Hands down the BEST tea shop! Their Genmaicha is my favorite!!! I always buy in bulk so I don't have to make the drive to Japantown to try and find/pay for parking. They import their teas straight from Japan so, their teas are priced accordingly. The shop is owned by a mother/daughter duo, and the staff is always so pleasant and sweet. I will always buy bulk before travelling home to Canada, so I can give some to my family as presents. They LOVE the Genmaicha, as well! read more

This tea shop cannot be beat! They have a variety of Japanese green teas and all the tea ware that you can imagine. They have traditional sets and also adorable cat versions as well. There are a few special things about this shop. One is that they specialize in green tea from Japan. Also, starting Friday they will being to have a tea expert share their knowledge with shoppers and will even have evening classes after hours to teach you how to properly prepare all of the teas they have onsite. I was really impressed with the staff's knowledge of tea and their attention to detail. Today was there soft opening so I can't wait to see what they will have in store once their business really gets underway. read more

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They have very good quality tea. They have samples too. I always buy the bags of tea and give them out as presents. They also have very kawaii tea dishes , figurines, and other items. The staff here is very friendly and helpful and they are very dog friendly read more

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There is nothing bad about this tea shop. The owners are lovely, the samples are pure, and the products are high-grade. Teas by the cabinet are from different areas of Japan. Along the walls of the shop are various teaware ranging from $10 to $100. You can find anything in your price range. I bought two $30 cups that similar in style and had a nice drip glaze. Both times I came in, they had samples of both Hojicha and Sencha for customers to try. read more

My friends and I stopped in after ramen to check the scene out. Right away the sweet obaa-san greeted us with genmaicha and beckoned towards the counter. We sampled a variety of cold brew teas including two kinds of hojicha and a sencha. A very kind man discussed with us about the tea's regional origins. He even offered us some umami-bomb gyokuro! We had to leave for a three o'clock appointment at another tea tasting, but we swore we would return. He showed us his technique for fukamushi sencha - I've never tasted such sweetness from green tea before! Both my friends ended up buying some fukamushi and hojicha, and I would have as well if I hadn't spent my yearly tea budget already :D ChaTo has a fine assortment of tea caddies, matcha bowls and other tea ceremony goods, a variety of mugs and Japanese clay cups, kyusu, everything a tea enthusiast might need. The tea is somewhat affordable for its high quality based on everything we tasted. I look forward to returning later in the year! read more

Been coming here for years. They make you feel at home. Great customer service and very high quality teas and products for very reasonable prices. Usually I get sencha or genmaicha but I Purchased a pound of houjicha just now and man you can just smell the quality. I can't wait to try it at home. Highly recommended this place. Supporting a small business this amazing is easy. Thank you for existing! read more

Wow, what a wonderful tea shop! The incredibly friendly and knowledgable owners provide lessons on how to make tea and ample samples of their high grade products. The shop also sells everything you could need for a tea-making experience. read more

Adorable little Japanese tea shop. The older lady there was so sweet and kind to my mother and I, offering tea sample after tea sample and encouraging us to stay an extra week for the Cherry blossom festival. I had to buy 3 delicious bags of tea and two beautiful glass tea infusers from her for myself and gifts for friends. Can't wait to come back next time I'm in SF. They also had so many unique and hand made tea cups and accessories. Great little store with heartwarming customer service. Thank you for making our trip!! read more

I have been looking for a tea spot in SF for a while, came across this place and fell in love!!! I am brand new to being a tea enthusiast and the man at the shop was so kind and helped educate me on starting out as a tea enthusiast. Super chill environment with lots of tea options!!! Would definitely recommend. read more

Great place to purchase tea sets and loose tea leaves! Service was great. They are super polite and warm. I bought 2 different types of tea leaves there! They look like they are very authentic in the way they serve and prepare teas. Every tea has different preparation (water temperature etc.). They are very knowledgeable about teas and I think if you are a serious tea drinker, this is one of the best places to get different types of asian teas!! read more

