Thirty-Six Cafe

Horrible experience with the owner, and I was disappointed in how Macy handled the situation. What should have been a minor issue was unnecessarily escalated. I ordered three matcha drinks: the mango coconut matcha, strawberry matcha, and matcha tiramisu latte. I had the menu in hand and was pointing to each drink as I ordered. The cashier rang me up, I paid, and the wait wasn’t long since they batch their matcha. When my name was called, I was handed a strawberry matcha and an espresso tiramisu latte. I let them know that we had ordered all matcha drinks. The staff member quickly went to the back and the owner, Macy, came out and immediately blamed us for ordering incorrectly. She stated, “Our workers NEVER make mistakes and they always repeat orders back. We cannot remake drinks.” The cashier never repeated my order, and since I was pointing directly at the menu, I’m not sure how the mistake occurred. After some back-and-forth, she did remake the matcha tiramisu latte, but her attitude was very dismissive and rude, with a strong insistence that she was right and we were wrong. It felt unprofessional and uncomfortable as a customer. I genuinely love supporting our Hmong community and small businesses, but treating customers this way — especially claiming your staff never makes mistakes — is disappointing and unrealistic. As for the drinks themselves, they were just okay. The matcha tasted thick, slimy, and not well diluted, possibly due to the batching process. I had the mango coconut matcha, and the mango purée made it extremely thick — not my personal preference. Overall, between the mediocre drinks and the unwelcoming attitude, this wasn’t an experience I’d return for. I want to support local businesses, but respect and customer service matter just as much as the product. ‼️I’ve read the owner’s response and would like to clarify. I’m not sure what Macy’s intentions are to state that multiple staffs made contact with me. I only greeted one staff member I knew from high school. We briefly sat near the pickup area to look at the menu since there were open seats and no reservation signs. Once told it was reserved, we immediately moved to stand by the register. Then after we order, Macy came out and spent her 50 seconds yelling and blaming us, and embarrassing her cashier. I had three other people with me, and all of us heard the owner say that their staff “NEVER makes mistakes and always repeats orders.” She then asked the cashier if he had repeated our order, and he was completely silent — he did not respond. We were all standing at the pickup area while the cashier was at the register on the opposite side. The owner was yelling across the space to question him. This was embarrassing, uncomfortable, and unprofessional. Please review your video footage and take accountability. When we exited, we were stunned by what was said and how the situation was handled. Up until the owner came out from the back, I was having a great time with my family. The issue escalated when she immediately blamed us for ordering incorrectly and emphasized that there are two different tiramisu drinks, instead of focusing on resolving the mistake professionally. Rather than addressing the drink or the service, the interaction became defensive and was reframed as if we were at fault or had questionable motives, which felt unnecessary. I also asked my sister and SIL for their thoughts on the drinks. My SIL had the matcha tiramisu latte and said that it did not taste sweetened, which made the matcha quite bitter. My sister said her strawberry matcha was good. Lastly, at no point did I mention race in a negative way or use it as an attack. I stated that I like supporting our Hmong community and small businesses, which was meant as a positive statement — not criticism. My review was solely about customer service, accountability, and how the situation was handled. Race was not a criticism or focal point of my feedback, so I encourage a careful rereading of my review. I don’t like rude people but for sure will no longer support liars.‼️

I’ve been on a journey of trying different matcha lattes around the twin cities area and decided to give this one a try! The workers were the nicest people ever and the service was amazing, my drink was ready in literally a minute. I ordered the regular matcha and not only was it the best one I’ve had so far in the twin cities but by far the best matcha I’ve ever had in my entire life so I had to leave a review. It was perfectly sweetened and had a good level of matcha flavor that you could really taste without being overtaken by the milk/too sweet. It was also very creamy and the most vibrant green. Definitely will be returning ☺️

My first time coming here! The staff was super welcoming and friendly as soon as we walked in the door! A few regulars came through while I was there and were greeted by name and with "Are you having the usual?" You can't beat that kind of service! They have a fun Matcha menu with lots to pick and the matcha was fantastic!

Matcha and dessert pancakes. We arrived at 9, seats were full by 9:20 but then the crowd died off on a cold saturday. I had the strawberry shortcake and my friend had the Mango sticky rice. They were sweet and good, perhaps a bit lite for breakfast, but perfect for that sweet craving. I was a bit surprised with the counter ordering, but otherwise OK. Americano coffee was delicious.

a really delightful spot to visit on grand ave for a sweet treat! we arrived at a very busy time and waited maybe 20-30 minutes for a table (which wasn’t really a big deal because they have a waiting area or will text you if you choose to wander around grand ave). the staff are incredibly kind and efficient with their service and the matcha is wonderful (albeit a bit on the sweeter side). their signature soufflé pancakes are to die for and the attention to detail thirty six cafe puts with every order (ie the heart strawberries) makes the food both visually appealing and tasty.