» Holy Matcha « San Diego is the land of craft beer and artisan coffee shops, but there's a new player in town, tea, not just any tea, MATCHA tea! Originating from Japan, matcha is known for it's earthy green color and it's countless health benefit. It is high in antioxidants, boosts memory and concentration, has the ability to burn calories, detoxifies the body and this is just to name a few. Owner and founder, Geraldine Ridaura, discovered the drink on her trip to Japan and knew she had to open a shop all about matcha in her city. Holy Matcha opened in the hipster San Diego neighborhood of North Park in March 2017.
I was very excited to check this place out after seeing all the beautiful pictures of it on my Instagram feed. John and I decided to visit after going to the movies and having dinner at Soda & Swine. We watched Beauty & the Beast (Go watch it!!! I LOVE IT!) and Power Rangers (Do it for nostalgia. I'm talking to you my fellow 90s kids). Holy Matcha originally had a rose wall but it was only for the grand opening so I wasn't able to take a picture of that *sad face* but it's okay because there are plenty of other things to take picture of.
» Food & Drink «
Holy Matcha's has a fairly simple menu with only 10 items: ceremonial ($7), premium ($4.50), matcha latte ($5.50), matcha lemonade ($5), teas ($4), pour over ($4), avocado toast ($6), almond butter toast ($7), yogurt bowl ($7), matcha chia seed pudding ($7). They offer only for a limited time items such as Matcha Horchata, which was being served the day I visited. I tasted their matcha latte (cold) and matcha horchata. Matcha Latte: I wasn't a fan to say the least. It tasted very watered down and the matcha tasted was very faint. The best way I could describe it was grass water. I was very disappointed. Matcha Horchata (pictured below): It was better...but still not great. You can definitely taste the sweet horchata but the matcha component was nonexistent, if not very faint. They do serve it in a cute pink mason jar but you can't keep it. BOOO!
Food & Drink | 20/50
» Service «
The cashier was polite and answered any questions I had. Our drinks were served seconds after ordering (I went on a Saturday evening and it wasn't very busy). The place is kept tidy with someone cleaning the tables as a party left. Overall a good experience. Service | 20/30
» Aesthetics & Atmosphere«
The strong point for this shop is definitely their aesthetics with the primary accent colors of soft, rosy pink and earthy, matcha green. As soon as you walk in you can see the very feminine, luxurious decorations. It has modern armchairs with fluffy pillows, palm tree wallpaper, a trendy neon sign and gold shelves. Did I mention they have gold plastic utensils?! The seating is very intimate, designed for 2-3 people per table.
Aesthetics & Atmosphere | 15/15
» Parking «
North Park is atrocious! But nothing unexpected when it comes to North Park. We circled probably for 15 minutes for a parking spot that was 0.5 miles away. I don't mind the exercise since North Park is a cool place to stroll around but just be warned that everything is parallel, neighborhood parking if you've never driven in this area.
Parking | 0/5
» Price «
I think the price is a little steep for the drink. As you can tell I'm not a fan of the taste and the serving size are just regular.
Average price per person (food & drink) = $11 (which is pretty ridiculous for a snack kind of meal if you ask me)
CREDIT CARD ONLY!
Price | Not Worth It!
» Overall «
So, I can't help but compare it to Alfred's Tea Room since they are both a tea room and have the pretty Instagram decoration. I know, I know! Holy Matcha is only matcha and Alfred's has a list of various teas but I really didn't think the tea at Holy Matcha was special or even good...
When I visited, I noticed there were a lot of customers stirring their drinks but not actually drinking it and it wasn't because they were talking to their friend or busy talking pictures (though that was happening a lot too).
I would say to yes to going to take pictures and see the pretty decorations but don't expect much from their drinks. You are basically paying to take pictures. I will say the only reason I would come back to try something on the menu is to get their matcha donut because I'm curious how that taste.
This place was not a matcha made in heaven.
Overall | 55/100
Holy Matcha SD 3118 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104 Open daily 10am-7pm
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Thanks Holy Matcha!
Matcha Tea | Instagram Worthy | People Only There To Take Pictures
» Last Updated: March 30, 2017 «
Do you like matcha tea? What's considered the hipster neighborhood in your city? What's the trendy spot in your city right now?
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