Be prepared to experience a Japanese tea ceremony with your matcha order. I was initially surprised by that. It’s truly a unique experience compared to most matcha cafes in NYC. The cafe itself is on the smaller side though so during rush hours it could get crowded.
Nick S
Setsugekka is a specialty tea house that specializes in bringing over multiple types of Matcha. They prepare it in a traditional style, and have a little tea ceremony for you while you sit in front of them.
The staff are friendly and are nice, talking you through the entire process and are quite knowledgeable on the menu and types of matcha, recommending types of pairings.
We tried a matcha latte for each type of matcha that was available at the time, Jobetsugi and Senjunomukashi. However, the matcha fell flat when we tried it. The matcha was quite watered down, and it wasn't really strong like other matchas I tried. The strawberry addition we added to the Jobetsugi didn't really do much for it, and overall we were disappointed by the drink.
Tien Nguyen
Cute place good matcha
Caro Arevalo
An absolute traditional matcha gem in the east village! A must stop every time I am in NyC. It feels like time stops every time I step into Setsugekka. Thank you for your attention to detail and the best matchas.
Mike Chen
Not good, taste wise. The matcha still has lots of powder in it, meaning it is not well mixed at all.
Mario Carpio Leroy
I love this place. The matcha was great! They have several options to be chosen! Also you can see the way they prepare the tea. The place is small but the atmosphere is really cool, it seems like they really love the Japanese culture and the ceremony around it.
Melanie Zhang
My friends and I loveee matcha and heard great things about this place so we were really excited to try it. We each paid ~$15 per drink and unfortunately all agreed that our lattes were watered down and flavorless 😭😭😭 the experience was fun but we were disappointed in the flavor and strength of our drinks. If you enjoy strong matcha I’d recommend you look elsewhere as there are other spots in the city that do much better (for less $ too) 🥲
Natalie Neshama
was in the east village with a friend of mine and decided to grab some matcha. yet again we have another teeny-tiny matcha spot.
there is extremely limited seating and the servers will actively ask you to leave if it seems like you’re close to finished with your drinks to let more customers sit down lol. this didn’t happen to us, but we saw them ask a couple to leave so we could sit. after seating, we started talking with the server who was nice as could be otherwise until… they walked away after my friend ordered and didn’t allow me to. they straight up went to help the next party?? i had to flag them down to order.
i ordered a matcha affogato and my friend ordered the iced matcha latte. we got to watch the… uh…. matcharista(?) prepare our treats for us which was cool. she was saying a bunch of interesting facts about the matcha we ordered.
i liked my affogato, but it wasn’t show-stopping matcha. my friend didn’t even like their latte very much. it was a bit pricey, i guess i get it since matcha is all the rage now… but if i’m paying that much for matcha, i’m gonna go somewhere better.
it’s meh.
Cassia A
I’m not one to leave a one star review. So I’m so sorry. But this tasted like water. Just water. And the matcha separates to the bottom in less than a minute. I believe the actual matcha is good, but the latte making skills here are just lacking. The matcha just sinkkksss. My friend paid $15 for one drink and it literalllyyyy tasted like water. The cappuccino format is also just really over-aired foam on top for an extra $0.50. The experience itself is kinda cool, but then pairs weirdly with the conveyor belt style line and a plastic cup. I don’t know. Just not a vibe, I think.
Olga NYC
We’ve visited this tea house twice, and both times we enjoyed the matcha. It was particularly interesting for us to try this place, as I drink matcha quite often, and my husband is a daily matcha drinker. Upon arrival, we were first seated at the bar, where we watched the tea master prepare the matcha right in front of us. The process—from pouring hot water from the iron pot to whisking—felt special, like a small moment of magic, even though it seemed a bit rushed. Due to the steady flow of guests, we were asked to move to a tatami mat to savor the rest of our tea. Personally, I would have preferred to stay at the bar until the end, as that setting felt more immersive.
Overall, it’s a quiet, calming place to slow down and appreciate the art of Japanese tea.
Bad matcha. Grainy. Taste like nothing but water. Unprofessional. For $14 matcha hell no. Pls run if you see this review.
Olivia Ng
The interior decor of the cafe is nice and they have a cool concept of moving up gradually towards the front bar area, sitting in different spots in the cafe instead of just standing in a line. Unfortunately though, did not make up for the poor drink quality. Matcha was not well whisked and the water to matcha powder ratio was off, leaving the drink tasting very diluted.
Chi Okada
the literal best matcha latte I have had in NYC by far hands down no questions asked
Ryan Butler
Authentic and high quality matcha.
Shruti Madan
The matcha lattes here are incredible - smooth, rich, and very thoughtfully made. Also, watching the staff prepare the drink right in front of you is an almost meditative experience. The place is small but peaceful, with traditional matcha tools on the display. It’s a little pricey, but totally worth for the experience.
