THE HUNGRY HOURS
My LA Matcha Repeat List / LA Matcha Girls
The 12 matcha shops I keep going back to, plus a matcha personality guide: which LA matcha girl are you?
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- Kettl: if you're serious, book the matcha omakase counter
- Matsu: matcha gelato in five strengths; go with 3 your first time
- Maruwu: Hokkaido milk soft serve with strong matcha
- Damo: the matcha einspänner, strong tea topped with a layer of cold cream
- Go to Community Goods on a weekday morning and the line disappears
- Personalities: Korean Café Girl, Tea Purist, Pilates Princess
- Plus Main Character and the Quiet Luxury Matcha Girl
Full text
My LA Matcha Repeat List
Matcha, wellness and the aesthetics of living: the matcha list Jasmine keeps going back to in LA.
Matsu Matcha
Seven matcha strengths, matcha chocolate and gelato, for people who really want to geek out on grades.
Kettl
Like a museum of tea. Straight matcha, a matcha omakase, matcha lattes and rich popsicles.
Maruwu Seicha
A shop built for matcha soft serve, with lattes, gelato and desserts too.
Rōk
Seoul polish meets LA matcha culture; the Matcha Duo is the signature.
La La Land Reserve
Not just a drink, but a luxe, sunny, LA-soul mood.
Cha Cha Matcha
Pink on the outside, green soul. Every matcha girl has had her Cha Cha era.
Cafe Matcha
Alfred's matcha spin-off: a matcha diner from brunch to afternoon tea.
Damo
Strong matcha, a thick cream top and café soul; come for the matcha einspänner.
Community Goods
Matcha, breakfast, work and conversation; more like a living room than a shop.
Memorylook
A thick matcha einspänner: half matcha, half dessert.
Pantry (WeHo)
Nekohama matcha, Pantry cloud and seasonal drops, made for aesthetic girls.
Nana’s Green Tea
It's not just matcha; it's Japanese afternoon-tea culture and the classic matcha parfait.
Which one are you?
Tea Purist, Soft Serve Girl, Matcha Lifestyle Girl, Matcha Nerd or K-town Matcha Girl.
The Matcha Life
Matcha isn't the goal; it's a way to slow life down.
Matcha Girls・LA Matcha Girls
Ten LA matcha personalities. Which are you?
Matcha Girls・Korean Café Girl
DAMO, RŌK, Memorylook. Strawberry matcha, K-beauty and K-town café hopping.
Matcha Girls・Japanese Tea Purist
Kettl, Matsu, Maruwu. Origin, strength and real tea flavor.
Matcha Girls・Japanese Lifestyle Girl
Cafe Matcha, Nana's Green Tea. Matcha as a lifestyle, not just a drink.
Matcha Girls・Pilates Princess
Community Goods. Post-class matcha, a matching set and Westside energy.
Matcha Girls・Main Character Matcha Girl
La La Land, Cha Cha Matcha. You're not drinking matcha; you're drinking camera appeal.
Matcha Girls・Quiet Luxury Matcha Girl
La La Land Reserve. Understated, precise, nothing extra.
Matcha Girls・Westside Wellness Girl
Pantry. Matcha, protein, sunlight and a nervous system reset.
Matcha Girls・Fujifilm Girl
Maru, Dayglow, Stereoscope, Archives of Us, Stagger. Coffee shops as film sets too.
Matcha Girls · the truth about LA Matcha Girls
No one tribe is better. Every cup of matcha is just quietly choosing a way of life.
Places in this story
- Matsu Matcha
- Kettl Hollywood
- Maruwu Seicha
- Rōk
- La La Land Reserve
- Cha Cha Matcha
- Cafe Matcha
- Damo Tea House
- Community Goods
- Memorylook
- Pantry WeHo
- Nana’s Green Tea
In this series
- Matcha 101, LA Edition
- La La Land Kind Cafe — Reserve
- The LA Matcha Guide, Fall 2026
- The LA matcha map | Where should you actually drink matcha in LA?
- LA matcha guide, part 2 | Fall 2026: what's new in LA matcha?
- The LA hojicha map | After matcha, what are Angelenos drinking?
Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).