I've tried a lot of matcha places, and this place is in my top 5. My friend tried the seasonal peach matcha latte, she gave me a sip and my first thought was how subtle the peach puree flavor was and it complemented the matcha drink really well. Tried the strawberry matcha latte for the first time, and I really enjoyed it - the strawberry puree wasn't too sweet or syrupy, and the matcha drink itself (half sweet) wasn't too powdery like other places (meaning the matcha powder is whisked well initially). Since the hype has gone down, there's no huge line anymore, even on the weekend. Service is fast with the cashier. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Strawberry Matcha Latte(Ice) / ストロベリー抹茶ラテ Peach Matcha Latte (Ice) - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I've heard many great things about this place, and wanted to try it ever since. We came around 10:30am on the weekend and it wasn't too packed when we entered, but the line grew quickly and was quite long by the time we left. I got a classic matcha latte with soy milk. The drink itself is quite large and a good amount for the price. Upon first sip you can definitely taste the quality of the matcha, and I appreciate how it isn't too sweet. While it was good, it wasn't anything that mind blowing. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Soy matcha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Hands down my favorite spot to get matcha in the bay area and the #1 place I recommend people to get high quality matcha. Maruwu Seicha's first location opened in Janatown SF, and I was so excited when they announced their second store in downtown Palo Alto - it's a dangerously close 15 minute drive for me. Maruwu has something for everyone - tea, latte's, cheese tarts, soft serve, gelato... so many options. It's been about 2 years since they've opened in Palo Alto, and lines are still out the door even on weekday evenings. Indoor seating is very limited as it's also a popular spot for people who like working from cafes so I'd recommend doing it grab-and-go rather than trying to do a catch up session here. Here's everything I've tried: - Cheese tarts: regular, matcha, taro - Latte: ube matcha - Soft serve: matcha, matcha & ube, matcha & hokkaido milk - Gelato: matcha no.3, matcha no.3 & hokkaido milk This place ain't cheap but so worth it. The cheese tarts definitely add up if you're buying multiple but they're so good - super creamy and flavorful, dont taste artificial at all. Personally I prefer eating them after they've been refrigerated, but some people like baking them so they are bit more gooey and melt in your mouth. Highly highly recommend if you're in the Palo Alto area!! read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Been here twice so far! I see myself coming again if I'm in the area :) Snowy matcha 50sweet: thought this was the perfect amount of sweetness and good matcha flavor Velvet soy matcha + soy top 50sweet: honestly wish I got 100sweet for this drink but I still enjoyed! Soy taste is different and fun to drink read more

Maruwu Seicha - Velvet soy matcha + soy top - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Tried the Pistachio Matcha and it was a pleasant surprise! I actually loved that the pistachio was the predominant flavor. It was creamy, nutty, and just the right level of sweetness. I would definitely order this again. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Pistachio Matcha Latte - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The new Velvet Soy Matcha with Soy Top is absolutely divine! I was genuinely shocked by how delicious it was. The matcha is rich, bold, and incredibly smooth. The tofu pudding is so comforting, I feels like I'm eating a traditional Asian dessert. The soy foam on top is creamy with just the right amount of sweetness, and it takes the drink to another level. As for their tarts, I have no words to describe how amazing they are. They're definitely expensive, but they're worth every penny. These cheese tarts will literally melt in your mouth. They also have fantastic matcha gelato, and my other favorite drink here is ube matcha. I just wish this Velvet Soy Matcha would become a permanent menu item because it's that good. I would happily drink it every day (just in case one day they remove it from the menu) read more

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In town to visit friends and family. One of our friends highly recommended Maruwu Seicha for dessert and it did not disappoint. I'm a huge fan of pistachio, so when I saw they had Matcha Pistachio it was a no brainer to order that. The gelato itself was incredibly smooth and creamy. It does cost an extra $1, but I thought the upgrade was worth it for the richer flavor. If you're also a pistachio lover or looking for something a little different from the classic matcha, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try! Service is standard and wish they had more outdoor seating while we had our dog with us. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Can't say no to a matcha drink and dessert place, but this one fell short. I came in excited to get the parfait dessert drink on a huge ad right by the door- love Japanese style desserts! First of all it was really hot and balmy in the store but this was at night - it was busy but I wouldn't say packed so I'm not sure what was happening with temp control in the store itself. At the register they didn't have the advertised item on the menu, so I went out of the store and snapped a pic of the ad. After more confusion they told me the item isn't being sold yet. Disappointing! And why would you advertise nonexistent menu items! I ended up with an iced hojicha latte with matcha soft serve. Soft serve was very good but very little beverage, just tons of ice to the top and overall was pricey. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Nonexistent item - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Really enjoyed the hokkaido snow top matcha latte. The snow top added an extra layer of taste which I thought enhanced the drink greatly. This is located in a main street on palo alto and the ambience and overall location of this place was very family friendly and such. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Always busy which is a great sign for a business but it's always inconsistent :/. You can order online for pick up but I don't think it's the full menu online. I do like the egg tarts and ice cream though! read more

