Junbi Matcha & Tea - Westwood — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I've been coming here since they opened -- the boba has been perfect for me every time I go :) So chewy and soft, just the way I like it. Maybe I am just easy to please? I am also not a "matcha expert" so maybe I cant discern the difference... anyway, I've been here MANY times, and only thought once (or maybe twice), that my drink tasted watered down. But other than that, I have always loved how the drinks tasted & gulped it down happily. Perhaps some people are confusing "watered down" with "there is less sugar" aka it doesnt taste as "strong" or sweet, it's just more subtly flavored (but that never bothered me). Less sugar means also its also healthier for you, and usually "healthy" things dont taste good... I even think one of the cashiers told me once that their "regular" amount of sugar they put in the drinks is less than the standard boba place. So for example, if I say I want 50% sweetness at Koala T next door, that's prob going to taste like 75% here? Something like that.

ALSO - I have been lucky enough to meet june here (TWICE) and she is so nice!!! :D Got a picture with her the first time, it was probably the best day ever!

This place is really cute & i love all the decor. There is a spot to instagram your drinks (of course, not surprising since june is an instagram star)! The only thing is the size, it's so small & narrow, so the customer flow is very awkward... they recently changed where the cashier is, which I admit, it would've made more sense for them to lay it out this way TO BEGIN WITH... but now everyone got used to the original way, where they had it on the side, so now everyone is waiting / lurking in the area where you line up to order & it's kind of a mess. I feel like they needed an architect to help design the inner flow better (like that scene in The Founder haha).

It has never been that crowded whenever I come here either... maybe I'm just lucky?? Literally I've only had to wait for like 1-2 people in front of me. I guess I dont come during peak hours or something.

I've almost tried every drink on the menu, so I wont go through and review them all, but of course the Magic Matcha is the best one!!! Love it so much, plus it's got good stuff for you. It's the most expensive though :( And in general, the drink prices here might be a little more than other places, esp since there is a lot of ice in the cups.

The aloe, white chocolate, and blueberry are also REALLY good, even though you might not expect it!!

My Japanese side is thrilled that they have onigiri on their menu, it’s not a mainstream food item in the US, I used to get made fun of eating these at lunch when I was a kid😕 It's a rice ball that has different things stuffed inside, and I've tried most of them, they're all delicious!! The only down side is that whatever sesame sprinkle they use on the top is SUPER salty (or maybe it's the salt from the seaweed? not sure)... either way that was kind of surprising to me.

BTW, come after 9pm (they close at 10pm) and they do buy one get one on the onigiri!!

My only gripe is this loyalty program :( It’s not dollar based, it’s just “earn a star if you spend over $3 (basically one visit, bc most items are ~$3). Except usually when I go, I spend like $10, so I feel like I should get more stars ⭐️⭐️🤔 For example, my froyo-obsessed self would always get annoyed when a place gives you “one stamp per visit” except I fill my cup with 3x as many lbs of froyo/spend more per visit than the average person. Not fair to make your most loyal customers lose out on points - everything should be dollar based, but I suppose there must be some business strategy behind it, guess they'd lose too much money if they did it on a dollar basis lol... Anyway, def...

TLDR: 0 stars for customer service. Save your money; there are plenty of other places in LA to get great drinks and not be treated like trash.

I went to the Junbi Westwood location today extremely excited to try the new Miffy collab and purchase merch, however, this experience was so atrocious and deeply impacted my impression of Junbi.

The store was empty besides 2 girls and so after I ordered from the kiosk, I walked up to the counter to inquire about merchandise. The male worker then rolled his eyes, sighed, and responded, "Well I have to make 2 blender drinks and 2 matchas and a rice ball and I guess I can help you after that." Weird response but I was in no rush since my drinks weren't ready so I said that was perfectly fine. However, after my drinks were done, I asked the same male worker if any Miffy glass cups were available and he looks SO exasperated, then proceeds to count every single drink and food order that came in after me (he literally went: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc until he counted all the drinks) and that he'll get back to me after that, in the most disrespectful tone. Are you serious? How can any in the service industry behave like this? The customers around me were equally horrified at the response. I simply wanted to know if something was in stock but you're expecting me to wait until you finish every single order in the store for you to respond to a yes or no question? I finally asked another worker (who was dressed extremely inappropriately where her undergarments were on fully display and her shirt kept falling off her body) if they had any Miffy glass cups available and she clipped back "NO, WE'RE OUT". I felt so horrible after this and did not even want to purchase the merchandise they did have available anymore. I especially regretted tipping earlier at the kiosk.

This was honestly the worst customer service I've ever experienced in my entire time on Earth. Management needs to take a good hard look at who they're hiring because this does not seem to be an isolated incident from past reviews. It's particularly unfortunate because the drinks were actually delicious but this horrifyingly unprofessional experience shows that customer service is not a priority for Junbi and so I will not be...

My boyfriend and I visited for the first time during the Miffy collaboration event, excited to experience both the themed merchandise and the matcha. The event officially started at 11:30 AM, and we got in line right on time. However, we didn’t leave until around 4 PM, which was far longer than we expected. Given that over 1,000 people had RSVP’d on Instagram, the company should have anticipated the large crowd. Unfortunately, the line moved at an agonizingly slow pace. It took us about 30–40 minutes to advance just 30 feet, as the line stretched around the block. At one point, the line didn’t move at all for 45 minutes, reportedly due to “employee breaks,” yet there was zero communication from staff. Understandably, many people abandoned the line, as we were left standing in the heat with no updates.

As a matcha lover, I was determined to stick it out, hoping to try something unique. Sadly, I was extremely disappointed with my drink. For a place that calls itself a matcha house, the matcha was shockingly weak and pale, tasting more like milk than anything remotely close to authentic matcha. To make matters worse, it looked nothing like the vibrant drinks I’d seen in reviews or even the cups other customers received.

Additionally, we were frustrated to learn after four hours of waiting that the event was card-only—something that wasn’t advertised anywhere, either on the Miffy event flyers or in-store signage. This was a huge inconvenience, and to add insult to injury, the merchandise was limited to one item per person/transaction, another detail that wasn’t communicated.

While the employees were kind and welcoming, the management of this event was a disaster. Once inside, we were shocked to see a full staff, yet many employees were standing around while only a few were making drinks and packing orders. I understand that events can be taxing, but seeing workers lounging and chatting while we had waited in line for four hours was disappointing and unprofessional.

Overall, this experience left a bad taste in my mouth—both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning to this...