Sound the Alarm: This Glorious Matcha Sundae Is Moving to Seattle

One of Eater’s favorite things from last year’s guide to Hawai’i, a glorious matcha sundae, is landing in the continental United States for the first time when Japan-based chain Nana’s Green Tea opens in Denny Triangle this fall. Tipsters shared the joyous word after spotting signs for the project at the street level of Amazon’s Oscar building, at 1007 Stewart St.

Nana’s harvests green tea from its own tea plantations in Kyoto and has more than 80 shops in Japan alone. The business is definitely grab-and-go-friendly — the website talks about providing “fine Japanese food culture and traditions as ‘the new Japanese style’ that suits the lifestyle of modern people” — although some food items are available only for those dining in. The chain has also spread to Taiwan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and even America, but so far only Hawai’i.

Hillary Dixler Canavan, Eater’s restaurant editor and a contributor to the Hawai’i guide, is psyched for the Seattle expansion. “I have been waiting for Nana’s Green Tea to come to the mainland since stopping by — and then returning two more times in one week — in Honolulu last year.” She says the namesake matchas and senchas are reliable, but her real obsession is the matcha warabi mochi parfait, “an ice cream sundae for the ages” with silky matcha ice cream, crispy corn flakes, adzuki bean paste, and jiggly cubes of translucent mochi to balance out the subtle bitterness of matcha powder.

The extensive master menu also features the likes of a tasty hojicha (roasted green tea) ice cream, adzuki bean latte, and red bean soup with mochi, plus seasonal specialties and even savory items, like wild-caught swordfish in a rice bowl accompanied by miso soup or udon noodles with sour plum, shredded kelp, and seaweed. But each shop has a different menu, so presumably not everything listed will be available in Seattle.

There’s no clear opening date yet, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but this is one to watch very carefully.

• All Coverage of Nana’s Green Tea [ESEA]
• The Eater Guide to Hawai’i [E]
• How to Eat Your Way Through 24 Perfect Hours in Honolulu [E]
• The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Food in Hawai’i [E]
• Nana’s Green Tea [Official website]
• Nana’s Green Tea Seattle [Facebook]