Midori Matcha Café
As a woman of Japanese ethnicity, I was especially interested in trying out the ice cream in this Little Tokyo shop. Although technically a café, this shop specializes in a few flavors of soft serve – Matcha, Ube, and Hojicha.
So was the ice cream worth it? Let’s break it down.
Flavor 1 – The Popular Choice
Considering that the café is known for its matcha, the first ice cream flavor I ordered was their Matcha Soft Serve with Matcha Powder.
The soft serve was presented in a Midori Matcha cup, where it was neatly swirled and sprinkled with Matcha Powder. A simple yet clean presentation.
The ice cream itself had a strong matcha taste, with the powder giving it an extra boost. Despite the concentrated flavor, a nice balance of sugar removed the bitterness that is usually associated with matcha-flavored foods. My favorite part of this ice cream was the silky smooth texture – it was like tasting a cloud!
My one concern was the strong matcha concentration, which could be too intense for people who aren’t the biggest fans of the flavor.
Flavor 2 – A Unique Option
For my second flavor, I tried the Hojicha and Matcha Swirl.
This flavor was presented similarly to the Matcha, except that the brown Hojicha and green Matcha were swirled together. Again, it was a simple and elegantly presented ice cream.
Having never tried hojicha before, I was incredibly impressed with this ice cream! The hojicha had a nutty, roasted taste similar to coffee. Paired with the matcha, it had a wonderful amount of sweetness, and the intense matcha taste was subdued. It was a smidge grainier in texture, but this was easy to overlook given the absolute yumminess of the dessert.
For people who are unsure about matcha, this ice cream swirl would be the perfect step into the flavor.
The Experience
The shop itself was very Millennial-esque, with wooden walls covered in plant decorations. Both the shop and its workers were pleasant but average for most Los Angeles cafés. Additionally, the ice cream was rather expensive – $5.50 per cup, and a dollar more if you wanted a cone.
My favorite part about the café was that it was located right in the middle of Little Tokyo. It’s a great place to buy ice cream and sight see!
Ratings
| THE ICE CREAM | |
| Texture: 4/5 | Smooth Matcha. Hojicha is grainy. |
| Taste: 4/5 | Flavorful, but possibly too strong for some. |
| Presentation: 3/5 | Simple swirls in a cup. |
| Originality: 3/5 | Japanese-inspired flavors, but few to choose from. |
| THE EXPERIENCE | |
| The Shop: 3/5 | Cute, but average for a Los Angeles café. |
| Location: 5/5 | Sight-see Little Tokyo! |
| Hospitality: 3/5 | Average service. |
| Cost: 3/5 | Expensive, but you get a fair amount of ice cream. |
| OVERALL RATING |  |
Final Thoughts
Located in Little Tokyo, this café creates the perfect opportunity to buy ice cream and sight-see. However, you kind of need to like matcha in order to appreciate the flavor.
The highlight of the trip is the Hojicha-Matcha Swirl – I will definitely be coming back to have it again!
Midori Matcha Café: 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St #101-C, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Los Angeles Scoop 
I love the idea for this blog! Ice cream is most definitely one of my favorite foods, so I’m excited to see the locations/flavors you try in LA. Also, the rubric you created is so thorough, so props to you. My favorites are Salt and Straw and Van Leeuwen 🙂
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Thank you! I love Salt and Straw as well 🙂 And I’ll have to try Van Leeuwen!
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