Kemi Dessert Bar
Dessert shop · Capitol Hill ·
Asian-inspired desserts: mango sticky rice, black sesame, yuzu cookies
Asian-inspired desserts: mango sticky rice, black sesame, yuzu cookies
"Kemi Dessert Bar is a tiny Capitol Hill spot with great Asian-inspired sweets—particularly their chocolate chip cookie. It’s thin, chewy, and packed with both milk and dark chocolate chips that melt into chocolatey metamorphic rock patterns on the golden surface. On top of that, a delicate dusting of very fine Okinawa sea salt is pleasantly subtle. It’s a great take on a classic—grab more than one." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"Owner Kelly Miao has settled her popular dessert pop-up into a small Capitol Hill space that’s for now just open on Fridays and weekends. Start with the Rice Krispies treats, which are livened up with all kind of Asian flavors. The mango sticky rice one is a marvel — it’s so coconut-y that it tastes creamy, and mixed in with the Rice Krispies are little bits of toasted coconut flakes and big bits of chewy, sweet mango for a lovely textural change-up. Instead of the usual coffee, Kemi has a selection of cold flavored tea drinks that are great on hot days." - Harry Cheadle
"Capitol Hill’s newest and buzziest bakery has been jam-packed since it’s only (for now) operating on a Friday to Sunday schedule. People come for the truly great rice crispy treats, but the cookies are nothing to snuff at either. Where a lot of citrus cookies lack zing, the vegan yuzu crinkle is loaded with it, filled with tangy yuzu juice and candied yuzu peel that is a nice bit of texture in a fluffy, soft cookie. Curiosity will surely be piqued by the neon green pandan cookie topped with crunchy coconut crumble in the bake case, and your curiosity will be rewarded with a buttery, toasty vanilla flavor." - Kurt Suchman
"This is technically not a coffee drink, but rather a tea-based concoction, but it hits a lot of the same notes as the best summer-y coffee bevs. It’s nutty (thanks to the combo of assam and hojicha teas) and sweet (thank the brown sugar and caramel), but the sweetness fades quickly so at the end of a sip you’re left refreshed rather than oversugared. The treats they sell at Kemi — a new dessert spot on Capitol Hill — are why people come here, but don’t leave without a drink." - Harry Cheadle
"A playful, Asian-American dessert-focused concept that emphasizes inventive sweets and has been singled out among notable new openings for its creative flavors and presentations." - Eater Staff
