Aoko Matcha - West Village

As someone that travels all over the world for matcha and coffee as well as used to run a matcha place, I can say confidently that Aoko has good matcha. Not the sugary, watered down, matcha you get from Starbucks but the type you could find all over Japan. if you are looking for exceptional service and high quality matcha, I would definitely recommend Aoko. Also it’s right across from salt hanks which is a super famous sandwich place with long waits. Place an online order there and get some matcha to wait. We got their new strawberry cheese donut series and the hojicha deluxe parfait and absolutely mindblown.

Nothing to complain regarding the gelato! Great and rich flavor, thick and creamy texture. Definitely worth a visit if u r a matcha lover. Small store but some seats available. (no restroom) 💚🍨🍵Matcha gelato is a must! If u r unsweetened matcha person, go ahead to try the level 5. I LOVED it! Hojicha gelato was legit. The flavor was on the sweet side. 🖤🩶🤍Sesame gelato was super rich and delicious too! 🍰Matcha crepe cake was delicious too. I counted the layers, it got 15 sheets with sweet and fluffy cream in between. Hojicha tea was the only thing I had some comments. It had a weird taste and I wonder if it’s because of the container.

We tried their gelato, soft serve and matcha cheese cake today. I got a 3 flavors gelato in a cone. I choose level 3, level 5, and a sesame gelato. They were all very delicious. The level 3 was just perfect for me. It was strong but not overly bitter. The level 5 was very strong, but it was still very delicious. The sesame was also very good. The gelato was for matcha lovers, I’d say. The soft serving was perfect for beginners. It was more mild and creamy. And the matcha cheesecake, oh my goodness. It was so dense, creamy, and packed with matcha flavor. I’d come back just for the cheesecake! The shop was also pretty clean and organized. The servers were helpful, too.

Great place for anyone who loves matcha or someone who’s never had matcha and is curious about it. They specialize in matcha gelato, soft serve, and drinks. They’re unique in a sense that you get to pick the matcha gelato strength levels. It’s a thoughtful touch that lets you customize the flavor to your preference. However I was very disappointed that they didn’t have level 3. The matcha is super creamy, not too sweet, and packed with clean matcha flavor depending on the level you pick. The hojicha was also really good with a warm roasted flavor that’s smooth, toasty, and comforting. The soft serve was a letdown for me tho. It kind of just tasted like vanilla ice cream with only a light hint of matcha. Nothing crazy especially for the price. Aoko is definitely on the pricey side. The quality and concept make it a great experience and I’m glad I tried it but it’s not necessarily a place I’d go out of my way to return to or wait on a long time for. Beautiful interior though.

Exceptional ice cream and soft serve and parfait, with Matcha fully in the centre. They have 5 varying levels of Matcha and a few other flavors like taro, black sesame, hojicha and vanilla. Flavor and texture is great, portions and prices are great ($8.50 for 3 scoop) and decent amount of indoor seating. If you like Matcha, a must try, otherwise strongly recommend. The gradation of Matcha was very clear with the lowest having more sweet notes while the highest had earthy lightly bitter taste which was still very enjoyable. The soft-serve was also really good. They do allow sampling.