The Best Places for Matcha in LA

The current matcha craze may relate to its photogenic vivid green hue lending itself to get-ready-with-me TikTok and IG content. Packed with antioxidants, matcha also has legit, proven health benefits including boosting metabolism and skin health (in matcha, the entire leaf is consumed, making it a more concentrated source of nutrients than regular green tea). And it doesn’t hurt that, even with soaring demand, it’s a pretty affordable treat.

Ultimately, your take on matcha mania will likely depend on an in-person taste test, so we brewed up a dozen LA cafes where you can match with a matcha today.

With locations in Koreatown, Silver Lake and Downtown LA, 6XS Coffee (aka 6ixth Sense Coffee) is a self-declared “vibrant lifestyle hub” that boasts mouthwatering matcha libations alongside home décor from 6ixth Sense LA and casual attire by SOOF. Their 10/16-ounce matcha latte, hot or iced, marries ceremonial grade matcha with agave and milk, while the matcha yuzucano is a 12-ounce iced orgy of the magic green powder, yuzu puree, and sparkling water. The iced-only signature 6xs Dirty Matcha – sweetened matcha, double espresso, milk and house-made cream – has earned its own cult following of late, but matcha newbies might take the plunge (iced or hot) with the $5.50 6XS Matchacano, which keeps it simple with literally just matcha and water.

Started in Seoul in 2017 as an artisanal dessert café, Café Knotted’s delightfully fluffy cream-filled donuts, cookies, cream top coffee, and matcha drinks swiftly gained sufficient popularity to open a location at Westfield Century City earlier this year. Gather for a matcha catchup or refuel during your Westfield retail romp with a matcha latte, iced Knotted Matcha latte with cream top, or the self-explanatory iced Knotted Strawberry Matcha Latte. If you prefer your matcha in more solid form (or even want to pair matcha with matcha), indulge Knotted’s matcha donut, its sister strawberry incarnation, or a matcha white chocolate cookie. A second stateside Café Knotted is coming soon to Downtown LA’s Arts District, on 3rd Street next to Hojokban restaurant.

Dubbed “the ultimate Melrose coffee shop” (and that’s saying something), Community Goods is a compact matcha mecca where clean-cut Gen Z-ers throng for vanilla lattes, breakfast sandwich sliders and, yes, iced matcha. With $6.50 matcha Americanos, this Beverly Grove buzz spot offers affordable lifestyle posting even if the $600 hoodies in the background are on strangers. Seriously, part of CG’s charm is that, in an age of pajamas in public, its younger clientele apparently dress up for the occasion (i.e. black leggings sprouting from spendy sneakers or Uggs). But this shouldn’t overshadow a menu also boasting matcha latte, gokou, and hōjicha latte – and endorsed by enduring influencers Justin and Hailey Bieber.

First opened in Koreatown’s Oxford Center Plaza in 2022, Damo now also has an Arts District location. This woman-owned tea and coffee shop offers Korean beverages, including matcha creations, alongside Korean-inspired French pastries by Brown Bag Cookies and simple snacks with subtle Asian accents. High quality matcha drinks are a Damo specialty, with their singular Chestnut Matcha Einspener a creamy, bold take on the time-honored Viennese coffee classic that’s frequently singled out in reviews. There’s also coconut matcha and an indulgent matcha affogato that makes a perfect post-meal coffee/desert twofer. Minimalist yet bright and often busy, Damo is a comfy, understated bolthole for an informal matcha natter with mates.

If you’re anywhere near LA and even remotely foodie, Harucake’s photogenic baked goods and imaginative drinks have likely graced your feed. Founded in 2019 by pastry artisan Ellie Yu, this K-town gem delivers unfussy fare elevated by attention to detail and sheer passion in creation. While best known for exquisite cakes, Harucake also has some unique matcha offerings with a distinct baker’s touch, including matcha latte, hojicha oat latte, strawberry matcha, and an mmmm-inducing banana matcha cloud featuring banana cream and house-made banana milk. Harucake’s cute, tastefully restrained décor, knowledgeable staff, and fun (free) photo booth compliment further delights like matcha berry slice and the much photographed soosoo matcha.

Already with a flagship café in Brooklyn and another in NYC’s Bowery, Kettl recently arrived in Los Feliz. Kettl’s LA cafe is truly a matcha must-do, even boasting an exclusive, four-seat tasting counter where guests with a reservation can savor an expertly curated flight of Japanese tea and matcha, omakase service, or order à la carte selections. The only U.S.-based Japanese tea company fully incorporated in Japan, Kettl’s Fukuoka office and 15-year story are testament to their commitment long before (and likely long after) current matcha madness. Their matcha, like all their teas, is sourced directly from producers with whom they have face-to-face relationships, making their pinnacle teas not only super fresh but also surprisingly affordable.

