I drove over an hour specifically to try DAMO, and it was absolutely worth the trip. This is…read moregenuinely some of the best matcha I've had--even better than ROK. The matcha is clearly high quality, with the perfect matcha-to-milk ratio. It comes out thick, smooth, and beautifully frothy, which shows how strong their whisking technique is. Most importantly, it tastes incredible on its own. It doesn't need a cream top to add flavor or hide a weak matcha base. The new Arts District location is beautiful, spacious, and thoughtfully designed. I'm not someone who automatically falls for trendy, Instagrammable matcha shops--the drink itself still has to deliver--and DAMO absolutely does. Even with a line, everything moved quickly and efficiently. Five stars for the quality, preparation, atmosphere, and overall experience. DAMO is the real deal and completely deserving of the hype.

got the strawberry matcha!! the cream top was delicious and so glad it didn't make the entire…read morematcha drink heavy bc i just wanted something sweet and refreshing! the service was nice and quick! got my drink within 5-7 mins after ordering!! the inside was on the smaller side and it got busy/crowded fast so recommend getting your drinks to go!

Cute spot! We only ordered the smore cookies. Quite good and surprisingly does taste like a smore…read more Just the right amount of sweetness for my taste. We got the Matcha, Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate, and Oreo! The Oreo is a fav so far. We were only going to get 3, but when we bought they had a buy 3 get one free deal! We went at night on a weekday and it was relatively empty and surprisingly some parking. Could be a nice spot to study. Would come back to try their other sweet treats. The atmosphere is pretty cute as well!

Stopped by after lunch next door, their cookies are THE BOMB I literally wanted some more after I…read morehad them haha. Ambiance is calm and peaceful and cute decor fills the place, starting with three big ole bear dolls sitting on a swing on the front window display. Would come back just to try more flavors! We got oreo, biscoff, hershey's chocolate, and blueberry cookies. They are just the right sweet, not too sweet and still flavorful. It's what makes the cookie eatable in bulk I say! Also got the Americano, it's very light which I love. The straw is a pink heart shape, so soo cute.

Such a delicious spot for some Korean shaved ice!!! There was several people in line and it was…read morevery busy and loud, but it was easy to order. You line up at the kiosks and pick what you'd like. They show the pictures and ingredients under each flavor. I wanted to get the Strawberry Ice Flaks but also got to try out the Mango Pineapple Ice Flakes. It was so delicious, refreshing and super yummy!!! I love that it doesn't taste overly sweet and that we were able to pour how much condensed milk we wanted to throw ontop. It made each bite even more creamier, which was so awesome. We sat down in one of the group tables and hung around for about 30 minutes. There was alot of people coming in and out, which was nice. I think also because it feels pretty hot inside but thank goodness for a very cold and refreshing dessert!!!

This place is soooooo good!! Well that's IF YOU love shaved ice. And when I say shaved ice I mean…read moreshaved ice cream.... Cuz that's what this feels like. This is not your normal shaved ice that is like the teeny tiny crushed ice .. this is literally a block of frozen ice cream/sorbet that looks like very very thin sheets that totally melt in your!! Sooooo yummy!!! The place is teeny tiny and there is street parking or a parking lot in the back that is $5 or $5.50 is your use Google pay or apple pay. They also seem to have taken over the back part of the building so that they have a second dining area BUT that area is WARM! So you might find it nice if you are cold BUT if you run warm like me... It's too warm. They also have seating outside which was very nice. The service is kinda whatever as you order from a kiosk and they they call your number and you pick up your order so you don't really have much interaction with the staff. So I can't say much about service. The place was clean which was nice and much appreciated BUT be warned that it might be very very crowded. Overall, I give this a solid 4 stars as the shaved ice was good. The service is weird as you really don't interact the staff at all.

