I can't express how much I adore this matcha place! Having visited other locations in the past, I can confidently say that this one is the best of the best. Their matcha soft serve sundae is an absolute delight! The matcha flavor is rich and full-bodied, and they don't skimp on the toppings. It's a generous treat that satisfies both the eyes and the taste buds. If you're a matcha lover like me, this place is a must-visit. I can't recommend it enough. It's a solid 5/5 for me, and I can't wait to come back for more!

The best matcha ice cream in the bay so far, personally speaking and strongly recommend it. I have this matcha ice cream at this place at least once a week. I am addicted to it.

A little stall located inside Westfield Valley Fair, on the 2F. There’s always a long long line that seems never ending here every time I pass by, so I give it a try. The place serves matcha ice cream and matcha-flavor drinks. I haven’t tried their drinks, but the soft serve ice cream is totally worth it. $7 for one cone, but they fill it very tall, and the waffle cone is fresh baked. Very delicious and refreshing during these hot summer days.

I’m so grateful that we found this place. Just love their soft serve, it’s creamy and filled with rich authentic flavor of matcha. If you’re matcha lover and haven’t tried this place yet, then surely you’re missing something 😉

High quality matcha, perfect treat to help escape the heat! Small and quick line, very enjoyable, would definitely recommend matcha-vanilla mix boba sundae!

Fresh made cones, many options from coffee , teas, ice cream sundae. If you have an opportunity to try it out, I promise you will not leave disappointed!! 🙌 (images from my bobba matcha sundae)

Best matcha so far! The tea float gives the combination of tea and soft serving ice cream. Strawberry ice cream over matcha tea is a great combination. The only problem is that the line is always too long!

Dee A

Love this store… Matcha soft serve is a must when we are at the mall. So delicious and so good. The service too was good. The only thing I noticed: their soft serve was more up at the top, u know, it's bigger in portion before, now it's lesser, but I still come back hoping they bring the same volume of ice-cream as before. They have a promo for today, only $4 soft serve if you take a picture from their calendar in the middle of the mall. Same as in the picture… this is cool.

Cindy Marie

We visited here first because we were looking to buy something in the shopping mall and discovered this excellent soft serve matcha and vanilla. Since then, whenever we’re around the area, we definitely indulge in this. They nailed the texture, creaminess, consistency, portion, and flavor! The service is also pretty efficient The price was overall worth it Overall, happy customers 😊 We’ve tried another shop, Cafe Maiko still my best Matcha Soft Serve, worth to queue and have yours too.

Michael W.

The first thing on my mind after the first taste of Matcha Cafe Maiko is I found the same as Japan's quality ice cream in California. They have the best ice cream I have tried in California, and the freshly made waffle cone is also delicious. The service is fast, but they still can't meet the demand. They have one of the longest lines in front of the cashier counter inside the shipping mall. I can't wait to get another one again!

A S

After leaving Japan, I have always been on the lookout for good matcha soft serve (Some of the best is in Kyoto). Maiko does not disappoint. They have a variety of matcha desserts (soft serve, parfaits) and they switch up different flavors they have during the week. Definitely give them a try, their matcha may be strong for ones taste, so try the swirl. They also had strawberry and mango flavors which were refreshing. They usually have a line but we were lucky to miss the rush.

Mia

I would say I prefer less sweet of the matcha but my friend thinks the sweetness is at the right point.

Stephanie Patricia Garcia

If you want Kyoto quality Matcha soft serve, this is the place to go. The flavor is refreshing and just enough bitterness and not astringent. It will definitely give you a buzz if you're caffeine-sensitive like me. It's inside the Valley Fair Mall which can get extremely crowded with long lines to this kiosk. I definitely recommend coming on a weekday when it is a tad slow so that you won't get overstimulated. Delicious.

Ngan Nguyen

Tldr: They have the best matcha soft serve ice cream!! It's very creamy, smooth, strong matcha flavor without the bitterness. It's pricey ($7 for 1 ice cream) but totally worth it. I'm so glad they open a store in San Jose. Before this location, I could only get it when I go to SF. There's always a line in SF. I thought maybe there won't be a line here but I was wrong. I came on a Saturday afternoon, and the line was quite long. It did move really quick though so I waited probably 5-10 minutes before I got my ice cream. Besides the scrumptious ice cream, they make fresh cones and they're delicious too. I wanted to eat black sesame ice cream too but they don't have it at this location. So sad. I still need to go to SF to eat after all. Hope they'll have black sesame flavor here soon. Update: I came back another time and get Matcha latte with cream cheese and Matcha float. It was so delicious: rich, strong matcha flavor but not bitter at all. This is how Matcha latte should be! Definitely recommend!!

