Matcha Cafe Maiko - Escondido

Definitely friendly and quick service! Estimated time for my order was 15 minutes and I got it in like 7 mins. One thing is that I generally request my drinks with less sweetness but I felt that I enjoyed my drinks here with a regular sweetness. My favorite thus far is chocolate but I think I need to go back and try the other with different sweetness levels.

Would give zero if I could!!! I ordered 2 drinks from here. They spilled one of them and as I was helping them clean it up they failed to thank me for my help. Along with that, I ordered the Banana Pudding Latte with Boba and they informed me they did not have any more Boba, but would substitute it with Crystal boba. They filled more than half the cup with the substituted add on that cost $1 along with Ice and Bananas. I took two sips and there was no more matcha latte to drink after that. I was just left with all these toppings. For almost $10 I got 2 sips. I bought a whole sandwich from next door for the same price. TOTAL SCAM

Placed a pick up order only to find out the order was quickly made and the pick up time was 30 minutes away. I received a text letting me know it was ready. I called them and advised the pick up time was at 3:15. It was 2:50pm. I called them at 3:10pm and they said the order had been on the counter. They let me know they would remake the order. I arrived at 3:18 pm. The workers pulled my drink from a refrigerator in the back room. Why would they have to do that if the order was to be remade? I asked them if the remade the order. They said yes. That was false. The drinks no longer had ice cubes. They were ice chips. The drinks were watered down and separation of the ingredients were visible. Horrible. Just horrible. To spend $20 on drinks and to have this kind of service? This is twice now that their online ordering system has failed. Teaspoon across the freeway will be my go to. Better service and amazing tea. Shame on you Maiko.

Not happy with this place. I ordered a cup of ice cream for $8, and they spiral the ice cream on the outside of the cup, so when you are enjoying your refreshing bites and you eat the top part, you will see that it has a hollow center. And if they were trained properly, you'll be able to see the table right through the bottom of the clear cup. Not worth it at all!

Came to Matcha in Escondido California. At 3:30. Very hot out side so ice cream hit the spot. I cane from julian California to try this. Was worth it. Small but nice little shop. The young lady and young men working were very polite friendly and professional. I was greeted when I came in. I took my Mom out for a treat. I had the Ube Vanilla in a cup. She had a Ube vanilla Waffle cone. It was amazing never had it before. One of the best ice cream I ever had. I give them 5 stars for professional staff Clean restaurant Food Serivce . And quality Yes I recommend them to anyone. Thank you to the staff . I be back again Thank you again staff at Matcha

When my kids and I saw Matcha Maiko, our attention was driven by a person coming out of the cafe holding an amazing cone of ice cream and made me want one since it looked so good. Little did I know I was going to be surprised by how large the menu was. I have not yet tried everything because I loved the Matcha & Ube sooo much that I almost every time I go back, I literally can't resist to repeat. I highly recommend it.

Went here for the first time today and would definitely recommend! Ordering was super easy because of the kiosk (as someone with social anxiety, that gets bonus points!!!). Matcha latte with oat milk was delicious and smooth- loved that there were plant based milk options. Staff made the drink quickly and were super kind. Will be returning!

we went today around 4pm and we have been to maiko many times and especially at this branch, however: 1. no one was available to ask questions about drinks we wanted to ask about (that we havent tried before) 2. they completely got one of our orders wrong with matcha instead of hojicha (it came out after 3mins of ordering) 3. no one was free to speak to, to redo our order as they were busy hiding in the back chatting and we waited at the counter a bit to try to get their attention 4. we sorta know the great quality maiko usually does but the matcha was a bit grainer and watery than usually for both our drinks (which would make sense for the fast-food level time for the drinks) we understand its a bit of a critique but we know how good maiko usually is, but getting an order completely wrong for a ~$10 drink and no employee to ask for help was a huge let down, let alone the slightly watery matcha

