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    Kemi Dessert Bar

    4.7 (37 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 1 week ago

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    Sesame ball salt bread
    Hanna K.

    We love Kemi!! Kemi has lovely Asian-inspired desserts that change seasonally. The flavors are unique and the treats are not too sweet, which really lets the ingredients shine. The staff is super friendly, and street parking was very easy to find. So far, I've tried the mango sticky rice crispy treat (which was served at a different pop-up store) and the sesame ball salt bread, which was a Kemi's own pop-up item that they were also selling at their main store. I know they're known for the rice crispy treats, but I loved the sesame ball salt bread so much more - it was as if a red bean sesame ball like that ones you get at dim sum had a baby with salt bread, which I thought was super creative, and the salt bread itself was very well-executed. The mango sticky crispy treat was also great - light, airy, but still maintained strong flavors. I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

    Inside
    Vince P.

    Kemi Dessert Bar is an awesome local bakeshop serving up some unique Asian-inspired pastries and drinks. Street parking will be your best bet to get here and there is a good amount of it around the area. Inside, they have a cozy interior with limited seating. Wifey and I ended up trying the Golden Hour drink and a Mango Sticky Rice Krispy. We really enjoyed all the flavors and supporting an AAPI-owned business. All of the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. Definitely come stop by to check them out if you are ever in the area!

    Pandan crumble cookie
    Vinh M.

    A friend kept telling me about this place, and it had since been on my list to try for the longest time. On a Friday afternoon I decided to power walk it here around 3:30pm before they close at 5pm... it was more like I didn't want to get there and not have anything be in stock. Thankfully, I came in to a view of this place's kitchen, and some bench seating and minimal decorations and merchandise to the immediate right-hand side. All kinds of cake and cookies were displayed up at the front counter, most of them being crumble cookies and cheesecake. Servers answered some of my questions regarding popular flavors and recommendations from others, and it was pretty hard to choose especially for someone with an insatiable sweet tooth. I eventually got their pandan crumble cookie and a slice of their black sesame mochi basque cheesecake: - The pandan crumble cookie had a nice crumble to it, and pandan taste was quite strong. Not too sweet, either. - The black sesame mochi cake was a little too much since I'm not a fan of cheesecake, but surprisingly the cheese didn't take over the black sesame mochi layer on top. This is one of their monthly flavors at the time of this writing, and it did not disappoint. They have a good handful of pastries they offer as a dessert bar, so I'll need to make a return trip here to give them a try!

    Carolyn D.

    I absolutely adore this dessert bar! Their use of Asian flavors in their desserts is so unique and very well executed. I believe their menu is rotating so I would love to come back to try other desserts that they have. It was already so hard to decide what to order this time. For pastries I got the pandan cookie crumble, Vietnamese coffee cookie, and the Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake. All of them were not too sweet -- the best compliment an Asian person can give for a dessert. All the cookies were very soft! Pandan cookie crumble - so delicious!!! I love a good pandan dessert and the flavor really comes through. Usually when I've had pandan desserts it is more vanilla or coconut forward, but this cookie was so pandan forward. The coconut flakes are a nice touch. Vietnamese coffee cookie - you can taste the espresso grounds in this one. It's very strong on the coffee, however it wasn't giving Vietnamese coffee to me. Maybe some condensed milk somehow? It was still good though. Japanese sweet potato basque cheesecake - I'm not an expert on basque cheesecake but this was good. I liked the subtle sweet potato addition to it. My friends got their drinks and I got to sip on a few of them. I found their flavored matcha drinks to be light and refreshing, yet the syrups did not overpower the matcha. The group of people behind us did not following the limit of 5 people in the store unfortunately. It is a very small space and my friends noticed that when the group came in and ordered after them, the workers were getting orders confused. Not their fault at all! Please follow the instructions written outside. I can't wait to come back to try their other desserts and get myself more pandan cookies.

    Angela V.

