***3.5 Star** JinShan Cafe is located in Chinatown, and like many mom-and-pop shops, it seems they've expanded their menu beyond drinks to help keep the business going. Sometimes that kind of expansion can end up diluting the quality or taste of the beverages. While exploring Chinatown, I noticed a couple of signs posted around the corner pointing people toward JinShan Cafe, so I decided to stop by and support the business. Inside, they sell various knickknacks, and the décor feels a bit random with different items put together throughout the space. The owner/barista works behind a plexiglass barrier near the counter. I ordered the Vanilla Latte, which was good, along with the Black Sesame Latte. I should know by now that black sesame drinks can sometimes be disappointing, but I keep giving that flavor a chance. Sesame Latte (looks like vanilla latte with flaked of black sesame at bottom). Unfortunately, I could barely taste any black sesame flavor in it at all. read more

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I was in the area getting my camera fixed and wanted a drink. I tried the honeycomb latte and thought it was okay. I liked the options on the menu, and if I'm ever back would be open to trying another drink. read more

Street parking only, a bit hard since it's Chinatown Small Mom shop, trying its earnest to make an earning, selling drinks, lunch meals, desserts (smoothies and ice creams) and gift items on the side as you walk into the shop For a small store, she made a good strong iced coffee, she made it right so I needed others to know Give her place a try read more

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This disgusting shit. what in the absolute heck is this bs? let me tell y'all something, they got these "egg rolls" from costco and heated them up in an AIRFRYER. disgusting for $15 mother fing dollars. This is a tourist TRAP. do not be fooled by these jokers. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

the worst matcha latte I've ever had. I got the black sesame matcha latte ($7.50) and it was basically straight up milk with a sprinkle of black sesame chunks and some bitterness. there was no matcha flavor at all. I overheard the man who made the drink saying that he was covering for his wife, so maybe it's a one-off? read more

Jinshan Cafe - black sesame matcha latte - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got the strawberry matcha and the black sesame matcha and both were really flavorful. You could actually taste the strawberry and black sesame clearly, but they didn't overpower the matcha itself, which I appreciated. The shop owner was also super sweet and gave us great recommendations for places to check out around Chinatown, which made the visit feel really personal. Such a cute little spot to grab a drink while exploring the area. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Black sesame matcha, strawberry matcha - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Black sesame matcha latte on left and ube matcha latte with boba on the right (not real boba - crystal boba - but labeled as boba) - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

4.5 stars. The brown sugar ginger latte here was really interesting! Really unique flavor and the ginger was pretty strong, but not overwhelming. I was drawn to the shop because of the gorgeous drawings on the sign outside, and I'm so glad I took a chance! There was a good amount of espresso in my drink. Service was fast and friendly. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Brown Sugar Ginger Latte. 4.5/5 -- strong ginger flavor, strong espresso flavor. - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Not only is the matcha super diluted, the "ube" cream is basically for aesthetic purposes only. I barely tasted it amongst the straight up milk that I was drinking essentially. On top of that it was $7.25 for the drink so not worth it at all. The service was fast though and it's basically one guy running the show. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Matcha ube - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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! read more

Jinshan Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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! read more

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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. read more

The food is so mid. Food is so expensive for what? practically nothing. The matcha doesn't even taste like matcha nor does the honeycomb latte. I am never coming back ever. read more

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 sit Lately, 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. read more

Jinshan Cafe - iced milk tea with no boba - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Matcha Ube Latte - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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! read more

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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! read more

Jinshan Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got the lamb skewers, food was cold and taste was okay. People were nice and friendly though.

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. read more

Not everyone comes to Jinshan Café these days. There were plenty of customers who came to better ice cream parlors and cafés such as Matcha Café Maiko. That's the reason why I saw a couple of reviews on Yelp about Jinshan Café. The matcha drinks in the special drink menu still didn't disappoint. I'm good with either strawberry, black sesame, or ube mixed with the matcha drinks, but not red beans (too old school). Coconut milk and lychee jelly with no sugar was absolutely precise for me. Too bad I didn't tell an Asian barista to not include ice, for I should've finished my whole cup while enjoying the Lunar New Year festival. The interior of the bubble tea café was just as ordinary. Despite not being one of the best, Jinshan Café needs more customers to help keep the business running. read more

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Quaint little mom-and-pop café in Chinatown with a relaxed, welcoming vibe. The coffee and snacks are solid, and the real charm is in the atmosphere. You can sip your drink and play scratch-off tickets at the same time -- how fun is that? It's the kind of place that feels like a local secret, even if you just stumbled in off the street. read more

