Moko Made Cafe is a viral matcha spot that actually delivers

Moko Made Cafe is our final stop after a slow morning at Columbia Road Flower Market.

We’ve done the shoulder-to-shoulder shuffle past buckets of peonies and eucalyptus, and justified buying more flowers than we technically need. Now we need caffeine, something warm to eat, something sweet to share, and a table we can claim for a while.

A short wander into Hoxton later, we slide into Moko Made Cafe and find exactly what the morning demands. There’s freshly made onigiri, frothy matcha drinks, gently steaming tea poured from slender ceramic pots.

It’s busy is the way that a viral matcha spot is always going to be on a weekend.

It turns out it can also be a haven of calm, where lingering is encouraged. My sister pulls her knitting from her bag – the universal sign that we’re settling in – and I’m already scanning the menu for matcha.

Quick info on Moko Made Cafe, Hoxton

• Cafe: Moko Made Cafe
• Location: Hoxton, London
• Vibe: Cosy Japanese home-style cafe
• Must order: matcha float, tuna mayo onigiri
• Skip: hojicha tiramisu
• Weekend tip: there will likely be a queue, but turnover is steady

Find out more in the full Moko Made Cafe review below.

Vintage vibes at Moko Made Cafe

When we arrive, there is indeed a queue. It’s the weekend, and this is a viral matcha cafe, after all. But the line moves steadily and we’re seated without too much of a wait.

Inside, Moko Made Cafe feels cosy and like a place that you could linger. There are mismatched tables and chairs, and shelves full of vintage crockery. Ceramic teapots in soft yellows and greens sit beside a tumble of teacups, each one different. 

Despite the buzz, there’s no sense of being rushed. Even when my sister works diligently through a few lines of knitting, and I slowly stir the ice cream in my matcha float, no one tries to rush you out. 

It’s busy outside, but inside it a calm haven.

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A simple but delicious onigiri

Let’s start with the sleeper hit at Moko Made Cafe.

The tuna mayo onigiri arrives warm, triangular and slightly bunched in the clingfilm that helped shape it. The rice is sticky, its chubby grains pressed together into something of a mountain. A strip of nori hugs the edge, and inside is the dollop of tuna mayo.

On paper, it’s a simple thing. The eating is where the delight is. Those podgy grains, still warm from the rice oven, mix beautifully with the tuna, and the nori gives a salty-sea umami note. What a wonderful little thing.

In fact, I’d happily come back to Moko Made Cafe just for these onigiri. I’m thinking about them now.

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Hojicha tiramisu is interesting, but other things might be better

Next, we try the hojicha tiramisu.

It arrives in a modest portion, small but neat. Texturally it’s lovely, formed of smooth cream and soft sponge. But, flavour-wise, it is extremely subtle.

Too subtle, maybe.

Hojicha has a roasted warmth, but here that gentleness doesn’t work so well. While pleasant, I can’t help thinking I’d either prefer the full-bodied punch of a traditional coffee tiramisu or the oomph of matcha instead.

It’s nice, if forgettable.

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Ceremony in a teapot

Where Moko Made Cafe truly shines, though, is in its tea service.

We order a hot genmaicha and it arrives in the loveliest teapot with a long slender spout, perfectly sized for one person. Yes, it’s made from a teabag rather than loose leaf. But it’s still very good.

There’s a definate ceremony of sorts with the setup – the beautiful teapot and cup, the tray on which they come. It slows you down.

Sometimes it’s not just about what’s in the cup – it’s how it’s given to you.

A delicious iced matcha float

And then, of course, there’s the iced matcha float.

This is what Moko Made Cafe is known for, and for good reason.

The matcha itself is balanced and smooth. It arrives frothy and bright green, topped with a scoop of ice cream that slowly begins to melt into the drink, thickening it into something almost like a milkshake.

As the ice cream dissolves, the drink becomes thicker and frothier. 

There’s a tactile pleasure here too, with the cold glass, the delicate foam and the spoon scooping up the ice cream. It’s thoughtful and playful.

Is Moko Made Cafe worth a detour to Hoxton?

Given how busy Moko Made Cafe gets, especially at weekends, the obvious question is whether it’s worth the queue.

For me, yes.

Not because every single item is amazing (it isn’t). The hojicha tiramisu, for example, is pleasant but no more.

However, the onigiri is excellent, the matcha float delivers exactly what it promises, and the overall feel of the place is great. It’s a proper chill out sort of cafe.

Come for warm rice, good matcha, proper tea, and a table where no one minds if you knit.

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Moko Made Cafe Hoxton review
Address – 211 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AN
Nearest Tube – Hoxton