Project Matcha — Restaurant in Portland

I went to this establishment around 5:30 and waited in the line for 10 minutes. When it was time to order all of the food was sold out and the coconut and banana matchas were sold out aswell. There were 4 severely overworked teenagers working on the matcha. You can tell they are probably about to pass out. There were lots of straw wrappers all over the floor, boxes full of stuff all over the corners of the cafe, and trash cans overflowing with garbage. Actually there was only one trashcan.

On the topic of the drinks, they were a 4/10. Overpriced heavily, 8.50$. For context the only size they had was a starbucks medium. Therefore, you are almost paying 10$ for a very mediocre beverage. The matcha I bought was the raspberry one. They pump the syrup on the bottom add milk mixed with the syrup and then the matcha. Afterwards they add a buttload of ice which makes mixing the matcha with the syrup and milk almost impossible. The matcha is whisked bad. You can feel a crunch in your teeth from the powder.

I have a dietary restriction called Celiac Disease. Before they informed me of there being no desserts left, I asked if there was any gluten in their Panna Cotta, because you never know. The girl at the register had absolutely no idea and told me something about the gelatin. If you are working in a cafe industry it’s probably best if you know what foods have what dietary restrictions. They only had about 5-6 simple desserts that don’t look too hard to know more in-depth information about.

There is a boba place right next to this overpriced cafe that looked much more appealing. They have...

I visited Project Matcha over the weekend during their soft opening and was immediately impressed by the clean aesthetic. Very modern and chic. The space is beautifully designed, giving off that calm, curated vibe perfect for a matcha spot.

There was about a 1 hour wait, which was understandable given the crowd, but I do wish there were more baristas to keep things moving. What was a bit confusing was waiting again for the drinks even after ordering. It seemed like they were still catching up to the demand, which is fair for a soft opening but still worth noting.

I ordered the strawberry matcha panna cotta, mango passionfruit panna cotta, and two iced mango matchas with oat milk. The panna cottas? Absolutely top notch. Silky, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. I’ll definitely be coming back for those.

As a regular matcha girly, I really appreciated the quality of their ceremonial matcha. Vibrant green, smooth, and high grade. However, the mango purée in the drinks lacked flavor and tasted slightly bitter, like the mangoes weren’t fully ripe.

Pricing felt fair. Drinks around $7.00- $7.50 and desserts between $5.00-$6.00.

Patio seating could also be a plus, especially with summer around the corner as it would help attract more customers looking to enjoy the weather. All in all, a beautiful space with a lot of potential. Once they iron out the service flow, I can see this becoming a staple for...

This was the biggest hype I had been wanting to try for the longest time. Ever since they started posting soft launch dates on Instagram and people began reposting, I was so excited to go. I visited on the second weekend of the soft launch, and the lines were super loonnnggggggg. It was seriously crowded. My friend and I waited about 2 hours in line just to get our drinks 😵‍💫

Just to be clear, this is not my first time having matcha. I actually make matcha at home and I am very picky about it. I like to save money by making it myself, but I also enjoy supporting small businesses and trying new things. So I came to show support and see what all the hype was about.

I understand they are a small business and still getting started, but it felt like they were understaffed given how many people were waiting. Also, I feel like their matcha is more suitable for people who are trying it for the first time. For someone like me who is very particular about matcha and cares about its origin and how it is farmed, I have to say it was not worth the long wait.

That being said, I absolutely loved the interior and the staff were really nice. Just a heads up, their bowls may look messy at first glance but that is actually part of the design. They are not dirty.

I think I would like to go again once the lines are not so long, because I really do not want to wait 2 hours...