kijitora and Ppl within walking distance of each other, while Kettl anchors Greenpoint just north. For matcha later in the day, the West Village (Aoko, open till 11pm) and Chinatown (Matcha Cafe Maiko, open till 10pm) are your best bets.
Where to Get the Best Matcha Latte in NYC
If you just want a great matcha latte — not a ceremony — a few of these stand out. Cha Cha Matcha’s Draft Matcha is the most consistent fast latte in the city. 12 Matcha’s hand-whisked latte (around $7) is the design-lover’s pick. Ppl and Kijitora make the best lattes in Brooklyn, and Matchaful’s organic single-origin is the one to get if you care about sourcing. Across the city, a standard iced matcha latte runs $6–8, and almost every spot here pours oat milk by default.
Matcha Is the After-Work Move
Here’s the overlap most people miss: the crowd that wants a good matcha at 4pm is the same crowd that wants a good happy hour at 6pm. Matcha’s lower-caffeine, no-alcohol lift makes it the perfect bridge between the workday and the night — and several of these spots stay open late enough to be a real alternative to a first drink. Meeting someone before dinner? Start with a matcha at Aoko in the West Village or Maiko in Chinatown, then walk to a happy hour nearby. Not drinking tonight? A matcha latte beats a club soda. For the nights you do want a cocktail, our guides to the best cocktail bars in NYC and the week’s Sunday happy hours have you covered.
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How to Find the Best Matcha in NYC: FAQ
Where is the best matcha in NYC?
For ceremonial-grade matcha and a true tea-ceremony experience, Setsugekka in the East Village is the top pick. For the finest sourcing, it’s Kettl in Greenpoint. And for a fast, excellent everyday cup, Cha Cha Matcha’s Draft Matcha wins. All three are among the best matcha in NYC, depending on what you’re after.
How much does a matcha latte cost in NYC?
A standard iced matcha latte runs about $6–8 at most NYC cafes. Cha Cha Matcha sits on the cheaper end; ceremonial bowls at Setsugekka and guided tasting flights at Kettl cost more. Dessert items like Matcha Cafe Maiko’s Maiko Special parfait run around $12.
What’s the difference between ceremonial and cafe matcha?
Ceremonial-grade matcha is made from the youngest shade-grown leaves, stone-ground to a fine powder, and meant to be whisked with just hot water — that’s what you get at Setsugekka or Kettl. Cafe matcha lattes use good matcha but blend it with milk and sometimes sweetener, which is most of this list. Both are real matcha; one’s a ritual, one’s a drink.
Where can I get matcha late at night in NYC?
Most matcha cafes close by 5–6pm. The two exceptions worth knowing: Aoko Matcha in the West Village is open until 11pm, and Matcha Cafe Maiko in Chinatown runs until 10pm (10:30 on weekends). Both make a solid after-dinner alternative to a nightcap.
Matcha hours and prices change fast in this city, and new spots open monthly. Deals and hours are subject to change; confirm with the venue before visiting. Last updated: June 2026.
More NYC guides: West Village Happy Hour · East Village Happy Hour · Williamsburg Happy Hour · Best Cocktail Bars in NYC · Best Wine Bars in NYC · All NYC DealsBest Boba in NYC
The best boba in NYC is Xing Fu Tang in the East Village (pearls wok-fried and torched to order), Machi Machi in Koreatown (the crème-brûlée-topped milk tea Jay Chou made famous), Kung Fu Tea (the St. Marks classic from the brand that started in Flushing in 2010), and Tiger Sugar in Chinatown (cold brown-sugar “tiger stripes” with a cream-mousse top). For more picks, see our best Asian restaurants guide.
Xing Fu Tang — East Village, 133 Second Ave. Made-to-order pearls stir-fried and caramelized in a wok in front of you, then torched. Get the brown sugar boba milk. Founded in Taipei in 2018.
Machi Machi — Koreatown, 33 W 32nd St. The cheese-foam and fruit-tea pick; the Black Milk Tea with a torched crème-brûlée top is the order. Cash isn’t accepted, and there’s often a line.
Kung Fu Tea — East Village, 28 St. Marks Pl. The reliable classic; America’s first Kung Fu Tea opened in Flushing in 2010. Order the Kung Fu Milk Tea with honey boba. It’s a chain, so confirm the exact storefront.
Tiger Sugar — Chinatown, 197 Canal St. The cold, striped counterpoint: Brown Sugar Boba Milk with cream mousse and the signature syrup “tiger stripes.” Founded in Taichung in 2017.
Prefer matcha over boba? Two NYC spots do standout matcha soft-serve: Matcha Cafe Maiko and Matchaful.
Looking for a full tea service instead? See our best afternoon tea in NYC guide.
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