    Such a cute little Place for some sweet treats! We parked to go to lunch around Cap Hill and randomly saw a sign for this place. We recently just saw an episode on Evening Magazine about it! So when we saw the sign, we're like "let's try it out!" And we're so glad we did! We were immediately greeted with smiles! Everything looks super yummy! They have a cool twist on rice krispy treats, such as ube, black sesame and mango flavors!! And each one of them are sooooo good! The black sesame was our favorite...usually black sesame flavored things are so subtle you can't taste it, or it's just not that good. But this, was exceptional! And oh my, I loved their classic salt bread!! Crunchy on the outside and savory gooey-ness on the inside! It was such a pleasant surprise how yummy that was. I will be coming back, for sure!

    Miso sesame cookie
    Yen D.

    Quick service. Only take away. Miso sesame cookie was good and $5. It was very good. Black sesame rice Krispy treat was excellent. Only street parking. Would come again.

    Alexa Z.

    Friendly and fast service. Street parking only. Slim to no space to sit and enjoy your treats but a short walk to Cal Anderson so you can have a little picnic. Everything here is unique and delicious! Love the rotating menu and the interesting flavor combinations. Highly recommend the blueberry jasmine matcha drink if they still have it.

    Merchandise case
    Wendy K.

    Have been to Kemi pop ups leading up to the opening of the shop. i actually first heard about Kelly on a trip to NYC a few years ago before she moved to Seattle. I was on the wrong side of town during her NYC pop up so was excited when she started doing pop ups in Seattle. And here we are today! So happy to see how far she's come. I actually had been here when the space was Coping Cookies is so wonderful to see how she has made it her own. Bright cute shop with lovely live plants and merchandise shelving. Service was friendly and quick. Most people probably come for her bakes but the beverages are unique and delicious. I had the Golden Hour a refreshing and delicious beverage,Mandarin Osmanthus Honey Yakult Sparkling water. I was going to get the get the special Peach Matcha but my friend ordered before me and got the last one. Actually glad it happened cause I wouldn't have got to experience this drink. My friend also got the last mango sticky rice crispy. I went with the black sesame rice crispy, vegan yuzu crinkle cookie and the Vietnamese coffee cookie. The black sesame was everything I wanted salty nutty and roasty how can you go wrong with brown butter? The cookies were on the softer side but not cakey I'm not a fan of the sweet cakey cookies that seem to be popular in other shops. I enjoyed the yuzu crinkle I love anything yuzu the candied yuzu peel really brightens it. Well I definitely need to go earlier next time. I was a little worried getting there a few hours before closing that some items would be out and that's what happened but that's a good thing for the shop. Congratulations Kelly! Glad I finally got to visit.

    Salted chocolate chip cookie
    Diana C.

    They have so many delicious dessert and drink options! They also have a few vegan items and the drinks can be made dairy free too. There were so many yummy things to choose from, including discounted day old cookies. The server was very knowledgeable about the ingredients too. There's only a small bench to sit and wait so it's mostly set up for to go but I will definitely be back. Especially for the vegan ube rice krispy treat and the hojichas.

    Drink Menu - November 2025
    Erin K.

    Great service! The black sesame rice krispy treat was delicious; not too sweet and the black sesame flavor really shined through. I also love seeing so many vegan options available! Will definitely have to return next time I'm in Seattle.

    Matcha drinks
    Teri N.

    Nice, clean, & cute little shop!! Matcha drinks taste is great!! Ube cake was moist, light, and very delicious. Cookies were perfect!! Will be back to try the rest!! The owner was extremely nice!! Perfect Little dessert Shop

    Eileen H.

    Kemi Dessert Bar has an awesome concept of Asian fusion desserts. I was very excited for their soft opening and ordered several different items to try: Cookies - I love chewy cookies and their Vietnamese Coffee Toffee cookie and Pandan cookie looked promising. The texture could have been better. I would describe these more as soft cookies because mine did not have a chewy texture. Considering that Vietnamese coffee is very strong and bold, I was surprised at how subtle the flavor was in the cookie. For the other cookie, I didn't taste the pandan flavor at all. Both cookies were very sweet. Strawberry Jasmine Kemi Cube - I wasn't sure what to expect of this, but it tasted like a sweet pound cake that was on the drier and more crumbly side. It just tasted sweet and didn't have a distinct flavor. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch. I wish I got the Earl Grey one instead since it's a stronger flavor in general. Mango Sticky Rice Krispies Treat - This was my favorite dessert out of the bunch. Out of all the desserts that I tried, I felt like they really captured the essence of mango sticky rice. The perfect bite was composed of chewy mango, toasted coconut, and rice krispies -- and it really is like having a rice krispies version of mango sticky rice! I can see why this is their most popular dessert. This one was understandably sweet due to the marshmallows. Rose Bouquet - I liked the flavor of my drink and appreciate the fresh puree. However, the puree overpowered the tea and I found this drink too sweet, like all of their other desserts. Parking - I went on a Saturday and parking was impossible. My boyfriend ended up dropping me off to make a quick order and circled around the neighborhood until I was done. Overall, I'm rounding up this review in support of this new business. I personally found all of the desserts to be too sweet for my liking and found the flavors to be hit or miss. Additionally, the parking was non-existent. I would recommend the Mango Sticky Rice Krispies Treat for those looking to make a visit, but I probably won't be back due to all the reasons listed.

