The Best Matcha Latte in SF
The post you didn’t know you needed...
The post you didn’t know you needed: a review of all the best matcha lattes in San Francisco. I was inspired after I googled “best matcha latte in SF,” and found that the most comprehensive post was from December 2018. SO much has changed since then! 2018 was the year Meghan married Harry, CBD became mainstream, women were allowed to start driving in Saudi Arabia, Black Panther was released, Queer Eye was rebooted on Netflix, and Banksy’s piece self destructed after it sold for $1.4M. It was a simpler time.
My passion for tea, and particularly matcha has grown over the years, especially since I gave up drinking coffee. I love how matcha can give you the caffeine boost, without the jitters of coffee, plus it tastes delicious and almost savory. (Apparently it’s called umami.) At each place I ordered the standard matcha latte, hot, with whole milk, and no modifications. This list does not include corporate chains - many of which serve matcha that could do the trick if you’re in a pinch, but I won’t be recommending them here.
The High Quality Spots
I have a soft spot in my heart for Asha Tea house because it’s where I first fell in love with matcha. You know it’s legit because they use traditional matcha bowls, whisks, and whisk stands. You can even buy matcha powder here - including ceremonial grade which goes for a whopping $50 for 20g. This place is the real deal.
Known for it’s snowy plover which is essentially coffee or matcha with whipped cream, Andytown has been a breakout hit in the Outer Sunset. It was so big with Sunset hipsters that they opened up additional locations, including a swanky new cafe on the third floor of the Salesforce garden to serve the downtown masses. They add just a bit of brown sugar and have incredible creamy foam. I appreciate how much they pay attention to the details and how fiercely they’re committed to their craft. (See here for an example.)
Stonemill’s drinks come in a gorgeous ombre blue cup and a cool slide top that closes for extra spill security. The latte itself is delicious - more on the nutty, savory side, not as sweet. This matcha is sourced straight from Kyoto, so you know they aren’t messing around.
Middle of the Road
Jane is known for its baked goods and now has four locations across SF. The latte comes in a flowery neon cup and comes totally unsweetened. The foam was a bit sandy.
This tiny spot in the Richmond is decorated with an endearing boxing theme. It’s not known for matcha but makes a decent one.
I first discovered the Reveille cafe in North Beach when I was working downtown and am happy that they’ve expanded to locations in the Haight, Castro, Berkeley, and even Mission Bay. The latte is delightful and sugary. I suspect they use pre-sweetened matcha powder.
Home is a cute spot that has two locations, one on Noriega and one on Clement Street and is known for their insta-worthy rainbow and cookie butter lattes. The matcha latte is solid and occasionally comes with an animal created in the foam by their warm baristas.
Not That Good
The matcha latte here tastes like it’s sweetened with jasmine syrup or the matcha is flavored with something...It’s unique and not bad, but it just doesn’t taste like a matcha latte.
I know, this is a controversial opinion. I love many of the drinks at Boba Guys, but I’ve had bad experiences with their matcha lattes. They’re known for their signature strawberry matcha boba drink. I only tried it once and remember thinking, “Now why would they add strawberry to this?” I’ve tried the standard matcha latte there and found that they tend to skimp on the matcha and had to ask if there was a mistake because the milk was barely tinted green. I suspect that Boba Guys expanded so quickly that the quality of their drinks varies a lot. If you’re looking for a high quality matcha latte - Boba Guys is unfortunately not your spot. Get the milk tea here instead!
Know of any other good spots? The search for the best matcha latte in SF continues…
Do you make matcha at home? If you sing while you make it does it change the consistency of the foam? What Scooby snack pairs best with matcha? What’s next?! Banh mi? Noodles? Pizza!