Ally L

I always go for the Maiko sundae. I saw people order it ahead of me and was surprised how big the portions were! More generous than the other locations! Or was it just the workers who were generous? I got the yuzu/strawberry as I like to try the seasonal flavors. I saw they did have sampler cups so you can taste test. I wasn't super impressed. The yuzu just had a light lemon flavor without that tangyness. I felt like I was just eating at a self-serve yogurt place. But! At the bottom, there is actually still matcha soft serve no matter what flavor you chose. So before long, I was eating a trio of yuzu/strawberry/matcha. I appreciate the matcha soft serve at the bottom because otherwise it would be just a bunch of toppings, like mochi, corn flakes, and green tea cake as you can't mix it up well because it's in a cup. Overall, still quality stuff, good and fast service. Update: they now have sesame and hojicha. I got the mix and when they ran out of mochi malls, they let me substitute for honey jelly.

fabDpoI

This store probably has the best matcha among the many places in the United States that offer matcha products that I've visited. The matcha is just on another level, it's as good as the matcha I've gotten in Japan. Whenever I go to Valley Fair, this place is a must. It doesn't take too long for your order to finish up, and the workers are professional and quick. However, if you go on a busy day, you may have to wait in line for a while (up to 8 or so minutes, in my experience). But the quality of the matcha at this store makes the wait worth it.

Victor

Popular spot at Westfield Valley Mall and usually has a small line. It gets through pretty quickly only waiting about 10 minutes for 10 people in front. The soft serve is creamy and delicious and the matcha blended drinks are delicious as well. High quality Japanese matcha.

Kat Chan

If you love green tea soft serve, Matcha Cafe Maiko is a "must try" when visiting Valley Fair. This branch is just as good as the other Matcha Cafe Maiko I've visited (such as San Francisco, Honolulu, and Las Vegas). The soft serve is consistently soft and creamy, the flavors are sweet by not cloying, and the matcha flavor is pure and delicious. The only thing I don't love about this particular location is that the line can get pretty intense at times and it doesn't seem to move quite as fast as other locations I've been to as it's a smaller mall kiosk location. That issue aside, the ice cream is still amazing and it's worth stopping by to satisfy your matcha soft serve cravings.

If you love green tea soft serve, Matcha Cafe Maiko is a "must try" when visiting Valley Fair. This branch is just as good as the other Matcha Cafe Maiko I've visited (such as San Francisco, Honolulu, and Las Vegas). The soft serve is consistently soft and creamy, the flavors are sweet by not cloying, and the matcha flavor is pure and delicious. The only thing I don't love about this particular location is that the line can get pretty intense at times and it doesn't seem to move quite as fast as other locations I've been to as it's a smaller mall kiosk location. That issue aside, the ice cream is still amazing and it's worth stopping by to satisfy your matcha soft serve cravings.

Popular spot at Westfield Valley Mall and usually has a small line. It gets through pretty quickly only waiting about 10 minutes for 10 people in front. The soft serve is creamy and delicious and the matcha blended drinks are delicious as well. High quality Japanese matcha.

This store probably has the best matcha among the many places in the United States that offer matcha products that I've visited. The matcha is just on another level, it's as good as the matcha I've gotten in Japan. Whenever I go to Valley Fair, this place is a must. It doesn't take too long for your order to finish up, and the workers are professional and quick. However, if you go on a busy day, you may have to wait in line for a while (up to 8 or so minutes, in my experience). But the quality of the matcha at this store makes the wait worth it.

I always go for the Maiko sundae. I saw people order it ahead of me and was surprised how big the portions were! More generous than the other locations! Or was it just the workers who were generous? I got the yuzu/strawberry as I like to try the seasonal flavors. I saw they did have sampler cups so you can taste test. I wasn't super impressed. The yuzu just had a light lemon flavor without that tangyness. I felt like I was just eating at a self-serve yogurt place. But! At the bottom, there is actually still matcha soft serve no matter what flavor you chose. So before long, I was eating a trio of yuzu/strawberry/matcha. I appreciate the matcha soft serve at the bottom because otherwise it would be just a bunch of toppings, like mochi, corn flakes, and green tea cake as you can't mix it up well because it's in a cup. Overall, still quality stuff, good and fast service. Update: they now have sesame and hojicha. I got the mix and when they ran out of mochi malls, they let me substitute for honey jelly.

