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Echoing the other reviewers – this place is a gem. My partner and I haven’t had good bubble tea since we moved to the valley (from Boston), but this place was amazing. We had the matcha milk tea and the coconut milk tea (w/boba), as well as the taiyaki (with red bean). Both milk teas were excellent with perfect levels of sweetening (subtle, not overly sweet) and great flavor (the matcha in particular was very matcha-y). I was also thrilled to find taiyaki, which was was also *amazing* (freshly baked with a perfectly crispy outside and perfect red bean filling that comprised of whole beans and perfectly sweetened). Definitely made my top 3 favorite food options in the RGV. Will be stopping here next/every time we’re in Brownsville.

Izumi Matcha – Menu with Prices – 3005 Silver Creek Rd Suite 142, San Jose

Taiyaki has been blowing up all over the Bay Area lately so when Izumi Matcha opened up so close to home, I practically dragged the hubby there for the grand opening. While the desserts are certainly Instagram-worthy, the parlor itself is terribly boring and plain. I was flabbergasted to see such a lack of effort in terms of decorating. There was so much room, both figuratively and literally, to be creative, cute, and fun, and yet there were only blank white walls and wooden seats. What a pity… Stopping by during their BOGO promotion, I ordered the matcha soft serve with the red bean filled taiyaki, with chocolate pocky and matcha powder as toppings, while the hubby got the vanilla soft serve with a plain taiyaki, chocolate pocky, and coconut shavings. I was pleased to see that the taiyaki were baked fresh and pleasantly surprised that it didn’t affect the service. However, I wasn’t a fan of the fact that the taiyaki weren’t served with a wrapper or in cup, and instead just placed within our bare hands. It just felt messy, but in their defense, there were wrappers offered on the counter. Both flavors of the soft serve ice cream were creamy and silky, and the taiyaki had the perfect amount of sweetness. However, the pastry was a tad doughy, and the hubby wanted it to be crispier. The biggest fault of all, however, was how little of red bean I had in my taiyaki, barely filling the tail end of the fish. I would bet they forgot I ordered the red bean filling at all. However, even with all of those hiccups, the hubby and I were still quite impressed with the desserts. The ice cream was great and the taiyaki, overall, was quite delicious. Here’s to hoping Izumi will stick around for the long run!

Snowy Village Dessert Cafe – North Austin Menu with Prices 1700 W Parmer Ln ste. 244, Austin

Both the “bingsu” shaved ice desserts and the Taiyaki cakes were delicious! Tried the mango cheesecake, matcha tea and strawberry shaved ice desserts, and loved the mango and matcha tea while the strawberry bingsu was just A-OK. Mochi rice cake + sweetened red bean + matcha tea powder = the best Asian dessert combo and irresistible! The shaved ice itself was soft, flaky and airy, creamy and not overly sweet. Taiyaki cakes were pretty good as well. While the Taiyaki’s were being made in the open kitchen, strong buttery smell filled the dining area; smelled so good and loved that smell! The fish-shaped cakes were as tasty as croissants but less flaky and less greasy, and the fillings (we got Nutella & bananas, plain red bean, and red bean & mochi rice cake) were all nice and sweet. Definitely would patronize the Houston locations for more yummy desserts!

Taiyaki NYC – Flushing (Pop-up) – Menu with Prices – 136-17 39th Ave Queens Crossing Food Court, Flushing

