World

Cha Cha Matcha Opens London Flagship in Covent Garden — A Full Review

The New York-born matcha chain brings the ceremonial-grade bowl to London, in a space designed to feel like a Tokyo tearoom filtered through Brooklyn.

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Step through the sliding door of Cha Cha Matcha's first European flagship and the noise of the piazza falls away, replaced by the soft hiss of a chasen and the clean, grassy scent of freshly sifted tencha.

The Space

Designer Ryu Nakamura has worked with Covent Garden's Georgian bones rather than against them: exposed brickwork meets Japanese hinoki wood panels and shoji-screen dividers. The result feels like a considered collision — London architecture and Japanese restraint occupying the same room.

The Matcha

The menu is structured around four preparation styles — bowl (koicha and usucha), cold brew, milk-based, and a seasonal series. All ceremonial-grade offerings use single-origin Uji tencha from Marukyu Koyamaen.

"We don't want to be a curiosity. We want to be the place Londoners go when they want the real thing."

Verdict

London's matcha scene has lacked a flagship-standard venue. Cha Cha Matcha Covent Garden fills that gap convincingly. Worth the detour.