    Kayla Y.

    the unique take on asian inspired flavored desserts is so interesting! not too sweet and honestly a great little snack. it's a small cute store with super sweet staff! street parking only though so good luck

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    Ask the Community - Kemi Dessert Bar

    Does anyone know what kind of gelatin is used in the rice crispy treats?

    It’s pork based!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    4.5
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    We came here mid-week after dinner for dessert…read more This is a small window with a few tables outside. They make amazing soft serve. They also have these adorable, beautiful fruit sandwiches on display. I also saw they have savoury bento items on the menu. We tried the hojicha soft serve ($6) and it was amazing. It's really just vanilla soft serve with a syrup of a flavor of your choosing - sesame, matcha, hojicha, etc. We were way too full to get the full sundae but we definitely want to get that next. You can have mochi topping too.

    Baiten offers creamy vanilla soft serve ice cream with your choice of syrup. The key word here is…read moresyrup, the ice cream itself is vanilla flavored, and the additional flavors come from the syrup options. They currently offer Matcha, Hoji-Tea, Kuro-Goma (black sesame), and Yuzu (Japanese citrus). The shop itself is very small since it's basically a window shop, either renting space from or connected to Tamari Bar. It's more like a little dessert stand located on the restaurant's patio area, with only a few outdoor tables available. The soft serve was okay, but not as creamy as I was hoping for, and it melted pretty quickly. If you decide to add a syrup flavor, I'd recommend asking for only a small amount. Mine came absolutely drowning in syrup, and honestly, the flavor tasted pretty artificial and overpowering.

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    Nana’s Green Tea

    Nana’s Green Tea

    4.3
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    If only every matcha spot was like this. Nana's has just about everything matcha you could want (or…read morethink of). From matcha lattes, to dessert options, to pastries and made-to-order meals. They also have other matcha / green tea options and hojicha drinks if you're looking for something different. The staff is great. I had a few questions because I couldn't decide what to order, and everyone was friendly and helpful - I was even able to add corn flakes to my matcha soft serve (which isn't listed on the menu), so it was nice to know I could customize it to my liking! The matcha tiramisu was the best I've had, and the hojicha latte with oat milk was just right. The flavor was nice and strong without being overpowering. Everything I had here truly stood out! I liked the variety on the menu and all of the different options. - it's extensive and you could find anything for everyone. It's one of the more memorable matcha spots I've been to, and I'd definitely stop by again the next time I'm in Seattle. If you love matcha like I do, definitely add this place to your list. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