Tldr: They have the best matcha soft serve ice cream!! It's very creamy, smooth, strong matcha flavor without the bitterness. It's pricey ($7 for 1 ice cream) but totally worth it. I'm so glad they open a store in San Jose. Before this location, I could only get it when I go to SF. There's always a line in SF. I thought maybe there won't be a line here but I was wrong. I came on a Saturday afternoon, and the line was quite long. It did move really quick though so I waited probably 5-10 minutes before I got my ice cream. Besides the scrumptious ice cream, they make fresh cones and they're delicious too. I wanted to eat black sesame ice cream too but they don't have it at this location. So sad. I still need to go to SF to eat after all. Hope they'll have black sesame flavor here soon. Update: I came back another time and get Matcha latte with cream cheese and Matcha float. It was so delicious: rich, strong matcha flavor but not bitter at all. This is how Matcha latte should be! Definitely recommend!!

+5

If you want Kyoto quality Matcha soft serve, this is the place to go. The flavor is refreshing and just enough bitterness and not astringent. It will definitely give you a buzz if you're caffeine-sensitive like me. It's inside the Valley Fair Mall which can get extremely crowded with long lines to this kiosk. I definitely recommend coming on a weekday when it is a tad slow so that you won't get overstimulated. Delicious.

I would say I prefer less sweet of the matcha but my friend thinks the sweetness is at the right point.

After leaving Japan, I have always been on the lookout for good matcha soft serve (Some of the best is in Kyoto). Maiko does not disappoint. They have a variety of matcha desserts (soft serve, parfaits) and they switch up different flavors they have during the week. Definitely give them a try, their matcha may be strong for ones taste, so try the swirl. They also had strawberry and mango flavors which were refreshing. They usually have a line but we were lucky to miss the rush.

+1

The first thing on my mind after the first taste of Matcha Cafe Maiko is I found the same as Japan's quality ice cream in California. They have the best ice cream I have tried in California, and the freshly made waffle cone is also delicious. The service is fast, but they still can't meet the demand. They have one of the longest lines in front of the cashier counter inside the shipping mall. I can't wait to get another one again!

We visited here first because we were looking to buy something in the shopping mall and discovered this excellent soft serve matcha and vanilla. Since then, whenever we’re around the area, we definitely indulge in this. They nailed the texture, creaminess, consistency, portion, and flavor! The service is also pretty efficient The price was overall worth it Overall, happy customers 😊 We’ve tried another shop, Cafe Maiko still my best Matcha Soft Serve, worth to queue and have yours too.

+6

Love this store… Matcha soft serve is a must when we are at the mall. So delicious and so good. The service too was good. The only thing I noticed: their soft serve was more up at the top, u know, it's bigger in portion before, now it's lesser, but I still come back hoping they bring the same volume of ice-cream as before. They have a promo for today, only $4 soft serve if you take a picture from their calendar in the middle of the mall. Same as in the picture… this is cool.

One of best matcha drinks and ice cream you can get the bay, their boba is also really good sweet and good chewiness. Only thing is I wished they opened a real store and not a stand. But service and food here is good.

Great soft serve that’s not over sweetened. Highly recommend their thai tea, Kinako(roasted soybean), and matcha soft serve flavors. The maiko special is nice because the toppings add texture to the treat!

Came here to meet up with my friend since she loves matcha. I ordered this fancy dessert I don’t remember the name of since it was like 15 minutes before closing 😩 and they seemed to be out of hojicha. The workers were still very polite and as you can see, the finished product is still very nice. It reminded me of the parfaits I would get in Japan, and the mochi balls are a great touch. I’m not likely to get ice cream here again, but I had a good experience there and recommend it 🙂

I got the strawberry sundae with matcha soft serve, flavor of ice cream was delightful and rich with matcha flavor. There are 2 issues however, 1 is that the spoon is much too deep and very difficult to eat out of. I also wish there was a small size because the normal size is too big.

If you like matcha or curious to try, this is the best place to try matcha. The items we tried were great, 4.5*. The cones were tall and didn't skimp, a sprinkle of matcha powder was a great touch. Some may say matcha is an acquired taste but many who enjoy matcha would find this difficult to pass up. Would return to try other selections.

A little stall in a huge mall, thank goodness for the mall map haha. Matcha Maiko has great consistent quality products. I've been to other locations but this one was on my way home etc. The hojicha blend and matcha float were delish. Quick to get your artsy dessert out! Sometimes employees are really helpful and some are kinda tired it seems and not as "customer service forward" Good prices for quality desserts and portions

Nice quick stop to grab some soft serve while at the mall. Workers are always nice and the flavor is consistent across shops. Stick with the soft serve, they have new flavors occasionally. I don’t like their floats very much I don’t think they’re too special.