Be prepared to experience a Japanese tea ceremony with your matcha order. I was initially surprised by that. It’s truly a unique experience compared to most matcha cafes in NYC. The cafe itself is on the smaller side though so during rush hours it could get crowded.
Setsugekka is a specialty tea house that specializes in bringing over multiple types of Matcha. They prepare it in a traditional style, and have a little tea ceremony for you while you sit in front of them.
The staff are friendly and are nice, talking you through the entire process and are quite knowledgeable on the menu and types of matcha, recommending types of pairings.
We tried a matcha latte for each type of matcha that was available at the time, Jobetsugi and Senjunomukashi. However, the matcha fell flat when we tried it. The matcha was quite watered down, and it wasn't really strong like other matchas I tried. The strawberry addition we added to the Jobetsugi didn't really do much for it, and overall we were disappointed by the drink.
Cute place good matcha
An absolute traditional matcha gem in the east village! A must stop every time I am in NyC. It feels like time stops every time I step into Setsugekka. Thank you for your attention to detail and the best matchas.
Not good, taste wise. The matcha still has lots of powder in it, meaning it is not well mixed at all.
I love this place. The matcha was great! They have several options to be chosen! Also you can see the way they prepare the tea. The place is small but the atmosphere is really cool, it seems like they really love the Japanese culture and the ceremony around it.
My friends and I loveee matcha and heard great things about this place so we were really excited to try it. We each paid ~$15 per drink and unfortunately all agreed that our lattes were watered down and flavorless 😭😭😭 the experience was fun but we were disappointed in the flavor and strength of our drinks. If you enjoy strong matcha I’d recommend you look elsewhere as there are other spots in the city that do much better (for less $ too) 🥲
was in the east village with a friend of mine and decided to grab some matcha. yet again we have another teeny-tiny matcha spot.
there is extremely limited seating and the servers will actively ask you to leave if it seems like you’re close to finished with your drinks to let more customers sit down lol. this didn’t happen to us, but we saw them ask a couple to leave so we could sit. after seating, we started talking with the server who was nice as could be otherwise until… they walked away after my friend ordered and didn’t allow me to. they straight up went to help the next party?? i had to flag them down to order.
i ordered a matcha affogato and my friend ordered the iced matcha latte. we got to watch the… uh…. matcharista(?) prepare our treats for us which was cool. she was saying a bunch of interesting facts about the matcha we ordered.
i liked my affogato, but it wasn’t show-stopping matcha. my friend didn’t even like their latte very much. it was a bit pricey, i guess i get it since matcha is all the rage now… but if i’m paying that much for matcha, i’m gonna go somewhere better.
it’s meh.
I’m not one to leave a one star review. So I’m so sorry. But this tasted like water. Just water. And the matcha separates to the bottom in less than a minute.
I believe the actual matcha is good, but the latte making skills here are just lacking. The matcha just sinkkksss.
My friend paid $15 for one drink and it literalllyyyy tasted like water.
The cappuccino format is also just really over-aired foam on top for an extra $0.50.
The experience itself is kinda cool, but then pairs weirdly with the conveyor belt style line and a plastic cup. I don’t know. Just not a vibe, I think.
We’ve visited this tea house twice, and both times we enjoyed the matcha. It was particularly interesting for us to try this place, as I drink matcha quite often, and my husband is a daily matcha drinker. Upon arrival, we were first seated at the bar, where we watched the tea master prepare the matcha right in front of us. The process—from pouring hot water from the iron pot to whisking—felt special, like a small moment of magic, even though it seemed a bit rushed. Due to the steady flow of guests, we were asked to move to a tatami mat to savor the rest of our tea. Personally, I would have preferred to stay at the bar until the end, as that setting felt more immersive.
Overall, it’s a quiet, calming place to slow down and appreciate the art of Japanese tea.
Restaurantji Recommends
Bad matcha. Grainy. Taste like nothing but water. Unprofessional. For $14 matcha hell no. Pls run if you see this review.
The interior decor of the cafe is nice and they have a cool concept of moving up gradually towards the front bar area, sitting in different spots in the cafe instead of just standing in a line. Unfortunately though, did not make up for the poor drink quality. Matcha was not well whisked and the water to matcha powder ratio was off, leaving the drink tasting very diluted.
the literal best matcha latte I have had in NYC by far hands down no questions asked
Authentic and high quality matcha.
The matcha lattes here are incredible - smooth, rich, and very thoughtfully made. Also, watching the staff prepare the drink right in front of you is an almost meditative experience. The place is small but peaceful, with traditional matcha tools on the display. It’s a little pricey, but totally worth for the experience.
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