Jinshan Cafe

Ordered the Matcha sesame cream latte because it sounded interesting. I loved the unique flavor the sesame flavor has with the matcha. The interior was very cute and the worker who took my order was very nice and asked if I liked my drink! Definitely give this place a try!

I found this spot on Yelp while searching for a boba spot, and we picked it because of the cute illustrations of all the matcha and coffee lattes. I ordered the black sesame matcha latte, and my friend ordered the ube matcha latte with boba. My matcha latte tasted like a bland version of black sesame milk. Unfortunately there was no matcha flavor at all. And even though I ordered my drink at the regular sugar level, it didn't have any sweetness at all. My friend was surprised by how bland my drink was because she ordered her drink with "less sugar" but her drink was sweeter than mine. My friend's drink tasted like slightly sweet milk. She ordered oat milk for her drink but neither of us could taste the distinct flavor of oat milk. No matcha taste either. And the boba wasn't boba - it was crystal boba like the kind you find in canned boba drinks, which is misleading since crystal boba is another topping option you can pick from...We really wanted to like this spot because it looked so promising, and the bobarista seemed friendly, but their drink ratios need some improvement - especially if they're a mostly matcha and coffee latte spot.They sell scratchers and lottery here too. Definitely a first for a boba shop. And I saw they have some food options too like spaghetti. We'll probably keep an eye out for reviews before coming back here again.

3.5 stars - Not gonna lie, I came here because my fiancé needed the restroom. They were very accommodating and showed us where the restroom is right away. I ordered a strawberry matcha latte in the meantime. Unfortunately, I mistakenly got served a matcha latte instead but I'm okay with that as well. The latte itself is good, but I do wish the matcha was stronger. I'm someone who doesn't like things sweet and the matcha latte was barely sweet at all, but the little jellies in the bottom provided a light sweetness every so often that was pleasant! The place itself looks cozy, the front has lottery tickets for sale which is...interesting haha.

I wanted a good black sesame matcha latte since not a lot of places offer this combo and do it well. I ordered a matcha w/ sesame cream and oat and another matcha latte with oat milk. The cashier got my order wrong and gave me a black sesame latte coffee :( . She only rung me up after I said the two orders and got it wrong. I asked her if I could get the matcha I ordered and she said I would have to order it again. I didn't want to push as she's by herself and seems like a mom and pop shop.We just tried the drinks as is and both were disappointing and watery. I think our first mistake was going to a shady place with lottery tickets. Wish the drinks were as good as the drawings.

The owners here are super nice and accomodating! She is super sweet and genuine! She gave me a great rec. I got the Osmanthus Latte. It was really delicious. The combination of floral flavor and caffiene was exactly what I needed. I liked the cozy mom and pop shop feel to the cafe. They have a bench in the store that you can wait for your drinks in and two tables where you can sit and work. They have two outlets. Overall would really rec this place!!! Give them a try!

I saw Jinshan pop up on my Yelp hot and new page and had to stop by the next time I was in Chinatown. I like that they have an extensive menu with some more caffeinated offerings as well as boba ones.They differ from other boba places and cafes in the neighborhood in that they offer unique drinks with osmanthus, ube, matcha, taro, black sesame, and ginger flavors. I enjoyed my Matcha Ube latte with boba ($7.10)--it was sweet and the flavor had depth and complexity. I will be back to try other drinks. Wall art is cute, service was helpful as I took a while to order because the menu was so big!

I've been seeing photos of Jinshan on Instagram so we had to make a stop on our way out of the city. It's a very tiny little shop, and parking can be a little tricky in this area, so my husband ran in to get the drinks really quickly. My matcha strawberry latte was very pretty and the colors were vibrant. The strawberry was sweet and the drink was delicious once mixed! The honeycomb latte unfortunately was disappointing though. It tasted like a bad bitter iced coffee and had zero inkling of honeycomb. Didn't look the menu photo at all - the color was way off and it didn't come with the pile of honeycomb on top. Wish we picked a different drink instead!

Brief Summary: - Cute interior that gives calm and relaxing environment- Love their miniature coffee decorations- Strong tea flavor in their milk tea drinks- In the heart of Chinatown- Inside, there are a couple of places to sitLately, I have been searching for a tea place in Chinatown because I haven't been here in a while, and I tend to crave boba in between my walks around town. While searching on yelp, I discovered this shop, squeezed and secluded off the main Grant street. I had walked down this street a couple times in the last month, and I have noticed that at one of the street corners there is a propped sign with a list of tea drinks. Deciding on here, I made my way there.The store is cozy small with adorable and eye-catching decorations that bring calm to the mind. I love the miniature espresso machines decorated behind the staff counter and the different wall decorations that speak the tea and coffee language. There are different tea options, and for starters I chose the classic milk tea. A group of mine and I arrived at this tea shop pretty late in the afternoon, so we were informed that they were nearly out of boba pearls. An interesting coincidence, but only one was interested in getting boba pearls and the rest just wanted a plain milk tea, so it worked out great in the end. The wait wasn't too long despite the large group.The tea tasted really nice. I liked how it stood out like the main character in the plot; not sitting near the sidelines with the milk and hot water. Even when the ice melted, it retained its tea flavor. There are some teas, where the milk is the first to taste or the tea is watered down; this is not that.Even though it is my first visit, it was a splendid first tea, so I'll visit here and try their other drinks, coffee, lattes, and maybe their specialty drinks.

I came here on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty busy and there was only one person working. I felt so bad for her working a rush alone but I admired how well she worked under pressure and still got the drinks out in a timely manner. I ordered the brown sugar boba latte and it was SO good. The boba pearls were perfectly sweet and chewy and the espresso tasted so good with it. Would definitely recommend especially if you get thirsty while exploring SF Chinatown!

I stumbled upon Jinshan while I was exploring Chinatown one morning. It was raining and I was looking for something warm, but as soon as I saw the iced Matcha Ube Latte on their menu, my mind was made up!Because of the rain, Chinatown was pretty quiet that early in the morning, and so was the cafe. Just one couple sitting inside, and enough seating for me, but I wanted to keep walking. The person behind the counter quickly took my order and got started on preparing my drink. $6.50 for the drink, and for my first time trying it, well worth it! The ube added a creamier element to the matcha and I really liked the balance of flavors. And it was a beautiful drink! Chinatown is full of little cafes to try, but I think I'd still like to try another drink from JinShan next time I'm in the area.