Cha-An
Tea house · East Village ·
Japanese teahouse with unique sweets and formal tea ceremonies
Japanese teahouse with unique sweets and formal tea ceremonies
"In 2004, Tomoko Yagi opened the doors to Cha An, and to this day, people line the stairs to get to a Japanese haven of tatami benches and washi-paper lamps. It has a global tea catalogue but specializes in sencha and matcha. The latter gets whisked in bowls and also makes its way into beloved desserts like ice cream, mochi, tiramisu, affogato, and even a matcha sake cocktail. Cha An takes prepaid reservations for the savory afternoon tea set; otherwise, expect a wait. Or get drinks and some sweet snacks to go at its sister cafe, Bonbon, a few stores down." - Caroline Shin
"Run by Shin Won-Yoon and her husband Stefen Ramirez, 29B is meant to be a social and interactive setting vs. a traditional tea ceremony, although they do try to keep the reverence close to Korean tea traditions. As tea dealers, they import a variety of single-origin, natural agriculture-conscious teas sourced from farms in Taiwan, Japan, India, China, and Korea where Won-Yoon is from. If you let them know what you’re in the mood for, they’ll curate an experience that will leave a lasting impression. There’s also a whole corner of the East Village shop dedicated to beautiful ceramics and glassware handcrafted by Japanese and Korean artists to peruse." - esther cho, with warm welcome, kenny yang
"Included in Yagi’s mini-empire, I note Cha-An is described as his dessert spot." - Emma Orlow
"I trace the rise of Japanese parfaits in New York back to Cha-An, where owner Tomoko Yagi has been serving classic Japanese parfaits for nearly 20 years; her rule is to incorporate “wa” (Japanese) elements, so each parfait includes mandatory kanten jelly lining the bottom and a stamped wafer on top. The cafe’s parfaits change seasonally — currently a sakura parfait ($22) features strawberry ice cream, pink shiratama dango, cornflakes, and a pink sakura-shaped cookie — and Yagi also offers a hojicha soft-serve–based version ($14) at the counter-service Bon Bon next door." - Chihiro Tomioka
"I note that Japanese dessert shop Cha-An Teahouse will contribute dishes to the charity dinner at Madame Vo BBQ on Monday, November 11 to benefit Apex for Youth; tickets are $75." - Stefanie Tuder