Matcha Cafe Maiko

"Walk anywhere within a two-block radius of the Japan Center and you’re bound to see at least five people with matcha soft serve in their hands. That’s because the sweet treats coming out of Matcha Cafe Maiko are delicious, especially the soft serve that's so thick you could hold a cup of it upside down and it wouldn’t fall out. Whenever we’re at this counter-service dessert spot inside of the mall, we go for the sundae drizzled with housemade kuromitsu syrup and topped with boba. The matcha drinks, shaved ice, and frappes are worth your attention, too. " - julia chen 1, lani conway

"We’re at Matcha Cafe Maiko so often that the maps app on our phones suggests it as a daily destination. Their matcha soft serve is unbelievably smooth and thick, and is even better as a boba sundae, a glorious concoction topped with perfectly chewy tapioca balls and drizzled with their house-made kuromitsu syrup." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong

"The only Bay Area outpost of this Hawaii-based chain delivers matcha just about any way you could want it: as a latte, as a frappe, whisked into chocolate milk, as a syrup drizzled over shave ice, or as soft serve ice cream — not to mention layered matcha parfaits and photogenic sundaes." - Laurie Jo Miller Farr, Janelle Bitker

"While you can get lattes and blended drinks at Matcha Café Maiko, their matcha soft serve is what keeps us coming back. It’s unbelievably smooth and creamy, and just sweet enough without overpowering the subtle matcha flavor. You can also go for the boba sundae, which we dream about at the hour, every hour. It comes with matcha or vanilla soft serve topped with perfectly chewy boba and a drizzle of their house kuromitsu syrup." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez

"Snag a matcha latte and soft serve at this Pac Heights cafe." - Ellen Fort