We tried the Matcha Vanilla soft serve. It was rich and creamy in texture and the taste was absolutely delicious. The waffle cone was crispy, buttery and sugary.

New spot for matcha lovers out there. They offer different matcha servings from soft ice, latte, ice blended and more. Be ready to be on a 10-15 minute queue on weekends as there are bunch of people trying this place out.

Ordered #5 , red bean with mochi ball and ice cream . Love their Mochi ball , so delicious!

Richard Ly

Came here to try out their parfait since we have been looking for ones similar to ones we had in Kyoto and hadn't had much luck in finding good ones. This one is definitely a journey since it's in the mall and the parking here is such a cluster having to navigate into the mall parking itself and then fighting people for parking spots. Once you get here, it took us some time to find it since it was showing as being on the first floor but it's located on the second floor near Nordstroms. It's a stand so no real seating around, which also makes it a challenge. They have a rope up to guide people where to stand and it went relatively quick, about 10 min wait for 8 people ahead of us and then another 5-10 mins for the food to come out. Ordered the strawberry sundae and the Maiko special parfait. The sundae was alright, a bit sweet for our tastes but fits more the American pallet well. It sorta reminds me of the McD sundaes. For the Maiko parfait, you get a choice of Vanilla, Matcha, Vanilla/Matcha swirl, black sesame, kinako, and then a mix of the two. It was too bad that you couldn't mix black sesame with matcha or some other combination but I get that is just how the machines are setup. The parfait has a lot of ingredients and gives some nice textures and while it was pretty good, it still doesn't live up to what we had in Japan but I guess it will have to do until we can make it back!

Jagadeesh Rahul

One of the best matcha places in the Bay Area. I love their softies and matcha drinks. Their softies ante soothing, creamy and not too sweet. I got the matcha float and my friend got matcha vanilla softie. Both were amazing. If you haven’t tried matcha and want to try, I’d suggest this place.

Mark K

⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Solid (1=Avoid, 3=Standard, 5=Can't Miss). Lots of matcha flavor. This location is inside the mall on the second floor. If you can grab a drink during meal times that's typically better than waiting for the rush after everyone is finished and having to wait in line. I personally like the matcha floats because the soft serve makes it so much more refreshing and brings on more matcha flavor. Is it the best quality matcha? Not sure about that, but it is one of the most accessible and will be liked by most everyone!

Sam

Always consistent and good matcha Soft Serve. They were out of the the Hojicha today.

Rebecca

This is a great spot to visit after walking around the mall for a cool treat! I got the boba sundae with matcha and vanilla swirl. It was rich and creamy with the matcha as the main star. It did however leave a bit of a powdery taste in my mouth (but I think all matcha does that). The boba was warm which was nice but slightly softer than I would’ve liked. Next time I’ll get mainly matcha as thats the highlight. Next time,

Always consistent and good matcha Soft Serve. They were out of the the Hojicha today.

+2

This is a great spot to visit after walking around the mall for a cool treat! I got the boba sundae with matcha and vanilla swirl. It was rich and creamy with the matcha as the main star. It did however leave a bit of a powdery taste in my mouth (but I think all matcha does that). The boba was warm which was nice but slightly softer than I would’ve liked. Next time I’ll get mainly matcha as thats the highlight. Next time,

⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Solid (1=Avoid, 3=Standard, 5=Can't Miss). Lots of matcha flavor. This location is inside the mall on the second floor. If you can grab a drink during meal times that's typically better than waiting for the rush after everyone is finished and having to wait in line. I personally like the matcha floats because the soft serve makes it so much more refreshing and brings on more matcha flavor. Is it the best quality matcha? Not sure about that, but it is one of the most accessible and will be liked by most everyone!

One of the best matcha places in the Bay Area. I love their softies and matcha drinks. Their softies ante soothing, creamy and not too sweet. I got the matcha float and my friend got matcha vanilla softie. Both were amazing. If you haven’t tried matcha and want to try, I’d suggest this place.

Came here to try out their parfait since we have been looking for ones similar to ones we had in Kyoto and hadn't had much luck in finding good ones. This one is definitely a journey since it's in the mall and the parking here is such a cluster having to navigate into the mall parking itself and then fighting people for parking spots. Once you get here, it took us some time to find it since it was showing as being on the first floor but it's located on the second floor near Nordstroms. It's a stand so no real seating around, which also makes it a challenge. They have a rope up to guide people where to stand and it went relatively quick, about 10 min wait for 8 people ahead of us and then another 5-10 mins for the food to come out. Ordered the strawberry sundae and the Maiko special parfait. The sundae was alright, a bit sweet for our tastes but fits more the American pallet well. It sorta reminds me of the McD sundaes. For the Maiko parfait, you get a choice of Vanilla, Matcha, Vanilla/Matcha swirl, black sesame, kinako, and then a mix of the two. It was too bad that you couldn't mix black sesame with matcha or some other combination but I get that is just how the machines are setup. The parfait has a lot of ingredients and gives some nice textures and while it was pretty good, it still doesn't live up to what we had in Japan but I guess it will have to do until we can make it back!