I had the pleasure of visiting Taiyaki NYC’s popup while I was in Flushing and it was surprisingly a dope experience! I ordered the “Straight Outta Japan” taiyaki because to be completely honest, I was just doing it for the ‘gram. After taking a billion photos, I gave it a taste and that matcha and hojicha soft-serve within the taiyaki was amazeballs. I seriously think Taiyaki NYC should be selling the soft-serve by the pint in all major outlets because it was CRACKKKK. Like seriously Taiyaki NYC, what can I do for a sponsorship for pints of the soft-serve? As for the taiyaki cake itself, it was aight… luke warm and boardline getting stale. That was not such a big deal in comparison to the chunk of red bean paste that was secretly settling in the bottom of the taiyaki. It was sweeter than my Grandma and drier than the Vegas heat. It would have been fire if they somehow spread the red bean paste inside the cake rather than me taking a bite out of the surprising tumor of diabeetus. To be super honest, I will still give Taiyaki NYC a five star rating even if the freshness of the cake and the red bean was not on point for myself, because some folks may think differently of my critique of the cake and red bean. I mean for the next time, I will just rock the soft-serve in a cup. Simple. Lastly, major shoutout to the staff members who served me at Taiyaki NYC. They were super attentive, friendly and quick service individuals. Like seriously, in my Birdman voice… put some respeck on their name. They be making everyone’s IG post poppin’ one post at a time. Cheers to the staff! Also wished they served them fluffy pancakes at this location. IG: @me_toe_knee

SomiSomi Soft Serve & Taiyaki – Menu with Prices – 23330 Grand Cir Blvd Suite 150, Katy

With Houston getting more and more boba shops, it’s only necessary to add ice cream shops too right? I love that Somi Somi is tucked away in Katy Asia Town and its only a 15 minute drive from my job! Compared to Bae, Aqua S, and Sul BingSu, I feel like Somi Somi will give them a run for their money! Within the area, I like how Somi Somi offers different flavors and change out their ice cream swirls ever so often. I’m usually not an ice cream person, but Somi Somi has won me over. Aqua S is decent and Bae is decent too. Bing Su doesn’t even compare to Somi Somi, so I’d recommend you all give this establishment a shot! Flavors: on different occasions, I’ve gotten their ah-bong which is the taiyaki ice cream filled with your choice of filling (red bean, cheddar, taro, custard, nutella and red bean/cream cheese). The first time I went, I ordered the milk tea & matcha ah-bong (upside down of course, so they put it in a cup with the fish on top). IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING FLAVOR and the filling I got was custard (I’m a sucker for custard filling desserts so this won me over). The second time I went, I ordered the black sea same and milk tea ah bong, upside down and custard filling. Every visit I’ve had, I’ve never had a bad experience here and they’re going to be here for awhile! Can’t wait to see what other rotational flavors and seasonal flavors they will have here! Follow me for more food recommendations in Houston: Instagram.com/TasteWithTee @TastewithTee

Taiyaki NYC – Boston – Menu with Prices – 119 Seaport Blvd Suite B, Boston

Finally, ever since I saw soft serve ice cream and Taiyaki from Taiyaki NYC since last year, I’ve been wanting to go there. I love ice cream, taiyaki and just tea-based dairy in general..plus..the totally Instagram worthy taiyaki were big reasons why I always wanted to check out Taiyaki NYC! This past weekend, I found myself in Seaport district…so I thought of and looked up Taiyaki NYC to see if it was still open after i was done with my errand…and luckily, it did! So, off i went to check out this long-time bookmarked spot of mine! The shop itself is really small…so dont expect to find your seats there if you go (there were just 5-6 counter-facing seats there…so..it’s mostly a grab and go spot if you ended up finding yourself there. Luckily for me though…there were just a few people there..so I was able to grab a seat (a bit dirty..so I ended up having to wipe off a counter surface myself) and enjoy my Taiyaki without having to brave a cool fall evening weather in Boston. I got a Straight Outta Japan ($8 net), which came with matcha and hojicha soft serve, taiyaki with 1/4 stuffed mashed redbeans, a bit of mini mochi and ojo wafer. I loved the presentation of this and enjoyed the software ice cream, which wasn’t too sweet at all. Although i could taste some hojicha, I wished though that the ice cream tasted a lil stronger in the tea dept…but..I guess people have different preferences on how strong they want their ice creams to have the flavor of tea. The waffle itself was ok. I wish it was a lol crunchier..but I guess it had been sitting out/stuffed with red beans for at least a few hours already..so it didn’t seem as fresh to me. Otherwise, I think everything was good (albeit a lil pricey). Check it out if you love Taiyaki! You can custom made your own, too..but i think if yoj go that route..you may end up having to spend a few more bucks for each thing you want to customize on your softserv Taiyaki. P.S. they have other things like taro slush etc too..but like what their name suggests…most people were actually there for soft serve Taiyaki.

