releaf

I've been trying to look a good matcha ice cream place in Chicago for the longest time and I FOUND IT!

Releaf is located in the cutest Japanese marketplace, tucked away in the corner amid other restaurants. I got their Black Sesame and Matcha mixed soft serve on a cone. Honestly, there isn't much to say except that it was delicious. The quantity is really great, swirl was aesthetically pleasing to look at, and you can taste both the matcha and black sesame.

The staff said that the soft serve is definitely stronger compared to the ice cream scoop. They do serve drinks during their normal operating hour, but after like 6/7pm, they only sell soft serve and ice cream after those times.

This matcha-focused beverage spot has been around for years and is located inside Mitsuwa, as part of their food court options. The menu offers milkshakes, green tea, and coffee/espresso options.

I usually stick to their Matcha Azuki Float, which is an iced matcha with scoops of red bean and vanilla soft serve. The float is inconsistent, as the vanilla soft serve doesn't hold its consistency and can be a bit droopy.

The assembly can use some work, as the toppings seem to haphazardly just plopped in there.

+located inside Mistuwa at the food court (eastern part)
+plenty of parking in private lot

Their soft serve in matcha and black sesame flavors were both very very good. Matcha is a bit more bitter and the young kids don't like it as much but they all loved the black sesame flavor. Best in both around the area.

Releaf is inside Mitsuwa's food court area. They make the best matcha lattes ever. I ordered the matcha latte soy boba and I will have to say it was the best boba/matcha latte I have ever had!

I am honestly very particular about getting an authentic strong matcha latte and they hit the spot plus perfect little tapioca pearls. I literally crave this all the time so I can't wait for the next time I can go. Highly recommend trying them! :)

Line moved fast. The flavors of matcha and black sesame were perfect. Prices were inexpensive. Service was great.

The line moves quickly. Unfortunately for others in the line, the frozen treats were limited to the soft serve. The black sesame and matcha swirl was delicious and the employees are so good at making the swirls. I got it in the cup, but it looks even cuter in the cone. Perfect swirls!

We always get drinks from here.

Our family faves are matcha milkshake, matcha drink and milk tea.

The boba is a baby size, which my kids love! It's easy to swallow, and there's no need to chew!

You definitely need to go here when you're at Mitsuwa.

Everytime I go inside mitsuwa marketplace, I always end my meal with their ice cream! I love their matcha soft serve.

My friend decided to try their lychee scooped ice cream which surprisingly was so tasty. The flavor was a mix between in a natural flavor, but also candy like.

The matcha parfait, we wished had more ice cream to pair with the many cake pieces throughout the cup. This is becaise the cake was a bit on the drier side as well as in addition to the red bean paste which can further dry the palate. Love the two cookie toppings for the crunch contrast and the mochi being super soft and chewy. Strawberries were a fresh addition to this sweet dessert!

I love their Thai Iced Coffee! Also, their Matcha Parfait is impeccable! Definitely, my favorite spot at Mitsuwa!

The first time we tried to come here the line was crazy so we ended up going to the B-bee Crepe place in the same food court at Mitsuwa. They also ran out of boba one time which was weird because Mitsuwa sells tapioca pearls. When we finally came on a day with nothing in our way, we were each able to try a different milk tea.

We got:

* Hokkaido milk tea. Tasted creamy and rich in flavor. 10/10
* Okinawa milk tea classic brown sugar milk tea. Perfect sweetness.10/10
* Taro milk tea 7.5/10

I was pleasantly surprised that all of the teas were creamy, rich, flavorful and not too sweet. They all came with mini and regular sized boba.
Out of over 20 bubble tea places we tried in the past few years, this one ranked 2nd which is pretty impressive. We loved the different size bobas since that isn't something we had seen at any other place. Can't wait to try it again.