First time here, got a green tea matcha ice cream and tried the green tea "cloud". Both were really good, loved their use of premium matcha you can really taste the difference. The cloud was basically like a milkshake with extra ice cream. Super cute inside as well, too bad no seating inside right now.
Michael L.
Very good quality matcha ice cream. Would come again. Services could used some extra help. Overall the ice cream was good.
Yvonne P.
TLDR; Okay service, sketchy looking, and even sketchier ingredients. Do not come here for ice cream or matcha tea. So I took a chance on this shop despite the low reviews I saw on yelp,and man I should have paid more attention. This is a combination shop between them and the Cheesetella, with only one worker to man either side. I'll give them a couple of stars for the effort that the girl working put in, but that's it. Matcha Ice Cream: bought a soft serve and asked for a cup, but they swirled a giant amount of it into the tiniest dessert cup ever. Doesn't make sense at all, why not pour it into a drink cup? Walked out with ice cream spillage all over my hand. Matcha Ice Cream Float: not that great, the matcha they use is weak and it tastes funny....I had to put it down after a couple of bites because my stomach was going to hurt. The ice cream was crunchy... Which means that the soft serve has too much water. Excuse me, I have to make a trip to the restroom now.....
Jason Tran
Kinda expensive. It's like a hidden shop, might seem small, but the interior is spacious. I tried the soft-serve and a cheesetella cake, the cheese one. Soft-serve was pretty ok, my kids said it was bitter, but I thought it was just right. The cake wasn't that great, it was very jiggly. My son loved it though, we bought one to-go just for him. I usually go here every now and then. They have on display like clothes and accessories made from locals, which I thought was kinda cute.
Linh T.
This location is lazy and unsanitary. There's only one person working at a time. He didn't wash his hands after handling cash and when he worked on the drinks (which he also got wrong) he SCOOPED THE ICE WITH HIS BARE HANDS. It should not be my responsibility to tell an employee how to be sanitary, or is it.. would I be considered a Karen? I ordered a Matcha Float (Matcha with mix vanilla and matcha ice cream) and a Matcha Latte (Matcha with milk) and the first drink he made was a Matcha Latte Float (Matcha Latte with mixed ice cream) which I didn't order. He also had no knowledge of the Yelp check-in discount and had to call the owner to confirm but she didn't pick up. The matcha drinks were pre-made and watered down in a pitcher so all he did was pour it into a cup. Matcha is known for its rich taste, why would you butcher it and charge $6 for it. This location is disappointing and a rip off. AVOID at all costs. I rather go to the other locations in GG and FV. I liked this place better when it was Tapioca Express..
Mylinh H.
Welcome to the COVID-19 CHRONICLES where a part of my review will also take into account the changes the businesses have taken as a response to the pandemic.COVID Changes: In store ordering is available. There is also only ONE worker so I don't know how often they sanitize (whereas some places have a designated employee to sanitize before and after customers.)Food&Drinks: I got the Maiko Special parfait and the latte. If you're a bigger fan of the soft serve the parfait is not worth it because it is a lot of other things and less of the soft serve. Latte was also a lot of ice but both treats were refreshing during a hot day. Service: The server was nice and able to answer our questions. She was very soft spoken though. Bottom line: I love having a matcha place in the Bolsa area. Also this shares a store front with Cheesetella!
Andrew Nguyen
Ube cheesecake is to die for. Match soft serve is a bit ice.
Hannah L.
Delicious matcha ice cream. My boyfriend doesnt even like matcha but was pleasantly surprised. Great workers!!
714 Love
Had some coffee it was ok. It was a bit on the $$$ side. $10 for a slice of cake? Yea i dont think so. Cute place tho.
There are two people working at the counter; and they are both soft spoken and overwhelmed. The music is so loud, I had to scream my order for no reason. Their avocado soft serve tastes like fancy hand soap. Their durian soft serve taste like unrecognizable = too much of everything but durian. From a durian lover who craves the pungent fruitiness, I'm very sad. Their lattes are all pre-made. So, there's no chance to adjust levels of sweetness. Why serve quality matcha pre-made? Why dilute a quality product? Why!? Their jasmine matcha soft serve taste okay, but the consistency is watery and icy. Both the latte and soft serve colors are a light pastel green: why? When I close my eyes, their matcha float tastes like Korean artificial honey melon ice cream. Nothing of jasmine or matcha flavors. I'm underwhelmed and disappointed. I've been to both the Garden Grove and Fountain Valley locations: I suggest you go there instead! This location is difficult to find in a crowded parking lot. It's located in the same store as Cheesetella. Their actual Maiko Matcha signage is tiny. So, look hard.
