Izumi Matcha — Restaurant in San Jose

My family and I were really excited to get some Taiyaki Hojicha Icecream. TWO things… Once we arrived we were sad to find out that they were NOT serving Hojicha / Ube for Taiyaki or in a cup and you could only order it in a pint. They explained that it was because it’s a slow season for ice cream and they are not serving those until after winter. However they can give you a pint which they use the same dispenser for. Why couldn’t they just give it to me in a cup then? I dont know. Disappointed, we still ordered our Matcha ice cream to support the shop.

My brother ordered a Taiyaki with Matcha, one of the girls working there handed him his ice cream and casually said “here, hold onto it” so he took it. Shortly thereafter, the Taiyaki on top made a snapping sound and toppled off his icecream onto the floor! Shocked that it just fell off, I grabbed it off the floor in front the pick up station and asked them for another one. (Keep in mind my brother is 20 yrs old and was holding it very carefully)

The supervisor came out and after seeing what happened told me that I would have to buy another Taiyaki if they were going to make me a new one which seemed unnecessary since it had just fallen off moments after the hand off. Which makes me think it wasn’t firmly placed on top. Therefor not our fault. He hadn’t even eaten his icecream yet. I asked if she could please just give us another, and she said No sorry, that’s why we tell you to hold onto it. And I said that they should clarify that it was the Taiyaki we need to hold onto so it doesn’t fall not just saying “Here, hold onto it” meaning the ice cream cup? She then pulled out an old Taiyaki on the counter and said “Here I can give you this old one from earlier today for free” which I took as an insult. Who wants a stale old Taiyaki when I paid for a fresh one? I asked her again saying “No that does not seem fair” Is that even sanitary? How long has that been there? Very Annoyed and Insulted at this point, I keep asking her until she very begrudgingly gave me another fresh one and said next time hold onto the Taiyaki on top or you’ll need to pay for another one.

A word of advice to the owner!!! PLEASE tell your staff they should clarify in detail to the customers that they need to be careful with the Taiyaki on top of the ice cream instead of just saying “Hold onto IT” like we know what they’re talking about. So that these accidents don’t keep happening. Or firmly place the Taiyaki so we can avoid problems like this in the future. And people don’t waste $ for another one if it can be avoided.

*Also please advise your staff not to offer your customers OLD Taiyaki in a...

Overall: 3.7/5 (take out)

The store only has 1 ordering kiosk & a lot of their drinks on the menu weren't on the ordering kiosk. They didn't have the seasonal drink when we were there, and the other drink we wanted had dairy from the cream so we had to settle for our third choice.

Honey Matcha Latte ($6.75): The matcha is premium and not bitter but strong. You can taste the distinct flavors of each ingredient - matcha, honey, etc. This is a great premium matcha drink but I like my matcha sweeter so I wouldn't gravitate towards their matcha drinks next time. I do want to try the hojicha latte next time though.

Taiyaki Ice Cream ($7.50): We got Okinawa Ube and Uji Matcha ice cream with matcha powder and black sesame filling. They gave us the ice cream in a small cup with the taiyaki on the side since it was too hot and would melt the ice cream. Well, the ice cream still started melting really quickly while we were in the store. The Uji Matcha was really good in the sense that it had a strong matcha flavor but wasn't bitter and slightly sweet. The Okinawa Ube didn't taste like Ube and was light in flavor so it was overpowered by the matcha. It was really interesting; I couldn't put my finger on what it tasted like. The ice cream didn't have a strong milk taste so it let the flavors shine through. The taiyaki was fresh and bigger than the one at Somi Somi but it wasn't as crispy. The black sesame filling was strong and really good.

I like their ice cream more than their latte but I'm willing to try their other premium drink...

recently tried the Cheese Mousse Matcha Tea from Izumi Matcha and wow—what a game-changer. As someone who enjoys both bold matcha flavor and creamy textures, this drink hits every note just right.

The matcha itself is vibrant, earthy, and high quality—exactly what I expect from Izumi. But what takes it to the next level is that light, fluffy cheese mousse topping. It’s slightly savory, a little sweet, and perfectly creamy. Together, it creates a rich, almost dessert-like experience that’s somehow still refreshing.

I loved that the drink wasn’t overly sweet—it let the matcha shine. The layers blend beautifully with each sip, especially when you tilt the cup just right to get both tea and mousse in one go. It’s a treat for your taste buds and feels like a café indulgence at home.

Whether you’re a matcha purist or just looking for something a little different, this one’s definitely worth trying. I’m already planning to repurchase and experiment with adding boba or tapioca...