The Matcha Cafe Maiko in south Sacramento’s Little Saigon district stopped serving customers Sunday, as the chain paused operations at its San Francisco location and other stores. The Stockton Boulevard cafe’s closure comes as the company transitions to a new name, Matcha Toko; it has not announced when the Sacramento location will reopen.
According to The Sacramento Bee, Matcha Cafe Maiko temporarily closed its Sacramento location on Nov. 8, with all of the chain’s stores pausing operations that same day, including the one in San Francisco. The south Sacramento cafe, located at 6905 Stockton Blvd., first opened in 2021.
The Bee reports the company announced the Matcha Toko name on social media in October. The company described the change as a continuation of its matcha offerings, which use ceremonial-grade matcha, and said it would share more about the new concept in the months ahead.
No Word Yet on a Reopening
The Bee had no reopening date for the rebranded cafe at the time of its report. The company plans to keep the existing menu while adding new matcha creations. Matcha Cafe Maiko did not respond to the Bee’s request for comment.
The Stockton Boulevard cafe became a fixture in south Sacramento’s Little Saigon corridor with a menu of matcha drinks, shaved ice and soft serve ice cream. The chain sources its matcha from Harima Garden, an organic tea farm in Kyoto, Japan. It launched in Hawaii in 2006 and later grew to 30 locations across the United States.
What Comes Next
The company has not said whether the current pause is tied to the rebrand or to another reason.
City Plans for Little Saigon
The City of Sacramento says it formally designated the area as Little Saigon in 2010, recognizing its culture and economic activity. The city’s Little Saigon Gateway Project on Stockton Boulevard is supported by a state grant and an additional $395,000 in local funding. The city says the funding will support public engagement and outreach, preliminary engineering, design, right-of-way and construction.
For now, fans of the Little Saigon cafe are left waiting on an announcement about when, and in what form, Matcha Toko will reopen its doors.
