East Village has some solid dessert places around, and Cha An is one of them. I came here on a Saturday night after dinner and had to wait around 40 minutes for a seat here. The ambiance of the place is lovely and really resembled a serene Japanese tea room, which is great considering Cha An serves both tea and food. Their menu is not huge, but they do offer dinner sets that lets you try a little bit of everything from their menu including side dishes, an entree, and a dessert. I ended up ordering the black sesame creme brulee, which also came with black sesame ice cream. Their black sesame flavor was good, but it does get overwhelming after a while since there is a lot of black sesame flavor that came with both the creme brulee and ice cream. Black sesame lovers would love it though. While I did enjoy it, I do think the desserts are fairly overpriced at around $9-$10 for each dessert. Overall, it is a fancy dessert place, and they offer unique blends of Asian desserts that I have not seen elsewhere. read more

This is a great spot for a girls night or date night! Super cute atmosphere and very friendly servers. My friends and I ordered the dessert sampler, green tea parfait and black sesame creme brulee. Everything was delicious and not overly sweet. My personal favorite of the night was the black seseame creme brulee! The black sesame flavor was really prevalent and I loved that. The dessert sampler was good, but nothing was that memorable. Same for the green tea parfait, but I still enjoyed everything we got. read more

Some many options at this place for desserts and teas. Great for a nightcap or to chat with some friends. Can get a bit crowded, so make a reservation before heading over. They have bar seating but, again, it's limited. What to get? Try anything really. I got the green tea affogato because I love affogatos. So follow your stomach-heart, and you should be okay. read more

Cha-An - Black sesame, jasmine tea, mochi mochi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I was ready to love this place. I finally got to go after years of living in new york. We got a jewelry box and "disappointed" is an understatement. The cookies were lackluster and were actually dry biscuits. The gelatin dew drop was fairly bland. And with one look I knew I didn't want to bite into the macaron they served us. It was lopsided and ended up being extremely gummy. They clearly went for quantity/variety over quality. Maybe I'll go back one day to try one of their standard desserts but I definitely have a bad taste in my mouth for this place. read more

My entire Cha An experience took four hours because the waiter forgot to put in our food order. He was incredibly apologetic and brought us some free appetizers while we waited, but it would have been nice to have something taken off our bill or to be offered more tea with our meal. So, sadly, what could have been a tasty and pleasant experience turned into a marathon of fasting. So yeah, the service gets 1-2 stars. But I will say that (almost) everything I ate there was delicious. I had some honey oolong tea that came in a huge glass pot, and then the dinner combo that came with various types of fish and other small dishes (though one of them was a strange mystery substance I wasn't too fond of). And the dessert was the highlight: black sesame creme brulee with a black sesame cracker/cookie thing on top and a teeny scoop of ice cream. Delish. Despite the sub-par service, I'd go back for tea and dessert. Maybe not for a full meal. p.s. The toilet seat opens on its own! Maybe it's worth going to Cha An just for the futuristic bathroom experience. read more

Great place for a date, just go. Don't ruin the magic by looking at the pictures of the aesthetics of the confections. Just go! I tried the matcha. It was good but I would recommend getting one of the cheaper teas that are equally great like the oolongs. The raspberry chocolate souffle won over my girlfriend. The black sesame creme brûlée was good. My friends didn't like the filling of the mochi, it was really dense like butter. read more

Food: ~smoked salmon thick toast (3.5 stars): smoked salmon was really fresh, and the flavors were well balanced. But I wish the toast had a milkier flavor, like Taiwanese thick toast. The toast was indeed thick, but it was a little dried out. $12 ~soy milk quiche (3 stars): fantastically thick (but not buttery) crust. But the quiche itself was overcooked. Perhaps it was the lack of milk, but it was nowhere near as creamy and soft as other quiches. $7 ~sesame creme brulee (4 stars): delicious, my favorite of the night. The custard part, however, fell apart texture-wise. I loved the depth of the black sesame, however. $8 ~scones (3 stars): large sugar coated outside, but the inside was still a little too doughy. Came with 2. Clotted cream and marmalade were a delicious accompaniment. $7 Wait: ~30 min for 2 at 11pm Friday. Food came out at a moderate pace, and the people who work there are very nice. Everything was presented beautifully, and the space is very cute. read more

Very charming intimate atmosphere. There were a lot of Japanese speaking people here which made me think "if Japanese people like it, then it must be authentic" Black Sesame creme brulee Sesame is usually a very overpowering flavor but the black sesame and creme brulee was a very delightful surprise of deliciousness. Chocolate sou flee with raspberry sauce very very rich and fluffy. Two kinds of freshly baked scones like the chocolate scone but didn't eat the other one, we tried figuring out what the flavor was - we think it was a Taro scone.. hm.. I wouldn't recommend the scone. Assam tea great pair to finish with the desserts above Minus one star because it's Cash Only, No Reservations with a very very awkward waiting area. read more

This place is mostly for women and dates. Everything is dainty and Japanese. The black sesame creme brulee was really good. I'm a big fan of black sesame anything, really. These desserts tend to be less sweet with a subtle nutty flavor. Their selection of tea is also very good and you can get free refills on the hot water. Good place for talking as it is relatively quiet. read more

This is my second time coming to Cha-An. My friend didn't want the typical cake/bread type of desserts that were offered at Spot and ChikaLicious Dessert Bar (plus the wait time look like more than an hour) we decided to go here. Plus she wanted a more "Asian" dessert. Not going to lie, the wait time for this place was like 30 minutes as well (It's Friday night, so of course it's going to be busy). Food: I ordered the Oolong tea (I forget which one) and my friend ordered Chamomile because she didn't want any caffeine in her system at night. We ordered the Black Sesame Creme Brulee and something anmitsu. The anmitsu was a red bean soup kind of thing and it had cut up cold mochi so it's like a mixture of hot and cold which is pretty good. The black sesame creme brulee was excellent as well. For the tea, they come up with this elaborate way of serving the tea. They pour the hot water in the pot with the tea leaves then pour that onto another cup and so forth. I probably don't have enough appreciation for tea but the things they did might as well be sorcery and I wouldn't care. I just wanted my tea... Decor: The place is very clean but a little tight. I feel like they could've done more to utilize their space but it's still nice. The service was alright, nothing to complain about really. Final thoughts: I think this is a nice place in the east village to have a nice conversation after a meal. There is a good amount of desserts options available and it's not a quiet place where people will be overhearing your conversation. Quite the opposite, it is pretty noisy/loud during Friday nights. read more

Came here with some of my friends one night and we had a pretty good time. It's a small spot kinda of secretly hidden because it's upstairs. The interior of the tea house is so nice and my friends and I were lucky enough to get their secluded room, which was nice because we got to have some privacy. Plus it also felt as if we were having a very important meeting and discussing things over tea. The desserts were so good and not too sweet, which is one thing I love about Asian desserts. The quality of the desserts was amazing! The only downside to this place is they have nearly a 20% gratuity and they only take cash. Of course we all had cards, except for my one friend, if it weren't for him who knows what would have happened. I'd come back here, only if I had some spare cash to spend because this place is a little on the pricey side, especially with that gratuity slapped on, but it is worth it. read more

This quaint spot is the perfect blend of simple, traditional Japanese food and delicious taste. The teas are excellent and the lunch special w/ tea offers you the option to sample several things for a very reasonable price. read more

Cha-an is probably one of the best kept secrets in the East Village. If you are looking for a quiet, serene and intimate place to have a cup of tea by yourself or with a friend, Cha-an is definitely the place to go. I usually go there when I feel sad or need some piece of mind. The zen-like atmosphere is really soothing and a relief to the madness of life and what is New York City. While I would not purposely go to Cha-an for food, I must say their desserts and their cute Japanese-portioned entrees are tasty in my book! Cha-an is definitely a must try! read more

Cha-An is everything I ever wanted and more. Came here about a half hour before closing on a Sat. night. No wait. I had some dessert wine (cannot remember the name) and they served it with a few sweet crunchy walnuts. A perfect accompaniment!!! Loved it. Fiancee had the sake mojito which was just ok. We shared the azuki toast, and black sesame creme brulee. I don't have much to add to the reviews on these two amazing menu items. I'll just say that the black sesame creme brulee was exceptionally good. It was just so... sesame!!! Everything down to the black sesame crisp. Its not your traditional creme brulee at all, so if that is what you are expecting it tastes nothing like it. Some flavored creme brulees are still reminiscent of creme brulee but this one, not really. All the menu items seem to have a japanese twist. As for the bathrooms, the squirting toilet creeped me out a little bit. Is that sanitary? It must be, but I think from now on I will stick to the good old fashioned toilet paper. I'm old school like that. read more

"Woohoo! As good as it gets!" is indeed! I love drinking tea =P PRO: - nice setting - great selections to choose from - awesome Japanese toilet ... it reminds me of home *sob* went here on a date, ROMANTIC it is! read more

My friend and I had just eaten a rather filling dinner a few blocks north. He said he wanted tea. Since I'm no native New Yorker, I pulled out my iPhone and its Yelp application to find a nice place to get tea. Luckily, it was on the way to an ice cream parlor I wanted to try. And how glad I am that we tried it. I got very high-quality matcha tea; a nice portion of it. The price, though a bit steep, was definitely worth the experience. My friend got a black tea, complete with its associated tea ceremony. The hot water is poured into the very miniature teapot that contains the leaves; the water is left in for 15-20 seconds, then strained; this strained water is put into an aroma cup and then dumped immediately into the drinking cup. I think this is actually a Chinese tea ceremony (Wikipedia leads me to believe that it's Gongfu), but since I'm no expert, I make no strong claims. This whole ceremony-aspect made the experience a five-star one. The tea was delicious, as was my accompanying mochi. If you're looking for a high-quality tea-drinking experience, this is definitely the place in NYC. And I think it's worth every penny one might spend there. read more

Cha-An - Tea ceremony (black tea) and some matcha tea, mmm. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

The spotty service was redeemed by the scrumptious assortment of pastries and gooey scones that come with the Tea Sampler ($17). The ultimate dish was the still-warm-melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip scone, laden with huge morsels of sugar crystals and the "sandwiches" were tiny one-off bagel bites with raspberry butter and salmon with chives. The place has daily lunch specials that vary from Tuna-don to Salmon tar-tar-don. (meat over rice). But on the weekends, Chan-an serves unagi-don, with a spot of tea for only $10 until 7PM. I will definitely bring an appetite for this deal for my next visit. GREAT date place, or TINY group. The place is the size of my apartment (which is also the size of a dollhouse), but it definitely packed a punch. CASH only....lame right? read more

This was a perfect, light, and surprisingly filling Japanese meal! I stumbled upon Cha-An when I was wandering the neighborhood w/ a friend looking for somewhere to eat. Being two girls who love tea, we decided this was a great spot to try and we both loved it! We got the Cha-An set B, which came with a bunch of small dishes. The soup wasn't anything spectacular, but the daily vegetable (dashi-soaked eggplant) - was amazingly good. I like eggplant, but I loved this! The tea-smoked salmon was very flavorful and was served upon some very fresh greens. The soy milk quiche was a very yummy chawan mushi-like dish and of course I loved it, it's one of the most comforting Japanese dishes available! They gave us two different desserts so we got to try more things, which was nice. What blew me away though was the selection of tea. Simply stunning selection of tea, it was so hard to pick one! And the best part was they kept refilling our hot water without us having to ask. Only drawback, it's cash only. So make sure to stop at the ATM on your way here. read more

OKAY THIS PLACE IS WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.... for what it's worth, the food has such small portions and everything is either too sweet and lacking in strength of flavour. It's good but not $$ good. I got the matcha latte (with red beans at the bottom) and the sesame creme brulee. The sesame creme brulee was quiet good, but very sweet; however the balance between the sesame and the creme brulee is a good mix. Like I said though, it's way too sweet for the portion. I would prefer it to be doubled up and less sweet... The matcha latte was so watery. I've had stronger, thicker flavoured matcha from Starbucks - another great place in LA had so amazing flavoured matcha. The one from Cha'An tasted as if they mixed the powder with 1% milk, and so it lacked a kind of rich matcha taste. And unfortunately the red beans at the bottom - were a good idea - but didn't add a strong sweetness. Just ... red beans. yuck. However the atmosphere is part of what you pay for. It's a very traditional atmosphere without making non-Asians feel awkward. It's also a very cute place to bring a date or have one-on-one with a friend. I'm dying to try the green tea cakes and mochi because those are my die-for foods. I would come here again for a special occasion. However I'm still irritated that it costs so much... and is cash only?? read more