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The soft serve was great, the other drinks were hit or miss, for instance the pistachio matcha drink was awful. The matcha tart is quite bitter & not for everyone, ube tart was ok, wish the tart crust were more crispy read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

So disappointed with the amount of icecream on the latte. Literally just a dollop! The pictures on the screen were too misleading. I have been craving soft serve ice cream and was seriously weighing what to get. Thought with the extra $$ I paid for this order, I would be getting a taste of both worlds. :-/ Now reading the review below, seems like the owner is very stingy. I see why the server refused to even talk to me (just kept on shaking head 'no' from afar) when I was trying to check whether what I got was the correct amount. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Matcha latte with ice cream - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We came here on a Saturday afternoon and there was a bit of a line but it moved very fast and we were able to order and get our drink relatively quickly. The ambiance was very aesthetic and lively. I ordered the Fresh Taro with Matcha Fuji (Snow Top) with medium ice, half sweet (which were both the lowest options for both ice and sugar) and Hokkaido Whole Milk. I love that there were milk, sugar and ice options available. It was delicious! The taro with slight sweetness of the Hokkaido Whole Milk was delicious! The Matcha Snow too was not very creamy and not too sweet, which really enhanced the flavor! Overall, I really liked my drink and will be back in the future to try more items from the menu. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Fresh Taro with Matcha Fuji (Snow Top) - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Nice café! It was brisk outside even for Palo Alto. I ordered the hot Matcha Latte with sub of oat milk. It was good. On the side I ordered the matcha tart. So cute! Very matchy taste. I like the flaky base of the tart. For $4.50 for the matcha tart, I suppose it is moderately priced for the size. The latte however came out to be over $8....yikes! Not my fav matcha latte purveyor. Just saying. But okay in a pinch. read more

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The matcha Hokkaido milk ice cream soft serve was delicious. Very creamy and highly recommended. I want to come back and try their Gelato and some of their drinks like the hojicha black sesame latte. There were 2 tablets to order from and a line out the door on a Saturday afternoon. It probably took about 20 minutes to order. There are several tables to sit at and it was a little crowded but our group of 4 was able to find a table inside to sit at. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Matcha Hokkaido swirl ice cream soft serve - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I ordered the snowy matcha latte with oatmilk ahead online and my drink was ready for pickup within 5 minutes later. This location was busy and full yesterday, Sunday afternoon around 3pm, with tons of people studying or socializing. Although there were many people inside, there would have been no line if I chose to order in person instead. The snowy matcha latte at half sweetness was perfect level of sweet; the matcha flavor was still the main character and was very pleasant. Taste was more umami, not a grassy flavor. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Best matcha ever!! Long lines but goes quick. It was my first time there and had questions ordering and they helped me find something i'd like. read more

Definitely one of my go-to spots in the Bay for solid matcha. This time I tried the iced strawberry matcha latte less sweet which perfectly hit the spot and was so smooth. Their gelato is so yummy as well. Service is okay, but very efficient and fast. They also have some indoor seating but depending on the day/time can get quite busy. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Strawberry matcha latte - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The pistachio matcha is really good, but tastes mainly pistachio more than matcha. Still good, and it's not overly sweet. Pretty location similar to a Matcha Maiko. Their ube egg tart was also sweet but I would skip their matcha one, since the sweetness overpowers the matcha and so it tastes like a regular egg tart. Standard service Overall, it's good and it's a cute matcha spot for a first date or working session. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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The line seemed pretty long when we walked in, but it moved relatively quickly. The set-up is super weird, you walk all the way in to order, and you could either order via the kiosk or talk to a real person. But then you walk to the door to wait for your order. It's usually the other way around, it just doesn't flow very well. Matcha soft serve has a pretty strong matcha taste and it's not too sweet. The matcha latte didn't really stand out. One big turnoff was the attitude of one of the ladies serving the soft serve, she kept on saying number+name for an order. I got super confused since it's my number but not my name. Then she got super impatient and was like are you that number or not!? The customer next to me was super confused as well. But with that attitude, I don't think I would be coming back. read more