ChaTo is such a lovely shop filled with different kinds of tea! The staff that work here are extremely sweet and helpful. Pre-covid, they gave out tea samples which was really nice! They gave me a sample tea bag when I visited which is also wonderful. I go here to buy matcha and hojicha powder for baking purposes. They also have an online store now too. I highly recommend checking this place out! read more

They were very friendly. I'm not too familiar with Japanese teas, but they gave us samples of a delicious cold brew hojicha that was delicious! They also have incredibly beautiful tea cups. read more

I don't usually write reviews but I had such a great experience. Came in randomly to buy tea and left very happy! The store associates were very nice and let you smell the loose tea leaves they have at the register (highly recommend the genmaicha), they also gave me a sample of hojicha after checking out which was very nice of them. Prices for the tea cups were also much better than the other tea stores in Japantown. read more

A great place to buy gifts. The teapots and cups are handmade and beautiful. We even got tiny hand-painted cat sculptures for good luck. The staff are lovely people and offered us free drinks upon entering the store. They deal everything with care. read more

ChaTo - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Have some high-end products. They carry some of most beautiful ceramics for tea. read more

Ordinarily I don't write reviews but after visiting ChaTo, was excited to do so. As a novice tea drinker still learning and full of questions, I was greeted with incredible enthusiasm and a breadth of knowledge that definitely impressed. The man who helped me took time to open a number of different varieties and explain the difference while asking questions about what I wanted to get out of my experience. As a bonus, you get a tester of a different type with your purchase. 10/10 definitely going back. read more

Highly recommended! The owner and everyone there are welcoming and friendly. They take their time to teach my husband and I the difference between all the tea and sampling. The difference between high end and low end tea smell. They never gave us the feeling or the pressure the need to buy from them. They really focus on the quality of the tea and knows it well. To my understanding, all their tea are imported from Japan. A little pricer than grocery market but worth it for the higher quality. We bought the roasted hojicha and the roast brown rice green tea. My parents and in laws love the tea! read more

5/5 would definitely recommend this new shop. The customer service here is excellent. I came in trying to find a Christmas gift without any knowledge of tea. The owner, Hideko, guided me through the different tea choices and gave me instructions on how to brew good tea. In addition, she has a variety of cup choices and tea tools for every occasion. There are unique hand made pieces and some budget friendly cup sets that would suit any tea lover. They also have tea samples for anyone who wants to try. Their gift wrapping service is also top notch for anyone looking for a nice Xmas gift. read more

ChaTo - Gift wrapping! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

I love this store! Last time I was here I purchased their delicious matcha and an adorable cat mug. They have a great selection of items for tea lovers, but what makes this store really special is the staff. The women working there are always so friendly and kind. My boyfriend and I love visiting every time we're in the city. I definitely recommend it. read more

I absolutely love this place. The staff is incredibly friendly and know what they are talking about. The tea is also amazing. They let you try samples of their tea so you know what you are getting. read more

ChaTo - The tea and teapot I got from here. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great tea shop! Staff were super friendly and very informative of the types of teas and there origin. I will come back for sure, they made my day! I can't wait to sip on my tea!!! read more

ChaTo - I don't know what it is written but I imagine it would say good green tea!!! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Francisco, California

We are so lucky to have this Japanese Tea shop in the bay area. The finest quality green teas i've been able to find locally. The staff is so incredibly nice and knowledgable. One of the best experiences i've ever had. Absolutely the finest Matcha i've ever tasted. Please go here and support this amazing little shop!! They also have amazing Sencha, Gyokuro, Genmaicha, and Tea Accessories. read more

So wonderful!!!! This shop is run by the nicest people. The tea is absolutely amazing. They have all sorts of tea paraphernalia. Did I say the most amazing tea!!!?? Yes. It is super yummy. They sell this cool diffuser too. The prices are fabulous. Little samples to help you decide. I will be back again to try and buy another tea. Don't miss this spot in Japantown. read more

My wife and I came here to learn about Matcha. We were immediately greeted with some delicious samples of their cold-brew tea before receiving an incredibly thorough and helpful tutorial on Matcha. The lady helping us showed us how to make it, and gave us samples of their entire selection. When we finally decided on what tea to buy, she gave us a bamboo scooping spoon for free! Everyone was so pleasant and nice. I wish I could add a 6th star. read more