I was so excited to try this location as I was just so happy to have found one on the mainland. I absolutely loved them when I lived on Oahu (their first cafe was in Honolulu), and I'm so happy this is no different! This location has just as great of options, service, and quality. I'm not sure if this location sources their matcha from Harima Garden, like the Honolulu store does, but their matcha is definitely richer than other local cafes that typically sell matcha. I really do love coming here for a sweet treat! It's super easy to order off of their kiosk and then wait a few minutes for your order. They do have a lot of seating inside but it is a tight fit, especially when busy. Luckily there is some outdoor seating as well. When they are busy it does take a bit of time for your order to be made, but it hasn't been a ridiculous wait any time I've gone. Their matcha is worth it! I recently ordered the Ube cold foam Matcha Latte and it was just pure heaven. Matcha and Ube always pair well together and the fluffiness of the Ube cold foam and the richness of the matcha together really just came together perfectly. It's a dream come true honestly. My husband ordered the cheese matcha latte. You can never go wrong with salted cheese foam and again it's just another perfect pairing. I was lucky to take a few sips at the beginning because my husband quickly drank it within almost 20 seconds from receiving it. Honestly you can't go wrong with anything here as their matcha is a dream!

4.5 stars now that I have an order process that works for me. I do love this place but the service and quality of everything I order depends on how busy they are.They're always busy at night. That being said, I try to pre-order online (when it's available) to make it a quick and easy pick up situation. They have super cute seating areas despite it being a small space so dine in and enjoy your dessert if you're lucky enough to find a seat! I love the bubble waffles with soft serve. The drinks are really good too. I really want to love the brick toasts but I'm just not a fan.

I had a Matcha Kuromitsu Kinako Latte with Kokuto Jelly, which sounded like the most Japanese-sounding item on the menu! It was great! It really hit the spot on a hot day. Especially Kokuto Jelly was surprisingly delicious, that was similar to having boba. Service was fast. Ordering was self-serve/self-pay on an ordering screen. The only thing was that the price became like $12 for a drink. Maybe OK for an occasional treat for myself, but I won't be a frequent customer. More generous amount of whipped cream and stronger matcha flavor would make the drink better.

MATCHA CAFE MAIKO @ ESCONDIDO This matcha spot was SO GOOD. It's a chain around San Diego, and my boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place in a plaza in Escondido! I ended up getting a favorite of mine, the strawberry matcha which was AMAZING! Great matcha flavor and delicious strawberry flavour. Service was not really available, you walk in and order on a tablet and then they call your name on a screen. I hope in the future they have the workers atleast notice people come in and let them know for any questions! Ambiance was bright, but the place was very small, more of like a cafe vibe in and out. The parking was super easy to navigate and is free! Highly recommend stopping by here. I will return back!

This was the third Maiko Cafe Matcha location I've visited, and sadly, the flavor gods were not entirely in my favor. Escondido location - congrats, you've beat Kearny Mesa (low bar), but you're still bowing to the Rowland Heights royalty (best one out of the 4 siblings, since I've yet to try the Mira Mesa location). Shoutout to the efficient kiosk system... 13 people ahead and still got my order within 6 minutes? That's faster than me deciding what to binge-watch on Netflix!! Now, about that soft serve. I ordered ube-matcha expecting a majestic swirl of harmony OR ube-matcha's perfect love child, but what I got was a flavor divorce. No swirl. Just two awkward roommates in a cup/cone. Yes, foodies that fusion matters, bc it's the whole bitter-sweet balance symphony, not bitter vs sweet in a cone cage match. Matcha & ube are supposed to be in love, not separated. I'm still rating you fairly well, despite ube & matcha living Separate Lives (like Phil Collins' song).

The door needs to be fixed. It's incredibly heavy. That doesn't meet standards of safety for people with physical limitations. The service is subpar, no one actually talks to you, or offers to help you. Even if they aren't busy, you are on your own. Now they've cut the Wednesday happy hour, no more buy 1 get 50% off. It keeps getting worse this place.

Matcha Latte is amazing here. You won't find a similar quality in Escondido. If I'm not wanting as much caffeine, I order the Hojicha Latte. All drinks with regular milk, as I can tolerate. I treat myself to the dango every now and then, as well as a Matcha bubble waffle. Everything is great here. Prices are a bit high but worth it for me.