Came here with a friend after work, around 6ish. Wasn't super busy yet, but it definitely became popular around 7-8ish, with people waiting outside. The place was kinda small. Cute, intimate, romantic. Not too loud, so you can listen to your company talk. I'm not sure what they feel about you studying there, but as long as you keep purchasing, it shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't recommend parties larger than 6 to go together without reservation. I think they have maybe 1-2 private rooms if you do want your own space, but call ahead! The service is standard. They don't bother you so that you may enjoy your tea time, and go forth only if you call on them. The tea takes a while to prepare for awesomeness. I ordered the a tea set (tea + ice cream, macaroon, cookie, strawberry pudding, banana bread) & the mochis (choco, green tea, roasted beans). THE TEA IS GOOD. I think I had the hibiscus phoenix honey tea, which was perfectly balanced & sweet. I LOVED IT. The pot that they give you though, can probably fill 4-5 cups of tea. The dessert is not bad, small portions to tease you. Don't be silly if you're planning to come here to eat dinner, unless you eat really small amounts. Besides, the place is best for a relaxing night with tea anyway. PRICING is "somewhat" expensive. I find Cha-An to be a place to impress someone or for good occasions, and not somewhere to go as a regular. Cash only! Yes, I would come again if I'm there to impress or catch up with someone. Tea time is sweet and pleasant. Let your liver heal! read more

Black sesame creme brulee and green tea truffles were both creamy and delicious, but were petite and did not feel heavy or over-indulgent. The place is cute and quiet, a great date spot or place to meet with parents or in laws. A little pricey for tea and dessert, but its a nice sit down setting. My friend ordered some Sake ice cream cocktail concoction.. it was a strange assortment, the jellies didn't go well in it and it was the only thing on the menu I wouldn't recommend. read more

My husband and I decided to have tea and dessert here after our delicious meal at Hasaki. We loved it. We both ordered Mochi - Green Tea for me and Black Sesame for him. I would have ordered one if the other yummy desserts but I didn't want to chance getting a stomach ache because I'm lactose intolerant - yep I know, it SUCKS! Anyway, we also ordered a White Tea to share. We didn't realize that they refill your tea pot so we also ordered Pu-ehr for him and Jasmine mint for me. That was so good and it smelled great. We loved it so much that we decided to come back for lunch 2 days later with our friend. Two days later... I ordered the lunch special for the day ($13): Unagi with rice. The rice was great, it was a multigrain type and was slightly sweet. It was very filling. It came with a genmaicha and for an extra $3 got dessert. It was some type of custard but again since I'm lactose intolerant I had to go with the Mochi. My husband got the $22 sampler which included chicken curry, pickled cucumber, salmon, egg drop soup and some other stuff I didn't get to taste. My friend got the soup of the day, egg drop soup ($6) and rice with pickled cucumber ($6) - I thought this was overpriced for the amount they give you. They also got tea - a strong Green for my hubby and a White Tea for Carolina. We stayed and chatted for a while so that we could catch up with each other. They didn't rush us or ask us to leave despite the waiting customers (we didn't realize it until after we left). read more

Cozy, quiet, and great food. I came to this place last year, and I had a great time here thanks to a really good friend who took me there :) I absolutely want to come back here and try their teas! The prices are a bit expensive, sad to say, but great and delicious food makes it worthwhile. You'll probably need to bring extra cash here because they don't accept card at all. This place has a lot of nice desserts, but I don't recall trying any out. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of cash on me at the time, so I went with the cheaper option with the "6 Kinds of Appetizers" set which would run you about $13 with a variety of delicious bites to eat. I did sample the smoked salmon toast ($12), and it was really good! Looks great too. It'll look like the brick toast desserts you see in Asia, or in places like Taiwan but in a more savory version of it. I wish I had dessert here! The green tea related items sound so good. I also ended up buying the CHA-AN GIFT BOX as a souvenir. The sweets were yummy, and the tea that was included in the box was Jasmine tea. it came with the pearl (ball) kind. They also have this cute teahouse for private events too. So adorable :D read more