Huyen Lan Lupinetti
Never got any services here. There's only 1 server/cashier/server/food preparer at this place when I came and she's brand new. She spent time reading the drink formula to prepare the beverage for the person who came a few seconds before I did. I was waiting, waiting and waiting for her to acknowledge that I was there but unfortunately she didn't. More customers came in, still no responses from her. I decided to walk out.
Melanie T.
If you're looking for matcha soft serve that isn't overly creamy with a strong matcha flavor, then Matcha Cafe Maiko is your place to go! They give a generous portion for its price ($4.80) and one soft serve can definitely be shared between 2 people. I like how their soft serve isn't runny so you aren't racing against time to finish your dessert and can actually take your time to enjoy it. They have a vast menu with teas and parfaits as well as other soft serve flavors, such as taro and durian, if you're going with someone who isn't the biggest fan of matcha. I would definitely come back if I was in the area!
Vyvyan N.
Really wanted to like this place but the matcha ice cream is very disappointing. Came here on a Saturday night not too crowded at all. The place is very cute though I will give them that. The workers are charming and sweet. The matcha on the other hand was very watery and not authentic. Didn't taste much matcha. For the price it was a bit overpriced compared to other matcha shops in the area. Will consider coming back when they perfect their recipe.
Cathee C.
AMAZING green milk tea (matcha latte). The matcha flavor was strong, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned with love. One of the best matcha lattes I've ever had. The quality of matcha was definitely up there with ceremonial grade matcha. The store was huge, nicely decorated, with awesome customer service. Restroom was also one of the cleanest public restrooms there ever was with amazing scented soap. Their matcha desserts looked amazing and reminded me so much of Japan. I'm excited to try some of the other stuff at their San Diego location!
First time here, got a green tea matcha ice cream and tried the green tea "cloud". Both were really good, loved their use of premium matcha you can really taste the difference. The cloud was basically like a milkshake with extra ice cream. Super cute inside as well, too bad no seating inside right now.
Very good quality matcha ice cream. Would come again. Services could used some extra help. Overall the ice cream was good.
TLDR; Okay service, sketchy looking, and even sketchier ingredients. Do not come here for ice cream or matcha tea. So I took a chance on this shop despite the low reviews I saw on yelp,and man I should have paid more attention. This is a combination shop between them and the Cheesetella, with only one worker to man either side. I'll give them a couple of stars for the effort that the girl working put in, but that's it. Matcha Ice Cream: bought a soft serve and asked for a cup, but they swirled a giant amount of it into the tiniest dessert cup ever. Doesn't make sense at all, why not pour it into a drink cup? Walked out with ice cream spillage all over my hand. Matcha Ice Cream Float: not that great, the matcha they use is weak and it tastes funny....I had to put it down after a couple of bites because my stomach was going to hurt. The ice cream was crunchy... Which means that the soft serve has too much water. Excuse me, I have to make a trip to the restroom now.....
Kinda expensive. It's like a hidden shop, might seem small, but the interior is spacious. I tried the soft-serve and a cheesetella cake, the cheese one. Soft-serve was pretty ok, my kids said it was bitter, but I thought it was just right. The cake wasn't that great, it was very jiggly. My son loved it though, we bought one to-go just for him. I usually go here every now and then. They have on display like clothes and accessories made from locals, which I thought was kinda cute.