One of LA’s more imaginative business models, Koreatown’s Memory Look marries eyewear with an unusually macha-licious café. Generously sized, creamy green libations here include the long-running and popular matcha Einspanner, matcha latte, and matcha tonic. Memory Look’s “limited” (i.e. not always on the menu) $9.50 haru matcha pairs the earthy richness of ceremonial matcha with milk’s smoothness and vibrant, floral notes of butterfly pea flower infusing its striking cream top. There are also pastries, donuts, churros, wraps, Korean specialties like spam kichi fried rice and, for breakfast, a fine French toast with bacon. Memory Look was ahead of the curve in embracing the matcha wave and it shows in the quality of its related offerings.

The sparse, Scando evoking interior of Highland Park’s Modu Café leaves the emphasis on the sheer quality of its curated teas, multi-roaster coffees, and specialty pastries. Echoing an emphasis on quality and detail that permeates its entire menu, Modu excels at matcha drinks, with its matcha tonic among the best in town. Comprising ceremonial matcha, yuja juice, tonic, and citrus garnish, it’s a pick-me-up that won’t drop you hard an hour later and with actual health benefits to match its short-term sensation. There’s also matcha Americano made with Dado tea and matcha latte made with Kettl tea (see above). Match your matcha with off-piste pastries including perilla lime tart, yuja madeleine, and black sesame mochi cake bar.

Nam Coffee founder Vince Nguyen grew up in Pleiku, Vietnam, a city known for its tea and coffee farms, and honed his trade from a very young age working at his mother’s coffee stand in Saigon. Although he moved to SoCal for a fashion career, Nguyen was drawn back to his family’s tradition in entrepreneurship and coffee when he noticed a lack of Vietnamese coffee locally. Partnering with a third-generation farmer on Vietnam’s Langbiang Mountain, he began Nam as a pop-up before opening his brick-and-mortar East Hollywood shop in 2023. As well as its broad array of signature Vietnamese coffees, snacks, and pastries, Nam lovingly crafts a smooth, earthy matcha latte and Nguyen’s distinctive trà sũa matcha – a rich, creamy milk tea.

Opened at the beginning of 2025, Silver Lake’s Picnic Coffee almost immediately established itself as an area matcha mainstay alongside its menu of tasty pastries and espressos. The popular matcha latte here uses single-cultivar ceremonial matcha from Fukuoka, Japan and is also available spiced, while the $6 matchacano can be served hot or iced. True to its name, Picnic offers novel “picnic kits” comprising either a half-gallon cold brew, with multiple optional flavors and sweetness levels or, for true matcha maniacs, a $48 half-gallon matcha latte that for an additional $4 can be flavored with demerara, vanilla, lavender, honey, or sugar-free vanilla syrup. (If you find yourself ordering the matcha picnic kit just for you, seek professional help!)

At Koreatown’s Rōk Coffee & Tea, matcha is a front-and-center specialty rather than an afterthought nod to fashion. Mostly a grab-‘n-go spot with limited seating, Rōk serves its matcha bright and bold, so consider the half-sweet options. A perennial fave here is the Matcha Duo, which jumps on the “double matcha” trend started at nearby Stagger (see below). This is essentially a matcha latte topped with matcha cream, both components pumped with the green stuff and often literally oozing over the lip of the cup. Options include mango, blueberry, or strawberry flavoring. Rōk also whips-up a self-explanatory Rich Matcha Latte, Lavender Matcha Latte, a novel coconut matcha Einspanner, and sparkling yuzu or strawberry matcha.

Stagger Coffee’s standout contribution to matcha’s march across LA is its pioneering, ultra-indulgent “double matcha” – a matcha latte crowned with matcha-infused thick vanilla cream – that went viral and has been much mimicked elsewhere. Opened in 2024, Stagger keeps with the clean, minimalist aesthetic common to K-town strip mall coffee shops, but its almost dessert-like drinks set it apart, including matcha tonic, Macchiato and matcha latte; plus a choc-tastic Donut Latte remarkable in both its flavor and appearance. With small-batch pastries baked on site and Wi-Fi almost as strong as its branding, Stagger is a social media staple, with its trend-within-a-trend double matcha almost a rite of passage for influencers (actual and aspiring).