Midori Matcha Cafe, Old Town Pasadena – Menu with Prices – 165 S De Lacey Ave #1049, Pasadena

I love everything Matcha! I passed this place before and since it was advertising matcha I bookmarked it on yelp. After finishing up at the gym I was craving a cold drink and thought a matcha drink would be perfect. There’s street parking available, but all are metered. I saw a sign inside that says free parking on Dayton street. Once I entered I was already impressed with the store. The interior was done in a clean and classy manner. There weren’t too many decorations, just enough to make it inviting. Their menu revolves around Matcha and I decided to go with their Iced Matcha Latte with low-fat milk (fat free is not available, only 2% and low- fat). The total came out to be $6.57, which is a hefty price for a drink. Since the drink was quite expensive I was hoping the quality was amazing and it did not disappoint. I saw the staff make the drink. They used actual Matcha powder, which based on the taste was high quality. A Matcha drink is not complete unless a Bamboo whisk is used and they did just that. Before milk was added the matcha drink was 85%/90% full! At other locations it’s all about the milk and less Matcha. Once I got the drink I was excited to give it a try. After the first sip I was instantly in love. It was the perfect Matcha drink. Matcha itself isn’t sweet, so don’t expect the drink to be sweet. There is liquid sweetener if needed, but I like my matcha natural. Overall I was impressed with my drink and will be coming back to try their soft serve or even another drink! The drinks may be a bit expensive, but the quality is definitely there. Also it’s a perfect place to catch up with friends over a hot/cold coverage or if you need a study place this is it! Update: I tried the Matcha coconut and it is the best. They use Harmless Harvest coconut water which is my favorite!

Kung Fu Tea – Menu with Prices – 306 Hiawatha Blvd W J209, Syracuse

Their bubble tea was okay and nothing special. The reason I gave 2 stars because of their service. I asked the staff before ordering about the difference between matcha milk and matcha milk cap, and he said “it’s the same”. I asked “so the milk are the same and no additional ingredients in it?” and he said yes. So I ordered matcha milk cap and bubble honey milk tea. The drinks came and I tried them. The bubble honey milk tea was okay. I’ve had it better somewhere else. The worst one is matcha milk cap. It tasted nasty and salty. I asked why it tasted salty and the staff said “its milk cap what you ordered” and I said “is there additional ingredients in it?” and she said “yes cream, cheese, salt”. Then I said “but the staff who took my order said no additional ingredients between matcha milk and matcha milk cap before I order”. The staff said that I should already know before ordering. I was like shocked and in my head was like did you listen what I said? I didn’t want to argue because its useless. They just don’t care because they already got my money. The line wasn’t long on that day. Only two people were line behind me. I ended up threw my matcha milk cap because it taste not good at all. The staff should give better service. If customer asked about your menu then you should be able to explain it well. What if I allergic to cheese and because you don’t explain it well I ended up getting it and something worst could happen.

Matcha zanmai – Menu with Prices – 1428 Mackay St, Montreal

I love matcha desserts and was very excited and eager to try this place as it reminded me of Tsujiri and Nona’s Green Tea. I came here on a Tuesday evening (after visiting this place on Monday and realizing that they are closed on Mondays). The interior was simple and small, and it perfectly complimented the needs of this restaurant as people would constantly flow in and out. Service was quick and efficient and got my parfait within 2 minutes of ordering it. I got the Signature Zanmai Parfait ($8.50). Overall, I enjoyed the parfait. The matcha flavour stood out in the soft serve, and it went really well with all the toppings (matcha cake, red bean paste, matcha jelly). I especially loved the matcha cake with the matcha soft serve and will probably choose the Matcha Cake Parfait if I were to return! However, I did notice that their matcha soft serve was not as creamy and strong when compared to my experience at Tsujiri and Nona’s Green Tea. Nonethless, the parfait at Matcha Zanmai was still very enjoyable and they have a great selection of matcha items to choose from!

