I was cutting it close when I got here on a Sunday at 1:30pm just a half hour before this place transitions to Elixir Dessert and Bar. That's on top of dealing with the strenuous parking situation around the UW area and then walking here, so I essentially got here 10 more minutes than I mentioned. You will come into a two-story area that feels much larger than it needs to be with blank walls and incomplete floor finishes but looks perfect for working and using their WiFi in. There's also those long tables that people use for their laptops like you see at places like the Harry Potter room and Aroom. It's pretty noisy inside though, and sound reverberates through the interior easily. I came here for their matcha which is prominent throughout their small menu, though they do also serve hojicha drinks, and some desserts from Kemi Dessert Bar are in a display case on the side of the counter. All drinks are iced and in 12oz size according to that same menu, and you can sub oat milk at no charge. It is a menu for their winter 2026 soft opening and we're past winter right now, so I wonder what their grand opening will be like. Staff at the front are seen whisking matcha and making drinks. The server at the front was patient and also informative with me when I finally decided on their banana bread matcha. It is your gold standard ceremonial matcha with their house banana bread syrup, which they have as brown sugar and cinnamon in parentheses next to their description on that menu, which i found odd. From a first look, it looks like the drink is completely matcha, with a small white foam near the top which I'm guessing is part of the house syrup. When I drank this, the syrup had already permeated through the whole drink... and it was tasty! It doesn't have anything special like small banana or toffee bits to enhance the drink, yet their syrup carries a strong banana taste without having any of those visually present. That is to say, presentation looks like I got a regular matcha latte, yet one that compensates heavily with a flavor profile that is exactly as advertised. I probably wouldn't come here to do work or hang out much since this place gets very full on both floors, and it's not likely I'll come back to this iteration of this location as often because of the early closing time of 2pm but this one experience was very satisfying. read more