My friend has been hyping this place up since I've met her & she didn't disappoint…read more Pls note: ONE shaved ice = the perfect amount to share amongst 3 people. The three of us shared (1) Thai tea shaved ice & who knew it was gonna come with crushed oreo + grass jelly + Thai tea sauce + condensed milk‽‽ All the flavored worked so well together Andddddd ugh. I love it hereeeeee

Came here to try it because I was in the area. If I wasn't intrigued by the Thai gelato, I probably…read morewouldn't have stepped foot in this plaza lol. Parking is pretty difficult, and valet is $5. I can easily see the parking lot getting gridlocked on a busy day. I sampled a few of their gelato flavors, including the jasmine lychee and soy sauce. Both were okay, but I just wasn't in the mood for either of them today. I ended up getting the Pandan Toast to try. The pandan flavor was really good--not too grassy and didn't taste too artificial. The ice cream also had a buttery taste to it. It might have been from the toast, but I'm not too sure. The bread itself wasn't oily, which was nice, but it was kind of dry. The pandan sauce definitely helped make it easier to eat. I probably wouldn't eat the bread by itself though because it was super hard and didn't really have much flavor. I wasn't sure what to expect from the toast, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I originally wanted to try the mango sticky rice flavored shaved ice because it looked really good in the photos, but unfortunately they didn't have it today. I'd come back to try their shaved ice when mango is in season again!

Had a great experience at Upper Cafe. The atmosphere is welcoming, the place is clean and…read morecomfortable, and the staff were friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived. The food was fresh, flavorful, and nicely presented. You can tell they care about both quality and consistency. Service was smooth, everything came out in a timely manner, and the overall experience felt relaxed and enjoyable. Definitely a great local spot to grab a meal, meet with friends, or just enjoy something good in a nice setting. Looking forward to coming back and trying more from the menu. Highly recommended!

Cafe Upper I had tried with a friend who told me she would go 30 minutes OUT OF HER WAY just to get…read morea matcha from this place, and boy it was worth it. I loved how rich, creamy, and balanced the matcha einspanner tasted. I would defiinitely come back to try other flavors too! The place is pretty spacious and is decorated with metal tables which offer that underground feel, which I enjoy also! Service was quick and the menu was simple and easy to read! Thanks Cafe Upper!

So MemoryLook is a little expensive, BUT honestly the prices offset the cost of parking which is so…read morehelpful in K Town. And they are so sweet and do not rush anyone, you can stay here as long as you want. My friends and I WFH so we decided to Work From MemoryLook (WFML) one day together. I'm glad we did! Great pastries in the morning, i had the cremme brûlée donut which had tons of filling, and the pea foam matcha latte which was fantastic. And I had an EXCELLENT chicken Chipotle wrap at lunch that was recommended to me by the gentleman working at memory look. I'm not certain where these wraps are made. Another gentleman would bring them from the building in the same complex. I LOVED my wrap. They have a ton of seating outside too but there aren't any outlets out there so it's harder to WFH out there unless you're fully charged. But was great for separate meetings we all had to attend. The photobooth was fun but we were so thrown off by it taking 8 photos, we had no idea how many poses we would have to come up with hahaha. I would definitely come back here anytime!

This was my second time visiting Memory Look. They have plenty of seating options both indoors and…read moreoutdoors, which is definitely a plus. Parking is also pretty convenient with a good amount of spaces available. When I visited, though, there weren't many desserts on display. For drinks, they don't offer a double matcha option, but you can order a matcha latte with Einspänner cream instead. The drink itself was good, although I found the prices a little higher compared to other matcha spots I've tried. Service was on the slower side, and it took a while for the drinks to come out. The staff were okay, but not particularly friendly. (+) Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, convenient parking (-) Pricier than other matcha spots, slower drink preparation, and no double matcha option

Soooo goood the matcha is the best and the have really good pastries!!! And the people that were…read moreworking so kind!!

