While you know New York City as the city with plenty of Matcha dessert places to choose from, it's time to take a break from matcha and visit Cha An Tea House, a cozy place in the Lower East Side that serves authentic Japanese food and desserts. So get an upgrade from Spot Dessert Bar to all kinds of handmade sophisticated desserts.
Overview
Location: 230 E 9th Street, New York, NY 10003
Hours: 12pm-11:30pm (M-Th); 12pm-12:30am (Fr-Sa); 12pm-10pm (Su)
Price: $$
Cha An Tea House is a hidden spot in the Lower East Side, but when you enter the dining place and climb up the stairs, you're transported to a nice cozy Japanese tea house. Cha An is known for its tea, food, and most importantly, their amazing desserts with some being traditional Japanese and some having a fantastic mix of Western and East Asian cultures. You enter into your own world of serenity, peace, and flavor.
Cha An Tea House's Desserts
All desserts from Cha An Tea House are exclusively in-house and handmade.
Black Sesame Créme Brulée - $9.50
If you're into Black Sesame flavor, then you need to put this dessert on your bucket list. This Créme Brulée was super creamy, light and fluffy, and the black sesame flavor wasn't overpowering.
Hojicha Anmitsu - $10.00
This is another not overly-sweet and a light dessert. Hojicha Anmitsu is comprised of Hoji Tea jelly (roasted green tea) with sweet black syrup, Shiratama mocha, and hoji tea ice cream. This refreshing treat is especially perfect during the summer.
Homemade Mochi - $10.50
This order gives you three handmade mochi and you can select flavors such as green tea, black sesame, and earl grey chocolate.
Spoon tip: If you want to eat mochi everyday for dessert (which I recommend), go to the Whole Foods mochi bar.
Ice Cream Duo - $7.00
As it says in the name, you get two scoops of ice cream and you can choose Hojicha (a Japanese green tea), Black Sesame, Green Tea, and the seasonal flavor. This is a classic dessert so you can't go wrong with this item.
Mochi Mochi - $9.00
Mochi Mochi is made of warabimochi, shiratoamamochi and hojicha ice cream. Warabi mochi is gummier than regular mochi and is very chewy and delicious. Although it may be a little bland, it pairs perfectly with the ice cream. Personally, I'd rather have this than actual candy.
Matcha Chiffon Cake - $11.00
If you're not a fan of ice cream, no worries. You can still order the Matcha Chiffon cake which is fluffy, light, and pleasing to the palate. It is paired with coconut milk sauce and a Green tea cream, which makes the cake moist and scrumptious.
Whisked Matcha Affogato - $14.00
Affogato is originally an Italian dessert with ice cream and espresso poured on top. Cha An takes a Japanese spin on the affogato by using Matcha green tea instead. Genius idea? I think so.
Green Tea Parfait - $13.00
You can take your parfait to the next level by trying the Green Tea Parfait. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it tastes delicious as well.
Seasonal Desserts
Jewelry Box - $30.00
It might be called the jewelry box, but this dessert might be far prettier than jewelry, and edible too. This dessert is more pricey, but the Pastry Chef Norie Uematsu creates and selects a variety of desserts placed in a pretty soju box. If you want one of these, you better visit early as there are only 10 servings daily.
Seasonal Parfait - $14.00
If you aren't a fan of Green tea and want to try a seasonal dish, you can order the Seasonal parfait which has different bursts of flavor.
Sakura Drop
The Sakura Drop is a clear vegan jelly with sakura flowers and a brown sugar syrup. It is perfect as a dessert and as a picture for your Insta feed.
Shaved Ice
An Asian dessert place isn't complete without having shaved ice on the menu. Cha An offers two different flavors of hand-shaved ice. The Matcha one has green tea syrup, red bean paste, mochi, and condensed milk. The Peach one has fresh peach compote and puree, peach syrup, peach jelly and condensed milk. My mouth is just watering think about these heavenly desserts.
Spoon tip: Check out these places that also serve shaved ice.
Final Thoughts
While Cha An Tea House may be on the more pricey side, and you can get other great desserts for a cheaper price, you should definitely check this place out once. This cozy place is perfect for date night, hanging with friends, or just by yourself. While Cha An does actually serve food here for lunch and dinner, I'd just come here for the dessert. So if you ever find yourself in the Lower East Side, or in New York City in general, this is an experience you won't want to miss.