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Love how the lines have died down now that Maruwu has expanded to other areas in the South bay. Ironically, my favorite thing here are their tarts. I could eat like ten in one sitting. Every flavor is tasty. Their ice creams are a bit too rich for me, so I always have to share it. Hokkaido milk was definitely the hardest one to finish, it just had this heavy cream taste that I couldn't stomach well. Drinks tend to be on the sweeter side, wish I could taste more matcha. Interior is a bit small so if you're coming during peak hours, prepare to eat your order outside or wait. read more

I live in San Jose and know they opened up a location here not too long ago, but I never found the time to try it out. We decided to stop by the Palo Alto location while in the area and it was BUSY. The line moves along pretty quickly but it never dies down so it gets quite crowded inside and honestly, the layout of the store makes it a lot worse. I must say though the wait and the overstimulation was worth it - I ordered the matcha latte with Hokkaido soft serve and a Hokkaido cheese tart. The matcha was so smooth and the soft serve added the perfect amount of creaminess without being too heavy or sweet. The cheese tart was really good as well, super rich though so I probably wouldn't be able to eat more than one. Overall a great place to stop by for a good cup of matcha, planning to check out the San Jose location next! read more

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Decided to try this spot as a dessert, came in around 6pm, there was not much line but they only have limited options at that point so we ended up getting just the Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve. It's pretty good, the serving was quite plenty as well, we thought since the cup is shaped like that, that maybe the contents are only little. But surprisingly it's quite plenty. Taste was good, it was sweeter than I'm used to for a hokkaido soft serve. We didn't eat the Hokkaido cheese tart til next day. It was still pretty good, my bf really liked it. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve and Hokkaido Cheese Tart (inside the bag) - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Delicious egg tarts in all flavors. Beautiful interior design. Services was quick but their ice cream machine was slow. Overall we will be back for the tart. read more

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Solid Matcha spot in town. Probably might go to spot also for drinks like Boba. Got the Matcha drink iced with Boba and also a Matcha with the Hokkaido milk soft serve. Drinks were overall absolutely delicious, of course, pricier due to inflation. Service was very fast. We got our drinks within a few minutes. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Went to their location in Hawaii and had to try it here in Palo Alto! Great quality matcha! I got a matcha latte with matcha snow top and it was so delicious. My boyfriend got the hojicha black sesame latte with a snow top and it was more savory but still really great. Line was alright, busy on weekends. This place is worth the hype. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Matcha latte and hojicha black sesame latte - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Came here after I did Pilates in the area and loved it! I've been to the Japantown location, so once I found out there was one in Palo Alto, I had to go. A spacious area! Great place to do work as there's several seats and a long table. Easy ordering process through the iPad and my drink came out quickly. Also no line at around 11am on a Tuesday. Iced Matcha Latte with Soy Milk (50% sweet): 10/10! Just the right amount of creaminess, with the taste of matcha. I love how there's almond and soy options! This place has become my fave matcha spot! read more

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One of the best matcha spots I've tried so far. Everything tasted great and well made. The soft serve was amazing, super creamy without being too sweet. The drinks were great too. Hello to my new matcha spot! read more

Maruwu Seicha - Half Hokkaido cream and half pistachio matcha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Cute little spot! I met up with one of my girlfriends here for a start to our valentines day together. First off, this place is happening! So many folks were here, we definitely had to jump at a chance to grab a table. I got the pistachio matcha! So yummy and nutty. My friend always gets the strawberry matcha. She says it's great since the strawberry syrup is sweet enough without any additional sweetener. We also shared the matcha ice cream, so yummy! We sat and chatted here for a bit before heading off to our next adventure! But what a cute little place to hang out! read more