Briar & Bean – Menu with Prices – 105 Fairview Ln, Clarksville

Re-located off Wilma Ruduolph – too difficult to get to – bad location – great place for smokers – especially cigars! The best coffee in town by far – not that burnt crap you get at Starbucks. The beans are always freshly ground and there is a different flavor everyday. Highly recommend stopping by for a hot cup of coffee here. They also sell cigars in the back with a smoking room and all kinds of tea items in the store. There are a few baked goodies offered. We always get our coffee here and then head over to Borders to sit down and read books and magazines – don’t get the coffee at Borders – it’s too expensive and the kids working there don’t know what they’re doing. Briar and Bean is the BEST!

Meccha Matcha – Menu with Prices – 2001 Coit Rd #166, Plano

Meccha Matcha offers a wide selection to their menu, from soft serves to shaved ice to parfaits. They also offer hot selections (tea and lattes) if you’re craving for some matcha on a cold day. I have tried this place multiple times since it has opened, and in my opinion, the best items on their menu are the ice cream (different from soft serves!) and the parfaits. I have never tried their soft serve because I’ve heard the matcha taste is more “diluted” compared to their ice creams, which comes in 3 levels of matcha intensity. I personally like the taste of matcha to be stronger when I’m purchasing matcha products. The parfaits are delicious because you get a variety of textures and tastes in a cup (red bean, mochi balls, granola, strawberry sauce, matcha jelly), topped with soft serve, which you can substitute with ice cream (for an additional charge). Their shaved ice is slightly disappointing, which is what I had ordered during my most recent visit. They drown it in condense milk, completely overshadowing the matcha, which should be the star of the dessert! I think the price is a little over the top for the quality and experience of what they serve.

The Only Cafe – Menu with Prices – 2678 W 4th Ave, Vancouver

This is an Asian/Japanese-style cafe located in Kits, on 4th Avenue. In addition to serving up various drinks, both hot and cold, they have various sandwiches and baked goods. I had a Matcha Latte, Japanese Cheesecake, and Matcha Pound Cake. While I wasn’t a huge fan of their cheesecake, I enjoyed the pound cake and was impressed by their latte, which had a pretty good matcha flavour. The staff was friendly and the prices were fair. This is definitely worth checking out. Matcha Latte ($4.75): 4/5 The latte was actually not sweet at all, but was slightly bitter with a creamy texture. It had a pretty good matcha flavour, which was quite impressive seeing that most matcha-flavoured drinks tend to be a little weak. Japanese Cheesecake ($4): 3/5 The cake was more light and yogurt like compared to NY cheescake. The filling was creamy and tangy, but a bit lacking in flavour and gummy in some areas. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of the crust beneath, which was a bit grainy. Matcha Pound Cake (around $4-5): 3.5/5 The cake was a bit hard, but still tasty and had a mildly sweet flavour. The matcha flavour was a bit weak, but that is kind of expected from most matcha-flavoured desserts. Summary: Food: 3.5/5 Price: 4/5 Service: N/A Overall: 3.5/5 Recommendations: Matcha Latte, Matcha Pound Cake

Fugu Ice Cream & Taiyaki – Menu with Prices – 410 Mission Ave, Oceanside

If you’re looking for a somewhere to get your Korean soft serve or taiyaki fix, this isn’t it. My boyfriend and I live in North County and we make a point to stop at SomiSomi every time we venture South (Kearney Mesa or Mira Mesa) or North (OC). We LOVE SomiSomi and were so excited when we found out that there was a soft serve/taiyaki place in North County. Fugu Taiyaki has a very similar menu to SomiSomi, but the quality just isn’t there. We’re convinced that all the reviewers who love this place either didn’t go for soft serve/taiyaki or haven’t been to another taiyaki place. The soft serve is not anywhere near what would be considered quality Korean soft serve, it is super watery in taste similar to what you’d see at a cheap buffet. I’ve got a pretty strict policy on not wasting food, but I couldn’t get myself to finish even a quarter of the soft serve. The taiyaki tastes like it’s been sitting there all day and the custard isn’t very good either. The only good thing about this place is that the workers are super friendly.