Yame Matcha House Opens Its First Café in Kakaʻako Today

If you’ve stood in line at a matcha trailer on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus, you may already know this name. Yame Matcha House holds the grand opening of its first full café today, Saturday, Nov. 7, at 961 Kawaiahaʻo St. in Kakaʻako, Aloha State Daily reported on Friday.

The new café takes over the former Poke Stand by Shokudo space. The trailer isn’t going anywhere: Aloha State Daily says it keeps popping up at UH Mānoa Monday through Friday.

The quick facts

• Where: 961 Kawaiahaʻo St., Honolulu (Kakaʻako)
• Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays (per Aloha State Daily)
• Grand opening: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
• Also: The original trailer at UH Mānoa, weekdays
• Follow: Instagram @yamematchahouse

Why “Yame” matters

Most matcha sold on the island comes from Shizuoka or Uji. Owner Ryo Hirayama told Aloha State Daily that’s exactly the gap he wanted to fill. Hirayama is from Fukuoka, and Yame is a tea region in that prefecture. He grew up drinking Yame matcha, and his family runs a shop in Fukuoka that sells matcha utensils and chawan, the traditional bowls used to whisk tea. When he got to Oʻahu and couldn’t find Yame matcha, he decided to bring it here himself.

What’s different in the cup? Hirayama credits a double-roasting process for a nuttier flavor than many people expect from matcha. He also says the regular matcha base contains no artificial sugars.

What to order

Aloha State Daily listed the drinks customers come back for, with prices:

• Yame signature matcha or hojicha: $8
• Yame Einspänner: $8.75. It uses a concentrated base with about 10 grams of matcha, compared with roughly 6 grams in the other drinks.
• Banana dream: $8.50
• Okinawan brown sugar hojicha: $8.50
• Salted vanilla caramel and salted vanilla: $8.50 each, for sweeter tastes

There’s also a seasonal maple cookie hojicha, which Hirayama said launched about a month before the café opening. If you only try one drink on your first visit, he says people love the Einspänner.

What’s next in the bigger space

For now, the café menu closely matches the trailer’s. But a brick-and-mortar space with a freezer gives the shop room to grow. Hirayama told Aloha State Daily he plans shakes and ice cream drinks, and that a soft-serve machine is on the way. Watch the shop’s Instagram for new items.

Planning your visit

Kawaiahaʻo Street sits in the busy Kakaʻako grid between Ala Moana and downtown. Stopping by on opening weekend? Expect a crowd and give yourself extra time. Keep in mind the café closes at 3 p.m. and is dark on Mondays, so it works best as a morning or early-afternoon stop. Hours at brand-new shops can shift in the first few weeks, so check Instagram before you head out.

It’s one more sign that Honolulu’s matcha scene keeps growing. If you’re making a day of it, Kakaʻako’s murals and shops are a short walk away.

Sources

• Aloha State Daily, “Yame Matcha House is opening in Kakaʻako” by Kelli Shiroma Braiotta (Nov. 6, 2026): https://alohastatedaily.com/2026/11/06/yame-matcha-house-is-opening-in-kakaako/
• Yame Matcha House on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamematchahouse/