MyCha

One Garden Grove shop serves the best matcha ice cream in Orange County

For years, the best matcha ice cream shop in Orange County was Matcha Cafe Maiko, a Hawaiian chain operating locally in Garden Grove and Stanton. Featuring the most intensely green matcha ice cream found outside of Japan, as well as hojicha brown tea ice cream, sweet chestnuts, gold leaf wraps, and milkshakes, the store was the darling of Instagrammers and serious foodies alike – a rarity.

In 2021, the Stanton location closed, and in 2023, the Garden Grove store transitioned its branding to MyCha, getting rid of all Matcha Cafe Maiko references. A largely familiar menu includes a few changes: Soft serve cones across three flavors (matcha, hojicha, and vanilla) are now $7.50 each, with several other options at higher prices:

  • matcha/hojicha slushes including Oreo dust and cream versions
  • matcha/hojicha lattes with chocolate or roasted soybeans
  • matcha/hojicha floats with lemon, chocolate, or roasted soybeans
  • matcha/hojicha shaved ice with beans and chestnuts
  • matcha/hojicha sundaes with waffle cookies, chestnuts, and cream

Previously, Maiko offered the Shogun, a soft serve ice cream cone wrapped in thin, edible gold foil for a $3 surcharge – now, it’s simply called “golden soft serve,” and available for nearly $5 more than a standard cone.

If this was the only thing on the menu at Matcha Cafe Maiko, it would be worth visiting at least once for the novelty of seeing gold flecks on your lips. But this indulgent item is unnecessary given the awesome quality of the matcha and hojicha ice creams.

The menu also includes matcha tea, hojicha tea, and matcha lemon tea – all available hot or iced – as well as a small collection of hot and iced coffee drinks, most in the $6.50 to $7 price range. Despite the branding change to MyCha, the matcha and hojicha ice creams taste basically the same as they did before, so if you’re a fan of either of these Japanese teas, certainly stop in here to see how intense these flavors can be in the right hands.

Stats

Price: $-$$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2023

Addresses

9738 W. Garden Grove Blvd. #8
Garden Grove, CA 92844

714.591.8282

Instagram: @mycha_gardengrove