Upon entering you get greeted with a big menu by the door but it does sort of make you or those in front of you stay standing by the entrance and makes it a bit inconvenient. The cashier was working solo it looked like so she was very short with us but got our drinks our fairly quick! The Strawberry matcha was missing more of a matcha presence but still good.However, the matcha tea had us pleasantly surprised! Great matcha flavor and not sweet or bitter.

This place is so good, always make a stop when I'm running errands in that area. I usually go for the ube foam matcha or the banana pudding matcha. I also love the parfaits. It's often busy but the staff is friendly and the touch screen order system makes it really efficient.

Food/Drinks: Matcha Latte - a good rich matcha tasting drink they have I tend to love the richness of the matcha flavors they use here. I usually get their soft serves but their latte was also pretty good. Service: It's a self serve kiosk so you get to just order and pick up your order when it's ready. Ambiance: It's small, bright, simple. I sat here with a friend and hung out for a while.

I come here after dinner often and always love their Matcha soft serve, and I always get it on a cone too for the yummy crunch contrast. I kinda do wish the café itself is a little bigger because whenever I get here it was always crowded or stuffed, and somehow the air always end up a little stuffy for some reason , so I just take the cone and walk to my car and eat in the car. I do really enjoy the soft serve though, and the service is always great! Highly recommend you to try this place out if you're a major lover and in the area.

This place is my current dessert obsession! I love getting their parfait with black sesame & milk soft serve. I love all the different textures that the different toppings provide.

Saw this on yelp so we have to try it, we ordered the Ube Dalgona, Matcha Dalgona and Oreo Matcha and a soft serve ice cream for my daughter. Drinks are good, It didn't taste any powdery like some other places I've tried. Would definitely try it again. The reason for the 4 stars is because they forgot to put the boba on one of our drinks, and we have to walk back to have it corrected. they did apologize because they were really busy, the place was packed. The place is clean and had a great vibe.

Favorite quality matcha place! Love their matcha float with matcha soft serve & matcha tea. It reminds me of Japan's soft serves and it's small but cute inside. Not the best customer service though.

Their banana pudding is amazing! Their matcha is not your typical aftermarket type matcha. You can definitely taste the difference if you know your matcha. We ordered from their kiosk and the order was completed quickly. The ac was not working so it was definitely hot in the shop. They had a standing ac machine but it didn't help very much.

We need more places like this in north county! I tried the matcha vanilla soft serve cone and it did not disappoint. Not too sweet but so creamy and refreshing on a hot day. Will definitely be coming back to try everything else on their menu!

Good matcha place without the cumbersome ceremonial stuffs. Small but efficient. Order from kiosk or counter, call to order ready. Relatively quick if you don't order honey toast. Tables chairs are small. One little front corner is cute. Deco is minimal. Not inviting to hang out. Ordered maiko special, bubba sundae, ube matcha latte. All are good. Give them a try if you haven't.

I've been here a few times since it they opened. I like that they have seasonal menu options and their menu seems to have gotten bigger throughout the last few months. The place has gained more popularity and over the weekends can get pretty busy. However wait times aren't too long. I never wait more than 10 minutes for my order. I love their matcha lattes, very potent. I also very much enjoy the soft serve, especially the ube. It's nice to have an Asian dessert and cafe spot in north county. I've studied here a few times, not the comfiest chairs and their WiFi doesn't always work. The last time i came in it was pretty hot inside.

I got the Banana Pudding Matcha Latte... although it tasted super good... it was no where near like the picture I saw of this seasonal drink :(

Ordered the matcha and strawberry yuzu swirl in a regular waffle cone. Good amount of soft serve ice cream, but the swirl was predominantly matcha, which overpowered the strawberry yuzu. The cone was thin because the ice cream seeped through the cone, but luckily, it didn't get messy. The paper at the bottom caught the ice cream inside. My bf got the yuzu sparkling water, which is sweetened with simple syrup. Both treats were refreshing in hot Escondido. Thanks to the ladies working because it was pretty hot in there. They had a mobile AC unit in there due to the broken central air, but I'm sure it was much worse for the employees working there.

inside there's a kiosk to order and then they will call you name / number once it's ready. here has a huge menu so be ready to read! we ordered the matcha float with a strawberry matcha latte with matcha soft serve. the soft serve is super good and has a rich matcha flavor while for the drink part it loses the flavor and just tastes like strawberry. next time would just get the soft serve! there's some seating inside if you want to eat inside!