Love Cha-An's unique blend of desserts and the relaxed/calming feel to the restaurant. Had the: - Raspberry butter toast- which was whipped creamy with the perfect amount of jam and the best blend of sweet toast. If you are a dessert lover like me and want an excuse to count dessert at dinner, this is IT. - Everyone gets the black sesame creme brulee ice cream, which meant I had to try it out too. Not a huge sesame gal, but somehow this works. I liked it, but yet I wouldn't get this again because I don't love sesame (unless it's oil). In the moment, it worked. My friends loved it though. - Service was extremely friendly, polite but forgetful. Did not have to wait more than 30 min for a seat for 3 on weekend afternoon. I would def. come back. read more

came for some dessert on a weekday night. I was initially told to wait for about 20-30 minutes, but I was seated about 10 minutes after putting my name down. This place seems to be always busy, so the restaurant itself was very vibrant with conversations everywhere. We ordered the sesame creme brulee and flan, along with chai ice tea and hojicha. We thought the creme brulee was very rich and delicious, and the flan was well made too. Hojicha was pretty good too. Not a bad option for tea/dessert after dinner around the area (fyi, they also serve dinner meal). read more

Great matcha everything here! Staff was friendly and service was quick. Romantic 2nd floor secret date/dessert spot. Try the mochi! 5 stars! read more

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Little cute dessert and lunch place. Was very surprised that their food was delicious too. I loved their 7 grain rice, their sides, drinks and desserts. I read reviews that the wait can be long so we arrived at 10 mins before opening on a Saturday and was the first one there. We will be going back to try their mochi. read more

This place has always been a favorite of mine--it's super Japanese, desserts have always been great and service has been prompt. However, during a recent visit, I ordered the 3-dessert tasting menu for $30...and this is where it went downhill. The menu caption reads: 'only 10 made per day' so I was a little surprised that I could still order it at 4pm in the afternoon. Little did I know that the reason why it was available was because each of the three dishes was so microscopically small. The serving sizes were a complete joke and I'm super disappointed to have ordered this item. Bummed out that an establishment such as this could try to pull a fast one. read more

Delicious Japanese desserts!!! Randomly found this place on Yelp when I was looking up another restaurant in the area. Read about the many good reviews and decided to pay it a visit. My hubs and I ordered two desserts - sesame creme brûlée and hojicha jello! They both were soOOOo good! Both very flavorful yet not overwhelmingly sweet like typical Japanese desserts. Cha-An has quite an extensive dessert menu, I can't wait to come back again to try other items. read more

Cha-An - Sesame creme brûlée - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

It's cozy place for winter and food is tasty. My only complaint is, the place is quite small, so u have to expect a regular 30 minutes wait. I ordered a egg salad toast and chef's dessert sampler. I love them both! I have to mention about the bathroom, they have the best toilet which has lots of different functions, warming seat, cleaning, etc. so I added the last star for the bathroom! read more

Cha-An - Chef's selection of dessert sampler - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I love love LOVE cha-an! The lunch and dinner sets are delicious and their side dishes change every day! The 7 grain rice they use is so tasty! Service here is really great, they will refill your teapot a few times so you get the most out of the tea leaves. The hojicha is my favorite tea offering that I've tried there so far, but no matter which you choose you really cannot go wrong. The salmon toast is really delicious as well, the toast is a bit sweet and soft and the salmon is cooked perfectly. The desserts are all mild in their sweetness which I enjoy, because sometimes less is more. The parfait, sesame creme brulee, and flans are really good, but I think the best dessert they offer is the Raspberry Chocolate souffle. It is AMAZING!! I get this every time I go without fail. The only upsetting experience I EVER had here was the last time I went, the 'dessert of the day' (which comes with the full meal set) was what tasted like frozen brownie bits with strawberries. I expected more from them, even though I know the 'set meal' dessert is always a small dish, in the past with that set I've gotten green tea flan. Even a small scoop of ice cream would have been better than that! read more

