Cha Do Raku

Tanya

5.0

Cozy, intimate, excellent tea expertise & service. Delicious homemade seasonal Japanese treats as well, from matcha chocolate cakes to tea soaked risotto. The perfect place to relax.

Jea

5.0

Maybe I'm a little biased toward Japanese comfort classics, but this entire setup feels like it was ripped out of a Kyoto alleyway. Japanese lady running the entire operation by herself, with a small tea room in the back.

The tea menu was a mix of premium sourcing from Taiwan & Japan. The owner mentioned the Japanese options are heavily focused on Uji tea. I've had Uji matcha before, but the pour here cranks the umami to an absolute extreme. It honestly tasted like 90% rich chicken broth with just a fleeting hint of bitterness at the very end.

Fascinating brewing mechanics as well. By using a 50:50 hot & cold water mix to hit exactly 40°C, she was essentially running a targeted extraction. Cooler water pulls out the sweet, savory amino acids like L-theanine, but it's not hot enough to drag out the bitter catechins locked in the leaves.

Also a standard pour numbs your palate through thermal shock & masks delicate flavors. But at just above body temp, TRPM5 channels fires at maximum efficiency. So the liquid hits your tongue at the perfect thermodynamic threshold where your brain is most hyper-receptive to those savory glutamates.

The food selection was low key what really hooked us tho. Ochazuke (rice in tea broth) was one of my favorite childhood comfort food, & it tasted exactly like the ones I had in Japan. The green tea broth used for this dish has a much lower umami profile with light, earthy notes. They cut their smoked salmon thick (like a steak), but serve it cold. That temperature contrast against the warm broth & the density of the cut made its texture really unique.

Kefi

5.0

Une petite perle bien cachée. Cha Do Raku, c'est pas juste un salon de thé, c'est une vibe. À peine passé la porte, tu te déchausses, tu mets des chaussons, & t'oublies le reste. Seulement 8 places, donc ultra intime.

Le choix de thés est fou : noir, vert, orange, rouge… avec des profils umami, terreux, astringents, matcha - chacun avec sa petite personnalité. Tout est pensé : la vaisselle, la musique, le décor. Tu bois un thé, mais t'as l'impression de vivre une formule complète.

Thé(7?) + 2?rh + ? + ?r²h = Cha Do Raku.
À tester au moins une fois si t'aimes le thé (ou juste chiller dans un spot qui a de l'âme).

K.

4.0

Great people. Definitely worth a visit. Teas were great & presented really nicely making them more worth the price. Food was absolutely amazing. Very much recommend Japanese risotto & matcha brownie dishes. Matcha tea done in traditional way, drink fast d/t loss of heat tho. Small amt of tea in cup, but that is traditional & I liked it that way. Very friendly service. Sort of uncomfortably hot in the store area, but a bit cooler in eating area. Very small, only for small small groups. Water is room temp BUT also traditional way. Atmosphere 3 star d/t stools to sit on are uncomfortable for long periods & such a small space for any larger individual.

Graciela

2.0

Place agréable, mais 16 $ pour une tisane & 10 $ pour un mini matcha cake... 33 $ à l'heure de payer... un peu too much.

Ophelia

2.0

The place is cute & aesthetic with a variety of teas. The owner is nice as well, but matcha for 8 dollars+ tax for only a couple of sips is not worth it. Also, it wasn't that good. I will not be coming back.

Anne-Marie

5.0

J’aime beaucoup cet endroit pour prendre le thé ou un matcha. Très bon service de la propriétaire. Des nouvelles découvertes à chaque fois.