Came here for a little sweet treat after a doctor appointment. I ordered a swirl or Matcha & Ube. The flavors were strong, but good. The restaurant is clean and my order came out quickly. The ladies working are friendly, too!

I was sooo excited to he able to join this Elite Event. I am truly going back because in that awesome reusable bag provided was an absolute delightful snack. They have a little fridge that has puddings and I am such a fan of peaches that although my delicious match latte was on the house I NEEDED to make a purchase!! Their latte was sooo good. I live a few minutes (like 3 minutes) from this location, and it didn't make it home. Only 3 bobas survived lol but the peace coconut pudding made me want to go back and try the other flavors! The customer service was amazing as well! This will be a new gem for me to go to and introduce friends too!

This was my first time at this location but I've been to the Mira Mesa one a couple times so I knew what to expect. I tried the banana pudding matcha latte which sounded pretty good and it was so much better than I imagined. It was perfect. Everything I wanted and more. The cafe was nice and clean and looks like a nice place to relax and the staff were also friendly.

I've visited this spot a couple times now and tried a few different flavors so far the chocolate has been my favorite. Usually I like my drinks less sweet but I find that here I like the drinks more with regular sweetness. I will say they have friendly and efficient service! So far chocolate is my favorite! The inside of the cafe is super cute for pics as well!

Passed by this place while picking up my pup some food. They just opened and already had people coming in immediately. Staff was super sweet and kind. Service was less than 10 minutes which is nice when it comes to a little cafe. My fiance and I went back on June 8th for some matcha soft serve. I got the ube and matcha soft serve with banana pudding top. My fiancee got the same soft serve except he got vanilla instead of ube. If I could rate this place with ten stars I would. They were busy inside on the 8th yet got our order out within 8 minutes while there was 5 people infront of us. Amazing staff and the amiance is a cute little homey cafe.

The mochi here is amazing, so soft and fresh. Hands down my favorite matcha-specific cafe in SD, the matcha is always consistently good - beautiful deep green, rich flavor, and smooth. The matcha soft serve is so satisfying too!

Cute spot to get matcha and desserts. I came by to try this place after having dinner at the ramen place right next door. I tried their matcha swirl soft serve and enjoyed it. I also tried their dango skewers. They weren't for me but my husband loved them. The cashier was nice and we got our order quickly.

Nothing really wrong with the product, but service is painstakingly slow if you order something that includes a pop waffle in it like I did. Even if it's not busy, it can take 20+ minutes. If you're ordering soft serve or any type of drink, you'll be good though. The ambiance is clean, quaint, & modern.

Ordered here for the first time today. The drink was decent and authentic tasting, but the experience was less than favorable. Upon walking in, I noticed the place was small but had ample seating. One person was making drinks and directing customers to order at one of the two kiosks. Here's why I'm dropping two stars: the menus are behind the kiosks, and the print is so small that it's hard to read even from five feet away. This makes it difficult to see what's available while waiting in line. You also can't ask questions about the menu unless you interrupt them while they're making drinks. Something most people aren't comfortable doing. Today, I was stuck behind a family of four ordering a lot, which took much longer than if a staff member familiar with the menu had handled it. While the setup reduces work for the drink maker, it feels cumbersome. The store would benefit from having someone take orders or by adding more kiosks and increasing the menu font size. I hate to make the majority of my review about this, but it really did hinder the overall experience.

Matcha cafe Maiko was definitely and fun surprise when I found it. Me and my friend were looking for a boba shop nearby in Escondido and stumbled across this gem. It was a hot summer morning when I ordered here and I had to get the soft serve matcha green tea and strawberry mixed ice cream with the waffle bubble cone with it. The combination was AWESOME and the taste was impeccable. The service was quick and easy to use on the kiosks provided. You can also order at the cash register in person too if you'd like. The inside atmosphere was also super chill, clean and bright. Overall a great experience and can easily be missed here in Escondido, so definitely try it out if you can!