This location is lazy and unsanitary. There's only one person working at a time. He didn't wash his hands after handling cash and when he worked on the drinks (which he also got wrong) he SCOOPED THE ICE WITH HIS BARE HANDS. It should not be my responsibility to tell an employee how to be sanitary, or is it.. would I be considered a Karen? I ordered a Matcha Float (Matcha with mix vanilla and matcha ice cream) and a Matcha Latte (Matcha with milk) and the first drink he made was a Matcha Latte Float (Matcha Latte with mixed ice cream) which I didn't order. He also had no knowledge of the Yelp check-in discount and had to call the owner to confirm but she didn't pick up. The matcha drinks were pre-made and watered down in a pitcher so all he did was pour it into a cup. Matcha is known for its rich taste, why would you butcher it and charge $6 for it. This location is disappointing and a rip off. AVOID at all costs. I rather go to the other locations in GG and FV. I liked this place better when it was Tapioca Express..
Welcome to the COVID-19 CHRONICLES where a part of my review will also take into account the changes the businesses have taken as a response to the pandemic.COVID Changes: In store ordering is available. There is also only ONE worker so I don't know how often they sanitize (whereas some places have a designated employee to sanitize before and after customers.)Food&Drinks: I got the Maiko Special parfait and the latte. If you're a bigger fan of the soft serve the parfait is not worth it because it is a lot of other things and less of the soft serve. Latte was also a lot of ice but both treats were refreshing during a hot day. Service: The server was nice and able to answer our questions. She was very soft spoken though. Bottom line: I love having a matcha place in the Bolsa area. Also this shares a store front with Cheesetella!
Ube cheesecake is to die for. Match soft serve is a bit ice.
Delicious matcha ice cream. My boyfriend doesnt even like matcha but was pleasantly surprised. Great workers!!
Had some coffee it was ok. It was a bit on the $$$ side. $10 for a slice of cake? Yea i dont think so. Cute place tho.
so good!
Restaurantji Recommends
There are two people working at the counter; and they are both soft spoken and overwhelmed. The music is so loud, I had to scream my order for no reason. Their avocado soft serve tastes like fancy hand soap. Their durian soft serve taste like unrecognizable = too much of everything but durian. From a durian lover who craves the pungent fruitiness, I'm very sad. Their lattes are all pre-made. So, there's no chance to adjust levels of sweetness. Why serve quality matcha pre-made? Why dilute a quality product? Why!? Their jasmine matcha soft serve taste okay, but the consistency is watery and icy. Both the latte and soft serve colors are a light pastel green: why? When I close my eyes, their matcha float tastes like Korean artificial honey melon ice cream. Nothing of jasmine or matcha flavors. I'm underwhelmed and disappointed. I've been to both the Garden Grove and Fountain Valley locations: I suggest you go there instead! This location is difficult to find in a crowded parking lot. It's located in the same store as Cheesetella. Their actual Maiko Matcha signage is tiny. So, look hard.
Never got any services here. There's only 1 server/cashier/server/food preparer at this place when I came and she's brand new. She spent time reading the drink formula to prepare the beverage for the person who came a few seconds before I did. I was waiting, waiting and waiting for her to acknowledge that I was there but unfortunately she didn't. More customers came in, still no responses from her. I decided to walk out.
If you're looking for matcha soft serve that isn't overly creamy with a strong matcha flavor, then Matcha Cafe Maiko is your place to go! They give a generous portion for its price ($4.80) and one soft serve can definitely be shared between 2 people. I like how their soft serve isn't runny so you aren't racing against time to finish your dessert and can actually take your time to enjoy it. They have a vast menu with teas and parfaits as well as other soft serve flavors, such as taro and durian, if you're going with someone who isn't the biggest fan of matcha. I would definitely come back if I was in the area!
Really wanted to like this place but the matcha ice cream is very disappointing. Came here on a Saturday night not too crowded at all. The place is very cute though I will give them that. The workers are charming and sweet. The matcha on the other hand was very watery and not authentic. Didn't taste much matcha. For the price it was a bit overpriced compared to other matcha shops in the area. Will consider coming back when they perfect their recipe.
AMAZING green milk tea (matcha latte). The matcha flavor was strong, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned with love. One of the best matcha lattes I've ever had. The quality of matcha was definitely up there with ceremonial grade matcha. The store was huge, nicely decorated, with awesome customer service. Restroom was also one of the cleanest public restrooms there ever was with amazing scented soap. Their matcha desserts looked amazing and reminded me so much of Japan. I'm excited to try some of the other stuff at their San Diego location!