Kyo Matcha Alexandria — Restaurant in Annandale

I was extremely disappointed with the matcha latte and soft ice cream at the Alexandria location. I first discovered Kyo Matcha at the Falls Church location and absolutely fell in love with the rich, creamy flavor of their matcha. Naturally, I was thrilled when a new location opened closer to home in Alexandria.

Unfortunately, the experience here was nothing like what I had expected. The matcha latte and ice cream tasted completely different—watery, lacking richness, and missing that signature creamy texture. Since it’s a franchise with standardized recipes, I don’t understand how the quality can vary so drastically.

I decided to give it another try, thinking maybe it was just a one-off mistake. But sadly, the second time was even worse. At this point, I don’t plan on returning to this location.

Kyo Matcha should really investigate the Alexandria store to ensure it’s upholding the same standards and quality as their other branches. It’s disappointing when brand consistency is...

As a long-time fan of Kyo Matcha locations from Rockville to Falls Church, I had high hopes for this new location, but it fell short of expectations. Being a soft serve enthusiast, I tried the matcha/vanilla soft serve mix, only to be disappointed.

The vanilla soft serve was noticeably icy, lacking the creamy texture I’ve come to expect from their other locations. It tasted diluted, reminiscent of the soft serve you’d find at an all-you-can-eat buffet—strong on artificial vanilla flavor but weak on richness. The matcha portion was slightly better, likely because the bold matcha flavor helped mask the shortcomings of what felt like a low-quality ice cream pre-mix base.

Unfortunately, this location's ice cream didn’t meet the standards set by its counterparts, leaving me hesitant to return. However, I'd like to mention that the space was very well-maintained and baristas provided...

Bottom line, don’t expect Japanese style matcha soft serve here. BE WARNED that the matcha ice cream here is SUPER sweet. Typically matcha ice cream is supposed to be on the bitter side, indicating a good amount of matcha powder while adding just a bit of sweetness to balance it out. After finishing just half a serving of the matcha soft serve here, I instantly got a sugar rush you would get from normal ice cream. Feels like they also cheapened up by adding way less matcha than they should. I guess they’re trying to match more of the American palette in the area, but I’m super disappointed at the taste. Even the Rockville location isn’t this sweet. If they even change the recipe to increase the amount of matcha powder and drastically reduce the sugar, I’ll come back. There is also very limited seating in the...