Having come back from Japan in January, it has been challenging in locating some QUALITY matcha. I happened upon this place during the cherry blossom festival and discovered that they carry LEGIT ceremonial matcha from Uji, Japan. If you're looking for quality Japanese tea, I wouldn't go anywhere else. The older lady that works there is really nice, as was the rest of the staff. They are fairly new to the area, and I really hope they stick around. They definitely helped in filling out something SF was missing. read more

ChaTo is one of the few (if not only) place in San Francisco with employees that are experts in Japanese teas. They have a great selection of authentic Japanese teas and accessories. I highly recommend this shop if you want to enjoy quality tea the right way! read more

My favorite tea shop to buy quality tea. They're very knowledgeable of their products and techniques of how to brew tea. They also offer a tea ceremony workshop once a month with a tea ambassador from Japan as an instructor. It won't be a traditional tea ceremony, but they will teach you how to make matcha the correct way with a bamboo wisk. The ambassador will also tell you interesting facts about tea. read more

I'm so happy and excited I found this tea shop. I've been searching all over for hojicha powder and I ordered some from amazon that was expensive and not very flavorful. They have it here!!! Also they have amazing loose leaf teas - I bought a light hojicha with sweet undertones. The shop owner is so nice, and let us try a bunch of samples to help us decide what to buy. I will definitely be back :) read more

Free sample of quality Japanese tea. Current samples are sencha, houjcha, genmaicha. Sencha priced at 150 g $15, 300 g $28. Excellent quality of tea and friendly customer service. read more

Learned a lot about tea from the wonderful people running the store. The sencha gemaicha houjicha is the best! Went out of our way to go back for more tea to send to family abroad. read more

Wonderful spot. Ladies running the shop are gracious and knowledgeable. A must visit when in Japantown, SF.

To think that, until I discovered ChaTo a few years ago, I was buying my tea out of the supermarket. The very helpful ladies at this store have not only introduced me to high-quality teas but also taught me the difference between the types (Want a savory tea? Try a gyokuro). They are also always willing to answer questions about proper temperatures, steeping times, etc. Definitely worth a visit if you're looking to level up your tea game. read more

Their cold brew tea are the best! Not only they offer premium tea but the owners are very knowledgeable about tea and tea making. I'm so glad that we discovered this place and recommend it to anyone who is curious what great tea tastes like. Recommendation: Cold brew Hojicha and cold brew Gyokuro. read more

ChaTo is a great store to buy a gift for someone else or yourself. They have a fun assortment of maneki-neko (the waving cat) but of more interest, to me at least, is their cold-brew tea selection, which they always happily serve samples. While the cold-brew coffee sensation is in full bloom, the cold-brew tea craze is still in its infancy. And there is perhaps no better place to get acquainted with this fledgling industry than here at ChaTo. In my instance, I sampled and then bought the roasted rice green tea blend. I always loved the roasted rice hot teas I've had in Japanese and Korean restaurants, so this was a perfect fit for me. It especially tastes wonderful on a warmer day. I also bought the cold-brew tea bottle, which was a tad expensive, but is high quality and made in Japan-- something that I value. Tea aside, I was happy to support this small business and look forward to my next visit. Thanks folks! read more

Great find. Stumble on to this place. Good variety of tea!! Very friendly and knowledgeable.

ChaTo is a legit Japanese green tea shop. You'll be greeted with free samples of cold brew (genmaicha, hojicha) by the friendliest staff ever! They carry medium to high-end teaware and source mostly premium teas (e.g. ceremonial matcha, high-quality sencha, gyokuro, and shincha if it's May) imported from Japan. I would do a bit of research before shopping here, but the staff are more than willing to answer any questions or guide you towards items that are right for you (for example, I mentioned I was new to brewing, and so they insisted on more entry-level kyusus rather than trying to sell me more expensive, higher-end equipment). They also have a monthly tea brewing class which costs $25! The topic varies, but just ask! read more

My new favorite tea shop! Delicious tea and beautiful tea-ware. The customer service is very good as well as the tea selection. They always have tasting samples which is a plus. I highly recommend it. read more