Expensive, but it's great for a special treat. The soft serve is good. Waffle cones taste fresh and they make them there daily. It smelled so good in there, from the waffle cones and bubble waffles. Order yourself at the screen, then they call you when it's ready. Both the ube and the matcha soft serve were good, and the portion is large.

Update: I tried the Strawberry Yuzu softserve, and it is wonderful! The employees are nice, too. Cute place to sit with friends, on a date, or by yourself.

Everything matcha! It's gotta be good...right? Well, we make matcha at home and make sure to use the ceremonial quality tea. It makes ask the difference + using a bamboo which creates smoothness and frothiness for any matcha drink. Quality of matcha and method of preparation. Matcha Maiko gets credit for the first but could do better with the second. You can tell from the color of the drink that they use a high quality matcha. However, the drinks we ordered were a bit grainy so not mixed/prepared thoroughly. This takes time and sometimes busy businesses don't have the time to do so. We really loved the selection of items on their menu. Service was quick. Location was busy. We would return if in the area and are craving matcha.

Food: - ordered the matcha latte & strawberry milk tea - i order the matcha regularly at the cafe nearby my area & it tasted just as good as usual - my boyfriend doesn't usually order with me but he had the strawberry milk tea and he said it was good & milky Service - pretty fast usually the matcha latte doesn't take too long - self-serving kiosk was easy to use but at the same time I work at a boba shop & use the same kiosk/company haha but still really easy to use - when the order is ready a robotic voice announces the name (my name is unique so it says it wrong lol) but it's pretty loud & understandable which gives a good indication when your order is ready - workers are nice, greeted my boyfriend & I when we walked in & told us to have a good one when we picked up our drinks Ambiance: - really nice & super niche inside! - spacious & not cluttered at all - there was a little corner to sit by the window that was really cute for pictures Overall: My favorite matcha cafe to go to as always no matter where the location! I'm very picky with my matcha & this place always makes it super tasty. As well as having friendly workers & a clean/nice establishment!

Matcha lovers dream! I'm basic and like to get an iced matcha latte but there's so many options to choose from & different toppings to add. Also the quality of the matcha is amazing! There a few seating inside but this isn't really the place the study unless u bring headphones because it's pretty loud. Also they announce your name with your order through a robotic speaker. As for service they are pretty nice & make the orders fast.

One of many little shops in this strip mall, but was very enjoyable inside with ample amounts of seating. The wait was not very long, and they had a little board with the name of the order & minute-wait time! The servers were kind, friendly, and gave great suggestions. The boba and drink itself was delicious, flavorful, and strong! Price was reasonable as well. Would highly recommend.

First time trying Ube Ice Cream. It was so good! The serving size is generous, enough to share with 2 people. The staff was friendly and quick with taking out orders. I will definitely be back.

Lots of parking. Clean, modern looking and smells so good when you walk in. Counter person friendly and helpful with making a decision. Great flavor, cones are fresh. I ordered a ube and vanilla cone, very good but was melting so fast. Temperature of the restaurant on the warm side. Nice treat on a hot day!

Great vibe! Service is good, got the order within 5 minutes. The treats taste amazing!!!

I came here with my friends, it was a yummy treat! Self service ordering makes it convenient if customizing orders because all the options are available to see~ Wait time for order was not too long. The place has a nice, open light vibe that I really liked~

What I ordered | hojicha black sesame latte taste | can taste both the hojicha and black sesame. solid latte, just a bit grainy as both the hojicha and black sesame are more rice based. service | server was nice parking | plaza lot notes | also serve CAKED cookies which is great!