Maruwu Seicha - Interior - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I loooove this place! It's super super crowded, but what place isn't in PA when it's good! I've been here at least a few dozen times over the year and I have yet to share this bc I really don't need more ppl here then it already is. The place has a kiosk and a cashier so lines move efficiently in the kiosk if you know what you want it takes seconds. People tend to make the line go out the door bc they're waiting on one cashier. The kiosk is very efficient and quicker tbh. They push their drinks super fast! There are no seats bc ppl tend to talk and it's super crowded inside and out. Once you find seating it's like a gold mine. Ppl tend to stay for hrs it feels like. It can get pretty loud bc it's small and packed from the groups of ppl going there and the line that also crowds the place. Anyways, doesn't matter what day you come it's guaranteed to be packed. It has one of the best matchas in town in any flavor and it's real matcha and real toppings and I can customize milk and level of sweetness to zero is how I enjoy it. I get the ube matcha and I've tried other flavors when my mom and sis orders but I prefer the same drink. Their gelato matcha is oh so good! It's not as sweet and the depth of the matcha is so smooth and decadent! I literally feel like they can sell me a pint or gallon and I'll eat it all in a sitting. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Ube matcha with almond milk and zero sweetness is how I enjoy this bad boy - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

A must whenever I am in the area! The layout of the space just makes it look crowded and full all the time. The line gets backed up because they have two kiosks you can order from. Your order comes out pretty quickly. My favorite thing to get is the matcha with the okinawa boba. So good. The matcha tastes great and the boba is perfectly chewy. The gelato is creamy and not too sweet. Highly recommend!!! read more

Finally tried the matcha! The quality is really good! My matcha latte was strong, smooth, and very fragrant. Best matcha latte I've had in America so far (although I haven't sought out too many matcha places haha). It gets busy but they're pretty fast. I just ordered on the kiosk, super easy! Because it can get so busy it's not the most cozy cafe to sit in peace or work...not sure what they can do about that though. Also inside was a bit messy...they need to sweep and clean the tables more often. Other than that, still a great place for matcha and Asian treats (cheese tarts!!). read more

Maruwu Seicha - Taro Cheese Tart - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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As a matcha snob, I usually only drink matcha at home. I've had matcha from matcha cafes and places before but I've never had a great matcha out. Until now. We walked in to Maruwu Seicha and I know immediately I could trust this place. I ordered an iced matcha, 50% sweet, and it was amazing. Exactly what I was hoping. I wish I lived closer! read more

Cute cafe with a spacious interior, definitely a popular spot among Stanford students to eat and work at. You self order at a kiosk and then the service is quite fast. I enjoyed my drink, though I'm quite biased towards anything with ube flavors. The ube and matcha both tasted fresh (non syrup) but the drink was more like ube and matcha put together; there wasn't any intricate thought to it. It did come with quite a bit of ice, and I don't think there was any option to get less ice, so that detracts some from the drink. On the other hand, there's a lot lacking for the cheese tarts and I would skip on it next time. The matcha cheese tart is far too tarty for me; I think it would be a lot better if it had a bit more sweetness to balance the tart. The Hokkaido cheese tart is better than the matcha one and it allows you to really taste the freshness of the cheese, but there was still a slight sweetness issue and the tart itself was pretty average. 4.3/5 read more

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The lines tend to be really long however you can order online so you don't have to wait to order. The drinks are made with an in between of savory and rich match and the cheese tarts were the best combo. If you like cream cheese flavors then the tarts are definitely worthwhile. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Strawberry matcha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Walked through Palo Alto and spotted a familiar sight, the Maruwu Seicha known for its matcha and soft serves. I've tried the one in SF Japantown previously and was ready for my next matcha hit. Lines were about 10 minutes long on a Saturday afternoon, and I was able to order online to skip the line. There's usually seating and tables at the cafe, but it was a bit crowded at the time, with folks on their computers and some leisurely sipping their drinks. Ordered the ube matcha made with Hokkaido milk. It was creamy without a milky taste, and melded beautifully with the matcha. There wasn't too much ube, and it was a bit thick, but I believe it's made with real ube. It had a nice nutty and custardy quality to it. The matcha was nice, all the flavors minimized the grassiness one might find otherwise. Not too sweet either, the perfect tiny hit with each sip. Overall, I enjoyed the drink and would come back to try other matcha lattes. read more

Maruwu Seicha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Famous matcha store at Palo Alto. I been here couple of times and everytime there is always busy and have line of customer but it move very quickly. Ordering system is straight forward and easy. This store has sitting area but it is considered loud if you are thinking of working while having your matcha as yhe store is not big and between table only hsve little space for walking.. Skme customer don't control their voice so it is kind of not pleasant. We ordered the matcha drink and they are good. They only serve all cold matcha. It is interesting when we want hot matcha we will end up going to coffee shop. read more