Apryl Chiem

4/5 for matcha boba sundae, highly recommend. 1/5 for the strawberry matcha latte. Absolutely horrible. Matcha poured from a premade pitcher and it tasted like strawberry milk. Don't get any matcha drinks it is not worth it even though the price is lower than most matcha spots.

4/5 for matcha boba sundae, highly recommend. 1/5 for the strawberry matcha latte. Absolutely horrible. Matcha poured from a premade pitcher and it tasted like strawberry milk. Don't get any matcha drinks it is not worth it even though the price is lower than most matcha spots.

I ordered a matcha latte and matcha soft serve. The matcha latte was especially disappointing—unusually thick, almost with the consistency of something made from milk powder or added preservatives instead of fresh milk. The matcha flavor was dull and overly bitter, leaving an impure and grainy aftertaste. The matcha soft serve was notably better with a smooth and creamy texture, but portions are small and, more frustratingly, extremely inconsistent. With how busy the café gets, it’s also difficult to get a worker’s attention to address issues like a remake. While most employees remain friendly, the overall experience is much less enjoyable than it was last year due to declining food quality and chaotic service. Very disappointed, especially given how much this place used to stand out.

worst banana matcha latte ever omfg so artificial and sweet that we could barely taste the matcha itself. otherwise the matcha ice cream and hojicha latte are delicious — just do NOT get the banana matcha latte. also workers r nice 👍🏼👍🏼

Angelique Zoile

worst banana matcha latte ever omfg so artificial and sweet that we could barely taste the matcha itself. otherwise the matcha ice cream and hojicha latte are delicious — just do NOT get the banana matcha latte. also workers r nice 👍🏼👍🏼

Been a fan for many years and tried pretty much the whole menu. Unfortunately now the matcha tea is watered down and matcha soft serve tastes very light and sugar heavy. You can even tell it from the color of matcha tea and ice cream. It used to be a strong matcha flavor in both. Very sad we lost another great place to owner greed. Ice cream used to be lush green but now almost white.

Inconsistent quality, long wait, very abysmal portions. 😵 Luv matcha and used to go to another location for matcha cafe maiko 🍵🍦 2+ times a week so been looking forward to this location since fall 2022… came here over 3 times already to give it a fair shot. Let down time and time again. Won’t be recommending or returning. Taste is inconsistent, long line, long wait, and worst of all really stingy portions. The cup for soft serve is already small - and they don’t event fill it to the top… and it cost $7 and tastes a bit different each time…it’s odd. Tiny cup is filled barely 2/3 of the way then when you scoop off the pointy part of the soft serve it’s a giant air hole bubble so portion is even smaller than it appears 🫣😵 Really wanted to love this closer location - but it’s just not good 😩😤 and disappointing taste consistency and even sadder portioning. Go to salt and straw across from shake shack instead ✨!

Wateriest matcha latte I’ve ever had. I’ve been to one of these in the past and was one of the best matcha I’ve had, this was just bad. Very very bad.

Alp Can Utku

Been a fan for many years and tried pretty much the whole menu. Unfortunately now the matcha tea is watered down and matcha soft serve tastes very light and sugar heavy. You can even tell it from the color of matcha tea and ice cream. It used to be a strong matcha flavor in both. Very sad we lost another great place to owner greed. Ice cream used to be lush green but now almost white.

The matcha itself is alright, especially the ice cream. It's unpleasantly grainy and I think it's a bit overhyped. I've tried their drinks and ice cream on two different occasions. It was inconsisted in taste and texture. On top of that, they have the worse staff. Very rude and always rushing. The guy with the glasses looks like he wants to quit and the line wasn't even long. Save your money and either get your own tin of matcha or go to a different place

김애정 (AJ)

The matcha itself is alright, especially the ice cream. It's unpleasantly grainy and I think it's a bit overhyped. I've tried their drinks and ice cream on two different occasions. It was inconsisted in taste and texture. On top of that, they have the worse staff. Very rude and always rushing. The guy with the glasses looks like he wants to quit and the line wasn't even long. Save your money and either get your own tin of matcha or go to a different place