10 best cafés in Tokyo for matcha desserts

On the fourth floor of the chrome-plated shopping mall Ginza Six is this well-established and ever popular tea specialist. Nakamura Tokichi hails from Kyoto, the most revered producer of green tea (especially matcha) in Japan. At the front of the shop, you’ll find a great variety of matcha tea and brewing paraphernalia for sale, but beyond a mysterious partition curtain is the real gem: a café.

Everything on the menu is made with matcha, including their soba and udon. The waiter will prepare complimentary tea when you sit down, while describing the day’s selection. 

For dessert, the wide selection can be overwhelming. Almost every dessert type is represented here, executed to great matcha effect, of course. There are several types of multi-layered parfaits (each featuring a different type of Japanese tea including matcha and hojicha) as well as tea jelly, matcha soft-serve and seasonal exclusive such as icy matcha kakigori. If you've always wanted to try koicha, a type of super-thick tea preparation, this is the place to be.

Originally established in Kyoto, Saryo Tsujiri is a café that specialises in whisked matcha and green tea desserts, particularly a series of green tea parfaits that attracts a long queue of customers on any given day. 

It’s hard to decide what to order here when all the variations look equally tempting – the parfaits are all topped with traditional Kyoto confectionery ranging from golden chestnuts soaked in syrup to soft and chewy balls of shiratama (sweet rice dumplings). Each of them also includes different combinations of matcha, hojicha (roasted green tea) and milky soft serve ice cream. 

This Matcha Castella Parfait comes layered with chunks of matcha castella sponge cake, a scoop each of matcha and milk ice cream, and a base of kanten jelly in green tea syrup (¥1,342).

This cosy café is renovated from a charming wooden house originally built in 1947. The owner of the building was an avid plant lover and has cultivated a beautiful garden filled with a variety of trees and flowers. Despite being only a ten-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station, the café has a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere.

On the menu, you'll find four types of dessert terrines and a selection of drinks such as lattes and herb teas, which you can enjoy while sitting on the spacious tatami mats or veranda. The café is especially popular among matcha enthusiasts, who rave about the rich matcha terrine and matcha latte creations.

This matcha specialty shop on the first floor of the Nihombashi Mitsui Tower provides the world’s first single-origin Uji matcha, whose leaves are hand-picked and then meticulously processed into tea. The roughly 20sqm shop houses a casual outdoor seating area, where you can enjoy a wide range of matcha-infused drinks including latte and beer, as well as matcha desserts from pudding and tart to elaborate parfaits.

However, for a more indulgent and relaxing experience, make a reservation for the secret tea room. With designs inspired by a traditional Japanese tea room, this private corner offers just four counter seats. Here you can get a crash course on the store's signature tea by ordering the matcha with confectionery tasting course (from ¥3,500), which comes with two types of single-origin matcha. 

If you're short on time, make use of the vast takeout menu – we recommend the matcha chocolate croissant, or the matcha chocolate brioche (¥500 each).

Kaika Tokyo is a trendy, mid-range hotel that appeals to artsy travellers with its urbanist design, but the hotel's first-floor café also draws in its fair share of daytime visitors with a menu focusing on Japanese tea and matcha desserts. 

The star attraction is the Matcha Pudding Affogato (¥950), featuring premium matcha from Yamamasa Koyamaen, a tea purveyor that’s been in business since the Edo era (1603-1867). The dessert pairs the rich flavour of matcha with mellow vanilla ice cream, which you can enjoy as you admire the contemporary artworks displayed in the lobby. Note that while the café opens from 7am daily, the signature dessert is only available from 10am.

Japanese sweets specialist Saryo now operates branches all over town, but this restaurant and tea house, hidden on a Kagurazaka back street, is where it all started. The serene space offers a beautiful, mind-calming setting for you to enjoy some of Tokyo's best matcha desserts. We recommend going after sunset to check out the gorgeously lit-up terrace – Saryo stays open until 10pm, making it a spot to remember when that inevitable late-night sugar craving strikes.

Try the cream anmitsu with namafu (wheat gluten cakes) and shiratama dumplings for an essentially Japanese sweet treat, or go for the matcha parfait with whipped cream, kinako (roasted soy flour) pound cake, warabi mochi and ice cream for a more decadent option. 

This cool and modern tea room in Ningyocho treats matcha like a shot of espresso – a versatile ingredient that can create a host of delicious, energising drinks.

First, a bit of background: Atelier Matcha is run by Yamamasa Koyamaen, a reputable tea purveyor that has been around for 160 years. The tea leaves are handpicked from the company’s own tea plantation in Uji, Kyoto, the premier green tea-producing region of Japan.

Order a simple matcha shot (from ¥480) for a quick morning buzz. You get to choose from three kinds of matcha, ranging from a sweet and creamy type to something more rich and luxurious. If straight matcha isn’t your thing, the matcha latte (from ¥720) is always a good alternative.

For something sweeter, the menu offers innovative drinkable desserts such as a matcha apple pie shake (¥890), matcha caramel mont blanc (¥890) and matcha gorgonzola (¥890). If you’d rather eat your dessert, go for the decadent matcha gateau (¥850), matcha mochi daifuku (¥550) or caramel pumpkin pie (¥790).

Hailing from Kyoto, Saryo Suisen caters to matcha and mochi enthusiasts with its specialty: Uji matcha warabimochi, a bracken starch jelly dessert. The warabimochi can be enjoyed hot or cold, with an option to elevate the matcha's natural bitterness. The dish is thoughtfully paired with a pot of tea, sweet rice dumplings, red bean paste, kinako powder, and brown sugar syrup. Prices start at ¥1,180 for a classic set.

Beyond warabimochi, Saryo Suisen boasts a menu brimming with Kyoto tea-infused dishes, from enticing parfaits to an assortment of matcha cakes. Pair your meal with an innovative matcha beer or an artistic 3D matcha latte for a complete green tea-infused experience.

The revered Jugetsudo tea brand, launched in 1980, originally started off as a dried seaweed supplier in 1854. Today, it has two stores in Tokyo and one in Paris. The brand is inspired by the concept of chazen ichimi, which believes that Zen and traditional tea ceremony are essentially the same thing.

Jugetsudo’s stunning flagship store in Tsukiji is designed by Japan’s star architect Kengo Kuma. The interior takes design references from nodategasa, the traditional parasols used at outdoor tea ceremonies. The warm and Zen atmosphere is achieved through curved bamboo lattices resembling the shape of the aforementioned parasol.

Here you can shop for a variety of premium tea such as the brand’s signature Hyakunen no Haru sencha green tea. There’s also a café where you can sit down for tea and matcha-based sweets while taking in the soothing vibe of the store.

At Nanaya, you can choose from seven different green tea ice creams, each with a different concentration of potent matcha. The most popular order is number seven, the scoop with the highest grade and intensity of matcha. If you’re a sweet tooth, choose a lighter colour; the deeper the shade of green, the more bitter the matcha flavour. Otherwise, get a combination of two to compare.

Apart from matcha, Nanaya also serves other tea-flavoured ice creams such as hojicha and sencha (infused green tea); there’s also chestnut in autumn. Prices range from ¥380 to ¥730, depending on the matcha’s level of intensity.