Great desserts. My favorite dessert here is the chocolate mochi. YUMMMMMMMMMMM. The various teas and milk teas are good too although sometimes I feel the menu looks confusing. Definitely a nice place to grab a cuppa and some dessert with friends. read more

LOVE this place. I discovered it by accident on my trip to NY one year. Ever since then, I'll go back any time I'm in NY. The dinner set comes with your choice of tea, brown rice bowl, condiments, and a set of dessert. I wouldn't say it's enough food for a guy but the dessert makes up for it. Their green tea flan is superb and I haven't been able to find another place that can compare. Great place to have quiet talk with friends or for a date. Best thing is they have a semi-open kitchen so you can see them preparing for your tea and dessert. read more

Cha-an is an authentic tea-room in a great neighborhood. It is a little bit tucked away up a flight of stairs, so you won't be finding tourists or annoying American kids in there (no offense, I am just trying to say that it is authentic). There is a diverse selection of teas, and you should be able to find something that suits your taste. Try one of the sets that includes cookies and pastries for a nice snack. It is a bit on the pricey side, but not unreasonable. I would suggest stopping for afternoon tea or for late night socializing. For a SECRET BONUS, check out the bathroom. They have one of those ultra-fancy Japanese toilets that has all all kinds of cleaning and drying functions. One of the only one of these toilets that I have found in NY. If you don't know what I mean, check it out and you will understand. read more

Words alone cannot describe how much I love this place! I knew, deep down, that our serendipitious encounter was meant to be :) The three course dessert item is the perfect finale to an evening date either with someone of romantic interest or just friends! Also, the bathroom's decor is out of this world! So tranquil and unbelievably clean. read more

A solid 4 stars. When my friend suggested this place for dinner, I was skeptical, maybe because there were only two choices for dinner- I was sort of wondering if it'd be like a fastfood joint, but with even less choices. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was absolutely delicious- all the courses were light, but by no means were they not filling. I loved the soy milk quiche they make here. I almost wanted seconds. If you're here to check it out, I suggest dessert and traditional tea. The staff was so friendly, constantly refilling my teapot and asking if i needed anything else. My only regret is that I was too full to have more than 2 bites of the wonderful dessert, so I shall be returning again. SOON. read more

My friend took me there for a late night desert and recommended black sesame brulee. I LOVE it, and didn't feel guilty to go to the gym afterwards. It's well balanced between your desire and lightness~~ I also ordered kenmai cha. my friend warned me that it contained a very high level of cafeine, but I ignored it since i'm a pretty regular tea drinker. oooo, wrong again, couldn't sleep until 3am. But still recommend it to everyone for an afternoon tea. The environment is also very suitable for old friends to catch up. Good service. read more

Went there again tonight for the millionth time and I must recommend their iced chai tea latte or iced sencha (green tea). Their green tea is truly amazing--no bitter aftertaste and oh-so-fragrant. I bought a 1-oz package of it to take home ($8) and am sipping on it as I type. Worth every penny. Service, as usual, was absolutely perfect. read more

Cha-An - Cha-An Toast - One of the best desserts I've ever had. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

A really great spot to sit back and sip on some tea. The prices rangefrom $5 - $15 or so for tea and that includes refills. The desserts are about $7 or so a piece but are really good. I strongly recommend their flan and creme brulee. Neither are overpowering with flavor, but instead of a very subtle yet noticeable taste. So it's not the cheapest spot out there, but if you're stumbling around in the EV and want a different place to hang out besides a coffee shop or a bar, give this one a chance. read more

SUPER CUTE! Its just like you disappeared into a little japanese tea house. I love their sets, everything is delicious and the presentation is so pretty. Tea comes with each set and you can pick. They also have different sets for each day of the week so you know what you are ordering is fresh! The only thing is the menu is limited and its not a lot of food. I'd say its a good place to go for afternoon tea or when you want something light. Oh and try out the bathroom it has those cool japanese toilets! read more