TL;DR: It's good matcha, just way too much of it (strong). Service was ok. First time visiting this place, as I do love Matcha, it was nice to know there was a dedicated matcha place nearby. I like the tech-forward thinking of having kiosks where I can just customize and purchase the drink how I like, but it was almost as if the employees avoided talking to guests that entered because those kiosks exist. Eventually I flagged someone down in the back and they were able to answer my questions. The drink came out within 30 seconds of me hitting buy on the kiosk. I drink matcha pretty much everyday, and I would say the quality was overall good. It was sweetened (I would say to a medium amount, I would've preferred it less sweetened but the employee told me it was mildly sweetened. Of course, it's a subjective scale, so it's not their fault). It was about $9 or so (with oat milk) and it was STRONG! My normal matcha lattes are around 3-ish grams per drink. Their's had 7-8 grams. Many might love this fact, but I avoid coffee because of its high caffeine content. I would probably come back, but I'll just get much less matcha next time.

I love you matcha maiko never go out of business. I tell everyone about this place .

I was there last week. I ordered 2 ube soft serve ice cream in Oreo bubble waffle and One soft serve Ube ice cream in cup. Their Ube is not good as before. It tasted like it was whipped/ airy unlike last time which tasted like a REAL soft serve ice cream and less Ube flavor just purple milk and can't really taste the ube. So sad they changed. I do not recommend and I will not go back.

Wanted something different so after a little research we ended up at Matcha Cafe Maiko in Escondido on a Saturday evening. Busy but not crowed with plenty of seating for the small-ish crowd. Service was good and they were helpful in explaining some of the items. The soft serve swirl in a cup with Matcha/Ube was the first item up. First off the soft serve texture is great, really enjoyed it. The Matcha was pretty intense/concentrated so it had a very slight hint of bitter to me. The swirl was more Matcha than Ube and perhaps in combination that was it. Next time I'd avoid or lighten up on the Matcha but that's personal preference I'm sure. The serving size was generous so there is no complaint there! The second item we tried was the Melon Pan Bread with Soft Serve Ice Cream. Ice cream was Matcha and Hojicha which we've never had before. It was really good and I would rate the ice cream in order (my preference) as Ube, Hojicha, and finally Matcha. "Melon Pan" is a sweet bread covered in a thin layer of crisp biscuit/cookie crust (their description). Whatever description you use, I call it a winner. Overall I'll definitely be back. Watching some of the other orders leaving the counter made me realize there is much more to this place than the two items we ordered!

The matcha itself was good but the service was trash. I understand having to order on a computer... that's fine but no one even looked up or said anything to me while I was standing there. I was there for at least 5 minutes going back and fourth with the menu bc I was confused. Yes, I could have asked them but I feel like as someone working in the customer service industry, you should be willing to service customers. Again, the drink was good and they have a lot of cool options, but the service was sub par.

Even though matcha is trendy right now and there are lots of spots around SoCal to compare, this spot is very high caliber in terms of the quality of the matcha, the conciseness of their concept and the deliciousness of their different drink and dessert options. I got the matcha and ube soft serve ice cream and my man got the matcha float with black sesame and matcha ice cream. Everything tasted amazing, if you are new to these flavors definitely give it a try, you won't be disappointed. If you are sensitive to caffeine like me I recommend getting the soft serve and not a drink because the matcha powder is very strong, but stronger in the drinks. My man is a coffee drinker and a heavy sleeper but he was having trouble falling asleep after drinking a matcha float mid afternoon. Very powerful! One complaint is it is a popular spot and small, not much ambiance inside or in this shopping center, but there are a few tables outside as well. Very high quality products, wonderful taste, definitely check out but if you're local you might crave this place if you try it.

We came on a Thursday around 6 pm and it wasn't busy at all. We ordered the Maiko Special Parfait and the Matcha Latte, which came out quickly within a few minutes of us ordering. I will say, off the bat, if you're familiar and picky with matcha overall, this place won't be for you. The matcha flavor in the latte wasn't strong or exciting, but I can see how it would be enjoyable to a casual matcha drinker. The parfait was fine. The ice cream quality was pretty good and the matcha taste was actually stronger in this than it was in the latte. The mochi and red bean complimented it well, but I personally wasn't a fan of a jelly that came with it. The texture was different than what I expected. Overall, not bad but I can't see myself coming back.