    I hadn't been back to Nana's Green Tea in about two years, so I was excited to stop by again during…read moremy Seattle trip. Thankfully they are open today on the Fourth of July (they will just close a little earlier for the holiday), and I was happy to see that not much has changed since my last visit. Without even realizing it, I ended up ordering the exact same drink I got the first time: a Matcha Float with mochi. I guess you really can't go wrong with it because it's still just as creamy and satisfying as I remembered. The only tiny downside is that it only comes with three small mochi balls, so for almost $9 I wish there were a few more. However, the quality of the matcha is consistently excellent, sooo I don't regret coming back. They have wonderful customer service too! The employee helping me at the register was incredibly patient while I stood there trying to decide what to order. As an awkward introvert, I always feel a little flustered when ordering, but she never made me feel rushed or uncomfortable. She asked my sweetness preference for the Matcha Float, whether I wanted to dine in or take everything to go, and even carefully packed up my yuzu green tea packet with the rest of my order. She was very kind and thoughtful so just wanna say I really appreciate how welcoming she was. Even from my last Seattle visit two years ago, I still remember the employees being helpful and friendly here. I also have to recommend their desserts from my previous visit. (I skipped the sweets this time due to my budget but I still suggest picking up some of their sweets!). The Matcha Basque Cheesecake and the Matcha Tiramisu were both absolutely delicious, and I still remember how amazing they tasted even two years later. The tiramisu is only around $7 and is definitely worth trying if you're a matcha lover. This visit, I picked up their yuzu green tea packet to take home (last time, I got the hojicha). Each packet contains 15 individual tea bags and costs about $10 (not bad for how much tea is in each tea bag). They also sell matcha powder and other tea goodies. I'm looking forward to brewing the yuzu green tea at home since a good cup of hot tea is always comforting, especially when I'm sick (I've been recovering from a cold so tea has been a lifesaver to warm me up!). I actually stopped by for lunch since I didn't eat breakfast, and ordered the Sukiyaki Don (it was much more satisfying than I expected). I was craving a beef bowl and Nana's was one of the few places in the area within walking distance from my work, that was actually open for the holiday today, lucky me! It came with miso soup and a soft-boiled egg, and I was pleasantly surprised to find tofu and mushrooms in the bowl alongside the beef. It left me FULL, my tummy happy, heck yeah. Costs almost $20 but worth satisfying a craving. I won't lie.. I somehow managed to spend about $40 today between my meal, drink, and tea to take home. More than I intended to spend but no regrets, because everything was delicious and the quality has remained consistently high over the years. The only thing that made my visit a little uncomfortable wasn't the café itself. There were quite a few homeless individuals lingering around the front of the building, so I decided against dining out front like I had originally planned since I wanted to enjoy the nice weather, but one of them was panhandling me so I promptly left (thankfully I asked for my order to be packaged for takeout). That's obviously outside of the café's control, and it didn't affect the food or service at all. They still had many seats available inside but probably because it's the holiday. If I recall, the place was packed during the afternoon when I last visited on a weekday. I will still say that Nana's Green Tea continues to be one of my favorite matcha spots whenever I'm in Seattle. Between the consistently high-quality matcha, delicious meals and desserts, excellent selection of teas to bring home, and genuinely exemplary customer service, it's a place I'll happily keep returning to whenever I'm back in town and have the time to visit.

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    Pie Bar

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    Tldr: great late night staple. Deserted island is the best fruity pie, imho…read more Ambiance: small place in cap, with not so much seating due to the space. But they definitely maximize the space. It's cozy, a bit run down the chairs are now just covered with a seat cover. And it's only steer parking if ur driving. Ambiance: pretty chill service, we were the only ones there, gossiping late at night. He pretty much left us alone since we entertained us and gave us the check just when we were ready. Food: Im normally a chocolate dessert person, but the chocolate pie was a light chocolate. If you want a rich chocolate pie, this is not your pie. Honestly, the star of the show was deserted island. I don't normally like fruit pies but that's what I'll be ordering again. It's not too sour nor is it too sweet, everyone at the table agreed. It is the goldilocks of sweet and tartness for a fruit pie. Oh and definitely goes well with ice cream!

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    4.0
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    This is the kind of establishment Seattle deserves. It's a relatively quick turnaround after…read moreordering, family friendly, and they choose not to gouge the customer. They lean into forward thinking flavors, and present it without pretension. The vibes are laid back, but when it's busy you are reminded that you live in a city. There's plenty of outdoor seating, but it will get busy out of nowhere. My biggest complaint is that people don't respect the outdoor space. We live in such a beautiful place and people just throw their trash on the ground or leave the area they ate at outside messy. This slows down seating for the next person amongst other things. I'll save the cultural critiques embedded into my "food" reviews in our city for restaurants that aren't doing well. They keep things fun by rotating seasonal soft serve flavors. A lot of the sandwiches are fully loaded and you'll have to use both hands to keep the spillage in check. This place is proof that you can spend still $40-50 for two people to eat in Seattle and enjoy it. The perfect place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in the city.

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