My friend and I were intrigued by the pastries inside the window, and we were not disappointed. We…read moretried their red bean roti, which was warm and satisfying, and had a nice combination of crispy, flaky texture with subtly sweet red bean filling. The service was a highlight; the person we talked to was super friendly and welcoming! Would love to come back to try their otheir pastries and goods!

Anko has always been my hidden gem for a sweet treat. I keep it close to my heart as each flavor…read morenever misses. The servers are nice and I haven't had any problems with them. My only wish was that the seating was a lot more comfortable. The chairs on one end are at this awkward height where my knees are directly against the table. This puts me in a strange sitting position where I'm either leaning back why trying to eat or leaning really forward. The chairs are also not quite comfortable and the establishment is extremely echoing. Regardless I do think they have the best Bingsu so I will not be picking to go anywhere else!

I FINALLY found a bingsoo place I like in LA! Actually Anko has been on my list for the longest…read moretime but I think I was just worried about getting disappointed, it took us awhile to visit. There's a bingsoo place we LOVED in Dallas called "Wicked Snow" and this is the closest we've had to Wicked Snow. I enjoyed the texture of Anko's bingsoo more than other places I've tried. We got 3 flavors: strawberry mascarpone, mango & hojicha. I usually love anything mango flavored but surprisingly I enjoyed the strawberry one the most! - it tasted very natural/not artificial. I could have eaten the whole thing myself. I still enjoyed the mango as well but this one actually tasted a big more artificial, but the fresh mango was perfectly ripe & added a good amount of sweetness. Hojicha was good too but definitely more "nutty" - still great if you don't want anything fruity! Staff were nice and even tho there was a bit of a wait for the desserts, it didn't take too long for them to come out. We surprisingly got lucky with street parking but they also have valet parking available. Will 100% be back and trying the taiyaki next time!

My boyfriend loves Levain!! He likes the dark double chocolate one. The banana chocolate chip bread…read moreis also really good! Service is friendly and helpful as well. Smells so yummy inside and is clean! Nowhere to sit, more of a to go spot !

they got me! came just for them limited time black and white…read morecookie It's $6 but so worth it As big as a burger!! crispy edges and soft chewy center - perfect recipe

My friends and I had to try the viral desserts at Tu Cha. They are so darn pretty with so much…read morelove, care and craft put into them. They open at Noon every day! Australian culinary influencer and Zumbo's Just Desserts winner Catherine Zhang is the head chef and you'll see videos playing inside the shop of her preparing the desserts. It's truly beautiful art and you're paying for it accordingly with prices varying from $13-15 for each dessert or more for bigger cake items. You can order easily on their touch screens which is nice for looking at all of the available options. I've tried two of the Petit Gateau (tiny cakes) - the My Man Go (Fresh mango, hazelnut praline, mango mousse) and the Berry3 (Strawberry coulis, pistachio praline, raspberry mousse, crimson velvet). In addition to being so darn beautiful, the flavor was just phenomenal. I loved both but slightly preferred the cubically adorable berry cake's taste. For me, it's the perfect size but you def need a spoon to break into the outer shell. Or if you want that TikTok/Instagram video biting into it, that works too. They also have drinks ranging from coffees to matchas to milk teas to tonics and teas ~ truly something to cover everyone's palate for imbibing. Evenings and weekends can get very busy so go on off hours or right at opening if you can. They have their own free parking just down the block from the storefront at 2850 W 7th St or you can try to find a slim pickens' street spot. Tu Cha is such a fan favorite for photos when friends are in town, but the prices are just a tad steep to be an everyday kind of spot.

A friend was kind enough to bring me a Tu-Cha dessert by surprise. I got the Strawberry Coulis…read moreDessert. This sort of hyper-realistic fruit pastries has become so popular in LA so i'm so excited when I get to try them. Mine was filled with a jammy, fresh puree along with a nutty butter filling. The soft chocolate moose melts right in your mouth & the exterior being hardened white chocolate allows you to enjoy a satisfying crunch. I felt like I was making a mukbang when I took a bite LOL. Thx 2 my friend!