Their stand menu outside was what attracted me to come inside. After seeing the ads for this place, I decided to come give them a try. After the lady told me that they make their ube in house, I was tempted to get a drink with it, so I ordered a matcha latte with ube, thinking that the ube would like like a paste of some sort. The ube in my drink did come out purple like the illustration on the menu but I was expecting it to be handmade taro paste, not just ube foam milk. Oh well, no big deal. While I believe they are using authentic matcha and ingredients for their drinks, the matcha and ube flavor could have been more pronounced. I also should have gotten normal sweet becuase I usually order "less" at boba places but the "less sugar" here is borderline no sugar at all, which also downplayed the flavor of the drink even more. My friend ordered a black sesame latte, which to their surprise actually came with coffee in it (I suppose most other places just give you black sesame and milk) you can request no coffee. I will probably get their espresso drinks next time and order normal sweet with other adjustments. read more

Jinshan Cafe - L: Sesame Latte | R: Matcha Ube Latte - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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4.5 stars! This is a new addition to the boba scene in SF's Chinatown. They serve several drinks with ingredients like osmanthus, ube, matcha, taro, black sesame, and ginger. The ube is a little too light for a matcha combo for me, but the matcha itself is nicely strong and creamy. On the other hand, I really like their latte with osmanthus syrup which looked to be made with real osmanthus pieces. Loved seeing the variety in flavors they offer and can't wait to go back to try more! (a plus- the bags are specially made to carry two drinks at a time so you can def treat yourself to more than one). Service is very nice and they have a few indoor seats to chill at. read more

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Very good coffees & tea drinks here. So glad we found this cafe that serves great coffees and espresso drinks and a variety of tea drinks and matcha drinks. We had hot coffee latte, cold oolong milk tea drinks and a jasmine milk tea drink. They also offer boba tea drinks. Any drink can be hot or cold. They also offer some decaf drinks too. Very nice, clean place and polite service. read more

I was in the area for the Lunar New Year street festival in Chinatown and decided to try this random place out. I ordered a Classic Milk Tea that was less sweet, no ice, and had boba. I found the drink to be a little creamy and tasted pretty good. It is a balanced drink and pretty standard fare in terms of flavor, so I think most people would be fine with it (because neither the tea nor the milk are too strong). The boba was soft and chewy. The drink was sweet but not too sweet, so I personally think less sweet is the way to go. I asked if they would take my reusable glass boba tumbler, and they said yes! My tumbler was around 20 oz, and they filled it to approximately 90%. If I'm ever back in the area, I would be happy to come back to this quaint casual boba place, especially since they have a few seats for resting. read more

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! read more

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Nice little drink spot tucked away on a side street. Mostly milk-based drinks be it milk, soy or coconut. Macha drink I ordered was made to order, not from some premade mix. read more

Jinshan Cafe - Macha coconut cream jelly drink. - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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strawberry latte is fun to try ...coffee with strawberry jelly..chinatown..no idea how you make these drinks read more

Jinshan Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

The drink selection on the sign outside lured my group in and I'd have to say that the drinks we tried were pretty good. NGL my expectations were set low, however, the coffee flavor was present and the sweetness was "not too sweet". I tried the iced durian and honeycomb lattes and if you've ever tried the durian latte from Not Latte in Daly City, this one is way better. More durian flavor without lacking coffee flavor. There are 2 chunks of honeycomb added but it doesn't add/takeaway from it being an iced latte. I'd recommend the durian latte out of the two I tried. The owner was also really sweet and recommended a bird's nest drink, but I'll have to save that for another visit. Overall 3.5 , not bad. Will stop by the next time I'm in the area to try another item from the specialty menu. read more

I bought two cups (no sugar coconut jelly latte and ube coconut water) both are pretty good!! Recommended!!!!! read more

Jinshan Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Nice spontaneous find! Black sesame cream latte was super yummy. Full of flavor. The matcha was made the traditional way with a whisk before going into the latte. The black sesame cream was delish. I want to top everything off with that cream! read more

Jinshan Cafe - The chinese lady whom I think is the owner was very efficient, friendly and pleasant. - Cafes Near Me - San Francisco, California

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What a cute hole in the wall place where you can find both Taiwanese milk tea and coffee drinks or matcha drinks. It was such a clean and cute place with reasonable prices which is a rarity these days. My milk tea was perfect, tea flavor was great and actual perfect boba texture and chew! My friends latte was also delicious. The lady that owns the store and was working was so very nice and made us feel so welcome. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Friendly staff and drinks are not too sweet! Clean space with seating inside and quiet