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I came with high expectations and unfortunately they didn't quite hit the spot. This location is in downtown Palo Alto, so parking can be difficult especially during peak hours. There was a long line, which was expected the since they're all over social media. However, after trying the drinks, it certainly didn't seem it worth the wait. We got the Strawberry Matcha Latte, Lychee Matcha Latte, Matcha Latte, and Strawberry Cheese Tart. We all thought that the drinks were pretty subpar. The matcha was weak and the drinks tasted watered down. I enjoyed the Strawberry Cheese Tart, but the drinks should be the star of the show and it was disappointing. I'm willing to give them another chance since I saw that they opened a closer location in San Jose. But after my experience here, I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to revisit. read more

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I come here many times because I love the matcha soft serve. However the last couple visit have gotten progressively worse!!! You pay about 8 dollars for a drink or soft serve, and if you ask for light ice they still pack it with ice and honestly you get hardly any drink, secondly lately the lady that made my cone the last few times likes to do a big circle and leave a big hole in the soft serve which also now leaves you with less / hardly any ice cream for your money. Most importantly I had the worst customer service from her this last visit. It was so bad another lady waiting for her items asked for her name and told her the same things I was saying. I have to say the day I went in, the young lady working the register was very sweet and helpful. Hats off to her for knowing what customer service is. Most importantly, the older lady working drinks and the soft serve machine about 1:30 ish ( name might be vaung? Didn't hear after when I walked away) today was rude as all can be and so unprofessional!!! Her alone makes me not want to go back. I ordered 2 drinks and a soft serve. My order was called out. when I went to retrieve it, It was missing the soft serve and the one drink didn't have the soft serve in it either. I told her my order is missing two things and she yells out this is order 2. I said it's wrong and she pushes the drinks towards me. I explained again what's wrong and she proceeded to help someone else. Comes back and says this is your order. I pull out my receipt and say there's no soft serve cone or soft serve in the drink, and may I please have a bag for the drinks. She goes to make my cone finally, gives me my cone and again I have to say there's no soft serve in the drink. She looks at the drink like I'm lying and then inspected the drink to see if there was any. smh ... literally looks at the drink and starts shaking it to see if there's any. Then finally does go to take care of it. She comes back with it. I asked for a bag again and then she says I need to charge you. Mind you, i'm holding the cone in one hand and the two drinks in my other arm against my chest . Whether or not you're supposed to charge is beyond the point it's the fact that she never apologized. It took more than once to get this right and then you're gonna make me go pay for a bag separately when my hands are full with two drinks and an ice cream cone on top of it. It was the way she handled it all. She was rude!!!! On top of it, then another lady actually proceeded to complain about her because she was rude to her as well, and she laughed at us, like it was okay for her to be rude or whatever we're saying was a joke. Worst customer service I've ever had in there and I felt this is something that should be mentioned. on top of it lastly she left a nice big hole in the middle of my cone so I barely got any ice cream. Might not care because I'm just one person, but they just lost a customer. Maybe two from what I saw today. Do better!! With all the other business around if someone is choosing to come in to your establishment, they should not be treated rude. Looking at some of the other reviews as well, I see the ice thing and bag thing has been repeated. If you know someone's order multiple things and you see they are alone. Maybe ask will you need a bag before hand. Not when they have everything handed to them and then say I need to charge you. I tried to call the management to bring this to them first and there's no answer on the phone or the email I sent over. Maybe they don't care either. read more

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We came in close to 9pm on a Friday night and this place is pretty packed! We thought it was online order only because they had the SCAN QR CODE all around, but you can actually order at the very left side. There were so many things I wanted to try, but it seemed like the most popular item here was the Matcha Latte + Snow Top. A lot of the flavored ones I wanted to try were actually out of stuck towards end of the day. It didn't take too long to complete my order. The latte was very creamy, pretty good! The matcha here is quite authentic. The Snow Top, which is like a cheese cream foam top was quite unique, but it works pretty well with it. I'm not too into cheese foam tops tbh, especially on boba drinks, but this one wasn't too cheesy at all. Quite enjoyable! It was overall much sweeter than expected though. I tried some of my friend's soft serve and it was also sweeter than expected, but pretty good. Wish it was more bitter. Others also got to try the tarts but said it was kinda dry. read more

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