If you’re a green tea lover, you’re missing out if you don’t check out these Japanese places in Chicago.
1. Sawada Coffee
There are two options for you at Sawada: the green tea latte or military latte. If you’re not a big fan of caffeine, then the milky rich green tea latte is your go-to.
However, Sawada’s signature drink is actually the military latte. It’s a combination of a normal green tea latte with vanilla syrup, cocoa powder, and a shot of espresso, creating a perfect balance of grassy and chocolaty flavors.
Occasionally, Sawada offers green tea donuts from the Doughnut Vault as well.
2. Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
Gyu-Kaku, despite being famous most for its Japanese-style BBQ, is also known for its Lady M crêpe cakes. For those of you who are not familiar with Lady M, it’s one of the best confection brands that make crêpe cakes.
Unfortunately, it only has retail stores in NYC and LA, so Gyu-Kaku orders fresh crêpe cakes everyday. The cake has countless number of layers and rich cream in between. Accompanied with green tea ice cream, this dessert gives you a heavenly green tea experience.
3. Nada Tea & Coffee House
This café is considered by a lot as the most authentic Japanese green tea house, so don’t miss the Usucha, their most authentic green tea drink. Usucha tastes refreshingly grassy upon first taste and gradually becomes foamy and rich. Don’t forget to get a yok mok cookie, which is a traditional milky Japanese cookie.
4. Yusho
Yes, this is green tea fried chicken; it’s Yusho’s famous 2x Fried Chicken. It’s fried two times with chili and lime sauce and is finished off with a dusting of matcha powder. Although this combination sounds super strange, I have to say it would be on the top of my bucket list if I weren’t vegetarian. My friends who have tried this loved the originality of this dish.
5. Mitsuwa Marketplace
If you don’t know of Mitsuwa Marketplace, think of it as the Japanese version of Eataly. Make sure you get the green tea frozen yogurt or the green tea soft serve when you go there. Other than that, check out the ramen and sushi shops because they serve very traditional Japanese dishes.
I’m sure there are more places that feature great green tea-flavored food, but these five are the must-go-to ones if you’re truly a green tea addict. I haven’t been to all these places, but I’m definitely going to visit them soon.